Illuminated Manuscripts in an Illuminated Manuscript Text Is
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Illuminated Manuscripts In an illuminated manuscript text is supplemented by the addition of decorated initials, borders (marginalia), and miniature illustrations. Page from the Book of Hours, ca. 1400 The book of hours, a devotional book popular in the later Middle Ages, is the most common type of surviving medieval illuminated manuscript. The major varieties and historic periods of illuminated manuscripts include Late Antique, Insular, Carolingian manuscripts, Ottonian manuscripts, Romanesque manuscripts, Gothic manuscripts, and Renaissance manuscripts. The earliest surviving illuminated manuscripts were produced in Italy and the Eastern Roman Empire ca. 400 - 600. Illuminated manuscripts increased during the Gothic Period, including many secular works of literature and educational texts. Early illuminated manuscripts were produced by masterful monks working in solitude; as demand increased, secular scribes were increasingly employed for this task. Illuminated Manuscripts became obsolete with the advent of printing. Illuminated Manuscript 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. In the most strict definition of the term, an illuminated manuscript only refers to manuscripts decorated with gold or silver, but in both common usage and Source URL: https://www.boundless.com/art-history/gothic-art/english-gothic-art/illuminated-manuscripts/ Saylor URL: http://www.saylor.org/courses/arth401#3.1.2 Attributed to: Boundless www.saylor.org Page 1 of 2 modern scholarship, the term is now used to refer to any decorated or illustrated manuscript from the Western traditions. Vellum A type of parchment paper made from the skin of a lamb, baby goat, or calf. Scriptorium A room in a monastery set aside for the copying, writing, or illuminating of manuscripts and records. Source URL: https://www.boundless.com/art-history/gothic-art/english-gothic-art/illuminated-manuscripts/ Saylor URL: http://www.saylor.org/courses/arth401#3.1.2 Attributed to: Boundless www.saylor.org Page 2 of 2 .