ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book presents a compelling new interpretation of a famous set of drawings by Villard de Honnecourt – images eventually bound in a portfolio and completed with inscriptions written by the artist himself. It analyzes a little-known historical romance written and illuminated by the monastic chronicler-cum-artist Matthew Paris. The book shows that the translator collaborated closely with artists to create illuminations that do much more than just illustrate the text; they also express independent themes and meanings. It explores a fifteenth-century French manuscript, but in this case the book contains a series of mystery plays accompanied by an extensive cycle of over 300 images. The book considers the way illuminated cycles in personal prayerbooks helped to inscribe the social standing of female owners. It offers a more precise understanding of high medieval pictorial goals.
