The collection includes several examples of medieval illuminated manuscript work. It was this early attempt to match the beauty of the exquisite manuscripts that resulted in some of the finest examples of printing, dating from its first century. For many years, however, the printer tried to duplicate the illuminated manuscripts of the past, including hand applied initial letters and paintings. Just when the illuminated manuscript industry reached its zenith in the 15 th century, the invention of printing signaled its rapid decline. ![]() Though they may have possessed little or no formal art training, these men often evidenced great talent.Īfter centuries, the craft became dominated by the commercial manuscript industry, which turned out lavish works of manuscript art. After this, the illuminator, a qualified artist, might add small pictures, decorations, or large initial letters. After this, it went to the rubricator who painted in the initial letters, headlines and paragraph marks. ![]() It took a long time to complete a manuscript under such conditions and the text was just the beginning. The text to be transcribed would be read out by a lector and the rule of absolute silence prevailed in order to guarantee accuracy. In dark monasteries, the few precious writings of ancient times were preserved and copied in the scriptoria or writing room, where a group of trained scribes gathered with parchment sheets and pots of ink. At this time nearly all educated men were in the Church. ![]() The people became largely illiterate, so there were few books of any kind, as the great majority could not read or write. When the barbarian hordes swept across Europe in the sixth century, they destroyed the classical world of Greece and Rome as well as early Christian civilization.
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