meister beaucicaut, paris, 1410
the graphic mark of early middle ages is the Illuminated Manuscript.
as light reflects from the pages of these handwritten books, it gives the sensation that the page is literally illuminated. but more conventionally we're talking about specific medieval documents where the text is presented with flourishes such as borders, and miniature illustrations.
why?
the purpose is religious. illuminated manuscripts were used in the roman catholic church prayers, liturgical services, and psalms, well into the 13th century onward and typically include proclamations, enrolled bills, laws, charters, inventories, and deeds.
generally, the word codex is used for all decorated and illustrated handwritten books produced from the late roman empire until Gutenberg in 1450.
the earliest illuminated manuscripts in existence come from the Kingdom of the Ostrogoths and the Eastern Roman Empire and date from between 400 and 600 CE.
most illuminated manuscripts were written on parchment or vellum. these pages were then bound into books, called codices (singular: codex).
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