Western Illuminated Manuscripts
Only 3 available
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This catalogue of illuminated manuscripts in the V&A's National Art Library provides a history of an art form over eight centuries as an integral part of the decorative arts. It documents not only the practice of medieval and Renaissance illumination, but also the survival of medieval book-making crafts alongside printing in the post-Renaissance period and their revival in the nineteenth-century.
Its three volumes bring together for the first time works such as the St Denis Missal of 1350 and the Chambord Missal of 1844, the Sanvito Petrarch of 1463–64 and William Morris Book of Verse of 1870. Catalogue descriptions discuss in detail each work, and pay particular attention to the changing ways in which they have been evaluated and used through the centuries.
“My glorious copies of these Western Illuminated Manuscripts have just arrived by courier today!” Anne, New Zealand
Author/Artist/Designer
Rowan WatsonPages
1316
Dimensions
33.66 x 15.24 x 37.47cm
ISBN
9781851776498
Colour
Red
Product code
110117
Book Format
Hardback
Delivery
Please note, during the busy festive season, there may be additional time required for delivery.
Recommended final order dates for delivery in time for Christmas:
• Thursday 18 December for standard UK orders
• Friday 5 December for Custom Prints or International orders
Our standard delivery charges and estimated timescales are as follows. Selected product exceptions apply; see product details. International deliveries may also be subject to customs fees, tariffs or taxes upon arrival, which are your responsibility.
We're working to return to our usual 3-6 asap.
Custom prints
Each print is made to order and dispatched separately to other V&A Shop products, for UK delivery only. The charges and estimated timescales below are in addition to our standard delivery charge when bought together with a V&A Shop product. However, delivery is free for all orders over £60.
Returns
An extended returns window is granted for purchases over the Christmas period. Orders placed from Saturday 1 November 2025 can be returned until Tuesday 20 January 2026, subject to our usual eligibility criteria.
We hope you are happy with your V&A Shop purchase. However, if you are not, most items are eligible for a full refund, subject to the criteria below. Refunds are offered for items in an unused, unopened condition, and with original packaging – with the following exceptions. This does not affect your statutory rights.
The following items are excluded from our returns policy and cannot be refunded unless faulty, damaged, or not as described:
- Custom prints and other items made to your specification or personalised;
- Items that have been sealed for hygiene reasons, where the seal has been broken, such as beauty products, soap, pierced earrings, hosiery, socks, sunglasses and face coverings;
- Perishable or edible items such as flowers or food;
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For full details, visit our Delivery & Returns page.
Rowan Watson
Rowan Watson is a Senior Curator in the National Art Library, part of the Word & Image Department at the V&A. He is the author of Illuminated Manuscripts and their Makers (V&A 2003) and co-author of Blood on Paper (V&A 2008).
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