Illustration: Illuminated manuscripts from Owen Jones The Grammar of Ornament, 1856.
Owen Jones did not produce a separate chapter in his 1856 The Grammar of Ornament for illuminated manuscripts. It was in fact a sub-section of his Medieval Ornament chapter, which also included examples of stained glass, ceramic tiles and other standard decorative work. Of the three pages of illustrations within the chapter that dealt with illuminated manuscripts, all of which are shown here, some were taken by Jones from examples in the British Museum and some from Illuminated Books of the Middle Ages which was originally published in 1849 by Henry Noel Humphreys.
Humphreys, a born scholar, had studied numerous medieval manuscripts in Italy when he was a young man. He produced various reference books throughout his life, including such diverse subjects as archaeology, Greek and Roman coinage, entomology and the art of calligraphy and printing. It was not unusual for a critic in the position of Jones to use the work of other reference writers. Most who bought The Grammar of Ornament would have been well aware of the titles used, and might even have owned some of the books featured.
Jones himself described ornamental illumination as a form of decorative writing. He held that it was unique within the decorative arts world as its function was purely as a support to hand produced calligraphy. In this respect, many saw the discipline of illuminated decorative work as that of a lesser branch of the decorative arts. However, as Jones included the subject firmly within both the book and inside one of the major chapters of his publication, it must be assumed that he was not of the same persuasion and was willing to give illuminated decoration a full space within the decorative arts.
Illustration: Illuminated manuscripts from Owen Jones The Grammar of Ornament, 1856.
The dates of the illustrated work shown in The Grammar of Ornament, between the twelfth and fifteenth centuries, was specifically chosen by Jones. He believed that these dates bore out his own theory that illuminated decoration was at its height of ingenuity and skill during the twelfth century. However, this gradually declined over the intervening centuries so that by the end of the fifteenth century, which also saw the introduction of the printing press, work had become derivative and followed rather than set standards. This was the period in which Jones felt that illuminated decoration had reached its nadir.
It was believed at the time that English illuminated decoration was introduced from the east, possibly from Syria or Egypt, rather than from the geographically closer Western Europe. Therefore, an assumption was made that English illuminated work was derived from a style that was Byzantine in influence. In this respect, Jones and his fellow mid-Victorian critics would have seen a believable and direct connection between medieval England and that of the Roman Empire, Constantinople, the Holy Land and Egypt, all through the guise of the Byzantine Empire.
It was in the mid-nineteenth century that England was busy manufacturing an identity for Britain and the monarchy. The creation of instantaneous traditions which today most British see as ageless were often Victorian constructs. It was particularly important that much of this instant tradition be locked into a real history framework. Connections were constantly sought, the grander the better. Although it would be wrong to believe that Jones himself was a creator of fanciful connections with Byzantium or any other empire, it is an interesting point that at this period in time a number of European nation states were busy making their own valued and vaunted connections. Those involved with colonial empires were particularly keen to procure ancestral roots with European empires both ancient and medieval.
Illustration: Illuminated manuscripts from Owen Jones The Grammar of Ornament, 1856.
Within this framework is the added interest that mid-nineteenth century Britain had with the medieval. During the period when The Grammar of Ornament was first published, the decade saw a rich reference library start to accumulate which covered all aspects of the medieval European and Islamic decorative worlds. Jones book is particularly rich in medieval and Islamic references, but the Islamic in particular has much more to do with Jones personal fascination with, and admiration of the rich heritage of Islam.
Although there are other books that were published during the 1840s and 1850s that dealt in more detail concerning the subject of illuminated decoration, Humphreys book for example, Jones The Grammar of Ornament is still important as a reference guide. The book takes many seemingly diverse culturally decorative and ornamental styles and places them within one confined context. Jones is making us aware that although the decorative styles may well have derived from different areas of the planet with correspondingly different histories and traditions; they all belong within the context of human decorative history. By connecting the dots and linking various cultures together, whether they be England and Byzantium or indeed Islamic Egypt and Byzantium, Jones was making a consistent effort to observe the decorative arts on a much larger and broader canvas. Although today we may not necessarily agree with all of Jones connections, we do understand the sentiment behind the exercise.
I have included a range of titles by Henry Noel Humphreys within the Further reading links section. They may well not be entirely connected with the subject, but it is interesting to see how many titles are still available through Amazon.com.
Further reading links:
The Grammar of Ornament: All 100 Color Plates from the Folio Edition of the Great Victorian Sourcebook of Historic Design (Dover Pictorial Archive Series)
The Grammar of Ornament - Illustrated By Examples from Various Styles of Ornament - One Hundred and Twelve Plates
Grammar of Ornament: A Monumental Work of Art
The Coin Collectors Manual V1: Or Guide To The Numismatic Student In The Formation Of A Cabinet Of Coins (1853)
Specimens of illuminated manuscripts of the middle ages, from the sixth to the sixteenth century: A series of twelve plates from richly illuminated manuscripts, ... executed in exact imitation of the originals
The Coinage of the British Empire
The Coin Collector's Manual Or Guide To The Numismatic Student In The Formation Of A Cabinet Of Coins V2
Rome, and Its Surrounding Scenery
The Origin and Progress of the Art of Writing: A Connected Narrative of the Development of the Art in Its Primeval Phases in Egypt, China, and Mexico ... and Its Subsequent Progress to the Present Day
The Butterfly Vivarium; Or, Insect Home
Ocean Gardens: The History of the Marine Aquarium and the Best Methods Now Adopted for Its Establishment and Preservation [ 1857 ]
The genera of British moths. Popularly described and arranged according to the system now adopted in the British museum.
Stories by an Archæologist and His Friends
