Illumination

Illuminated manuscripts first appeared around 400-600 AD, with the process originating in the realms of the Byzantine Empire and the Kingdom of the Ostrogoths, after which its use spread throughout Europe and the Islamic world. It was applied onto parchment to embellish important texts, often of a religious nature. Almost all surviving examples come from the Middle Ages or the Renaissance period, with a small number surviving from Late Antiquity.