The British Library Guide to Manuscript Illumination

The Head of Western Manuscripts at Sotheby's has selected a small number of manuscripts in the British Library's collection to illustrate the methods, materials and techniques adopted by illuminators at different times and places.

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Medieval manuscipt expert Christopher de Hamel selects and discusses a range of illuminated manuscripts from The British Library's unparalleled collection, some of them unfinished and so revealing the processes involved in an illuminator's work. He also explores the role of illuminators in the medieval book trade - how books were commissioned, the patron's expectations, how illuminators worked with scribes, the materials and techniques they used, and the time and expertise involved in creating some outstanding masterpieces of medieval art.