Chapter 25

NETHERLANDISH ILLUMINATION

What is meant by the Netherlands--Early realism and study of nature--Combination of symbolism with imitation--Anachronism in design--The value of the pictorial methods of the old illuminators--The oldest Netherlandish MS.--Harlinda and Renilda--The nunnery at Maas-Eyck--Description of the MS.--Thomas à Kempis--The school of Zwolle--Character of the work--The use of green landscape backgrounds--The Dukes of Burgundy--Netherlandish artists--No miniatures of the Van Eycks or Memling known to exist--Schools of Bruges, Ghent, Liége, etc.--Brussels Library--Splendid Netherlandish MSS. at Vienna--Gerard David and the Grimani Breviary--British Museum--"Romance of the Rose"--"Isabella" Breviary--Grisailles.