ante praised Paris as the center for "that art, which...they call illumination." The Hours of Jeanne d'Evreux, one of the greatest masterpieces produced there during his era, provides ample justification for his claim. This precious manuscript was written and illustrated (illuminated) entirely by hand on calf-skin parchment that had been specially treated to receive ink and paint. Its surface had to be ruled so that the text and margins would be straight; this tedious task was given to an assistant. The text was copied by a professional scribe. The uppercase letters and pen flourishes were added before the illuminator created the highly inventive line enders and inhabited letters. A variety of inks and paints were used in the illumination of the page shown here. Click the image to explore these colors. Next

Jeanne d'Evreux, queen of France

Illuminated Manuscripts

Religious Calendar

The Hours of the Virgin

The Hours of Saint Louis