Something Beautiful

Illuminated Mss. - Special Presentations

The British Library possesses a good many illuminated manuscripts (apart from the Lindisfarne Gospels). Four will be presented below. (I will link to a new one each day.)

(1) Luttrell Psalter, ca. 1340 --

Turning the pages, 32 pp. of the manuscript. (Alternative: broadband version) (at the Library's Treasures page)

(2) Sherborne Missal, ca. 1400 --

Turning the pages, 32 pp. Tremendous marginal decoration. (Alternative: broadband version)

(3) Golf Book of Hours, ca. 1540 --

(a) Additional Ms. 24098, 8 full pages; illuminated by Simon Bening

(b) Turning the Pages, 24 pp. (Alternative: broadband version)

Sforza Hours, ca. 1500 --

(a) Additional Ms. 34294, 12 full pages; illuminated by Birago and Horenbout. 

(b) Turning the Pages, 28 pp. (Alternative: broadband version)

Lindisfarne Gospels

The British Library is the fortunate possessor of the Lindisfarne Gospels, ca. 710. And we are fotunate in being able to examine pages of those Gospels in two ways --

(1) Lindisfarne Gospels, 16 images (4 preliminary pages; 4 carpet pages; 4 Evangelist portraits; 3 Incipit pages and 1 text page) -- in 3 sizes!  (through the Library's Digital Catalogue of Illuminated Manuscripts); and

(2) Turning the pages, a special presentation of 32 pp. of the manuscript. (Alternative: broadband version) (at the Library's Treasures page)

Malachite Room (Hermitage)

The Malachite Room of the Winter Palace, St. Petersburg, was used as an official drawing-room of Empress Alexandra Fyodorovna, wife of Nicholas I.

Hermitage watercolors by Hau

As mentioned earlier at this weblog, the website of the Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia, has 110 masterful watercolors by Edward Petrovich Hau, made in the 1860s. My last attempt to provide links to a few of them foundered. Today, however, linking seems possible after all --

The Rotunda

The Small Church

The Cathedral

The Turkish Room in the Catherine Palace, Tsarskoye Selo

The above links all take you to the page with the zoomable version of the work. Also available are 800x600 and 1024x768 images of each.

Phillis Wheatley, Slave and Poet

Phillis Wheatley (ca. 1753-1784)

Ingres portrait of a princess

Today's masterpiece at the Metropolitan Museum site is Princesse de Broglie, 1851-1853, by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres. Recommendation: use the next-to-last Zoom setting for optimal viewing.

Four Illuminated Mss.

Four fine illluminated manuscripts in Scottish hands have been placed online --

Aberdeen Bestiary, 12th century, England.

St Albans Psalter, ca. 1130.

The Murthly Hours, 1280s, Paris.

Burnet Psalter, 15th century.

Manet and the Sea

Manet and the Sea is an exhibition at the Philadelphia Museum of Art site. It is enhanced by the Zoomify technology.

Small French Paintings

Small French Paintings -- an exhibition at the National Gallery of Art. With Zoomify!

Shrewsbury church

Interior of St Mary's Church, Shrewsbury, England.