#FAMOUS MEDIEVAL ILLUMINATED MANUSCRIPTS ARCHIVE#

A scriptorium was a sacred place where monks would copy religious scriptures. When a new monastery or church was built, a scriptorium was usually included in the premises. The evolution of books from simple written manuscripts to wonderful illuminated books starts with Medieval monks and their scriptoriums. Scribes used metal pointers to indent lines into the parchment, creating a base for the letters and words to be meticulously crafted.Īfter the calligraphy was done, it was time to illuminate the manuscripts and books with gold leaf and natural paints. The book could then start being written on. The final step was to cut the parchment into page. Once the skin was thin and flat enough, it was taken off the frame and brushed and sanded in order to prepare it for the ink. After all the remaining hairs were taken off, the skins were then stretched taught on a frame to scrape thin. The skins were soaked in brine to preserve them and also to remove the hairs. The process to turn raw animal skin into parchment and vellum was long and tedious and involved a lot of work. Parchment and Vellum were used for centuries thereafter to make manuscripts and books. Vellum, which is made of cow skin was developed quickly after. According to bookmaking legends, King Eumenes II from Pergamum invented the first parchment made of sheepskin. Sheets of Papyrus paper were widely used in Egypt and then Europe to the point where the overuse of papyrus took a toll on natural production. The first ever books were made of natural materials like palm leaves and papyrus.

#FAMOUS MEDIEVAL ILLUMINATED MANUSCRIPTS ARCHIVE#

Public Domain Archive from The Metropolitan Museum It’s not surprising seeing how beautiful these books could be. Illuminated Books were a luxury everyone wanted to own in the Middle Ages. The last handmade books before the printing press evolved artistically to the point of magnificence.

Laboriously worked on by skilled scribes, calligraphists, artists and book binders.

Before the invention of the printing press, books were made by hand.

Famous medieval illuminated manuscripts