Illustrated Manuscripts - Patrons of Illumination

Patrons of Illumination

Many monasteries produced manuscripts for the collection in their own libraries, and wealthy individuals commissioned works as a sign of status within the community. Commissioning these works, the wealthy individuals requested that the illuminator place them somewhere in the illumination in a donor portrait. "In a scene from the New Testament, Christ would be shown larger than an apostle, who would be bigger than a mere bystander in the picture, while the humble donor of the painting or the artist himself might appear as a tiny figure in the corner." The inclusion of oneself in artistic endeavors dates back to the time of Justinian and his wife, Theodora, who are prominently displayed in the Hagia Sophia. Additionally, these wealthy individuals "were presented on the first page in all their royal apparel; they are often surrounded by allegorical figures borrowed from antiquity."

Displaying the amazing detail and richness of a text, the addition of illumination was never an afterthought. The inclusion of illumination is twofold, it added value to the work, but more importantly it provides pictures for the illiterate members of society to "make the reading seem more vivid and perhaps more credible.”