Conclusions

From a book of liturgical chants to a new arrangement of a secular ballata, from great works of late medieval art to a scientific analysis of pigments, the Fisher Antiphonarium is full of history, speculation, and mystery. This exhibit has explored more broadly the ways that art, music, and books communicated with each other, during and well after the medieval period. Illumination reproduction of this nature became common in the 19th century, as renewed interest in the illuminated manuscripts of the middle ages and affordable, accessible artists’ materials and instruction manuals became more popular.²⁷

It was particularly engaging to try and create a modern transcription of Landini’s song. Drawing from the work of several musicologists and performers to try and recreate maybe not an authentic medieval sound, but a process which nonetheless gave me deep insight into medieval melodies and harmonies⁠—not my usual area of musical expertise.

While Janke and Bosch’s scientific analysis, and my own cultural and musicological one, provide many insights into the Fisher Antiphonarium and its delightful illuminations, we can never know the real context behind why the original text was covered up with art. Perhaps the original codex had fallen out of use by the 1850s, so someone decided to make use of the large vellum pages to practice their craft. It is a very romantic image: an amateur artist wandering through the city of Florence, looking at altarpieces and in codices and sketching away, finding good practice in replication.