All That Glitters
Above: Evangelist Luke, From the Morgan Gospels, Northeast France, second half of the 9th century, 9 5/8 x 8 1/4 in. (24.5 x 21 cm), The Pierpont Morgan Library, New York. Purchase by John Pierpont Morgan, Jr., 1919. MS M. 640; Evangelist Matthew, From the Arenberg Gospels, Canterbury, England, ca. 1000–1020, The Pierpont Morgan Library, New York, M. 869.
One point that I’ve emphasized in the exhibition is that though we normally think of drawing as a preparatory exercise—a way to explore an idea or map out a composition—medieval artists and patrons, particularly in the early Middle Ages, often thought of drawing as a finished product, worthy of important and luxury books. Some artists even made use of gold to embellish their drawings. Though it wasn’t my intent, the exhibition provides a nice survey of gilding techniques. Read more »