The material provided by Greek illuminated manuscripts of the 9th to 10th cc. prompts us to view the evolution of Byzantine book decoration in several distinct stages: from irregular decoration it passed through a transitional period,... more
The material provided by Greek illuminated manuscripts of the 9th to 10th cc. prompts us to view the evolution of Byzantine book decoration in several distinct stages: from irregular decoration it passed through a transitional period, before the formation of a regular decorative system. One of the determining features of irregular decoration (together with the absence of any hierarchy of artistic elements) is the presence of colophons that repeat the heading (end-titles), moreover with decorative emphasis on the end of the text as compared to the beginning of the following text. An analogous function is also carried out here by the decorative element as coronis. This term was borrowed from papyrology, where it is used to signify special figures marking the paragraphs. The article focuses on the typology of this element in the uncial Biblical codices and on its reflection in the Greek manuscripts of the 9th to 10th cc. Unknown cases of the coronis in minuscule manuscripts in the Russian collections, such as the Ladder, dated 899, State Historical Museum, Synod. gr. 145 (Vlad. 184) and John Chrysostom, Synod. gr. 110 (Vlad.160) are described.
