Cennino d'Andrea Cennini

So you're trying to recreate those medieval or renaissance beautiful illuminated manuscripts, or perhaps a fresco. This is a great place to start.

Cennino (always, for some reason, referred to by his first name) may have been a lousy artist. But he loved to give away those secrets that great artists usually pass down verbally to their apprentices. Here it is -- everything from making gesso (some friends of mine and I tried to make it using his instructions, and found the product works show more beautifully) to grinding pigments (to make ultramarine one must grind lapis lazuli in an oil base rather than water) to preparing parchment for use.

I teach calligraphy and illumination. In my beginners' classes, I recommend two books. This is one of them. show less

I'll have to have a go at making some gesso, but meanwhile this is really helpful for living history research for teaching kids and families at medieval reenactment events. And a lovely style: "You can do it in other ways if you like but mine is the best". Quite.

Great translated primary source for medieval craft projects.

Siempre es maravilloso, como de cuento de hadas, poder leer las enseñanzas técnicas y las ideas de cualquiera que haya vivido tan lejos en el tiempo como estos pintores de la Baja Edad Media en Italia, un momento y un lugar en el que se estaba produciendo una gran revolución que cambiaría radicalmente la historia del arte.