A. The <strong>objective</strong> of the KU Leuven NBMSI Metadata Standard, developed... more A. The <strong>objective</strong> of the KU Leuven NBMSI Metadata Standard, developed within the framework of the 3Pi project, is to define the required or relevant metadata elements and their parameters for image captures created with a photographic Narrow Band Multi-Spectral Imaging (NBMSI) technology. The determined and selected metadata fields provide information necessary to outline the creation environment and technical infrastructure used in the production of the images. These are not standard included in the basic EXIF or IPTC fields embedded in the image derived from the camera system itself. As such this is metadata pertaining to the image dataset and not to the object being imaged. The KU Leuven NBMSI Metadata Standard is intended to provide definitions and conventions, allowing users to access documentation for images stemming from a common set of terminology. This will therefore provide a level of consistency for the metadata information. Therefore, the prim...
Illuminated Dante Project, in collaboration with the Advanced Course in History and Philology of ... more Illuminated Dante Project, in collaboration with the Advanced Course in History and Philology of the Manuscript and Ancient Book, has invited Lieve Watteeuw, KU Leuven, and Hendrik Hameeuw, KU Leuven, to hold a workshop/seminar limited to the students of the Advanced Course on 20-21 May 2019 at the Girolamini Library of Naples. On that occasion, Watteeuw and Hameeuw will test for the very first time in Italy the technology of Microdome on some manuscripts of the Library, and in particular on the ancient Dante manuscript known as &quot;Codice Filippino&quot;. A restricted group of experts and researchers in the domains of philology, codicology, history of art, book restoration and conservation, will take part in this intervention. The outcomes of this research, along with the perspectives of KU Leuven Book Heritage Lab’s partnership with both Illuminated Dante Project and the Advanced Course, will be publicly communicated on May 21, 2019 at 15.00 at Sala Ex Cataloghi, Department of Humanities, University of Naples &quot;Federico II&quot;. This meeting will be open to anyone. _______________ Lieve Watteeuw is art historian at KU Leuven and conservator-restorator of books and manuscripts since 1989. She is head of the Book Heritage Lab and she is coordinating the 3Pi-project (Diagnosis of Papyrus-Parchment-File Manuscripts through Advanced Imaging) and RICH (Reflectance Imaging for Cultural Heritage). Hendrik Hameeuw is assyriologist and Near Eastern archeologist at KU Leuven; he is an expert in Scientific Imaging and a member of the Book Heritage Lab.
This document was created to provide an insight on the basic acquisition sequence applied with th... more This document was created to provide an insight on the basic acquisition sequence applied with the Narrow Band Multi-Spectral Imaging (NBMSI) system used at the KU Leuven (for the document on that systems' hardware, see https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3607302). It also provides information on the automated file naming (nomenclature) of the captures with that NBMSI system when the Spectral XV software interface for capture and (pre-)processing is used. At KU Leuven this NBMSI infrastructure has been obtained and is being operated within the framework of this 3Pi Project (<em>Diagnosis of Papyrus-Paper-Parchment manuscripts through advanced Imaging</em>, AKUL/17/001, FWO: I009918N). This NBMSI system was created by R.B. Toth and Associates LLC, in association with Equipose Imaging LLC and Phase One A/S and their local partners; the acquisition software of the system is Spectral XV.
Un « Jardin Clos » flamand en cuir bouilli du 15 e siècle. Production, dégradation et conservatio... more Un « Jardin Clos » flamand en cuir bouilli du 15 e siècle. Production, dégradation et conservation d&#39;un petit panneau en cuir peint. La technique du cuir bouilli était répandue en Italie, en Allemagne, à Paris et en Flandre au Bas Moyen Âge, non seulement pour les étuis de coupes ou de bouteilles, les reliquaires, l’armement (comme les boucliers de parade), les reliures et boîtes à livres, mais aussi pour recouvrir et décorer de scènes d’amour courtois des petits coffrets hautement raffinés. Paris et la Flandre étaient réputés pour la production de ces biens de luxe et leur exportation à travers l’Europe via les nombreuses routes commerciales.
the use of specific digital filters, bringing out structures that would not be visible under sing... more the use of specific digital filters, bringing out structures that would not be visible under single illumination (like shade, contrast, sharpening and sketch filters). By scaling the image, a measuring tool in the software defines the dimension of the stamp and print lines unto 10 micron. To develop the possibilities for ‘digital rubbings’, in 2013 a group of medieval and early modern bindings (11th to 17th century) were examined in Flemish Heritage collections (the Museum Plantin-Moretus and Leuven University Libraries). The lecture will discuss observations captured by the visualization system, the development of the database with the online viewer, and the possibilities of ‘RICH’ as a research tool in the art technical—and in the conservation field.
In recent years more advanced imaging techniques have been introduced to study, document, curate ... more In recent years more advanced imaging techniques have been introduced to study, document, curate and preserve our heritage. Pixel+ focuses on two of them: Reflectance Transformation Imaging/Polynomial Texture Mapping and the Portable Light Dome.
Illuminated Dante Project, in collaboration with the Advanced Course in History and Philology of ... more Illuminated Dante Project, in collaboration with the Advanced Course in History and Philology of the Manuscript and Ancient Book, has invited Lieve Watteeuw, KU Leuven, and Hendrik Hameeuw, KU Leuven, to hold a workshop/seminar limited to the students of the Advanced Course on 20-21 May 2019 at the Girolamini Library of Naples. On that occasion, Watteeuw and Hameeuw will test for the very first time in Italy the technology of Microdome on some manuscripts of the Library, and in particular on the ancient Dante manuscript known as "Codice Filippino". A restricted group of experts and researchers in the domains of philology, codicology, history of art, book restoration and conservation, will take part in this intervention. The outcomes of this research, along with the perspectives of KU Leuven Book Heritage Lab’s partnership with both Illuminated Dante Project and the Advanced Course, will be publicly communicated on May 21, 2019 at 15.00 at Sala Ex Cataloghi, Department of H...
A. The <strong>objective</strong> of the KU Leuven NBMSI Metadata Standard, developed... more A. The <strong>objective</strong> of the KU Leuven NBMSI Metadata Standard, developed within the framework of the 3Pi project, is to define the required or relevant metadata elements and their parameters for image captures created with a photographic Narrow Band Multi-Spectral Imaging (NBMSI) technology. The determined and selected metadata fields provide information necessary to outline the creation environment and technical infrastructure used in the production of the images. These are not standard included in the basic EXIF or IPTC fields embedded in the image derived from the camera system itself. As such this is metadata pertaining to the image dataset and not to the object being imaged. The KU Leuven NBMSI Metadata Standard is intended to provide definitions and conventions, allowing users to access documentation for images stemming from a common set of terminology. This will therefore provide a level of consistency for the metadata information. Therefore, the prim...
Illuminated Dante Project, in collaboration with the Advanced Course in History and Philology of ... more Illuminated Dante Project, in collaboration with the Advanced Course in History and Philology of the Manuscript and Ancient Book, has invited Lieve Watteeuw, KU Leuven, and Hendrik Hameeuw, KU Leuven, to hold a workshop/seminar limited to the students of the Advanced Course on 20-21 May 2019 at the Girolamini Library of Naples. On that occasion, Watteeuw and Hameeuw will test for the very first time in Italy the technology of Microdome on some manuscripts of the Library, and in particular on the ancient Dante manuscript known as &quot;Codice Filippino&quot;. A restricted group of experts and researchers in the domains of philology, codicology, history of art, book restoration and conservation, will take part in this intervention. The outcomes of this research, along with the perspectives of KU Leuven Book Heritage Lab’s partnership with both Illuminated Dante Project and the Advanced Course, will be publicly communicated on May 21, 2019 at 15.00 at Sala Ex Cataloghi, Department of Humanities, University of Naples &quot;Federico II&quot;. This meeting will be open to anyone. _______________ Lieve Watteeuw is art historian at KU Leuven and conservator-restorator of books and manuscripts since 1989. She is head of the Book Heritage Lab and she is coordinating the 3Pi-project (Diagnosis of Papyrus-Parchment-File Manuscripts through Advanced Imaging) and RICH (Reflectance Imaging for Cultural Heritage). Hendrik Hameeuw is assyriologist and Near Eastern archeologist at KU Leuven; he is an expert in Scientific Imaging and a member of the Book Heritage Lab.
This document was created to provide an insight on the basic acquisition sequence applied with th... more This document was created to provide an insight on the basic acquisition sequence applied with the Narrow Band Multi-Spectral Imaging (NBMSI) system used at the KU Leuven (for the document on that systems' hardware, see https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3607302). It also provides information on the automated file naming (nomenclature) of the captures with that NBMSI system when the Spectral XV software interface for capture and (pre-)processing is used. At KU Leuven this NBMSI infrastructure has been obtained and is being operated within the framework of this 3Pi Project (<em>Diagnosis of Papyrus-Paper-Parchment manuscripts through advanced Imaging</em>, AKUL/17/001, FWO: I009918N). This NBMSI system was created by R.B. Toth and Associates LLC, in association with Equipose Imaging LLC and Phase One A/S and their local partners; the acquisition software of the system is Spectral XV.
Un « Jardin Clos » flamand en cuir bouilli du 15 e siècle. Production, dégradation et conservatio... more Un « Jardin Clos » flamand en cuir bouilli du 15 e siècle. Production, dégradation et conservation d&#39;un petit panneau en cuir peint. La technique du cuir bouilli était répandue en Italie, en Allemagne, à Paris et en Flandre au Bas Moyen Âge, non seulement pour les étuis de coupes ou de bouteilles, les reliquaires, l’armement (comme les boucliers de parade), les reliures et boîtes à livres, mais aussi pour recouvrir et décorer de scènes d’amour courtois des petits coffrets hautement raffinés. Paris et la Flandre étaient réputés pour la production de ces biens de luxe et leur exportation à travers l’Europe via les nombreuses routes commerciales.
the use of specific digital filters, bringing out structures that would not be visible under sing... more the use of specific digital filters, bringing out structures that would not be visible under single illumination (like shade, contrast, sharpening and sketch filters). By scaling the image, a measuring tool in the software defines the dimension of the stamp and print lines unto 10 micron. To develop the possibilities for ‘digital rubbings’, in 2013 a group of medieval and early modern bindings (11th to 17th century) were examined in Flemish Heritage collections (the Museum Plantin-Moretus and Leuven University Libraries). The lecture will discuss observations captured by the visualization system, the development of the database with the online viewer, and the possibilities of ‘RICH’ as a research tool in the art technical—and in the conservation field.
In recent years more advanced imaging techniques have been introduced to study, document, curate ... more In recent years more advanced imaging techniques have been introduced to study, document, curate and preserve our heritage. Pixel+ focuses on two of them: Reflectance Transformation Imaging/Polynomial Texture Mapping and the Portable Light Dome.
Illuminated Dante Project, in collaboration with the Advanced Course in History and Philology of ... more Illuminated Dante Project, in collaboration with the Advanced Course in History and Philology of the Manuscript and Ancient Book, has invited Lieve Watteeuw, KU Leuven, and Hendrik Hameeuw, KU Leuven, to hold a workshop/seminar limited to the students of the Advanced Course on 20-21 May 2019 at the Girolamini Library of Naples. On that occasion, Watteeuw and Hameeuw will test for the very first time in Italy the technology of Microdome on some manuscripts of the Library, and in particular on the ancient Dante manuscript known as "Codice Filippino". A restricted group of experts and researchers in the domains of philology, codicology, history of art, book restoration and conservation, will take part in this intervention. The outcomes of this research, along with the perspectives of KU Leuven Book Heritage Lab’s partnership with both Illuminated Dante Project and the Advanced Course, will be publicly communicated on May 21, 2019 at 15.00 at Sala Ex Cataloghi, Department of H...
To document surface characteristics of graphic materials, supports and pictorial layers, a digita... more To document surface characteristics of graphic materials, supports and pictorial layers, a digital imaging module was developed in at Leuven University (Belgium). The technique is based on polynomial texture mapping, also known as Reflectance Transformation Imaging (RTI), a method of imaging and interactively displaying objects under varying lighting conditions to reveal surface phenomena. The underlying processing is based on the extraction of surface characteristics using methodologies such as photometric stereo and BRDF analysis (Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function). The module is a hemi-spherical structure dotted on the inside with 260 LEDs and a single downward looking video camera of 28 million pixels. The object to be captured (maximum 180 to 120 mm) lies in the center and is illuminated from computer-controllable lighting directions, through the subsequent activation of multiple white LEDs. After processing, you can relight your object from different angles, revealing extreme details. Examination and identification of the production of scripts, miniatures, gold tooling, embossing, stamps on paper and parchment, gold-and blind tooling on leather book covers. For changes in their structures (ea. cockling, tractions, folds, lacunas, retouching, scratches, abrasion) the imaging tool proved to be an extremely accurate. Complementary, RICH is useful to monitor and measure the conservation and preservation status of an object before and after treatment, transport or exhibition. The implementation of a scaling and measuring tool with grid (1 mm) in the software enables the researcher – conservator to export graphically the dimensions and changes of topographic characteristics until 10 microns. Dome for digitizing with multi-directional lighting and export the result to 2D+
Within the framework of the research projects RICH (KU Leuven) and EES (Royal Museums of Art and ... more Within the framework of the research projects RICH (KU Leuven) and EES (Royal Museums of Art and History, Brussels), a multispectral, multi-directional, portable and dome-shaped acquisition system has been developed in collaboration with the ESAT-VISICS research group of the KU Leuven. The Multispectral (MS) dome consists of a hemispherical structure, with an overhead camera and LEDs emitting in five different parts of the electromagnetic spectrum, ranging from ultraviolet (UV) over visible to infrared (IR) light, regularly covering the dome's inside surface.
Black as Ink. Materials and Techniques in Fiftheenth Century Flemish Grisaille Illumations by Jan... more Black as Ink. Materials and Techniques in Fiftheenth Century Flemish Grisaille Illumations by Jan de Tavernier, Willem Vrelant and Dreux Jean in New Persperspecitives on Flemish Illumination, Corpus of Illuminated Manuscripts, Vol 22, Peeters Publishers, Leuven-Paris-Bristol CT, 2018
Grisaille comes from the Old French word gris, which is probably derived from the Frankish word gris and is related to the Old High German word greis. By the middle of the fifteenth century the color grey had become almost as highly esteemed as the color black. The impact of grey on princely dress codes, panel painting and book illumination greatly increased. Although fifteenth-century grisailles on panel and on parchment have been studied in extenso during the last few decades, there has not been an in-depth laboratory study on the use of materials in grisaille illuminations. Recent evolutions in analytical equipment allow observation and non-destructive analysis of the materials used in illuminated manuscripts. The components of the illuminator’s brushstrokes, carefully applied with a fine hair brush, can be observed with the binocular microscope and determined with the XRF ArtTax module. Non-destructive pigment identification sheds light on the illuminator’s palette. Bringing these findings together with the stylistic and historical evidence creates a new understanding of the workshop practice of illuminators. Grisaille was evidently an inexpensive form of painting, as lead white or ceruse (cerosa, cerussa), chalk, lime white, carbon black and iron gall ink could very easily be purchased or prepared. The illuminator did not have to acquire any rare and so costly materials. But less is more, and the restriction to white, grey and black meant that this highly fashionable style focused attention on the illuminators’ outstanding artistic skills.
Le Bréviaire de Grammont. Un manuscrit de l'époque bourgignone conservé à l'abbaye de Maredsous
I... more Le Bréviaire de Grammont. Un manuscrit de l'époque bourgignone conservé à l'abbaye de Maredsous ISBN 9782960116694, 80 p, Abbaye de Maredsous, 2021 Address for order: info@maredsous.com
Le Bréviaire de Saint-Adrien de Grammont, aujourd’hui conservé à l’abbaye de Maredsous, a vu le jour vers 1450, alors que le comté de Flandre était aux mains de Philippe le Bon, duc de Bourgogne. Sous son règne, les Pays-Bas méridionaux connaissent un essor artistique sans précédent. Dans le sillage de peintres tels que Jan van Eyck ou Rogier van der Weyden, des scribes et des miniaturistes de talent unissent leurs compétences pour réaliser des manuscrits de très haute tenue. C’est dans ce contexte stimulant qu’est élaboré l’imposant Bréviaire de Grammont : quatre splendides volumes totalisant plus de mille sept cents pages, qui mobilisent pendant deux années un copiste, des décorateurs et plusieurs peintres. Précieux témoin de la spiritualité des moines grammontois, ce manuscrit sur parchemin a bravé plus de cinq cents ans d’histoire, parvenant jusqu’à nous dans un remarquable état de conservation. Ses reliures et ses pages montrent certes des traces d’usure, mais ses peintures, protégées de la lumière, ont conservé la fraîcheur et les couleurs éclatantes qu’elles possédaient au jour de leur création. Au-delà de la qualité de son exécution, le Bréviaire de Grammont est aussi une œuvre-clé pour la connaissance de l’enluminure flamande du milieu du XVe siècle. À une époque où l’anonymat était la règle, le scribe n’a pas hésité à signer son œuvre. Il a même daté les étapes de son travail, ce qui nous permet de suivre, volume après volume, la progression d’un chantier aux multiples intervenants. Au moins cinq enlumineurs se sont relayés pour décorer et illustrer le manuscrit. Tous étaient issus du même milieu artistique, que nous proposons de situer à Gand. Rarement montré au public, le Bréviaire de Grammont n’avait fait l’objet, jusqu’à présent, que de publications scientifiques éparses, difficilement accessibles. Il méritait assurément une plus grande visibilité. Aussi le livre que vous tenez entre les mains entend-il offrir, à tous ceux qui apprécient l’art du Moyen Âge, une nouvelle étude sur un témoin majeur de l’enluminure flamande. Illustré de nombreuses reproductions en couleurs, il présente les résultats les plus récents de la recherche : l’histoire complexe du manuscrit, l’apport singulier de ses différents enlumineurs, la richesse de son iconographie, ainsi que les secrets de sa technique, révélés par l’analyse scientifique des encres et pigments utilisés par le scribe et les enlumineurs. Ce livre est aussi le couronnement d’un projet de recherche et de valorisation mené entre 2018 et 2021 avec le soutien financier de la Fondation Roi Baudouin et du Fonds Baillet Latour. Au cours de ces trois années, le manuscrit a été confié à l’Université de Louvain (KU Leuven) et à l’Institut royal du Patrimoine artistique (IRPA-KIK) pour être étudié et faire l’objet d’un traitement de conservation.
The COLLOQUIUM ROGIER VAN DER WEYDEN IN CONTEXT took place on 22, 23 and 24 October 2009 at the K... more The COLLOQUIUM ROGIER VAN DER WEYDEN IN CONTEXT took place on 22, 23 and 24 October 2009 at the KU Leuven (University of Leuven - Belgium). This 2009 colloquium was the XVIIth Symposium for the Study of Underdrawing and Technology in Painting. It was held while the exhibition Rogier van der Weyden 1400|1464 – Master of Passions was on show in M – Museum Leuven (20 September to 6 December 2009). The colloquium was organized by the KU Leuven (Art History Department), Illuminare (the KU Leuven Centre for the Study of Medieval Art) and Artes.Leuven, in conjunction with the UCL (Catholic University of Louvain-la-Neuve, Laboratoire d’étude des oeuvres d’art par les méthodes scientifiques) and the KIK-IRPA (Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage, Belgium).
The late Middle Ages saw the emergence in the Low Countries of a unique form of religious art tha... more The late Middle Ages saw the emergence in the Low Countries of a unique form of religious art that combined a wide and intriguing range of diverse artifacts: the Enclosed Garden.
The Gardens are exceptional mixed-media representations of an idealised spiritual and paradisiacal world. As well as the essential silk flowers, they include polychromed statuettes, metal pilgrim badges, wax medallions, relics and objects crafted from alabaster, parchment, paper and pipe clay; finishing decorative touches include spangles, pearls and beads made of glass, bone, coral and amber; painted panels form shutters to reveal or conceal the treasures within. Each assemblage of physical objects can stimulate an extraordinary journey through a ‘garden’ of the imagination.
Resulting from years of international research, this book is the first complete overview of the sixteenth-century Enclosed Gardens of the Museum Hof van Busleyden in Mechelen, which have long been recognised as outstanding masterpieces. The significance of the Gardens’ complex content and visual language is explored alongside analysis of their particular physical features, supported by comprehensive photographs, some of artefacts never previously observed. The wealth of new information and interpretation will transform understanding of these fascinating works of art.
Watteeuw, Lieve and Hannah Iterbeke. Enclosed Gardens of Mechelen. Late Medieval Paradise Gardens Revealed. Amsterdam University Press & Hannibal Publisher, 2018.
New Perspectives on Flemish Illumination, Conference Proceedings, Corpus of Illuminated Manuscrip... more New Perspectives on Flemish Illumination, Conference Proceedings, Corpus of Illuminated Manuscripts 22, Eds. By Lieve Watteeuw, Jan Van der Stock, Bernard Bousmanne and Dominique Vanwijnsberghe, Peeters Publishers Leuven - Paris - Bristol CT, 2018.
With contributions of Till-Holger Borchert, Dominique Vanwijnsberghe and Erik Verroken, Jeffrey F. Hamburger, Catherine Reynolds, Gregory T. Clarck, Alison Stones, Dominique R. Delarue, Lynn F. Jacobs, Griet Steyaert, Elisabeth Morrison, Ann Margreet As-Vijvers, Mara Hofmann, Anne Dubois, Lieve Watteeuw and Marina Van Bos, Nancy Turner with Catherine Schmitt-Patterson
The fifteenth century represents both the high point of Flemish miniature painting and a turning point in the history of the medieval manuscript. The art of illumination enjoyed unprecedented success in the Burgundian Netherlands. From the accession of John the Fearless (1404) until the death of Mary of Burgundy (1482), skilled craftsmen, copyists, bookbinders and illuminators played a vital role in producing books of exceptional quality in wealthy cities like Bruges, Ghent, Brussels, Valenciennes, Lille and Tournai.
As an engaged patron and erudite bibliophile, Philip the Good (1396-1467) – the third Burgundian heir of the House of Valois – gave a significant boost to book production in all its forms. Not only the ducal family and members of the Order of the Golden Fleece, but also knights, clerics and the urban middle class placed orders with talented illuminators such as Lieven van Lathem, Simon Marmion, Willem Vrelant, Jean de Tavernier and the Master of Wavrin.
In 1959, Léon Delaissé published The Flemish miniature: The patronage of Philip the Good, a groundbreaking publication that summarized his many years of scientific research in the manuscripts department of the Royal Library of Belgium. Now, more than fifty years later, our knowledge of the illuminated manuscript in the Southern Netherlands during the Burgundian period has grown enormously, thanks primarily to new research methods and questions. Through traditional approaches such as connoisseurship and codicology, the chronological and geographical spread of book production has been further refined. Additionally, much attention has been paid in recent years to historical context, the organisation of trades, specific working methods in the studio and the complex relationship between text and image. The role of the patron is crucial in the production, use and distribution of illuminated codices.
This volume of essays aims to give an overview of the current state of the research and the new perspectives it offers. Under the joint leadership of the Manuscripts Department of the Royal Library of Belgium and of Illuminare, the Study Centre for Medieval Art at the University of Leuven, this publication collects a series of studies that reflect the richness and artistic interactions in this unique period.
Lieve Watteeuw & Jan Van der Stock, Illuminare, Centre for the Study of Medieval Art, University of Leuven
Bernard Bousmanne, Royal Library of Belgium
Dominique Van Wijnsberghe, Royal Institute for Artistic Heritage
Uploads
Papers by Lieve Watteeuw
in New Persperspecitives on Flemish Illumination, Corpus of Illuminated Manuscripts, Vol 22, Peeters Publishers, Leuven-Paris-Bristol CT, 2018
Grisaille comes from the Old French word gris, which is probably derived from the Frankish word gris and is related to the Old High German word greis. By the middle of the fifteenth century the color grey had become almost as highly esteemed as the color black. The impact of grey on princely dress codes, panel painting and book illumination greatly increased. Although fifteenth-century grisailles on panel and on parchment have been studied in extenso during the last few decades, there has not been an in-depth laboratory study on the use of materials in grisaille illuminations. Recent evolutions in analytical equipment allow observation and non-destructive analysis of the materials used in illuminated manuscripts. The components of the illuminator’s brushstrokes, carefully applied with a fine hair brush, can be observed with the binocular microscope and determined with the XRF ArtTax module. Non-destructive pigment identification sheds light on the illuminator’s palette. Bringing these findings together with the stylistic and historical evidence creates a new understanding of the workshop practice of illuminators.
Grisaille was evidently an inexpensive form of painting, as lead white or ceruse (cerosa, cerussa), chalk, lime white, carbon black and iron gall ink could very easily be purchased or prepared. The illuminator did not have to acquire any rare and so costly materials. But less is more, and the restriction to white, grey and black meant that this highly fashionable style focused attention on the illuminators’ outstanding artistic skills.
ISBN 9782960116694, 80 p,
Abbaye de Maredsous, 2021
Address for order: info@maredsous.com
Le Bréviaire de Saint-Adrien de Grammont, aujourd’hui conservé à l’abbaye de Maredsous, a vu le jour vers 1450, alors que le comté de Flandre était aux mains de Philippe le Bon, duc de Bourgogne. Sous son règne, les Pays-Bas méridionaux connaissent un essor artistique sans précédent. Dans le sillage de peintres tels que Jan van Eyck ou Rogier van der Weyden, des scribes et des miniaturistes de talent unissent leurs compétences pour réaliser des manuscrits de très haute tenue. C’est dans ce contexte stimulant qu’est élaboré l’imposant Bréviaire de Grammont : quatre splendides volumes totalisant plus de mille sept cents pages, qui mobilisent pendant deux années un copiste, des décorateurs et plusieurs peintres.
Précieux témoin de la spiritualité des moines grammontois, ce manuscrit sur parchemin a bravé plus de cinq cents ans d’histoire, parvenant jusqu’à nous dans un remarquable état de conservation. Ses reliures et ses pages montrent certes des traces d’usure, mais ses peintures, protégées de la lumière, ont conservé la fraîcheur et les couleurs éclatantes qu’elles possédaient au jour de leur création.
Au-delà de la qualité de son exécution, le Bréviaire de Grammont est aussi une œuvre-clé pour la connaissance de l’enluminure flamande du milieu du XVe siècle. À une époque où l’anonymat était la règle, le scribe n’a pas hésité à signer son œuvre. Il a même daté les étapes de son travail, ce qui nous permet de suivre, volume après volume, la progression d’un chantier aux multiples intervenants. Au moins cinq enlumineurs se sont relayés pour décorer et illustrer le manuscrit. Tous étaient issus du même milieu artistique, que nous proposons de situer à Gand.
Rarement montré au public, le Bréviaire de Grammont n’avait fait l’objet, jusqu’à présent, que de publications scientifiques éparses, difficilement accessibles. Il méritait assurément une plus grande visibilité. Aussi le livre que vous tenez entre les mains entend-il offrir, à tous ceux qui apprécient l’art du Moyen Âge, une nouvelle étude sur un témoin majeur de l’enluminure flamande. Illustré de nombreuses reproductions en couleurs, il présente les résultats les plus récents de la recherche : l’histoire complexe du manuscrit, l’apport singulier de ses différents enlumineurs, la richesse de son iconographie, ainsi que les secrets de sa technique, révélés par l’analyse scientifique des encres et pigments utilisés par le scribe et les enlumineurs.
Ce livre est aussi le couronnement d’un projet de recherche et de valorisation mené entre 2018 et 2021 avec le soutien financier de la Fondation Roi Baudouin et du Fonds Baillet Latour. Au cours de ces trois années, le manuscrit a été confié à l’Université de Louvain (KU Leuven) et à l’Institut royal du Patrimoine artistique (IRPA-KIK) pour être étudié et faire l’objet d’un traitement de conservation.
The Gardens are exceptional mixed-media representations of an idealised spiritual and paradisiacal world. As well as the essential silk flowers, they include polychromed statuettes, metal pilgrim badges, wax medallions, relics and objects crafted from alabaster, parchment, paper and pipe clay; finishing decorative touches include spangles, pearls and beads made of glass, bone, coral and amber; painted panels form shutters to reveal or conceal the treasures within. Each assemblage of physical objects can stimulate an extraordinary journey through a ‘garden’ of the imagination.
Resulting from years of international research, this book is the first complete overview of the sixteenth-century Enclosed Gardens of the Museum Hof van Busleyden in Mechelen, which have long been recognised as outstanding masterpieces. The significance of the Gardens’ complex content and visual language is explored alongside analysis of their particular physical features, supported by comprehensive photographs, some of artefacts never previously observed. The wealth of new information and interpretation will transform understanding of these fascinating works of art.
Watteeuw, Lieve and Hannah Iterbeke. Enclosed Gardens of Mechelen. Late Medieval Paradise Gardens Revealed. Amsterdam University Press & Hannibal Publisher, 2018.
With contributions of Till-Holger Borchert, Dominique Vanwijnsberghe and Erik Verroken, Jeffrey F. Hamburger, Catherine Reynolds, Gregory T. Clarck, Alison Stones, Dominique R. Delarue, Lynn F. Jacobs, Griet Steyaert, Elisabeth Morrison, Ann Margreet As-Vijvers, Mara Hofmann, Anne Dubois, Lieve Watteeuw and Marina Van Bos, Nancy Turner with Catherine Schmitt-Patterson
ISBN 978-90-429-3203-6
http://www.peeters-leuven.be/boekoverz.asp?nr=9945
Introduction
The fifteenth century represents both the high point of Flemish miniature painting and a turning point in the history of the medieval manuscript. The art of illumination enjoyed unprecedented success in the Burgundian Netherlands. From the accession of John the Fearless (1404) until the death of Mary of Burgundy (1482), skilled craftsmen, copyists, bookbinders and illuminators played a vital role in producing books of exceptional quality in wealthy cities like Bruges, Ghent, Brussels, Valenciennes, Lille and Tournai.
As an engaged patron and erudite bibliophile, Philip the Good (1396-1467) – the third Burgundian heir of the House of Valois – gave a significant boost to book production in all its forms. Not only the ducal family and members of the Order of the Golden Fleece, but also knights, clerics and the urban middle class placed orders with talented illuminators such as Lieven van Lathem, Simon Marmion, Willem Vrelant, Jean de Tavernier and the Master of Wavrin.
In 1959, Léon Delaissé published The Flemish miniature: The patronage of Philip the Good, a groundbreaking publication that summarized his many years of scientific research in the manuscripts department of the Royal Library of Belgium. Now, more than fifty years later, our knowledge of the illuminated manuscript in the Southern Netherlands during the Burgundian period has grown enormously, thanks primarily to new research methods and questions. Through traditional approaches such as connoisseurship and codicology, the chronological and geographical spread of book production has been further refined. Additionally, much attention has been paid in recent years to historical context, the organisation of trades, specific working methods in the studio and the complex relationship between text and image. The role of the patron is crucial in the production, use and distribution of illuminated codices.
This volume of essays aims to give an overview of the current state of the research and the new perspectives it offers. Under the joint leadership of the Manuscripts Department of the Royal Library of Belgium and of Illuminare, the Study Centre for Medieval Art at the University of Leuven, this publication collects a series of studies that reflect the richness and artistic interactions in this unique period.
Lieve Watteeuw & Jan Van der Stock, Illuminare, Centre for the Study of Medieval Art, University of Leuven
Bernard Bousmanne, Royal Library of Belgium
Dominique Van Wijnsberghe, Royal Institute for Artistic Heritage