A large manuscript book might require the skins from a whole herd of cows or sheep. Typically, vellum or parchment, made from stretched, treated animal skins, were used for manuscript leaves. By the end of the period, many of the painters were women, especially in Paris.Īlthough paper was available in southern Europe as early as the twelfth century, its use did not become widespread until the late Middle Ages. Many were personalized with heraldry, portraits, and illustrations specified by the buyers who commissioned them. By the late fourteenth century, commercial scriptoria (writing centers) grew up in the large cities of Europe and the Middle East where more affordable manuscripts were duplicated by scribes or students. By the beginning of the thirteenth century, with the growth of universities in Europe, the demand for secular books increased as did the production of illuminated manuscripts. Smaller religious books like psalters and books of hours were produced for the wealthy as signs of status. Illumination was reserved for special books, such as altar Bibles used in cathedrals, as well as books commissioned by rulers for their personal use or as diplomatic gifts. In the early Middle Ages, most books were produced in monasteries for religious use. This exhibition focuses on the rich tradition of manuscript illumination in Europe as well as the Middle East. Many of these provide us with the only surviving examples of early painting. Surviving manuscripts, all executed using similar techniques, have been found in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Mesoamerica. A single manuscript created in this way would have taken months or even years to complete, making them extremely costly to produce. Illumination is the art of decorating handwritten books with gold, silver, and colored inks and paints to embellish pictures, letters, and margins. The word manuscript is taken from the Latin manu scriptus, meaning written by hand. Handwritten books, or manuscripts, existed for more than one thousand years before Gutenberg printed his first Bible. A reception will follow in the Campus Gallery. Sciacca will deliver a lecture on an often overlooked subject of medieval history–the role of women in medieval societies. We’re thrilled to welcome Christine Sciacca, Curator of European Art 300-1400 AD at The Walters Art Museum, to campus. How does a Book of Hours function the same way as your Iphone? How do you make illuminated letters? We will explore these subjects and more through fun and relaxed conversations during a catered lunch. Join us every Friday as we explore the world of medieval manuscripts. Painted Pages: Illuminated Manuscripts from the 13th-18th Centuries, organized by Reading Public Museum in Reading, Pennsylvania, includes more than 35 works–some with elaborate gold leaf and decoration and intricate ornament–from medieval Bibles, Prayer Books, Psalters, Books of Hours, Choir Books, Missals, Breviaries, and Lectionaries, drawn from the collection of the Reading Public Museum.
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