Искусства и ремесла Средневековья

346 A1·ts апd C1·afts iп t]1e Mbldle Ages

,vгitten in tЬе tirne of the Viгgiп St. Bгidget, and, as they say, at tЬе clictation of an angel. Неге you bchold the rnagic face divinely dгawn, and thcrc thc :nystical forrns of tl1e Evangelists, tl1ere an eaglc, hеге а calf, so closely wrougЬt together, tЬat if you look caгelcssly at theш, they ,vould sесш гаtl1ег like а unifoгш Ыоt than like an cxquisitc int.eг,vcaveшeпt of figшes; ex­ hiЬiting по peгfection of skill ог агt, wheгe all is гeally skill and peгfection of art. But if you look closely af thcш ,Yith all the acuteness of sight tlшt you сап сош• шand, and exaшine tЬс inшost secгets of tl1is wondгoнs агt, you ,vill discovc1· such delicatc, sucl1 ,vondcrful апd finely ,vгought liпes, t,visted and iпteг,voven witli sucЬ intгicate knots ancl adorned ,vitl1 such fгesh апd brilliant coloшs, that уон will гeadily acknowledge tl1e wlюle to have Ьееп tЬе ,voгk of angelic шtl1сг than lшrnan skill." At fiгst gold was not used at all in Iгisl1 work, but tlic шa1шscгipts of а slightly lateг date, and especially of the Aпglo-Saxon sclюol, sho,v а superЬly decorative use botl1 of gold and silver. ТЬе "Coronation Oatl1 Book of thc Anglo-Saxoп Кings " is especially гich in tЬis ex­ qнisite шetallic lшгrnony. Ву deg1·ees, also, the Anglo­ Saxons Ьесаше шоrе pe1-fected in the рогtгауаl of the Ьurnan figнre, so tl1at Ьу the twPlfth ccпtury the ,voгk of the Southeгп schools and tlюse of England ,vеге шоrс alike than at any pгevious tirne. In the Noгthern rnanusc1·ipts of tl1e eleventl1 and t"'elfth centшies it is aшusing to note tЬat tЬе bad