Gothic Manuscripts: c. 1260-1320

by Alison Stones

French culture in the period c. 1260-1320 is marked by a surge in demand for fine illustrated books of all kinds--science, medicine, law, philosophy, literature in verse and prose, alongside books for private devotion and liturgical celebration. Some patrons were well-known rulers, court figures, or members of the clergy, but others were less significant players on the political or ecclesiastical scene, many of them unimportant in rank or unknown by name. The so-called 'courtly style' emerges at the beginning of this period, yet books made in provincial centres manifest a vital independence and originality due to fruitful interaction with neighbouring cultures--the linguistic, literary, and artistic traditions of England, the Iberian kingdoms, the Empire. Ecclesiastical structures offered different and complementary cultural networks. By the end of this period French art had assimilated this rich variety of regional works and styles, and patterns to be played out in the following centuries were in place.

Hardcover

First published November 15, 2011

About the author

Margaret Alison Stones, FSA, (published as Alison Stones, M. Alison Stones, and Margaret Stones) is a British/American medievalist and academic. She has held the position of professor emerita of history of art and architecture at University of Pittsburgh since 2012. Her work has been published in national and international academic journals and she has contributed to international exhibitions.