Illuminated Manuscripts

1
Illuminated Manuscripts
2
Middle Ages

• The Middle Ages lasted from about 500 to the
  1400s. Thats about 500 to 1,600 years ago.
• Life in Europe during the Middle Ages was very
  hard. Few people could read or write, and no one
  expected life to get better.
• During the Middle Ages, people had fierce
  religious beliefs, thus a lot of the art that we
  have from the Middle Ages depicts religious
  scenes.
• We dont have a lot of art from the Middle ages.
• It was a long time ago.
• Life was so hard that people didnt spend a lot
  of time pursuing art.

This picture is typical of art from the Middle
Ages. It shows a scene from a saints
life. What is happening in this picture? Do you
like this picture? What do you like about it?
What dont you like?
3

• An illuminated manuscript is a manuscript in
  which the text is supplemented by the addition of
  decoration, such as decorated initials, borders
  (marginalia) and miniature illustrations
• Illuminated manuscripts are the most common item
  to survive from the Middle Ages. They are also
  the best surviving specimens of medieval
  painting, and the best preserved. Indeed, for
  many areas and time periods, they are the only
  surviving examples of painting.
• A Manuscript is any document that is hand
  written.
• Illuminated describes the glow created by the
  radiant colors of the illustration especially
  gold silver.

4

• Most medieval manuscripts, illuminated or not,
  were written on parchment (most commonly of
  calf, sheep, or goat skin), but most manuscripts
  important enough to illuminate were written on
  the best quality of parchment, called vellum,
  traditionally made of unsplit calfskin.
• Illumination was a complex and frequently costly
  process. 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.
• The illumination here shows the letter A, formed
  by a slender, arching dragon. The letter
  contains a story that illustrates the text.

5

• Most Illuminated Manuscripts were made from the
  800s to the 1500s.
• When these books were made, not everyone knew how
  to read.
• Clergy , noblemen merchants could read
• In the early Middle Ages, most books were
  produced in monasteries, whether for the monks
  own use, for presentation (a gift), or for a
  commission (something they were hired to do.)
• However, commercial scriptoria grew up in large
  cities, especially Paris, and in Italy and the
  Netherlands, and by the late fourteenth century
  there was a significant industry producing
  manuscripts.
• By the end of the period, many of the painters
  were women, perhaps especially in Paris.
• What do you notice about this page?
• The bright reds blues used here are colors
  typically used in illuminations.
• The gold used in this picture gives the work its
  illuminated quality.

6
How an Illuminated Manuscript was Made
Making the Vellum

• Most illuminated manuscripts were written on
  specially treated animal skins called parchment
  or vellum.
• The skin was stretched as it dried so that it
  would be very thin, like paper. The vellum was
  then whitened with chalk. Finally, it was cut to
  the size needed for the book.
• Vellum was used because of its beautiful color
  and texture. It could withstand wear and tear,
  and it held up well to the inks that were used.

7
Writing

• After the general layout of the page was planned
  (e.g., initial capital, borders), the page was
  lightly ruled, and the scribe went to work with
  ink-pot and either sharpened quill feather or
  reed pen.
• Notice the red lines on this page.
• These lines helped the writer know where to write
  and where the art would be.
• The type of book that was most often heavily and
  richly illuminated, sometimes known as a
  "display-book", varied between periods.
• In the first millennium these were most likely to
  be Gospel Books.
• The Romanesque period saw the creation of many
  huge illuminated complete Bibles - one in Sweden
  requires three librarians to lift it
• Finally, the Book of Hours (a prayer book,) very
  commonly the personal devotional book of a
  wealthy layperson, was often richly illuminated
  in the Gothic period.

8
Illumination

• After the writing was completed, the artist
  created the illumination.
• Complex designs were planned out beforehand then
  traced onto the vellum.
• The artist then made an outline of the drawing in
  ink.
• Then the artist added the gold leaf by first
  painting the area to be gold with a sticky glue
  and then rubbing gold leaf onto the area. This
  created a shiny surface that gives the
  illuminated manuscripts their name.
• The illuminator finally added the colors to the
  picture with hand- made paints.
• Paints at the time could be made of many unusual
  substances, including urine or earwax.
• Often, many different illuminators worked on the
  same book.

9
Binding

• After the writing and illumination were finished,
  the pages were bound into book form.
• First, all of the pages were put in order and
  then sewn together.
• Then, the pages were put between wooden boards.
  These boards were the books cover.
• The boards were then covered in leather or fabric
  and decorated with metalwork or jewels.
• This binding's most stunning ornamentations are
  the metal corner pieces and raised medallions
  that would protect the binding as it rested on a
  surface.
• The dyed parchment pieces inset into the central
  medallion were once brightly colored yellow,
  green, and blue, creating a stained-glass-window
  effect on the covers of the manuscript.