Illuminated Manuscripts of the Early Medieval Period

Perhaps no other art form captures the spirit of the Early Medieval period better than the illuminated manuscripts the were created by the monks and religious scholars. Illuminated manuscripts are very important to us today because they can express the ideas and values of the Medieval society. The manuscript I chose was created in Normandy in the city of Vellum. This manuscript was finished in 1180. Until the advent of the Book of Hours in the …

… history. The monks who painted these manuscripts depended on the wealthy to support them. Very often, monks were forced to create something that would not be true but would please their patrons. The manuscripts were usually written by one particular class of people--the monks. Therefore, these manuscripts may not reflect the ideas and values of other social classes. For example, the peasants might have seen life as a kind of suffering rather than pleasure.