A presentation miniature or dedication miniature is a miniature painting often found in

illuminated manuscript An illuminated manuscript is a formally prepared manuscript, document where the text is decorated with flourishes such as marginalia, borders and Miniature (illuminated manuscript), miniature illustrations. Often used in the Roman Catholic Churc ...

s, in which the patron or donor is presented with a book, normally to be interpreted as the book containing the miniature itself.Brown, 102 The miniature is thus symbolic, and presumably represents an event in the future. Usually it is found at the start of the volume, as a frontispiece before the main text, but may also be placed at the end, as in the Vivian Bible, or at the start of a particular text in a collection. In earlier manuscripts the recipient of the book may be a dead saint, the founder of a monastery or monastic order, for example, and the person handing over the book the abbot, or sometimes the scribe of the book. The genre is an extension of other forms of dedication portraits, for example wall-paintings or mosaics in churches showing the person who commissioned the church holding a model of it. Ultimately they stretch back to scenes where classical rulers receive tribute, or those where a procession of Early Christian martyrs carry their crowns to present Christ. The miniatures are often found in luxury books presented to the emperor or another major figure, which usually followed significant donations of land to the monastery concerned. In the early period the manuscripts concerned are normally religious books, especially liturgical ones. The texts are old, and the "offering" represented is the creation of an expensive illuminated manuscript. In the late

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

works, often secular ones, are generally presented by their author or translator, though lavish copies of older texts may also still receive presentation miniatures. In these first cases the "offering" is usually the text itself, and the patron had presumably often paid for his own luxury copy himself, though some translators and even authors were also scribes. Now the text dedication to the patron, at this period often long and flowery, came to form part of the work itself, and at least the text was repeated in further copies. Such author's dedications, now far shorter, have remained part of the printed book. Sometimes presentation miniatures were also repeated in subsequent copies.Brown, 102 Michelle Brown distinguishes between presentation miniatures, where the actual book containing the miniature passed between the parties shown, and dedication miniatures in subsequent copies made for other people.Brown, 102

Early medieval

Royal presentation miniatures are especially a feature of Late

Carolingian The Carolingian dynasty ( ; known variously as the Carlovingians, Carolingus, Carolings, Karolinger or Karlings) was a Frankish noble family named after Charles Martel and his grandson Charlemagne, descendants of the Arnulfing and Pippinid c ...

and

Ottonian art Ottonian art is a style (visual arts), style in Pre-Romanesque art, pre-romanesque German art, covering also some works from the Low Countries, northern Italy and eastern France. It was named by the art historian Hubert Janitschek after the Ottoni ...

, providing a series of portraits of the Ottonian emperors, mostly not actually shown with the book, and a precedent for later rulers. In a continuation and intensification of late Carolingian trends, many miniatures contain miniatures depicting the donors of the manuscripts to a church, including bishops, abbots and abbesses, and also the emperor. In some cases successive miniatures show a kind of relay: in the Hornbach Sacramentary the scribe presents the book to his abbot, who presents it to St Pirmin, founder of Hornbach Abbey, who presents it to St Peter, who presents it to Christ, altogether taking up eight pages (with the facing illuminated tablets) to stress the unity and importance of the "command structure" binding church and state, on earth and in heaven. The Egbert Psalter also has four pages of presentation scenes, with two each spread across a full opening, the left with a bowing offeror in near profile, the right with the enthroned receiver. Egbert, Archbishop of Trier receives the book in the first pair, then presents it to

Saint Peter Saint Peter (born Shimon Bar Yonah; 1 BC – AD 64/68), also known as Peter the Apostle, Simon Peter, Simeon, Simon, or Cephas, was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus and one of the first leaders of the Jewish Christian#Jerusalem ekklēsia, e ...

in the second. A large proportion of the portraits that survive of monastic scribes, who may also have been the artists for the miniatures, come from presentation miniatures, more typically showing presentations to either saints or other clergy who had commissioned books. Such scenes continue to appear in the Romanesque period. The earliest surviving portrait of a reigning English king (coins excepted) and the earliest English presentation miniature shows

Æthelstan Æthelstan or Athelstan (; ; ; ; – 27 October 939) was King of the Anglo-Saxons from 924 to 927 and King of the English from 927 to his death in 939. He was the son of King Edward the Elder and his first wife, Ecgwynn. Modern histori ...

presenting Saint

Cuthbert Cuthbert of Lindisfarne () ( – 20 March 687) was a saint of the early Northumbrian church in the Hiberno-Scottish mission, Celtic tradition. He was a monk, bishop and hermit, associated with the monastery, monasteries of Melrose Abbey#Histo ...

with the copy of Bede's ''Life of Saint Cuthbert'' containing it, probably in 934. This was presented by Æthelstan to the saint's shrine in

Chester-le-Street Chester-le-Street () is a market town in County Durham, England. It is located around north of Durham and is close to Newcastle. The town holds markets on Saturdays. In 2021, the town had a population of 23,555. The town's history is ancient; ...

; southern-based medieval English kings were always careful to pay due respect to Cuthbert, the great saint of the North.Foot, ''Æthelstan: The First King of England'', pp. 155–156 In the High Middle Ages presentation miniatures in luxury copies of the main liturgical and devotional books, showing the book being presented, tended to be replaced by miniatures of the owner or donor at prayer, sometimes using a book which can be taken as the volume containing the miniature. These often include the object of the prayer, Christ, the Virgin Mary, or a saint. Sometimes the owner is shown being "presented" to Christ or the Virgin by his

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, Eastern Orthodoxy or Oriental Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, fa ...

, as though at court, but these are not generally called "presentation miniatures". The form did not die out, however. The earliest surviving copy of the ''

Grandes Chroniques de France The ''Grandes Chroniques de France'' is a vernacular royal compilation of the history of the Kingdom of France, most manuscripts of which are luxury copies that are heavily illuminated. Copies were produced between the thirteenth and fifteenth ...

'' was presented by the monks of Saint-Denis, who had compiled the text, to Philip III in about 1274, with two presentation scenes, though neither act as frontispieces. File:Athelstan.jpg,

presenting a manuscript of

Bede Bede (; ; 672/326 May 735), also known as Saint Bede, Bede of Jarrow, the Venerable Bede, and Bede the Venerable (), was an English monk, author and scholar. He was one of the most known writers during the Early Middle Ages, and his most f ...

's ''Life of Saint Cuthbert'' to

, the earliest surviving portrait of a reigning English king. File:Evangeliarum van Egmond.jpg,

Dirk II, Count of Holland Dirk II or Theoderic II (920/930 – 6 May 988) was a count in West Frisia, and ancestor of the counts of Holland. He was the son and heir of Dirk I and his wife Geva (or Gerberge). Career In 983 Emperor Otto III confirmed Dirk's rights wit ...

and his wife Hildegard of Flanders presenting the

Egmond Gospels The Egmond Gospels () is a 9th-century Gospel Book written in Latin and accompanied by illustrations. It is named after Egmond Abbey in what is now the Netherlands, to which it was given by Dirk II and his wife Hildegard, and where it remained ...

Egmond Abbey Egmond Abbey or St. Adalbert's Abbey (, ''Sint-Adelbertabdij'') is a Rule of St. Benedict, Benedictine monastery of the Congregation of the Annunciation, situated in Egmond-Binnen, in the municipality of Bergen, North Holland, Bergen, in the Neth ...

, File:Hitda Codex - dedication miniature f6r - DarmBib 1640.jpg, Abbess Hitda presents the Hitda Codex to

Saint Walpurga Walpurga or Walburga (; ; ; 71025 February 777 or 779) was an Anglo-Saxon missionary to the Frankish Empire. She was canonized on 1 May c. 870 by Pope Adrian II. Walpurgis Night, Saint Walpurgis Night (or "Sankt Walpurgisnacht") is the name fo ...

, File:BambergGregoryUnkFolDedicationMin.jpg, The scribe Bebo of Seeon Abbey, presenting his copy of St Gregory's '' Moralia in Job'' to Emperor Henry II, 11th century

Late medieval

As book culture increased in the Late Middle Ages, authors still relied on gifts from patrons to reward their efforts, and it is in this context that the dedication miniature revived. Very often the miniature was in the personal copy made by the patron for his library. The author or translator kneels, holding out his book, and the patron is often surrounded by a group of courtiers, advertising his generosity in encouraging literature. These images generally focus on a single moment of the ritual, unlike written accounts, which offer a greater narrative range of actions. The public and ceremonial presentation of gifts from, but mostly to, the monarch or lord was a great feature of medieval court life, concentrated on the New Year. A high proportion of the surviving portraits of late medieval scholars and artists, and a significant proportion of those of the patrons, come from these miniatures, many of which show individualized features and were probably by artists who had had good opportunity to observe their subjects. The French royal family, including their Burgundian cousins, led the fashion, which spread to England and elsewhere. Extensively illuminated books were also presented to royalty as diplomatic gifts, or by ambitious courtiers to the monarch, and these might include presentation miniatures. Sometimes the presentation miniature might be the only one in a book; such was the case with Louis de Gruuthuse's copy of

Boccaccio Giovanni Boccaccio ( , ; ; 16 June 1313 – 21 December 1375) was an Italian writer, poet, correspondent of Petrarch, and an important Renaissance humanist. Born in the town of Certaldo, he became so well known as a writer that he was s ...

's ''De mulieribus claris'' translated into French ( BnF, Ms Fr. 133, f 2r). King

Charles V of France Charles V (21 January 1338 – 16 September 1380), called the Wise (; ), was King of France from 1364 to his death in 1380. His reign marked an early high point for France during the Hundred Years' War as his armies recovered much of the terri ...

(r. 1338–1380), one of the first great

bibliophile A bookworm or bibliophile is an individual who loves and frequently reads or collects books. Bibliophilia or bibliophilism is the love of books. Bibliophiles may have large, specialized book collections. They may highly value old editions, aut ...

medieval monarchs, had a large library and especially encouraged and commissioned translations of books into French, which were very often given a presentation miniature. He continues to be shown in dedication miniatures a century after his death. Louis de Gruuthuse's copy of about 1470 of the " Pseudo-Seneca"'s ''De remediis fortuitorum'' translated into French for Charles V has a miniature showing the king receiving the text, but with de Gruuthuse standing to the side (BnF, Ms. fr. 1090, fol. 1). The copy made about 1475 for Margaret of York, Duchess of Burgundy had a different image. This is a double presentation where firstly Seneca himself hands the text to the translator, who bends a knee to receive it, and then down a passageway in the background the translator kneels to present it to two male figures. As here, dedication miniatures for old texts sometimes go well back in history, sometimes giving historic figures the features of contemporary ones. Guillebert de Lannoy (1386–1462), a leading Burgundian nobleman, diplomat and traveller, wrote around 1440 ''L'Instruction de josne prince'' ("Advice for a Young Prince"), which he dressed up with a fictional origin in the court of

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

"long, long ago", followed by a rediscovery of the manuscript text. The dedication miniature in

Charles the Bold Charles Martin (10 November 1433 – 5 January 1477), called the Bold, was the last duke of Burgundy from the House of Valois-Burgundy, ruling from 1467 to 1477. He was the only surviving legitimate son of Philip the Good and his third wife, ...

's copy illustrates the Norwegian story, but using up-to-date Burgundian costume and, it seems, the faces of the ducal family. Another variation was to show the patron visiting the author, or even the illuminator, as they worked, an indication in the rise in status of those producing manuscripts. The form survived the arrival of printed books, though they became much rarer. When

Edward IV of England Edward IV (28 April 1442 – 9 April 1483) was King of England from 4 March 1461 to 3 October 1470, then again from 11 April 1471 until his death in 1483. He was a central figure in the Wars of the Roses, a series of civil wars in England ...

's brother in law,

Anthony Woodville, 2nd Earl Rivers Anthony Woodville, 2nd Earl Rivers (c. 144025 June 1483), was an English nobleman, courtier, bibliophile and writer. He was the brother of Queen Elizabeth Woodville who married King Edward IV. He was one of the leading members of the Woodvi ...

had

William Caxton William Caxton () was an English merchant, diplomat and writer. He is thought to be the first person to introduce a printing press into Kingdom of England, England in 1476, and as a Printer (publishing), printer to be the first English retailer ...

print his own translation of the ''

Dictes and Sayings of the Philosophers ''Dicts and Sayings of the Philosophers'' ("The Sayings of the Philosophers") is an incunabulum, or early printed book. The Middle English work is a translation, by Anthony Woodville, 2nd Earl Rivers, Anthony Woodville, of a wisdom literature co ...

'' in 1477, the book he presented to Edward was a special manuscript copied from the printed edition, with a presentation miniature, implying "that a printed book might not yet have been regarded as sufficiently distinguished for a formal gift of this kind". Some printed books continued the form in

woodcut Woodcut is a relief printing technique in printmaking. An artist carves an image into the surface of a block of wood—typically with gouges—leaving the printing parts level with the surface while removing the non-printing parts. Areas that ...

, with printers such as Antoine Vérard in Paris joining the types of presenters depicted. File:Petrus Comestor presents his book to Archbishop Guillaume of Sens.jpg,

Petrus Comestor Peter Comestor (, "Peter the Eater"; ; died 22 October 1178) was a 12th-century Kingdom of France, French Theology, theological writer and university teacher. Life Peter Comestor was born in Troyes. Although the surname (Latin language, Lati ...

(d. c. 1178) presents his '' Historia scholastica'' to Archbishop Guillaume of Sens. From a '' Bible Historiale'' of 1370-80, which mixed sections of the ''Historia'' with sections of the ''

Vulgate Bible The Vulgate () is a late-4th-century Latin translation of the Bible. It is largely the work of Saint Jerome who, in 382, had been commissioned by Pope Damasus I to revise the Gospels used by the Roman Church. Later, of his own initia ...

'' File:Armorial de Gilles Le Bouvier - BNF Fr.4985 f13v - Frontispice (cropped).jpg, Herald Gilles Le Bouvier presenting the to

Charles VII of France Charles VII (22 February 1403 – 22 July 1461), called the Victorious () or the Well-Served (), was King of France from 1422 to his death in 1461. His reign saw the end of the Hundred Years' War and a ''de facto'' end of the English claims to ...

c. 1455. File:Simon-Marmion - Les grandes Chroniques des France.JPG,

Philip the Good Philip III the Good (; ; 31 July 1396 – 15 June 1467) ruled as Duke of Burgundy from 1419 until his death in 1467. He was a member of a cadet line of the Valois dynasty, to which all 15th-century kings of France belonged. During his reign, ...

with Chancellor Rolin and the future

accepts the ''

'' from Guillaume Fillastre on January 1, 1457. By Simon Marmion, probably the figure at left. File:Arsen 5104 f14 det.jpg, A fictional author, "Foliant de Ionnal", presents his text to a fictional king, "Rudolph of Norway", in ''L'Instruction d'un jeune prince'', an advice book on good conduct actually by Guillebert de Lannoy, c. 1468-70 File:Livre des tournois du roi René offert par Louis de Gruuthuse - BNF Fr2692 f1.jpg, A diplomatic gift; A Burgundian ambassador, Louis de Gruuthuse presents

Charles VIII of France Charles VIII, called the Affable (; 30 June 1470 – 7 April 1498), was King of France from 1483 to his death in 1498. He succeeded his father Louis XI at the age of 13. His elder sister Anne acted as regent jointly with her husband Peter II, Du ...

with a copy of '' Le Livre des tournois'' by the king's cousin

René of Anjou René of Anjou (; ; 16 January 1409 – 10 July 1480) was Duke of Anjou and Count of Provence from 1434 to 1480, who also reigned as King of Naples from 1435 to 1442 (then Aragonese conquest of Naples, deposed). Having spent his last years in Aix ...

, 1489. File:Jean Molinet presents his book to Philip of Cleves.jpg,

Jean Molinet Jean Molinet (1435 – 23 August 1507) was a French poet, chronicler, and composer. He is best remembered for his prose translation of '' Roman de la rose''. Born in Desvres, which is now part of France, he studied in Paris. He entered th ...

presents his ''Le

Roman de la Rose ''Le Roman de la Rose'' (''The Romance of the Rose'') is a medieval poem written in Old French and presented as an allegory">allegorical romantic love is disclosed. Its two authors conceived it as a psychological allegory; throughout the Lover' ...

moralisé et translaté de rime en prose'' to Philip of Cleves, c. 1500 File:Domhnach Airgid Scribe.jpg, alt=Lower left hand panel with scribe handing a book shrine to a cleric, A version of the Domnach Airgid

Cumdach A (, in Irish "cover"Joynt (1917), p. 186) or book shrine is an elaborate ornamented metal reliquary box or case used to hold History of Ireland (400–800), Early Medieval Irish manuscripts or relics. They are typically later than the book t ...

(book shrine) is presented by

Saint Patrick Saint Patrick (; or ; ) was a fifth-century Romano-British culture, Romano-British Christian missionary and Archbishop of Armagh, bishop in Gaelic Ireland, Ireland. Known as the "Apostle of Ireland", he is the primary patron saint of Irelan ...

to St Macartan in a

mise en abyme In Western art history, ''mise en abyme'' (; also ''mise en abîme'') is the technique of placing a copy of an image within itself, often in a way that suggests an infinitely recurring sequence. In film theory and literary theory, it refers to t ...

type that later became known as the

Droste effect The Droste effect (), known in art as an example of ''mise en abyme'', is the effect of a picture recursion, recursively appearing within itself, in a place where a similar picture would realistically be expected to appear. This produces a loo ...

. Irish, 14th century.Stalley, 217

Notes

References

*Alexander, Jonathan A.G., ''Medieval Illuminators and their Methods of Work'', 1992, Yale UP, * Backhouse, Janet, ''The Royal Library from Edward IV to Henry VII'', Chapter 12 in Hellinga, Lotte, and Trapp, J. B., eds., '' The Cambridge History of the Book in Britain, Volume 3; 1400–1557'', 1999, Cambridge University Press, ,
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* Brown, Michelle. ''Understanding Illuminated Manuscripts: A Guide to Technical Terms''. Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Publications, 1994.
google books
*Calkins, Robert G. ''Illuminated Books of the Middle Ages''. 1983, Cornell University Press, * Dodwell, C.R.; ''The Pictorial arts of the West, 800–1200'', 1993, Yale UP, *Hedeman, Anne D. 1991. ''The Royal Image: Illustrations of the Grandes Chroniques de France, 1274–1422'' (Berkeley: University of California Press)
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*Kren, T. & McKendrick, Scot (eds), ''Illuminating the Renaissance – The Triumph of Flemish Manuscript Painting in Europe'', Getty Museum/Royal Academy of Arts, 2003, *Legner, Anton (ed). ''Ornamenta Ecclesiae, Kunst und Künstler der Romanik.''Catalogue of an exhibition in the Schnütgen Museum, Köln, 1985. 3 vols. *Lie, Orlanda Soei Han, et al., ''Christine de Pizan in Bruges: Le Livre de la Cité Des Dames as Het Bouc Van de Stede Der Vrauwen (London, British Library, Add. 20698)'', 2015, Uitgeverij Verloren, , 9789087045395 *McKendrick, Scot; Lowden, John; Doyle, Kathleen, (eds), ''Royal Manuscripts, The Genius of Illumination'', 2011, British Library, * Stalley, Roger. "Irish Art in the Romanesque and Gothic Periods". In:
Treasures of early Irish art, 1500 B.C. to 1500 A.D: From the collections of the National Museum of Ireland, Royal Irish Academy, Trinity College Dublin
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Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art, colloquially referred to as the Met, is an Encyclopedic museum, encyclopedic art museum in New York City. By floor area, it is the List of largest museums, third-largest museum in the world and the List of larg ...

, 1977. *Stratford, Jenny, ''The Goldenes Rossl and the French Royal Collections'', in ''Treasure in the Medieval West'', ed. Elizabeth M. Tyler, 2000, Boydell & Brewer Ltd, , 9780952973485
Google books
* Webster, Leslie, ''Anglo-Saxon Art'', 2012, British Museum Press, {{ISBN, 9780714128092 Iconography of illuminated manuscripts Medieval art Portrait art Arts in the court of Philip the Good