Curated OER
Illuminations of the Middle Ages
Students investigate medieval music, art, and manuscripts. They research the materials and equipment used by illuminators, examine images of manuscripts, and illuminate their own initials in a medieval style.
University of Washington
University of Washington: Historical Book Arts
Learn about various aspects of the traditional art of bookmaking from the binding, printing and illustrations, to the papers used. These galleries and descriptions are a complete resource on this topic.
University of Chicago
University of Chicago Library: The Moralized Game of Chess
The subject matter of this medieval manuscript by the friar, Jacobus de Cessolis, is interesting--looking at the game of chess from a societal standpoint. Even more interesting from the viewpoint of the history of art is the illustrated...
University of California
University of California Berkeley: Digital Scriptorium
Browse and search an image database of medieval and Renaissance illuminated manuscripts from many participating institutions.
J. Paul Getty Trust
J. Paul Getty Museum: Illuminated Manuscripts From Belgium and the Netherlands
Highlights from an exhibition of painted manuscripts from the late Middle Ages. Find examples of a range of works from the time, along with audio files of commentaries from the exhibition's curators.
J. Paul Getty Trust
J. Paul Getty Museum: Imagining the Past in France: 1250 1500
View highlights from an exhibition of medieval French manuscripts, whose subjects range from the religious, to the courtly, to the historical. See a slideshow (with narration) of featured works from the exhibition and sample three...
Library of Congress
Loc: A Video Selection of Illuminated Manuscripts
A video selection of various medieval and Renaissance manuscripts, including bibles and books of hours.
Library of Congress
World Digital Library: Illuminated Manuscripts From Europe: Map
A collection of primary source materials linked to a map that showcase illuminated manuscripts from 764 to 1889 that are in European museums and libraries. Click on a numbered circle and a popup appears showing one or more thumbnails and...
Library of Congress
World Digital Library: Illuminated Manuscripts From Europe: Timeline
A collection of primary source materials presented on a timeline that showcase illuminated manuscripts from 764 to 1889 that are in European museums and libraries. Click on an image to go to a page with descriptive information about each...
Metropolitan Museum of Art
Metropolitan Museum of Art: The Hours of Jeanne D'evreux
Examine a book of hours, or prayer book, made for French queen Jeanne d'Evreux in the early 14th century at this Metropolitan Museum site. Illustrations, closeups, and explanatory annotations populate the site, which is especially...
British Library
British Library: The Priceless Lindisfarne Gospels
A page-through exploration of the duly famous Lindisfarne gospels, an extraordinary illuminated manuscript of the seventh century. Includes helpful commentaries, which can be read or listened to, and a magnifying glass for looking at the...