Искусства и ремесла Средневековья

Illuminatjon of Books

349

made it necessary to нsе qнieter tones, gold paint ,vas generally adopted instead of leaf, as being less coв­ spicпous and more in harmony with the gcпe1·al scheme; and one of the cl1ief glories of book dccoration died in this change. The diveгgeпces of style in the wш-k of vaгious coнn­ tries are ,vеП indicated Ьу Walter de Gray Birch, who says: "TheEng]jsh are famous for clearness and bгeadth; the French for delicate fineness and harmoniously assorted colours, the Flemish for minutely stippled dc­ tails, and the Italian for the gorgeous yet calm dignity apparent in their best manusc1·ipts." Individuality of facial expгession, although these faces а1·е geneгally ugly, is а characteгistic of Flemish wo1·k, while the faces in French miniatures аге нnifoгm and pгetty. One mai·ked featшe in tЬе English �hirteentl1 and fourteenth centшy books, is the introduction of many small grotes<1нes in tlie bOI'ders, and these little creatшes, paгtly aniшal ancl pa1·tly lшman, slю\v а kееп sense of humoш, ,vhich had to display itsclf, even thougl1 in­ appropгiately, Ьпt al,vays 1vith а true spirit of v.тit. One might suppose on first lookiвg at these gгotesques, that thc droП cxpгession is uninteпtional: that thc monks could d1·aw по bette1·, and that t]1ei1· sketches аге funny only Ьесанsе of thcir iпaЬility to portray mo1·e exactly the thing 1·epгesented. Внt а closer examinatioн \Yill convince one that the ,vit was delibeгate, and tliat the very suЬtlety and reserve of their expression of humoш is an indication of its dcptЬ. To-day an artist