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Gothic Illuminated Manuscripts

Type Object Region Europe Time 1101–1300

Gothic illuminated manuscripts are religious and courtly books on parchment, decorated with gold leaf and mineral pigments in initials, borders, and …

Timeline

  1. 1101–1150Saint-Denis · FranceIn the early 12th century, French monastic workshops introduced more elongated letters and gold-leaf decoration in missals and psalters, transitioning the decorative style from Romanesque to Gothic; Saint-Denis and others became early representatives.
  2. 1150–1250Paris · FranceBetween about 1211 and 1220, workshops in Paris and its surroundings produced illuminated manuscripts in large quantities; techniques of foliated initials, scrolling border foliage, and miniature painting matured, serving royal and ecclesiastical liturgical books.
  3. 1200–1300Canterbury · EnglandThe Gothic illuminated style spread from France to England and Northern Europe; monasteries at Canterbury and elsewhere formed local workshops, developing regional decorative motifs in psalters and gospels.

Sources