An illuminated manuscript is a manuscript, often of a religious nature, in which the text is supplemented by the addition of colourful ornamentation, such as decorated initials, borders and the like. Motifs used in illumination are frequently taken from heraldry or religious symbolism.

For a list of pre-modern illuminated manuscripts please see List of Late Antique, Medieval, and Renaissance illuminated manuscripts.

Techniques

A 13th century manuscript illumination, the earliest known depiction of Thomas � Becket's assassination

Illumination was a complex and frequently costly process. As such, it was usually reserved for special books: an altar Bible, for example. Wealthy people often had richly illuminated "books of hours" made, which set down prayers appropriate for various times in the liturgical day.

Text

In the making of an illuminated manuscript, the text was usually written first. Sheets of vellum, animal hides specially prepared for writing, were cut down to the appropriate size. After the general layout of the page was planned (eg initial capital, borders), the page was lightly ruled with a pointed stick, and the scribe went to work with ink-pot and either sharpened quill feather or reed pen.

The script depended on local customs and tastes. The sturdy Roman letters of the early Dark Ages gradually gave way to cursive scripts such as Uncial and half-Uncial, especially in the British Isles, where distinctive scripts such as insular majuscule and insular minuscule developed. Stocky, richly textured Gothic script was first seen around the 13th century and was particularly popular in the later Middle Ages.

Images

When the text was complete, the illustrator set to work. Complex designs were planned out beforehand, probably on wax tablets, the sketch pad of the era. The design was then traced onto the vellum (possibly with the aid of pinpricks or other markings, as in the case of the Lindisfarne Gospels).

Paints

The medi�val artist's palette was surprisingly broad:

See also

• List of Hiberno-Saxon illustrated manuscripts
• Gospel Book
• English Apocalypse Manuscripts
• English Psalters
• English Bestiaries

External links

• Glossary of Manuscript Terms by Michelle Brown (http://prodigi.bl.uk/illcat/glossary.asp)
• Resources for English Illuminated Manuscripts (http://www.medievalarthistory.co.uk/Illuminated_Manuscripts.html)

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