'Catalogus Archiepiscoporum Gnesnensium Vitae Episcoporum Cracoviensium' (Catalogue of the Archbishops of Gniezno and Lives of the Bishops of Cracow) is available at the National Digital Library of Poland (note the six-dotted thumbnail icon top left of the frame). The images above were posted to wikimedia.
It was written by the Polish historian, Jan Długosz (who also produced the 'Banderia Prutenorum' flag book), in the 15th century. The exquisite illuminations for this version (1531-1535) were painted by Stanislaw Samostrzelnik. Not even such magnificent embellishment using medieval photoshoppery could endow this parade of Bishops with anything approaching a happy or friendly disposition however. Almost all of them appear to be sour old men, utterly without charm.
No comments:
Post a Comment