Искусства и ремесла Средневековья

Illuшiвation of Books

353

scгipt I have seen, cнddled away ашопg the foliage, in the шargiп, а couple of little nюпkeys, fcecling а ЬаЬу of their o\vn species wit,h рар fгom а spoon. The ЬаЬу monkey is closely ,vrapped in the swathing bands with whicl1 one is farniliar as the early trussing of European children. Sati1·e and w1·ath аге c,нiously Ыendcd in а Geгman manнscript of thc t,velfth century, in which tl1c scribe introdнces а po1·tгait of himself lшrliпg а rnissilc at а ventшesome rnoнse wlю is eating the monk's cheesc - а fine Camembe1·t! - under his very nosc. Iп the book \vhich he is гcprescnted as tгaпscriЬing, the a1·tist has traced the ,vo,·ds - " Pessiшe mus, sepius ше p1·ovocas ad iгam, нt tc Deus perdat." ("\Vicked mouse, too often you p1·ovoke me to anger - may God destroy thce! ") In their illustrations the scribes often showed how ]iteral was their inteгp1·etation of Scriptшal text. For instance, in а passage in thc book known as the Utrecht Psalter, there is an illustration of the veгse, "The words of the Lord arc рше ,vords; as silver tried in the furnace, purified seven times." А glowing forge is seen, and two craftsmen are working with bellows, pincers, and ham­ mer, to prove the temper of some metal, which is so molten that а stream of it is poшing out of the furnace. Another example of this literal inte1·pretation, is in the Psalter of Edwin, wheгe two men are engaged in sharpening а sword upon а grindstone, in illustration of the text about the wicked, "who whet their tongue like а sword."