Illuminated manuscripts
By : Cymphony
By : Cymphony
Illuminated manuscripts that were invented in 500 CE By monks and Abbeys. Monks and abbeys copied books mainly for worship, but also for literature . They were made from animal skins such as calf, sheep and goat. Which were then stretched to the size of the page. Then copied by monks and Abbeys then to give it an illuminated smooth look they would use silver or gold, but it was possible for them to use other metals. They were copied in silent rooms because they took a high level of concentration to make sure every single detail was correct. No two Illuminated manuscripts could be the same they all had to be handwritten and all paintings had to be different no two could be the same (Mark).
Illuminated manuscripts helped the people in medieval Europe to understand text because many people could not read. The oil paintings on the Illuminated manuscripts showed people what the text was saying so they could understand the text. They were used in religious books and were used as documents. They also helped with the development of literature and writing and art. They were also known to help understand religion and were used during church services. They were also used to show social status in medieval Europe because they were known to be very expensive so only the rich could own them. They were also known to be in other places such as France, England, Italy and Ireland but they were made by Medieval Europeans. Illuminated Manuscripts were very popular in many civilizations but slowly died out after the invention of the printing press in the 14th century which became more popular because it was easier to mass produce so the people of medieval Europe stop using illuminated manuscripts (Mark).
Word History Encyclopedia: Good background on how illuminated manuscripts were made.
National Gallary of Art.: Explains what an Illuminated manuscript is and what its purpose was
Illuminated Manuscripts (V&A): Shows what they looked like and goes into how they were made and their uses