Les Enluminures

Manuscript Production: Illuminating Materials

In this episode we cover the basic processes around the three most important materials applied to the parchment page: gold, ink, and pigment. Have you ever wondered what the difference is between a dye and a paint? How did scribes and artists cut their quills and make their brushes? And how, exactly, did medieval artists make their manuscripts shimmer and sparkle with gold?

Celebrating 30 Years: Sandra’s Favorite Catalogues

Have you ever wondered which catalogues our Founder and President, Sandra Hindman, loves the most? Find out this week as she discusses two of her most favored catalogues and their contents, discussing everything from the colors the ancient Romans preferred, rose colored glasses, Hebrew manuscripts, Dora Maar, and her work reconstructing the life of an important medieval artist.

Manuscript Production Part 1: What is a Manuscript?

How did manuscript books come to be? What is a Manuscript? How does a manuscript differ from a printed book? Join us today in this introductory mini episode for an overview of the organization and production of medieval manuscripts from the monastic scriptorium to university stationers. 

Rare Hands: How, Where, and What People Wrote with Marc Smith

From Roman inscriptions to digital typography, the study of handwriting and Latin scripts spans centuries and requires a deep knowledge of materials from copper plates to parchment, rings, wax and digital tablets. Join us today as our host Sandra Hindman sits down with Marc Smith, Professor of Paleography at the Ecole des Chartes in Paris to explore the history of handwriting. Have you ever wondered who studies the history and art of handwriting? How did medieval people learn to write, and why has handwriting fallen out of contemporary school curricula? What is the relationship between handwriting and renaissance ring inscriptions? Were medieval scribes ever left handed? You will find answers to these questions and many others in today’s podcast.

 

As one of the few outstanding professional paleographers in France, Marc is known for his creativity and desire to take on unusual paleographical projects. Today, he discusses some of his more eclectic pursuits with Sandra, including his collaboration with Les Enluminures on some particularly difficult inscriptions found on rings and jewelry. They discuss iconographic rings, gothic handwriting and the possible reasons why metalsmiths might employ such difficult lettering for the inscriptions of these tiny, intimate objects. The discussion ends with a few tantalizing thoughts about the future of paleography as well as the importance of how interdisciplinary work at the intersection of paleography and linguistics might lead to reforms of contemporary writing systems.

The Burke Collection of Italian Manuscript Paintings

Filled with high quality paintings by notable Renaissance artists, the outstanding Burke Collection of Italian miniatures is the subject of this podcast.  Sandra Hindman sits down to discuss her work on the newly published Burke Collection catalogue with her co-editor Federica Toniolo and with Gaudenz Freuler. Federica Toniolo is Professor of the history of illuminated manuscripts and medieval art at the University of Padua and co-author of the recent catalogue of the Fondazione Giorgio Cini in Venice, among many other important publications.  Gaudenz Freuler is Professor Emerita at the University of Zurich and is a world-renowned expert on Italian miniature painting from the twelfth to sixteenth century. The Burke Collection is on deposit in the Special Collections and University Archives of the Stanford Libraries in California. 

Did manuscript illuminators ever produce monumental paintings? What is the relationship between the history of monumental painting and illumination? What makes printed collection catalogues special, as opposed to digitized collections? Through a glimpse at highlights from the Burke Collection, you can learn more about the versatile artists of the Renaissance many of whom skillfully worked in both media – hence the title “The Burke Collection of Italian Manuscript Paintings.”  Our host and her guests share their knowledge, covering artists such as Fra Angelico, Zanobi Strozzi, Battista di Biagio Sanguigni, Cimabue, Tommaso da Modena, and Lorenzo Monaco. They discuss the literature, paleography, music, and context of the paintings in the Burke Collection, with emphasis on reconstructing illuminations and panel paintings to contribute a more complete image of the artistic culture of late Gothic and Renaissance Italy. 

Order your copy of The Burke Collection of Italian Manuscript Paintings from Paul Holberton Publishing.

Books of Hours Explained by Sandra Hindman with Richard Davies of AbeBooks

They were the bestsellers of the Middle Ages. In this episode, our host Sandra Hindman of Les Enluminures sits down with Richard Davies of AbeBooks to discuss books of hours. Sandra explains the contours of the bestseller: what books of hours contained, who owned them, how they were decorated and the purpose they served. These paraliturgical manuscripts provided access to private, personalized devotion. Sandra Hindman discusses the materiality of these manuscripts, the painting process for illuminations, and some of the most famous historical stories involving books of hours.  

Published by Abe Books March 8, 2021

Christine de Pizan's Workshop with Inès Villela-Petit

Who is Christine de Pizan? Most know of her as a prolific medieval author, or at least know that she found a seat at Judy Chicago’s table. But how did she work and procure materials? Who worked for her and with her? How did she select her illuminators? Did she deal directly with the Queen? Find out with author and art historian Inès Villela-Petit and our host Sandra Hindman as they discuss the discoveries produced by Villela-Petit’s monograph on Christine de Pizan’s workshop, L'atelier de Christine de Pizan. They uncover the material processes behind the scenes of Christinian creation, the social dynamics of the atelier and Christine’s relationship with the royal court. Through author's drafts, pigment and parchment, traces and marks on the page, and the "stories" told in Christinian painting Inès Villela-Petit places Christine de Pizan's workshop in its material context. Today Sandra Hindman and Inès Villela-Petit explore International Gothic society, discussing Villela-Petit’s realization of an “ideal” Christinian manuscript–– from the purchase of the raw materials through the delivery of the manuscript to the Queen.

This conversation was recorded on Tuesday, April 14, 2021. 

How Did a Medievalist Become President and CEO of the Met?

Today host Sandra Hindman speaks with the president and CEO of the Metropolitan Museum of Art Daniel Weiss. How has his development as a scholar, medievalist and author affected his work as a businessman and CEO? What is the future of museums and institutions following this virtual shift to art in the age of COVID-19? Weiss gives listeners insight into the inner workings of the Met and remarks on topics related to his many publications, from his work on cultural interactions in the age of crusade to his two most recent unpublished projects. The first is a biographical work on a songwriter-poet turned soldier in the Vietnam era while the other is entitled Why the Museum Matters, a reflection on the history of the museum and its cultural relevance today. 

This engaging episode focuses on the practical side of maintaining life as a scholar and writer while working as CEO of one of the world’s most important museums. Daniel Weiss’s life is filled with valuable lessons for academics, administrators, businessmen, and art historians. 

This conversation was recorded on Thursday, February 25, 2021.

The Illuminated World Chronicle with Nina Rowe

In this episode Dr. Nina Rowe discusses her latest book The Illuminated World Chronicle: Tales from the Late Medieval City with our host Sandra Hindman. They discuss some of the thrilling and often titillating stories found in World Chronicle manuscripts including the tale of the Devil on Noah’s Ark. Dr. Rowe has uncovered the deep connections these texts have to the cities in which they were produced, and has found evidence of racial and ethnic diversity, curiosity, and intermingling in these late medieval German cities. In many ways the World Chronicle was structured like a medieval version of the play Hamilton or even the recently released Netflix drama Bridgerton. All three take the material of history and robe it in the vernacular of the present day, exploring race and place through an historical lens. An innovative literary form in the 14th century, the World Chronicle transformed history into entertainment. 

This conversation was recorded on Tuesday January 12, 2021.

Masterpiece and the Future of Art Fairs

Today our host Sandra Hindman, founder and President of Les Enluminures, checks in with Chairman of the Masterpiece Fair Philip Hewat-Jaboor from his residence in the Channel Islands. They discuss his early love of art and youthful career working for Sotheby’s, as well as the burning question on all of our minds: how will art fairs survive and thrive in the digital age? 

If you are curious about the origins of crafting an (entirely digital) art fair, this podcast will help guide you through the thought process Masterpiece has undergone in the past few months. Ultimately our host and Hewat-Jaboor agree that the power of face-to-face interaction will not disappear from the art world, but rather, is temporarily inaccessible. This temporary distance is, in fact, a good thing for the art market. It has forced art fairs to strengthen and diversify their digital offerings and brought innovative new technology into galleries. Find out more about this exciting time in art news, and mark your calendar for the opening of Masterpiece Online next week, launching for its Patron and Preview Day guests at 12pm BST on Monday June 22, and running through June 28, 2020!

 

This conversation was recorded on Thursday June 11, 2020.