dafyddaprhys:This is from the Quedlinburg Itala fragment, which is a highly fragmentary 5th century
dafyddaprhys:This is from the Quedlinburg Itala fragment, which is a highly fragmentary 5th century biblical manuscript. This is the oldest surviving illustrated biblical manuscript and one of the oldest illuminated codices of any sort. All that survives is six leaves, which were all found between 1865 and 1887 in the bindings of several books bound in 1618 in Quedlinburg, Germany. It was common practice to stiffen bindings with scrap parchment, and old manuscrips were often used as a source. The surviving fragments are from the Books of Kings and the Books of Samuel. The incidents illustrated are quite minor, which would imply that the original manuscript had an extensive program of illustration. The style is typical of Roman painting using illusionistic techniques, and is similar to other early Christian manuscripts, the few surviving illustrated codices of classical literature (such as the Ambrosian Iliad and the Vatican Virgil), as well as the mosaics of Sta Maria Magiore in Rome and the murals in Dura-Europa Synagogue. It makes use imperial imagery, dressing Saul and David as Roman Enperors in miliray garb. Because of the damage to the illustrations, the instructions to the artist about what to paint are often visible. For example: “Make the tomb [by which] Saul and his servant stand and two men, jumping over pits, speak to him and [announce that the asses have been found]. Make Saul by a tree and [his] servant [and three men who talk] to him, one carrying three goats, one [three loaves of bread, one] a wine-skin.” The artist did not always follow the instructions. -- source link
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