I thought that the way the artwork developed through the centuries was amazing. At the beginning, with Aethelstan, the portraits looked like something I could draw, rather cartoonish, like a medieval equivalent of a stick figure. They are ornately decorated, but the artistic talent is not exceedingly advanced. However, as time draws nearer and nearer the Renaissance, the art begins to be more and more realistic. There are the beginnings of perspective, and shadow and light, and eventually the lifelikeness of the portraits begins to match the ornateness of the illumination. This was especially evident in the pictures from Bruge, which as was mentioned foreshadowed such masters as Vermeer and Rembrandt. As we are studying the development of art and music now in literature, I found this very interesting.
Kings used books to show power and that they are in line to the throne. In the part of the portrayed birth of Caesar, I found it interesting that even though the setting was in early 100 AD, the attendants and the doctors were clothed in attire that would be fashionable in the time of Edward IV's court. The artwork in the book was beyond. I like how Athlestan (tell me if I spelled that wrong) used propaganda to promote his image to unify England. The interesting part about manuscripts during this period of time was that they were often used as currency. The monarchy in Britain today has a lot of money in their treasury but most of their wealth is in their possessions. Did they believe that since Kings had divine right that they could write down names in a book that symbolized the Book of Life and that those people would go to heaven?
Fascinating series! At the beginning of part one, I could only somewhat see the importance of manuscripts, and I thought the real progress was made with the printing press. However, the two seem to work hand in hand because for a long while kings only needed to display the virtues discussed in the video to become a great ruler. Therefore, because of the exclusivity of these texts, it reenforced the "divine" nature of succession and the kings "true" right to rule. However, the series seemed to place the end of this hand written era with Henry the VIII, and I think this is fitting. The problem arose when he placed himself above the Church, leaving in essence, none who could influence him. As such, the common man was continually forced from the commonalities that are now controlled completely by the king. As we discussed last year, the printing press redistributed the knowledge the would have normally only been able to be accessed by royalty.
On a different subject, I especially found it interesting that manuscripts differed in topic so drastically: prayer books, encyclopedias, law books, and contracts. It was also interesting to see how the illuminations changed based on the reader. Although, this may seem trivial and obvious, to think about a book that was created for a prince at age 10 worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, with the sole purpose of trying to, in essence influence future events, is remarkable.
All in all I enjoyed the series, though I think it could have been a 1 hour special, rather than 3. As after a while, it seemed just to be repeating itself without really introducing new material.
Interesting point about all the different subject matters for manuscripts. I guess I somewhat lost sight of that amidst all the "art" side of the tomes, but now that you mention it I recall there being several different types of manuscripts. In relations to the manuscripts' subject matter, it was hilarious when the one historian was joking about how the scribes would leave little notes in the back of the texts:"This is the most boring book I've ever worked on, now I need a drink of water!" That made me smile.
The art work was really amazing! It was interesting to see how the art worked changed over the years. It was also interesting to see how the books (manuscripts) would represent a king and the power that they had. I also liked when they showed how they would make the cow hide, which was a really elaborate process, which would allow people to document things on the parchment. I really enjoyed seeing the illuminations on the manuscripts they really did just stand out. They were extremely vivid. But i really when she said that the illuminations could speak more words then the writing on the page. it was interesting to see what you could learn just from the illuminations.
One of the main things that stood out to me was the focus on manuscripts as treasures. To roughly quote one of the historians in part 4 of the series: "Unlike other treasures i.e. metals, the manuscripts couldn't be melted down. They were unalterable treasures, if they were to retain their value." Speaking of the tomes' value, I also found the part about gold leaf to be quite fascinating! I've known about gold leaf for years, but to see it being used and to see paper-thin gold was really eye-opening. It amazes me how people could work with such small detail and intricacy without any modern art supplies. Those scribes must've had steady hands!
Another thing I found quite interesting was the reference to the King Arthur and the Round Table. I think it's clever how the kings harkened back to Arthurian legend and embraced the idea of the Round Table, which actual lead to successful rule. Though I confess that at first glance I thought the giant artistic representation of the Round Table (the one hanging on the wall) was a massive dart-board. Perhaps for ballista practice or something...
As others have already explicitly stated, I thought that the artwork was amazing! It was interesting to see the development of the artwork within the manuscripts move from being about the point they are trying to get across to being more of an "art" in the way that it moved towards realism and landscape portraits. The other development I found interesting was how the books became more and more for private, personal use, rather than displays of power or wealth. The other thing that amazed me was the amount of work that went into creating just one of the manuscripts. I already had a vague idea of how the vellum was made, but the whole Illumination process of using gold leaf on the pink glue-like substance, the name of which I could not make out, was fun to learn about. The intricacy on each page of these tomes and manuscripts is simply incredible!
I thought it was fascinating how the manuscripts were propaganda techniques for the kings of the age. It was a reminder that the lack of TV advertising and nationally broadcasted newsfeed was more than just an impediment to communication - the kings of old had no way to project a national image. In order to seal their legacy and protect the public perception of their ability, they had to secure their fame in the books. It is interesting that the people who had the power were the ones commissioning the manuscripts. The kings thus inserted their influence not only in recorded history, but in scriptures as well. She showed one version of the gospels that had a political commentary, praising the king who commissioned the copy of the Bible. Even the artwork in the books referenced certain figures and symbols like King Arthur, lions, strong dynastic genealogies, and Christ himself to indicate early dominion and authority Obviously these manuscripts were of greater significance than just cultural or historical weight. They were political tools to determine how the people would remember the leader.
One of the more fascinating things in this documentary was how much work went into making each page of these manuscripts, and what incredible attention to detail the artists must have had. The symbolism in much of the art was also very remarkable, and the way the artists chose to portray the meanings they intended was typically effective in serving both an artistic and communicative purpose. That the books that have lasted did survive, given the vulnerability of the books, is surprising, and a testament to the care that the keepers of the books must have shown. It was also interesting how the manuscripts were used to promote the reigning king to the populace and were basically the king’s projection of himself onto the common people.
I really enjoyed learning about the life of Mathew Paris. As a monk he would have been spending a lot of his time in rigorous spiritual discipline. Yet his work for Henry as a scribe, shows that he must have also been very much involved in the political and social aspect of life. Along with all his other duties he served as a scribe for Henry the III. The historian also hinted that she believed Paris's relationship with Henry was fairly personal. Yet in spite of this friendship Paris was very bias in his chronological writings and actively put in scathing comments about those in power. For he believed that in such as a position as his, he must use it to tell those who read what was right and what was wrong with various peoples and happenings. He even went as far as to insult Henry's father. Yet he seemed to have thought better of his comments later on and either put a note saying disregard or posted a revised version over the offensive remarks. The historian continues to say that his work seems to imply that this it was intended to be a first draft that was to be copied from later. In this way we see he had intended these remarks to be viewed by the various scribes to come after him. He wanted the copies of his work to go on and shine the light of (his) truth on this period. Obviously as I already stated he went and changed his comments so something had to have changed for him to do this.
I really enjoyed this series. I am a big history fanatic, and for me, it was soo cool to see these artifacts from the 1400's that tell so much about the kings and families that ruled England during that time. One of my favorite things we did while I was overseas was, we visited the Winter Palace of Catherine the Great, the same winter palace in which Anastasia lived. For me, it was a very cool opportunity to walk the very same steps that Catherine and Anastasia had walked years before, to see the throne in which Catherine sat. It's things like these that make me wish that America was older, so we would have some of these amazing artifacts. Wouldn't that be cool?
I found it interesting how monarchs of the Medieval and Renaissance periods were able to monopolize the public perception of the monarchy. Through works of art, manuscripts, and other means of political propaganda, kings could manipulate the people into believing and seeing whatever the nobility, the church, or the Crown, wanted them to. I found this particularly interesting when I compared it to the way we analyze our own government. Today, because of technology like TV, internet, radio, etc., we literally have an unlimited amount of information available to us. Because of this, we can do our own research and formulate our own opinions and perceptions about certain politicians or political platforms. However, there many aspects of modern media that still try to sway the public to a certain political party or principle. Nevertheless, while it may not seem it, technology can be an immensely powerful tool to the individual--all the individual has to do is use it to its fullest potential (I mean, c'mon, cat videos are hilarious and all, but perhaps we shouldn't spend three hours watching them!).
Before watching these videos, I did not have a full understanding of how valuable and important these manuscripts were, both for us and for the people of England. When I would look at them, I would not see an important piece of history, but a colorful book. To the people of England, and especially the English Monarchs, they were a part of them and their history. And this was not the case just in England but in France as well, which was why it was such a big deal that England had taken them. They had not only defeated them but they had taken their core, their history. To us, we now have the opportunity to study these illustrious books, which hold the thoughts and philosophies of the people and the king. One of my favorite parts of the clips was at the end when you were able to see Henry VIII comments on the extension of the Psalms. Being able to read what he read and then see his response is truly remarkable. I enjoyed watching these videos and I now have more respect for these illuminated manuscripts.
I never realized how amazing and important all of those books were. It was really interesting seeing into the lives of certain families just through the illustrations of the manuscripts! After watching these videos it made me want to go out and spend all of my money just to get one of those beautiful book! It was really cool watching them make the vellum and than watching that lady paint on the gold.
I thought that the way the artwork developed through the centuries was amazing. At the beginning, with Aethelstan, the portraits looked like something I could draw, rather cartoonish, like a medieval equivalent of a stick figure. They are ornately decorated, but the artistic talent is not exceedingly advanced. However, as time draws nearer and nearer the Renaissance, the art begins to be more and more realistic. There are the beginnings of perspective, and shadow and light, and eventually the lifelikeness of the portraits begins to match the ornateness of the illumination. This was especially evident in the pictures from Bruge, which as was mentioned foreshadowed such masters as Vermeer and Rembrandt. As we are studying the development of art and music now in literature, I found this very interesting.
ReplyDeleteKings used books to show power and that they are in line to the throne. In the part of the portrayed birth of Caesar, I found it interesting that even though the setting was in early 100 AD, the attendants and the doctors were clothed in attire that would be fashionable in the time of Edward IV's court. The artwork in the book was beyond. I like how Athlestan (tell me if I spelled that wrong) used propaganda to promote his image to unify England. The interesting part about manuscripts during this period of time was that they were often used as currency. The monarchy in Britain today has a lot of money in their treasury but most of their wealth is in their possessions. Did they believe that since Kings had divine right that they could write down names in a book that symbolized the Book of Life and that those people would go to heaven?
ReplyDeleteFascinating series! At the beginning of part one, I could only somewhat see the importance of manuscripts, and I thought the real progress was made with the printing press. However, the two seem to work hand in hand because for a long while kings only needed to display the virtues discussed in the video to become a great ruler. Therefore, because of the exclusivity of these texts, it reenforced the "divine" nature of succession and the kings "true" right to rule. However, the series seemed to place the end of this hand written era with Henry the VIII, and I think this is fitting. The problem arose when he placed himself above the Church, leaving in essence, none who could influence him. As such, the common man was continually forced from the commonalities that are now controlled completely by the king. As we discussed last year, the printing press redistributed the knowledge the would have normally only been able to be accessed by royalty.
ReplyDeleteOn a different subject, I especially found it interesting that manuscripts differed in topic so drastically: prayer books, encyclopedias, law books, and contracts. It was also interesting to see how the illuminations changed based on the reader. Although, this may seem trivial and obvious, to think about a book that was created for a prince at age 10 worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, with the sole purpose of trying to, in essence influence future events, is remarkable.
All in all I enjoyed the series, though I think it could have been a 1 hour special, rather than 3. As after a while, it seemed just to be repeating itself without really introducing new material.
Interesting point about all the different subject matters for manuscripts. I guess I somewhat lost sight of that amidst all the "art" side of the tomes, but now that you mention it I recall there being several different types of manuscripts. In relations to the manuscripts' subject matter, it was hilarious when the one historian was joking about how the scribes would leave little notes in the back of the texts:"This is the most boring book I've ever worked on, now I need a drink of water!" That made me smile.
DeleteThe art work was really amazing! It was interesting to see how the art worked changed over the years. It was also interesting to see how the books (manuscripts) would represent a king and the power that they had. I also liked when they showed how they would make the cow hide, which was a really elaborate process, which would allow people to document things on the parchment. I really enjoyed seeing the illuminations on the manuscripts they really did just stand out. They were extremely vivid. But i really when she said that the illuminations could speak more words then the writing on the page. it was interesting to see what you could learn just from the illuminations.
ReplyDeleteOne of the main things that stood out to me was the focus on manuscripts as treasures. To roughly quote one of the historians in part 4 of the series: "Unlike other treasures i.e. metals, the manuscripts couldn't be melted down. They were unalterable treasures, if they were to retain their value." Speaking of the tomes' value, I also found the part about gold leaf to be quite fascinating! I've known about gold leaf for years, but to see it being used and to see paper-thin gold was really eye-opening. It amazes me how people could work with such small detail and intricacy without any modern art supplies. Those scribes must've had steady hands!
ReplyDeleteAnother thing I found quite interesting was the reference to the King Arthur and the Round Table. I think it's clever how the kings harkened back to Arthurian legend and embraced the idea of the Round Table, which actual lead to successful rule. Though I confess that at first glance I thought the giant artistic representation of the Round Table (the one hanging on the wall) was a massive dart-board. Perhaps for ballista practice or something...
I thought the exact same thing! A giant dart board or target for practice or something.
DeleteAs others have already explicitly stated, I thought that the artwork was amazing! It was interesting to see the development of the artwork within the manuscripts move from being about the point they are trying to get across to being more of an "art" in the way that it moved towards realism and landscape portraits. The other development I found interesting was how the books became more and more for private, personal use, rather than displays of power or wealth. The other thing that amazed me was the amount of work that went into creating just one of the manuscripts. I already had a vague idea of how the vellum was made, but the whole Illumination process of using gold leaf on the pink glue-like substance, the name of which I could not make out, was fun to learn about. The intricacy on each page of these tomes and manuscripts is simply incredible!
ReplyDeleteI thought it was fascinating how the manuscripts were propaganda techniques for the kings of the age. It was a reminder that the lack of TV advertising and nationally broadcasted newsfeed was more than just an impediment to communication - the kings of old had no way to project a national image. In order to seal their legacy and protect the public perception of their ability, they had to secure their fame in the books. It is interesting that the people who had the power were the ones commissioning the manuscripts. The kings thus inserted their influence not only in recorded history, but in scriptures as well. She showed one version of the gospels that had a political commentary, praising the king who commissioned the copy of the Bible. Even the artwork in the books referenced certain figures and symbols like King Arthur, lions, strong dynastic genealogies, and Christ himself to indicate early dominion and authority Obviously these manuscripts were of greater significance than just cultural or historical weight. They were political tools to determine how the people would remember the leader.
ReplyDeleteOne of the more fascinating things in this documentary was how much work went into making each page of these manuscripts, and what incredible attention to detail the artists must have had. The symbolism in much of the art was also very remarkable, and the way the artists chose to portray the meanings they intended was typically effective in serving both an artistic and communicative purpose. That the books that have lasted did survive, given the vulnerability of the books, is surprising, and a testament to the care that the keepers of the books must have shown. It was also interesting how the manuscripts were used to promote the reigning king to the populace and were basically the king’s projection of himself onto the common people.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed learning about the life of Mathew Paris. As a monk he would have been spending a lot of his time in rigorous spiritual discipline. Yet his work for Henry as a scribe, shows that he must have also been very much involved in the political and social aspect of life. Along with all his other duties he served as a scribe for Henry the III. The historian also hinted that she believed Paris's relationship with Henry was fairly personal. Yet in spite of this friendship Paris was very bias in his chronological writings and actively put in scathing comments about those in power. For he believed that in such as a position as his, he must use it to tell those who read what was right and what was wrong with various peoples and happenings. He even went as far as to insult Henry's father. Yet he seemed to have thought better of his comments later on and either put a note saying disregard or posted a revised version over the offensive remarks. The historian continues to say that his work seems to imply that this it was intended to be a first draft that was to be copied from later. In this way we see he had intended these remarks to be viewed by the various scribes to come after him. He wanted the copies of his work to go on and shine the light of (his) truth on this period. Obviously as I already stated he went and changed his comments so something had to have changed for him to do this.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this series. I am a big history fanatic, and for me, it was soo cool to see these artifacts from the 1400's that tell so much about the kings and families that ruled England during that time. One of my favorite things we did while I was overseas was, we visited the Winter Palace of Catherine the Great, the same winter palace in which Anastasia lived. For me, it was a very cool opportunity to walk the very same steps that Catherine and Anastasia had walked years before, to see the throne in which Catherine sat. It's things like these that make me wish that America was older, so we would have some of these amazing artifacts. Wouldn't that be cool?
ReplyDeleteI found it interesting how monarchs of the Medieval and Renaissance periods were able to monopolize the public perception of the monarchy. Through works of art, manuscripts, and other means of political propaganda, kings could manipulate the people into believing and seeing whatever the nobility, the church, or the Crown, wanted them to. I found this particularly interesting when I compared it to the way we analyze our own government. Today, because of technology like TV, internet, radio, etc., we literally have an unlimited amount of information available to us. Because of this, we can do our own research and formulate our own opinions and perceptions about certain politicians or political platforms. However, there many aspects of modern media that still try to sway the public to a certain political party or principle. Nevertheless, while it may not seem it, technology can be an immensely powerful tool to the individual--all the individual has to do is use it to its fullest potential (I mean, c'mon, cat videos are hilarious and all, but perhaps we shouldn't spend three hours watching them!).
ReplyDeleteBefore watching these videos, I did not have a full understanding of how valuable and important these manuscripts were, both for us and for the people of England. When I would look at them, I would not see an important piece of history, but a colorful book. To the people of England, and especially the English Monarchs, they were a part of them and their history. And this was not the case just in England but in France as well, which was why it was such a big deal that England had taken them. They had not only defeated them but they had taken their core, their history. To us, we now have the opportunity to study these illustrious books, which hold the thoughts and philosophies of the people and the king. One of my favorite parts of the clips was at the end when you were able to see Henry VIII comments on the extension of the Psalms. Being able to read what he read and then see his response is truly remarkable. I enjoyed watching these videos and I now have more respect for these illuminated manuscripts.
ReplyDeleteI never realized how amazing and important all of those books were. It was really interesting seeing into the lives of certain families just through the illustrations of the manuscripts! After watching these videos it made me want to go out and spend all of my money just to get one of those beautiful book! It was really cool watching them make the vellum and than watching that lady paint on the gold.
ReplyDelete