Beautiful Devotion: Illuminated Manuscripts
First created over 2000 years ago, illuminated manuscripts had drawings or paintings of ornate initials, borders, flowers, vines and other decoration to accompany text. A true illuminated manuscript was made without machines.
Frequently in devotional prayer books, the most exceptional art served as a status symbol. Nowadays, original illuminated manuscripts are highly scarce. But due to the surpassing beauty of the pieces, artists have painstakingly recreated the illuminations in facsimiles and reproductions, many of which are both affordable, and unforgettable.