Искусства и ремесла Средневековья

Illumination of Books

351

fOI'ms, so that it loses its suЬtlety: it l'epгcscnts women te1·minating in floral scгolls, or sea-lюrses witl1 leaves growing instead of fiпs. The samc spiгit is seen in tЬе grotesqucs of the Renaissance, whc1·e the scпsc of lшmош is not cmpl1asized, tl1e ideal in this class of decoration being simply to fill the space ассерtаЫу, ,vith voluptuous graceful lines, mytlюlogical monstl'osities, the inex­ pгessive miпgling of human and vegetaЫe chaгacter­ istics, grinning dгagons, st1pposed to iпspiгe Ь01тоr, and such conccits, ,vhilc tl1c attempt to anшse tЬе spectator is usually absent. In mcdimval агt, Ь°'vever, tl1e beauty of liпe, tl1e sense of Ьоrrог, and the volнptuous spiгit, ai·e all шаге ог less subservient to the ligЬt-hcal'tecl Ьноуаnсу of а kсеп sense of ftш. То illustrate tl1is point, I vvisЬ to call tl1e atteп­ tion of the reader to tЬс ,vit of the шonastic scгibes dшing tЬе Gotllic pci·iod. ,vьо roнld look at tЬс little aпimals ,vhicЬ аге fotшd tuckcd a,vay almost out of sight in the flo,very maгgins of many illшniпated maп­ uscгipts, ,vithoнt seeing that tЬе ai·tist himsclf шust have been amпscd at thciг pгanks, and intencled others to Ье so? One can picture а g1·ay-Ьooded bгothe1·, chпckling alone at his own "'·it, caгcfully tгaciпg а jolly little gro­ tesque, and tЬen stealing softly to the alcove of some congenial spiгit, and in а wЬisper inviting his blend to соте and see ·thc satire whicЬ l1e Iшs carefully intro­ duced: "А perfect poгtгait of tl1e Вisl10p, only ,vitl1 claws iпstead of legs! So very droll! And dear brother, ,vhile you are here, jнst look at the exp1·ession of this