Songs from the Idylls of the King
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Tennyson, Alfred. Songs from the Idylls of the King. Illuminated Manuscript.
In the nineteenth century, artists like Ruskin and Morris became interested in the medieval art of manuscript illumination. Concurrent with their interest was a growing scholarly attention to this aspect of medieval culture. The attention paid to illumination by artists and scholars led to the publication of numerous manuals and books designed to provide instruction in this art. As a result, many individuals practiced this art; and illuminated manuscripts and books were produced commercially. Hand-colored manuscripts of passages from the Idylls of the King—a medieval story in medieval style—were popular. Some were quite ornate creations that contained both illuminated and/or historiated initials, marginal decorations, elaborate borders, and miniatures. One such manuscript reproduces and decorates the text of passages from a number of Tennyson's idylls. 'The Song of Love and Death' that Elaine sings in the 'Lancelot and Elaine' idyll, for example, has a bottom border that depicts the Victorian staple of Elaine in her barge. Here the sadness of the scene is emphasized by showing her grieving brothers on the shore just as she is about to make her final journey to Camelot. Other popular images such as Merlin falling under Vivien's spell, Enid singing, and the death of Arthur also appear in the manuscript on splendidly decorated and colored pages. The types of scenes and decorations that were used by the modern illuminators might have found models not only in medieval manuscripts but also in contemporary manuals designed to teach the art of illumination.