The Making of a Medieval Manuscript

Saint Luke from Irmengard Codex, shortly after 1053, German. Tempera colors, gold, and ink on parchment. Getty Museum, Ms. 125 (2023.6), fol.3v

Books were written, decorated, and bound entirely by hand during the pre-modern era in Europe. This exhibition explores the four stages of making medieval books, from preparing animal skin to make parchment, to the methods and materials used for the subsequent phases of writing, painting, and binding. A selection of manuscripts from the Museum’s collection elucidates these steps and the techniques used.