Author Description

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1901 Excerpt:...used in it as in the Sacramentary of Metz. Similar also to the Winchester work is the Gospel-book now in the library of Trinity College, Cambridge, but with more flowing stems and foliages, and really architectural capitals to the pilasters. The colours, too, are more varied. A miniature in Cott. MS. Tib. B. v. shows considerable affinity in some of its details to those of the Benedictionals. The date of this MS. is about 990. The Harley Psalter 2904, of the same date, has the Winchester style of ornament, but even better and finer drawings, and better taste in colour. It has gold handwork and gold lettering with black outlines, and most perfect and masterly foliages. Still another Winchester book exists in the Cotton Psalter, Tib. C. VI (of somewhat later date perhaps than Tib. B. v), with outlines only tinted, and with Byzantine architectural forms, but wanting the Byzantine gouache. Its initial letters are extremely interesting and ingenious in design.1 The so-called St. Dunstan Book (Cotton. Claudius A. in.) is of a later type altogether, and so is the Arundel Psalter 60. The latter has good Othonian patterns in frames and sweeps of Winchester style, foliages at the corners and centres, with panels like the Niedermunster Gospels. Last in our list, though it does not exhaust the number of examples, we must mention the famous Cnut Gospels, not forgetting in our study of Winchester MSS., that, when they were executed, Winchester was what London is now, the metropolitan city. It was the residence of the early English Kings, the seat of government, and-the centre of civilised society. In this MS. the foliages are more slender than those of the Benedictionals, but the general character is the same.2 All the Winchester books use the Carolingian, that is the By...