Welcome to No Fear Friday, where I good-natured-ly make fun of bad
artwork from the Middle Ages, to hopefully inspire those interested in
the scribal arts to give it a try. This week:
Proportions
Or: What Big _____ You Have
Because I enjoy linking the 'No Fear' articles to the 'Pointy End goes on the Paper' articles when I can.
We've got big heads...
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| Paris, Bibl. Sainte-Geneviève, ms. 0008, f. 007v |
Make that gigantic heads the size of our torsos.
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| Ovide , Héroïdes, traduction d' Octavien de Saint-Gelais, BnF |
Seriously, it's a thing.
We've got super-small heads...
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| The Beheading of John the Baptist Canterbury, England (c. 1200) Psalter (176 fols.), fol. 2 sup v |
I believe that to be Salome in the stripped dress with the head of John the Baptist there. Unfortunately it looks like someone also cut off her head, and she's only partway through re-growing it. Clearly growing out that luscious ponytail took precedence.
We've got big necks...
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| Angers – BM – ms. 0243 F077v (fin XII) 2, 12th century |
Just.... her neck is thicker than both of her arms put together... it's as wide as her shoulders! I mean... does she even have shoulders?
We've got no necks...
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| Breviary, MS M.0373 fol. 23v, The Morgan Library |
You realize that's just supposed to be an expression, right?
We've got crazily long necks...
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| Luttrel Psalter 1325-1340 |
Like a swan.
We've got big..........
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| Santa Llucia de Mur, Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya, Barcelona |
And I cannot lie.
Look, I could do an entire post on how badly women's anatomy is treated in medieval art... and in my next "Pointy End Goes on the Paper" article I'll get into why breasts just weren't that important in a lot of medieval illumination. But these... these are shockingly large. And surprisingly anti-grav.
We've Crazy Limbs
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| A Pilgrimage of Life by Guillaume de Deguilleville, 1401-1500 |
Those are just some crazy long arms. If this lady were standing, I think her right arm would reach down to
at least her knee. And I don't even want to know what kind of broken akimbo joints are happening in her legs under that skirt.
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| La musique médiévale à travers les manuscrits Polonsky, BnF |
Super long arms, and I think the problem with his legs is... well it's a couple of things, but the most glaring is that the guy doesn't have any hips to speak of and his lower legs are ridiculously short compared to the rest of him.
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| 1301-1400, BnF |
These ladies have the same problem in that their knees are just waaaaay too low.
Best of the Worst- It's a Tie!
I just can't pick, so here, have two!
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| Harley 4951 F. 298v |
This is a guy who makes his living with his hands. His nimble, dexterous hands. Those hands are very, very important. So important that they must be illuminated large... so large that all can understand their true magnificence.
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| Hans Talhoffer 1459 Ringen |
I don't want to break your brain too much... Who am I kidding? Yes, yes I do. Just imagine that the guy in front isn't there, and picture the guy in back by himself. Cue screaming.
Next post in the series: Phoenix!
Previous post in the series: Perspective!
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