Illuminated Manuscript

The History

Medieval Art c. 500-1500

took place over a long period of time, shortly after the fall of the Roman Empire and lasted until the end of the fifteenth century just prior to the Renaissance.

What is an illuminated manuscript?

An illuminated manuscript is a handwritten and illustrated manuscript in which the text is supplemented by the addition of decoration, such as decorated initials, borders and miniature illustrations.

•These “illuminated” manuscripts were so called because of their frequent incorporation of gold or sometimes silver leaf onto the page.

Manuscripts were transcribed by hand on parchment (animal skins). This was very time consuming and expensive. Many people in the Middle Ages were illiterate

Who would have made illuminated manuscripts?

Scribes (Monks)

And for whom?

For their own use or for nobility (status symbol)

Prayer books

Dates back to 2000 BC Egypt where “The book of the dead” was illustrated;

The Papyrus of Ani, c. 1200 B.C

Carolingian style

Late 8th and 9thcenturies

Utrecht Psalter (8th century)

The artist interpreted passages of the Psalms literally, as if he were illustrating a story.

Romanesque Manuscript 10-11th century

Romanesque—the use of grotesques, that is, dragons or other mythical figures, some part human and part beast

Winchester Bible 1160-1175

Gothic Manuscript 13th - 15th centuries

Duc du Berry’s book of hours by the Limburg Brothers. 14th century

Depicted their patron's aristocratic life in minute detail,