Illuminated Manuscripts

The word manuscript comes from the Latin manu scriptum, which translates literally to "written with hands". It typically refers to any document produced manually, through handwriting, chiseling or other method, without the use of machines.

An illuminated manuscript is any manuscript whose text is accompanied by decoration. It originally referred only to silver or gilt adornments, but came to be acceptable terminology for any manuscript with drawings, paintings or decorations such as ornate initials, borders, floral accoutrements and the like. Often the illuminations would depict a historical or rural/pastoral scene.

The earliest confirmed example of illuminated manuscripts in existence today originated some 2000+ years ago. While some of the oldest instances were on papyrus, a thick, papery subtance produced from the pulped flesh of the Egyptian papyrus plant, most were made of parchment, a thin writing material made from the skin of an animal, usually calf, goat or sheep. The highest quality parchment, very smooth and fine, was called vellum.

Some of the best examples of illuminated manuscripts surviving today come in the form of Books of Hours, rich and ornate devotional books containing collections or hymns, psalms, and prayers. The term Books of Hours is derived from their attention to the hourly prayers that devout Catholics were expected to stop and observe multiple times daily.

With the increasing availability of paper in the late Middle Ages, and the advent of printing, manuscripts went from being heavily scrolled and decorated to having only borders, only initials or other sparse embellishment, and eventually the production of illuminated manuscripts became very rare.

Contemporarily, as books are more and more often mass-produced reading copies, the existence and availability of genuine, original illuminated manuscripts becomes increasingly scarce. There are countless facsimiles and reproductions, which are painstakingly created to be as beautiful as the originals.They vary in price, but many are quite affordable. Illuminated pages removed from manuscripts are often sold separately, as stand-alone art, as well.

The luxury of illuminations present in a book creates another level of enjoyment; not only the information, entertainment and fascination in reading, but also the pure pleasure of beauty, art and attention to detail.

Lo Spirito in Dio, Preghiere di Isabella Scopoli-Biasi
Giulio Tarra

1880 - With rich gilt panels and initials M.A. separated by a holy cross; edges gilt, five raised bands over gilt decorated compartments, hand-sewn head bands, triple gilt fillets, inner dentelles, floral endpapers accented in silver and two fully functioning hinges cast into a fleur de lis design. Tissue-guarded chromolithograph plates in the style of an illuminated manuscript.

£471

Bards and Blossoms
F. Edward Hulme (sold)


1877 - or the Poetry, History and Associations of Flowers. Decorative poems and writings honouring individual plants and flowers: Apple blossoms, Yew tree, Daisy, Pansy, Periwinkle, Broom,and Japonica. Moss Green pictoral-gilt covers and spine. Pp. 232. plus 7 chromolithographs, presented in an illuminated manuscript style. A charming Victorian gift-book.

£374 (sold)

Illuminated Manuscript Leaf from a Book of Hours

1460 - Full-page miniature depicting the Nativity recto, with the opening of the hour of Prime verso. Verso is a floral, berry, and acanthus-leaf border to the left of the text, which has one large and several smaller illuminated capitals. Miniature depicts Mary, Joseph, three angels, and the shepherds surrounding the infant Christ in the stable, within an architectural frame.

£3772

Morte D'Arthur: A Poem
Lord Alfred Tennyson


1912 -All pages printed one side only on Japanese vellum. Illuminated in "gold and colours upon ivory-surface paper in facsimile of the Artist's Original Drawings." Triple gilt rules, pointelle gilt edges, two raised bands, and richly gilt inner dentelles of grapes and the vine; hand marbled end papers, top edge gilt by Sangorski & Sutcliffe--a Sangorski production throughout.

£503

The History of the Monastery Founded at Tynemouth
William Sidney Gibson (sold)
1846 - Two volume set in Good condition. 78 superb chromolithographic illuminated dropped capitals at each chapter as well as to some paragraphs. Deluxe limited edition with outstanding chromo/painted illumination. Maroon cover has tooled trellis decoration. Hand-colouring and gilt-work on motifs in text, and plates, on plates is bright. Precise and detailed colouring.

£619 (sold)

Belt and Spur: Stories of the Knights of the Middle Ages
Emma Louisa Seeley (sold)

1884 - from the Old Chronicles With 16 Illuminations. Original publisher's grey cloth blocked in red and gilt with a knight on horseback on the upper board. Coated endpapers. 16 colour plates mainly adapted from illuminated manuscripts in the British Museum. Old bookplate of lighthouse on front pastedown.


£113 (sold)

Leaflets of Memory: An Illuminated Annual for MDCCCLI.
Reynell Coates (ed.)

1851- With 11 (of the 12 called for) illustrations, including the four 'illuminated' chromolithographed pages. This copy lacks one of the eight black & white engravings (titled 'The Reading Magdalen'). In the original publisher's full gilt morocco binding by Mr. Altemus (illuminations printed by Mr. Sinclair, letter-press text executed by C. Sherman).


£78

The Hours of Catherine of Cleves (sold)




1966 - Catherine, of Cleves, Duchess, consort of Arnold, van Egmond, Duke of Gelderland, 1417-1476. [Plummer, John, 1919- ] 60 colour facsimiles, with commentary "Reproduced from the illuminated manuscript belonging to the Guennol Collection and the Pierpont Morgan Library." Introduction and commentaries by John Plummer.

£75 (sold)

The Lotos Eaters
Lord Alfred Tennyson (sold)



1905 -Gray and white paper-covered boards and Japanese vellum spine. 10 double-page plates hand-painted in gilt and colours. Presented in the manner of a medieval illuminated manuscript, hand-lettered, with red and gilt decorative initials at the head of each verse, and beautifully hand-coloured art nouveau-style borders on every page.

£94 (sold)

Le Coran
O Pesle et Ahmen Tidjani



1980 - Limited edition, one of 3500. Beautiful hardcover first of this edition of the of the Koran with decorations, art and borders in the text by Roger Leperre, gilded sections, limiting pulling numbered on ivory paper. French translation of original Arabic text. Gorgeous red and green binding in ornate, complex pattern.



£83

An Alphabet of Capital Letters




1862 - Selected from the Illuminations of Italian Choral Books of 15th and 16th Centuries.Beautifully printed colour frontis. 23 Large engraved initial letters. Original half morocco gilt with gilt lettered title label, rubbed and boards detached.


£220

Carta Executoria de Hidalguia in favour of Juan Francisco Rodriguez


1586- In Spanish. Illuminated Manuscript. 48 Vellum leaves., One beautiful full page illumination incorporating the grantee’s arms, 36 lines written in black ink, multiple ruled red ink border, 12 headlines in blue and red lettered in liquid gold.

£4715

Text from the Opening of Matins for the Feast of the Ascension


1320 - A very impressive Historiated Initial. With yellow wash and elaborated with many curlicues. Two large maiblumen initials in red and blue with huge historiated 'P' showing ascension of Christ. The striking illumination here is in the style of Neri da Rimini.

£6271

Handbook of the Art of Illumination
Henry Shaw



1866 - as practised during the Middle Ages. Description of the metals, pigments, and processes from different periods.With 16 full-page tinted woodcut plates and other text woodcuts, partly interleaved and with 7 full-colour copies of some of the plates tipped-in.

£184

Grandes Heures of Jean, Duke of Berry




1971 - First U.S. edition of this version. Reproduces all the miniatures from the original illuminated manuscript. Jean, Duke of Berry, commissioned this manuscript in 1406 from the most distinguished illuminators then present in France.

£108

French Miniatures From Illuminated Manuscripts
Jean Porcher




1960 - General survey of French illuminated manuscripts of the 10th to 15th centuries. Includes 90 tipped-in colour plates, 90 black and white illustrations in text and an additional 4 tipped-in colour plates in text. Scholarly text with gorgeous, gorgeous illustrations.

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The Art of Illuminated Manuscripts: Illustrated Sacred Writings
J.O. Westwood


1988 - a series of illustrations of the ancient versions of the bible, copied from illuminated manuscripts, between the fourth and 16th centuries. Originally published under the title 'Palaeographia Sacra Pictoria' by William Smith, Fleet St., London, 1843-5.


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A History of Illuminated Manuscripts
Christopher De Hamel



1997 - From the earliest monastic Gospel Books to textbooks, secular romances, Books of Hours and classical texts. Fundamental questions discussed - who wrote the books, text they contained, who read them, how they were made, what purposes they served.

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Later Gothic Manuscripts 1390-1490
Kathleen L. Scott




1996 - A Survey of manuscripts illuminated in the British Isles, complete in two volumes. This publication covers the very large body of material that survives from the Romanesque period, a time of intense creativity. Clothbound. A fine bright copy with 760 illustrations.

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Gothic Illuminated Manuscripts
Emma Pirani





1970 - A wonderful treatment of Europe's beautiful Gothic manuscripts, this first edition, first printing is a fine, clean and tight copy, profusely illustrated throughout with 69 full-colour reproductions.Binding is gray boards, with bright gilt lettering to the spine.


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