Medieval Alphabets and Decorative Devices

The art of applying color to written documents is an ancient one, practiced by the Egyptians, Persians, Indians, Romans, and other cultures. But it was the illuminated manuscripts of the Middle Ages, perhaps more than any other documents, that preserved this exceptionally rich art form for posterity.

This handsome collection of designs, drawn chiefly from illuminated European manuscripts of the eighth to sixteenth centuries, as well as from rare woodcuts and monumental brasses, offers…