The artistic aims of medieval painters often found their purest expression in manuscript illumination, one of the primary media of the Middle Ages and Renaissance. Illuminated manuscripts contain most of the finest surviving examples of medieval painting and therefore constitute the most complete record of its development. Learn about the different periods and styles of illuminated manuscripts.

An illuminated manuscript is a book written and decorated completely by hand. Illuminated manuscripts were among the most precious objects produced in the Middle Ages and the early Renaissance, primarily in monasteries and courts. Watch this video to follow the steps to make a manuscript: making parchment, writing, illuminating, and binding.

The J. Paul Getty Museum's collection of manuscripts spans the eighth through the 16th century and constitutes a veritable history of medieval and Renaissance manuscript illumination. Engage your students in the investigation of illuminated manuscripts, books written and decorated entirely by hand. Discussion questions and lessons in this curriculum offer an in-depth exploration of how these books were made, who made them, and why they were made.

Illuminated manuscripts are books written by hand and painted with precious pigments. Manuscripts contain most of the finest surviving examples of medieval painting. The word manuscript is derived from the Latin words manus (hand) and scriptus, from the verb scribere (to write). Today the term is used to describe any handwritten text. The word illumination comes from the Latin verb illuminare (to light up), which, in this context, describes the glow created by the radiant colors of the illustrations, especially gold and silver.

Explore manuscripts in the Getty Museum’s collection.