Illuminated Manuscripts

I was fortunate enough (thanks to my daughter) to visit the Getty Center in Los Angeles this week, during the exhibition of “Renaissance Splendors of the Northern Italian Courts”. There was a room full of illuminated manuscripts, many of them the gorgeous, detailed capitals I was expecting, like this one:

Four Saints, from Lombardy (about 1450) –illuminated capital

Then there was the unexpected! For example this guy, who was having the worst possible day:

“The Mother of Allegranzia Appealing to Saints Aimo and Vermondo to Save Her Child” — 1400s, the Getty Center

Saints Aimo and Vermondo were local saints — aristocrats who escaped a wild boar attack while hunting, and then dedicated a church in Meda, Lombardy. People prayed to them for miracles and healing.

Then a book by a fencing master and author of an early Italian martial arts manual, Flower of Battle. These pages show combat techniques for horsemen.

Detail from “Examples of Equestrian Combat”, Fiore Furlan de Liberi, 1400s, Getty Center

I particularly liked the combat manual. It reminded me of a book I used for research when writing sword fighting scenes. Renaissance Swordsmanship: The Illustrated Book Of Rapiers And Cut And Thrust Swords And Their Use, by John Clements, was a useful source because it had detailed illustrations — much like the ones in the Renaissance manual above.

It’s a wonderful exhibit to visit if you’re in the area. Here’s a press release with details: http://news.getty.edu/press-materials/press-releases/renaissance-splendors-northern-italian-courts.htm. The exhibit continues until June 21 and includes an awesome online exhibit showing the works and brief descriptions, here.

*Note: Non-flash photography in this gallery was permitted. Also, digital images of these works are available under the Getty’s Open Content Program.