Illuminated Manuscript. Illuminated manuscripts are handwritten books or documents that have been decorated with intricate and colorful designs, often including gold or silver leaf. These manuscripts were primarily created during the Middle Ages, from approximately the 5th to the 16th century, and were used for a variety of purposes, including religious devotion, education, and historical record-keeping. Illuminated manuscripts were typically created by monks and nuns in monasteries and convents, although some were also produced by professional scribes and artists. The creation of an illuminated manuscript was a labor-intensive process that required a high degree of skill and artistry. The first step was to prepare the parchment or vellum on which the text would be written. The parchment was then ruled with lines to guide the scribe's hand, and the text was written out using a quill pen and ink. Once the text was complete, the illumination process began. This involved adding decorative elements such as borders, initials, and illustrations to the pages. The designs were often inspired by religious themes, such as scenes from the Bible or the lives of the saints, although secular subjects were also depicted. The illuminations were created using a variety of materials, including pigments made from ground minerals, egg yolk, and other natural substances. Today, illuminated manuscripts are highly prized for their beauty and historical significance. Many are held in museums and libraries around the world, where they are studied and admired by scholars, artists, and the general public. In addition to their aesthetic value, illuminated manuscripts provide important insights into the cultural, religious, and intellectual history of the Middle Ages. They also serve as a reminder of the incredible skill and dedication of the artists and scribes who created them, often working in difficult and challenging conditions. In recent years, there has been a resurgence of interest in the art of illumination, with contemporary artists and calligraphers creating new works inspired by the traditions of the past. These modern illuminated manuscripts often incorporate new materials and techniques, while still maintaining the spirit and beauty of the medieval originals. An illuminated manuscript is a manuscript in which the text is supplemented with such decoration as initials, borders and miniature illustrations. In the strictest definition, the term refers only to manuscripts decorated with either gold or silver; but in both common usage and modern scholarship, the term refers to any decorated or illustrated manuscript from Western traditions. Comparable Far Eastern and Mesoamerican works are described as painted. Islamic manuscripts may be referred to as illuminated, illustrated or painted, though using essentially the same techniques as Western works. The earliest extant substantive illuminated manuscripts are from the period 400 to 600, produced in the Kingdom of the Ostrogoths and the Eastern Roman Empire. Their significance lies not only in their inherent artistic and historical value, but also in the maintenance of a link of literacy offered by non-illuminated texts. Had it not been for the monastic scribes of Late Antiquity, most literature of Greece and Rome would have perished. As it was, the patterns of textual survivals were shaped by their usefulness to the severely constricted literate group of Christians. Illumination of manuscripts, as a way of aggrandizing ancient documents, aided their preservation and informative value in an era when new ruling classes were no longer literate, at least in the language used in the manuscripts. The majority of extant manuscripts are from the Middle Ages, although many survive from the Renaissance, along with a very limited number from Late Antiquity. The majority are of a religious nature. Especially from the 13th century onward, an increasing number of secular texts were illuminated. Most illuminated manuscripts were created as codices, which had superseded scrolls. A very few illuminated fragments survive on papyrus, which does not last nearly as long as parchment.