Background
Backhouse was born on February 8, 1938, in Corsham, Wiltshire.
Cauldwell St, Bedford MK42 9AH, UK
Backhouse was educated at Bedford College, London
Senate House, Malet St, Bloomsbury, London WC1E 7HU, UK
Backhouse was educated at the University of London Institute of Historical Research.
(Written and illuminated in the early 14th century for Sir...)
Written and illuminated in the early 14th century for Sir Geoffrey Luttrell of Irnham in Lincolnshire, The Luttrell Psalter is celebrated for its long series of attractive marginal illustrations showing scenes of rural life in medieval England. Here Janet Backhouse describes the manuscript's creation and history, illustrated with 40 colour and 20 black-and-white photographs reproduced from the original. This is the second volume in a series of high-quality, colour-illustrated books, each devoted to a single illuminated manuscript in The British Library's collections. Janet Backhouse is the author of many books, including "Books of Hours" (1985), "The Illuminated Manuscript" (1979), "The Lindisfarne Gospels" (1981), and "The Becket Leaves" (1988).
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0712301763/?tag=2022091-20
1989
(The British Library houses one of the world's great colle...)
The British Library houses one of the world's great collections of illuminated manuscripts, and Janet Backhouse has drawn on this resource to make a selection of examples that span over 800 years of medieval book production.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0714824682/?tag=2022091-20
1994
(The Breviary of Queen Isabella of Castile is one of the m...)
The Breviary of Queen Isabella of Castile is one of the most splendid of Flemish illuminated manuscripts, notable for the verve and originality of its miniatures. This is the first time it has been the subject of a substantial separate publication, providing comprehensive coverage of its contents and decoration. The manuscript was presented to Isabella by Francisco de Rojas, apparently to mark the occasion of the double marriage of her son and daughter to the children of Maximilian, King of the Romans, and his first wife, Mary of Burgundy. De Rojas had acted for Isabella and her husband, King Ferdinand of Aragon, throughout the marriage negotiations, which were concluded in 1495. Isabella had a strong interest in Flemish art and this sumptuous devotional book must have been much to her taste. Breviaries, normally produced for the use of the clergy, are much less common than books of hours. They contain a larger and more varied body of texts, affording their artists a wider range of subject matter and extensive decorative opportunities. In the case of the Isabella Breviary, no effort was spared to produce an illustrative scheme on a grand scale. Two outstanding workshops of the day are represented. The greater part of the manuscript is due to the Master of the Dresden Prayerbook, whose contribution includes a number of unusual Old Testament subjects. Many of the illustrations of saints are by the Master of James IV of Scotland. In addition there are four magnificent miniatures closely related to (and possibly in the hand of) Gerard David.
https://www.amazon.com/Isabella-Breviary-Janet-Backhouse/dp/0712302697/?tag=2022091-20
1995
(Illuminated manuscripts are among the richest and most re...)
Illuminated manuscripts are among the richest and most revealing relics of the pre-print Western world, and are central to our understanding of medieval social and cultural history. The British Library boasts the world's finest collection of medieval manuscripts, and in this new and lavishly illustrated survey, Janet Backhouse draws on these collections to provide a comprehensive introduction to these exciting and colourful materials. The manuscripts featured include bestiaries, psalters, Bibles, books of hours, and medical and herbal collections that originated in workrooms as geographically diverse as the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Northumbria and the Crusader kingdom of Jerusalem. There is also a great chronological diversity among the selected manuscripts, with examples ranging from the seventh century AD and the Lindisfarne Gospels to early Renaissance offerings. Each of the almost 220 illluminations presented are accompanied by a caption and have been reproduced in colour. Many of the images chosen have been reproduced here for the first time.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0802043461/?tag=2022091-20
1997
(The Bedford Hours is one of Britain's major treasures. An...)
The Bedford Hours is one of Britain's major treasures. An outstanding example of late medieval manuscript art, it was written and illuminated in the early 15th century for John, Duke of Bedford, younger brother of King Henry V, and his wife, Anne of Burgundy. The principal artist of the leading Parisian workshop in which it was produced takes his name, the 'Bedford Master' from his English patron. Expertly planned and professionally executed, The Bedford Hours is celebrated for the enormous range of its pictorial scheme, with many superb large miniatures in brilliant colours, and exquisite marginal details. Here Janet Backhouse examines the overall design of the Hours, discussing the historical background to its production and ownership, with 60 colour and black-and-white plates showing full pages and details beautifully reproduced from the manuscript.
https://www.amazon.com/Bedford-Hours-Medieval-Manuscripts-British/dp/1561310212/?tag=2022091-20
1998
( The Luttrell Psalter is one of the best-known English m...)
The Luttrell Psalter is one of the best-known English manuscripts. Written and illuminated in the early 14th century for Sir Geoffey Luttrell, it is celebrated for its long series of attractive marginal illustrations showing scenes of life in medieval England. The most celebrated sequence of pictures represents the annual cycle of growing crops including plouging, sowing, weeding, harvesting, threshing, and the delivery of the grain. Animal illustrations include domestic boars, geese, pigs, cattle, ferrets, rabbits, birds, cats and mice. Sports, pastimes, entertainers and musicians are all represented, showing the reader that rural life did have a lighter side beyond the routine of work. Janet Backhouse's entertaining study reminds us that although The Luttrell Psalter was created to provide a reflection of the status of the Luttrell family, its preservation has given us a supremely emotive pictorial source for the daily life of rural England.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0802083994/?tag=2022091-20
2000
( The Sherborne Missal, one of the greatest of English me...)
The Sherborne Missal, one of the greatest of English medieval manuscripts, contains a wealth of marginal illustrations of wild birds, painted with great skill and accuracy. From over 170 images, over half can be clearly identified to 40 species, and although many are imaginary birds and fantasies, the manuscript offers an unparalleled insight into a fascinating aspect of England's natural history in the middle ages.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0802084346/?tag=2022091-20
2001
( Books of Hours survive in their thousands in libraries,...)
Books of Hours survive in their thousands in libraries, museums, and private collections across the western world, reflecting both the personal piety and the fashionable taste of the later Middle Ages and the Renaissance in Europe. They owe their name to a single essential text, the Hours (or Little Office) of the Virgin Mary, but otherwise their contents may vary quite considerably. This extensively illustrated book acts as an introduction to some of the most beautiful and historically interesting manuscripts in the collections of the British Library, and contains 140 full-colour reproductions from this rich tradition. Selected and with an introduction by Janet Backhouse, Illuminations from Books of Hours offers an unparalleled opportunity to see a wide range of examples from these precious manuscripts, many of which have never been reproduced before.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0712348492/?tag=2022091-20
2005
Backhouse was born on February 8, 1938, in Corsham, Wiltshire.
Backhouse was educated at Bedford College, London, and at the University of London Institute of Historical Research.
Backhouse was an authority on medieval illuminated manuscripts and a longtime curator at the British Museum Library. She joined the British Museum Library in 1962 and remained there until her 1998 retirement. While there, she was part of the Department of Manuscripts, organizing exhibitions and creating outreach programs to help bring examples of medieval manuscripts to the public. As her particular field became increasingly popular among scholars and the general public alike, she also penned numerous books on the subject, including The Lindisfarne Gospels (1981), The Isabella Breviary (1993), and Medieval Birds in the Sherborne Missal (2001). Her last works, including Illumination front Books of Hours and a study on Jean Bourdichon. had not yet been published at the time of her death.
(Written and illuminated in the early 14th century for Sir...)
1989( Books of Hours survive in their thousands in libraries,...)
2005(The British Library houses one of the world's great colle...)
1994(Illuminated manuscripts are among the richest and most re...)
1997( The Sherborne Missal, one of the greatest of English me...)
2001(The Breviary of Queen Isabella of Castile is one of the m...)
1995( The Luttrell Psalter is one of the best-known English m...)
2000(The Bedford Hours is one of Britain's major treasures. An...)
1998Quotes from others about the person
"She had established an international reputation as one of the foremost scholars in her field." - The Times