This artwork is an illuminated manuscript from the Book of Psalms from the 12th century. It is entirely handmade, with beautiful illustrations and gold leafing on parchment paper and was acquired by our client in Europe. Illuminated manuscripts were used to transcribe important religious texts starting the 5th century. They were very expensive and accessible only to the very wealthy, although students could often access them at monasteries and schools. With the advent of the Gutenberg printing press in 1439, the art of illumination largely died out.

Our client chose complimentary mat colors and a gold Senelar frame to compliment the colors in the artwork. The Senelar frames are handmade in France with a centuries old water gilding technique. If you are interested in learning more, click here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NACYi-H6Wqk

Here in Minnesota, we do have an excellent connection to this centuries old art form: St. John’s University in Collegeville used these same techniques to create the first entirely handmade bible created since the 1500s. It is truly spectactular. If you haven’t heard about that project, here is a story from a few years ago:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULb9xZuj1bE