London continued

"Doing" two concerts, Evensong in St Paul's and two exhibitions in a four day visit isn't so bad, I think. What I specifically wanted to see is the exhibition in the British Library, Royal Manuscripts, the Genius of Illumination. And at the same time see this "new" building, not so new anymore, near St. Pancras Station and the adjoining huge Victorian Hotel. The exhibition is stunning. How people in even the fourteenth century could illuminate mss in such minute detail and in such small script is amazing given the fact that they used primitive utensils like quills. The colours are as strikingly bright and brilliant as they were at the time the manuscripts were composed. It is absolutely amazing. I had expected very tiny books, with perhaps one character illuminated and some full page illustrations,  but almost all exhibited books are huge tomes with the most spectacular illuminations. In the margins leaves, birds, monkeys, but also quite naughty pictures, as usual. Perhaps because the scribes and monks got bored by all this piety? There is so much to see and discover. Somewhere in a top corner I spot a rabbit or hare, blowing a trumpet. Many of the books are Bibles or Psalters, made for the many queens, kings and noble lords and ladies in England and France. Of course they were all related by inter-marriage. I really lost track of the number of Henry's, Edwards and many others.

The Catalogue with a picture of one of the illustrations

A great deal of the earliest books dating from the 13^th century were illuminated in Bruges, the blue, red and yellows as vivid as the Flemish tapestries, the gold as shiny and brilliant as if newly applied. And there is an abundance of gold. In some books from Bruges we see the hand of the same illuminator – the same birds appear in the margins, a tit, a finch, two angels, their wings very delicate and almost translucent. In a very small space of hardly a few centimetres, Abraham is painted with his 12 sons who at the same time represent the 12 apostles. It is just incredible that such miniatures could be painted in such detail. Either the scribes or monks had perfect eyesight, or they worked with magnifying glasses. I could not find any information about this.

   During the Middle Ages people certainly weren't as prudish as the Victorians. In one illustration the story of Saul and David is depicted. David could have stabbed and killed Saul when Saul was relieving himself in a cave. But David did not want to kill an anointed king. There is a tiny drawing of the scene with Saul crouching on the floor of the cave, bare bottomed, with his royal cloak hitched up and a crown on his head. David is hiding behind the King somewhere in the cave.  Quite amusing. Of course the crown was for the benefit of the people so that they could identify the king, but still... Neither were people then so shy of painting nudes, as we see in the illuminations of Adam and Eve in Paradise and Christ on the cross. Perhaps this prudishness comes later, and had its heyday in Victorian times.

   There was too much to take in in one visit. The catalogue is splendid, but weighs a tonne and so I didn't buy it. But their website is very beautiful and gives many of the illustrations in detail. Besides one can zoom in on the illustrations. And last but not least there is an app for iPhones and Android phones, which is not at all expensive.

   The building, although modern, is of red brick and perfectly fits its surroundings. Inside it is modern, efficient and beautiful. Many of the treasured books in the Library are permanently exhibited in rooms which the public is free to enter. A far cry from the distinguished but old and cramped premises in the British Museum.