In many surviving examples, family monograms, crests, and donor portraits are visible within the text.īy the end of the Middle Ages, illuminated manuscripts were created for secular use, resulting in an archive of decorated texts in mythology, poetry, and history. Families who commissioned these works often passed them on as heirlooms or displayed them in private libraries. While illuminated manuscripts were only available to members of the clergy in the early Middle Ages, manuscripts quickly became sought after by royals, aristocrats, and laymen. The shift of production-from monastery to urban workshop-was radical, yet instrumental in defining the standard of universal education. As a result, illuminated manuscripts began to be produced at large by commercial facilities in Paris, Rome, and Amsterdam, making them accessible to a wider audience. Leaf from a Book of Hours.īy the 14th century, the public demand of manuscripts rose alongside a growing, educated middle class. As a testament to their devotion, it was not uncommon for scribes and illuminators to work in solitude from morning until night. Larger monasteries commonly housed scriptoriums, which were reclusive spaces built for the purpose of writing, copying, illuminating, and binding manuscripts. The process of creating manuscripts required both physical and mental stamina, as the work was incredibly tedious, detailed, and demanding. By extension, the ability to serve within a monastery was deemed a privilege. In many instances, the monastery was the foremost intellectual, religious, and agricultural facility in a medieval city center. In exchange for arduous labor, monastic life offered the comfort of meditation, ascetic discipline, and eternal peace. Until the 13th century, manuscripts were created solely under the devotion of monks and nuns across Europe. Illuminated Manuscript Materials and Production: Depending upon the size and function of each book, different prayers, verses, and illuminations were contained. Oftentimes, churches and monasteries owned many large manuscripts to share among parishioners for daily prayer.
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