An Overview of the History of Matting

1290 Bible Page, Apocalypse 8, Hand-lettered, iron-gall ink & color on vellum, with glosses, This Western European Bible page was hand-written in Latin by a scribe. The chapter known as The Apocalypse is Revelations.  The Holy Bible had been divided into chapters for the first time by Cardinal Hugo in 1227.  Spectacles were invented circa 1280 and must have been a contributing factor to the minuscule size of the writing, particularly the marginal notes or glosses!  Medieval ink, called “iron-gall”, was a mixture of tannin obtained from nutgalls, and iron sulphate. Pale in the inkwell, it darkened upon exposure to air.  The alchemy of mixing ink was touchy: it could "underdevelop" and be too faint, or the page could literally be eaten away.

European books of this period were generally made of prepared animal skins called vellum or parchment.  ( Paper from plant fiber was not in general use for another hundred years ). Books were produced by copying and errors were inevitable. Corrections are most common in Bibles because they were actually read, most often by clerics who would note and annotate scribal errors. This page would not have been framed until the book itself had outlived its usefulness.  However, it is framed here in the spirit of its time.  No mat is used - rather a simulated gilt panel onto which the vellum is hinged.  The tabernacle frame borrows architectural elements of the period ( 1200-1420 ).  Gothic architecture   emerged in France ( Choir of St.Denis, c1040 ) and soon predominated in Europe.  Rib vaulting and pointed arches combined soaring heights with delicacy. Exteriors were covered with painted relief sculpture and elaborate architectural detail.  Religious images of this time were typically housed in architectonic frames.

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