Overview

The advent and rapid proliferation of printing created a new challenge for colourists and illuminators: how could they meet this sudden, increased demand for book decoration in the most efficient way possible? This publication, based on a study of hundreds of illustrated books and broadsides, explores how artists working for Nuremberg’s first printers adapted to this radical shift in book production by standardising their output. Illuminators painted identical initials and ornamental borders on batches of books before sale, while print colourists created a distinctive, formulaic style that was employed by multiple workshops. Thus, the rise of printing spawned a new industry of mass-produced hand-applied decoration.

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Julia R. Smith is an independent scholar specialising in the hand colouring of prints, books, and broadsides in Renaissance Germany. She was awarded her PhD from the University of Edinburgh in 2022. This is her first monograph.

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