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The making of a medieval book

The moving word

This section of the exhibition explores the materials and techniques used to create the illuminated manuscripts produced in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. The images in these handwritten texts are called illuminations because of the radiant glow created by the gold, silver, and other colours. There are four stages involved in the making of a medieval book: parchment making, writing, illumination and binding. All of these processes are explored showing materials that would have been used in the medieval period; some of these materials have been used to create examples and models of various processes of the making of a medieval book.