MAHUSORIPTS
022
MAHUSORIPTS
patioD of the time, the^ modclii xometiiuus variiHl; the rpproduction from an ancient origiiial of the
Lence Byiaiitiiie art has luidcrgonc a dcvelopmtMit third-fourth century; eome pictures, Buca aa th&t irf
more apparent than real. Under present conditions, David tending his flocks, have a quite Poropeianfreah-
without seeking to determine the M'houlH. wc must i>e ness. Antique influence uuikcs itself felt by a lar^
content to indicate the jirini'liiu] groujM of MS.S. Fiflk nunilier of HllcBories personified and draped in Heilemc
i- (2J the
nnil theological psalter
which the iiiiniaturcs placed
in the margin follow the text
Btep by step. The Chloudov
Psulter of Moscow (ninth
cent.),tho(ieof Vatopcdi (tenth
cent.), the Vatican (Barberini
I.il.rary: dated 1059), etc.
are the principal apecimena
oFlhisclass. Some miniatui^s
of thc'Chloudov Psalter rep-
resent episo<]e8 of the Icono-
clastic conflict, Another MS.
often illustrated at this period
WHS the"Menolo^on", which
contained sometimes Ijosidea
the liturgical calendar, on ab-
lircviulion of the lives of the
saints for each day. The most
ct-lfhrated is that of the Vat-
ican, decorated for Basil II
(!)7t)-llL'5) by seven artisU
who left, their names attached
to each miniature. A great
variety of colours relieved a
rather extreme monotony of
iiispinition; everj'where are
htlectural Inickicrounds, the same
... - iKt of thesanie landscopcs. The
Indicopleastes (Vatican), a monk of Sinai: in thiM,t4i- Ijcautifiil MS. of the "Homilies "of Gre^oiy of Naci-
gether with symbolic rciwcsenlalioiis of various purls enzus (Paris. Bib. Nat., (ir. 510: end of nmth century)
of the worl<.t,~are many kcciics and iierBOiiagi^ of the won composed fur Basil II; it isunfortunatelydamaeed
Bible, painted opposite (he text, with the MS. it«elf aa but it presents a remarkable series of the most varied
bocksround. veiy difTcrcnt U the illustration of pictures (portniils of St. Ciregor)- of Naiienkusand
ncdical MSS.. such as the paM^ "^ Busil I; sessions of Coun
" Diowsirides of Vifiinu,
exocul«d alMut the yi-ar
6UI), for Juliana. ilauglitiT
of Flocidia. Ilereiiu itrr
found real pictures {'(niii'd
from ancient originals (juir-
trait.s of jjhy.-iiciatis and cif
Juliaiiii).
EigliA lo Eleventh Ccii-
hi(T(.— The Iconocliisiic
crisis was fatal to lllunii-
natioHj aiul tininted MSS.
were either mutilated or de-
atroved. Ait attempt was
inuile to substitute fur re- reptewnt:
(aid iSixlh Cewfurics.— .Sevtml of the Biblical tiSA.
gold letters on purple [Mrch-
m(»it havf lieen rightly com-
pared with one another, viz.
the fjcnesis of the Imperial
library of Vieima, the Kvaii-
seliarium of Hossano, and the
Iragmeikt of the Go'iiiel of St.
Matthew discovered at Sino|)e
(dnce 1900 in the Bib. Nat.,
Paris). In these three MSS.
the painting lia.s an anecdotic
character: it is intended lo
illustrate the text, and eomo-
tinwH two period.4 of a scene
are represented in a picture.
Both the e^'angeliaries show a
bearded face of Cluist. ma-
jestic and severe, which already
suggests tiie " Pantocrutor" of
church cupolas. From the
same period date two works
which appear to lie f hn tran-
scription on parcliinent of lui
oricinal on papyrus: one in the
Roll of Josue in the Vatican
Library, w h ich displays a scries
ofmi[iiaturc9i,elevoiiyar(Ubng,n'latiiigto the histoiy found the s
of Josue; (lie olJier Is the MS. nf thewyage of Cosnuis aulIeriiiKs ir
purely <
Prolwbl,
ital a
Proliably lo this school be-
longs an evangeliuiy of
Paris(Bib. Nat., Ur.G:{),in
which the motifs of deco-
ration are borrowed from
flora and fauna. The tri-
umph d images in the elev-
enth ccnturj- wiis also the
triumph iif n-ligious ntin-
iatuR! painting, which
together with calligniphy
underwent git'at development
cils; BibUcal scenes, etc.).
This period was decidedly
the gol<len age of Byzantine
illumination. The MSS.,
even those which lack pic-
tures, liavc at least oma-
mcnted initial letters, which
in the earlier examples are
verj- simple, but in course
of tmie became surrounded
with foliage, in the midst of
which animals or small
figures <lisported them-
selves. (These initials, how-
ever, never attains the
SH me dimensions as in West-
cm MSS.)
Turlfih Cenlurv.— The lofty IradhifT ' "
were upheld until the fall
<if Constiintinople in 1201.
A group of the Octateuch
(Smyrna, Athos, Vatican,
ind Seraglio libraries) seems
to have the same origin.
DAvin AM. OoLiATH . „ , Tlicarlists wcTC chicHv coH-
r..n. P«Jtw 130, In liil.liothi-.ii.c NationiJc, Pan, ^^^ ^jj^ illustrating the
,. llic scriptcirium of text, fiiUowini! it step by sU^p; siime of the scenes
Studion. One of the books iliitslrutcd by jirefcn-nce are spirited ancl pictiiresnue, but the inspiration seems
by the nionkM was llii> Psalter, uf which the )iiiintJnRS derivedfrom ancient models (suchaatheRoll of Joeuc).
C(xn[>riso two elements: iIh- scenes of t\w history of TJu' specimen at the Seraglio was coinposeil for Prince
David, aiui the s^-mholie allusiimK to the life of Christ Isaac, sonnfAlexiusICumnenus, AMS.whosepictures
ermtiiineil iTi the Psahns. Tlu-n* are lo 1* disiin- exerejsrd grciil influenre on By;!unline art is lliat of
gui.^lKilfn theiirlstiicniiiiri'willer. n-prescnlcil livlhe Ihe " II'lmili(■^ un the Vin-nn"! by .I:inie', a monk of
I'salli-r ..f I'lris (t!r. ];!ilj: (he miniatures extend over Cosynoly.iphd-^ (Vatican. 1 H>2; Paris, VJOS). The ui-
i/ic rrifu7e/Mi£(; within a rich border, and appear to bu itiuls are remarkable for richness, and the p '
