Medieval Illuminations: Musicians and Minstrels
Morris De Morgan Arts & Crafts Pre-Raphaelite Victorian Medieval Overview
Medieval Maps Medieval Gardens Medieval Dogs An Apology for Black Cats Dragons Bestiaries
Morris De Morgan Arts & Crafts Pre-Raphaelite Victorian Medieval Overview
Medieval Maps Medieval Gardens Medieval Dogs An Apology for Black Cats Dragons Bestiaries
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There are two means of refuge from the misery of life -- music and cats. ~Albert Schweitzer
Bodlian 267, Medieval Musicians and Minstrels, Happy Dancing. Undercabinet backsplash, 4.25 inch tiles, crackle background.
William Morris's love for, and fascination with, the medieval world informed the world of his artistic circle and their philosophy of art. He built first married home, Red House, in a Tudor Gothic style with arches, steep roofs, and decorative furniture consistent with medieval guild values. Much of medieval music is liturgical and sacred music, but also secular and non-religious music as well. It could be a single melody line, unaccompanied, or with a single instrument, such as the lute. Morris enjoyed singing plainsong (unaccompanied church music), and participated in a choral society at Oxford with Edward Burne-Jones.
There isn't much mention of music at Red House but then, parlor music was a given in many homes of the era so there's no reason it should be. During the Kelmscott years, he maintained a friendship with with George Bernard Shaw, whose music he found "unconventional" but whose presence at Morris's home was often a given due an on-again, off-again with his daughter, May -- a relationship Shaw called a 'Mystic Betrothal' in the introduction he penned for a volume he was editing of her father's work.* (But there's more!
Church was central to medieval life and in that context, music was central to church life, from the ringing of church bells to summon or to sound an alarm, handbell choirs,and organs.
In secular life, wars were fought to fiddle and horns, horns were sounded to begin a hunt and signal when the game had been located.
But it was at court that music took center stage. The minstrel's role was central to court celebrations. Entertainers, their ranks included musicians, jugglers, acrobats, singlers and storytellers. The Fool, or jester, was a special ministrel who might offer a unique perspective that might not be acceptable in another context.
Human madness is oftentimes a cunning and most feline thing. ~Herman Melville, Moby-Dick or, The Whale
Fish Sounding Horns
Hybrid Creature, Book of Hours, Biblioteque de Toulouse, MS 135, f.23
Handbell choir.
Annoyed fiddler cat, Morgan Library
Weasel playing a horn, illumination, 15th century
Dog and rabbit playing an organ, Luttrell Psalter
Dog playing a red violin
Rabbit and Lion playing an organ, Gorleston Psalter, 1310-1314
Boar and Organetto, Harley
Medieval cats playing a fiddle and bagpipe 1320
Cat Playing a Fiddle, Book of Hours, Harley, 1320-1330
Donkey annoying a cat with a horn
Rabbit playing a stringed instrument
Rabbit playing a trumpet
Rabbit playing to a bird
Lute player
Illuminated initials, Bodlian (on separate tiles for 4.25 inch)
Lion playing a violin
Cat playing an organ
Angelic Fiddler on the battlefield, Maastricht Book of Hours.
Bear performing tricks to music.
Rabbit ringing church bells. Church bells were used to sound an alarm.
Dancing with dogs.
Dog playing handbells, Douce 5 F 180 r.
Cat, 15th Century German 
Funeral Procession, from the Funeral of Reynard the Fox, c1300.
Dog playing a cat bagpipe, from the Funeral of Reynard the Fox, c1300.
Rabbit hunting party
Happy Dancing is currently available only in ceramic and on the crackle background shown at the top of this page
Per 10-tile backsplash: $1388
Individual Tiles:
4.25-inch medieval cat: $68 (one image per tile)
6-inch medieval cat: $68
Ceramic tiles are available wtih a cream/ parchment background or crackle background.
Available in both 4 and 6 inch tiles.
Size: 6 inch square tiles (15.4 cm), or 4 inch (10.16 cm)
Tumbled Tiles (all sizes) : $77 each
Prices do not include shipping costs.
Tumbled is, well tumbled, and varies with what I'm sent when I order blanks but it *can* be modified a bit; some have more veining and "character" than others. For ceramic, I have two cream background colors: whipped cream (closest to blue-white) which is what you'll want if you intend to try to match generic subway tile. Bear in mind that there are a thousand different whites and even if they are exactly the same, the reflective nature of glossy tile and the ambient lighting will almost guarantee the match isn't exact. The other option, and my personal preference, is creme fraiche (whipped butter). Creme fraiche is not the yellow of your store-bought butter but has a richer color than whipped cream. At first, it looks white, but if you hold a piece of copy paper against it, you will see just how blue it isn't.
