The Use of Models in Medieval Book Painting

Edited By: Monika E. Müller

£44.99

Until recently, copying in medieval book painting was explained by the use of model drawings or sketch books. However, it is no longer sufficient to regard the art through these lenses alone. This volume considers other factors in the transmission of art.

Until recently, the phenomenon of copying in medieval book painting has been considered mainly in terms of the reconstruction of pictorial sources used for the…

Until recently, the phenomenon of copying in medieval book painting has been considered mainly in terms of the reconstruction of pictorial sources used for the composition or iconography of miniatures, initials, or decorative elements. Although historic sources only rarely mention the circumstances of manuscripts’ production, one particular widely-accepted hypothesis has prevailed until now, according to which artists used model drawings or sketch books with the aim of facilitating the production of copies and the creation of new picture cycles. However, it is no longer sufficient to regard medieval book painting in its diachronic dimension only through these lenses. Rather, one should consider Robert W. Scheller’s critique that “When using the model hypothesis one must always be mindful of other factors which are known to have played a part in the transmission of art in the Middle Ages”. The contributions of this volume deal with these issues by focusing on book painting between the 10th and 16th centuries.

Monika E. Müller received her PhD on San Pietro al Monte di Civate (Lombardy) in 2005, and is a Scientific Collaborator at the University Library of Düsseldorf. She has published in the fields of Medieval wall and book painting, and monastic libraries in Northern Germany. She currently teaches at the Universities of Göttingen and Düsseldorf.