illumination

OAB Definition

illustration and decoration of the pages of early manuscripts, often with gold and silver, or, the style of those illustrations and decorations.

Historically there was a distinction drawn between illumination (illustration of capital letters that often spilled into margins and almost always involved applying gold and silver) and historation (instructive illustration of the text’s contents).

In modern study illumination is grouped into three forms: Miniatures, which are small pictures, set apart from the text; decorated initials, which may contain a small scene; and decorated borders.

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