Medieval Zoo collection.

Medieval Zoo collection. November 2012.
Collection of fused glass miniatures (frit painting) from medieval manuscripts. 

For some reason I have a very close connection to medieval arts. Many years ago I was learning how to weave tapestries and then I learned stained glass. I also love different types of art, which flourished in medieval time. I also adore manuscripts - hand written books with beautiful pictures.

Illuminated manuscripts are called illuminated, because thin leafs of gold were used to illuminate, to enhance, to highlight the beautiful miniatures. And the word miniature is coming from red paint, which was commonly used for paintings in manuscripts. This red paint called minium.
http://www.youtube.com/channel/HC24-obspfOHc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Wl7gPDAelY&feature=relmfuI

I was dreaming for a long time hoping that one day I will be able to make at least something from any medieval manuscript. Whatever image, it doesn’t really matter, but I wanted to see how these hand painted pictures from the manuscripts with vellum pages would look if I make them in glass, just glass. I wanted to add the charm of glass, texture and relief to a painting…

So at some point I bought a book about illuminated manuscripts from the collection of the Morgan Library in New York. I saw pictures from the medieval manuscript called The Worksop* Bestiary. Oh, how I wanted to make them! (*It’s spelled correctly) 

So I tried the very first one – lions breathe life into cubs… I did not understand why the lions are doing that but the beauty of the picture, its style, was the most important part to me. 

And I did my research at the same time. I came up with quite a few digital databases of Manuscripts and one outstanding site about Bestiaries only.

http://bodley30.bodley.ox.ac.uk:8180/luna/servlet/allCollections

http://utu.themorgan.org/index.cfm

http://bestiary.ca/index.html

I don’t want to repeat all the information from that brilliant site, I just want to say that Bestiaries are not just books about animals, but the main feature that all the beasts and   their behaviour have in common is that they all have an interpretation in the Christian moral.

So I did my lions… and I realized, yes it is very close to actual manuscript picture. I want to make sure that my glass powder is capable for such precise work.

After that I made my own Medieval Zoo. It was fused in November 2012.  

My Medieval Zoo is a collection of beasts from different Bestiaries from the 11^th and 12^th centuries. Most of them are from English manuscripts but there is one from Persia.

I was trying to make as close copies as possible but at a same time I wanted to enhance the manuscript pictures with the extra features from the glass.

There is a manager in the zoo, the Satyr. And there are different species – fish, animals and birds. The information about manuscript and the short description of the beast is written around the actual glass work. The text is also written using glass powder.

THERE IS NO PAINT in my works – I am using glass only. ONLY GLASS.

Here’s my Medieval Zoo. I hope you enjoy my story and my beasts.

Satyr: From medieval manuscript c.1185, England, MS M.81, fol. 20v. Half-men creature with tail hold thyrsus.

Hedgehog:  From medieval manuscript c.1185, England, MS M.81, fol.10v. A beast that rolls on grapes and apples to put them on its sharp quills and carry them home. 

Griffin: From medieval manuscript c.1230-1240, England, Harley MS 4751, fol. 7v. A beast with body of a lion and head and wings of an eagle holds a hooved animal.

Saw Fishes: From medieval manuscript c.1300, England, GKS 3466 8^o (Bestiaire), fol 43v.  A creatures with enormous wings that like to race with sails ships. Left sawfish is going for race, right one is tired and returned to sea.

Saw Fish: From medieval manuscript c.1185, England,  MS M.81, fol.69r. Sawfish is a sea monster with enormous wings that likes to race with sails ships. Its wings hold back wind from the ships. 

Elephants: From medieval manuscript c.1230, England, Royal MS 12F, xiii, fol. 11v. A beast with no knee joints, so when it falls it can’t get up. It sleeps leaning against a tree.  Soldiers built wooden towers on elephants back and fight from there. 

Simurgh: From medieval manuscript “Benefits of Animals” 1297-1300, Maragheh, Iran, MS M.500, fol.55r. Gigantic winged creature, staying in the island surrounded by water

Peacock: From medieval manuscript c.1185, England, MS M.81, fol.57r. Self-satisfied bird with a terrible voice. 

Rhinoceros: From medieval manuscript  “Benefits of Animals” 1297-1300, Maragheh, Iran, MS M.500, fol.4m. 

Cranes: From medieval manuscript c.1225-1250, England, MS Bodley 764, fol.62r. They fly in order with the leader. At night their guard holds a stone to wake himself up.