Painted Pages

By: Nick Prosterman

This article was written while the Painted Pages exhibit at USJ was open. Though it is no longer up, the insight from the exhibit is still valuable.

It’s not often that you encounter something that transports you hundreds of years into the past, but that’s exactly what Painted Pages accomplishes in the Art Museum. Organized by the Reading Public Museum, this exhibit, which opened on September 18, explores the elaborate beauty and cultural significance of illuminated manuscripts. These handmade books were extremely popular in Medieval Europe, where many of the examples on display originate, as well as the Middle East in the 17th and 18th centuries. This exhibit examines how these texts were crafted and the diverse purposes that they served across cultures. Painted Pages shows that illuminated manuscripts are more than ornate documents, they are windows into a forgotten world, a testament to human creativity and the power of written word. 

The term “illuminated” refers to the use of gold, silver, and other vibrant colors that made these manuscripts literally shine on the page. Creating them was a painstaking process, requiring skilled scribes, artists, and sometimes entire workshops. From preparing parchment to applying gold leaf and intricate designs, each book was a labor of devotion and artistry. Many of these works were religious texts. In Europe, a variety of Christian liturgical and devotional books such as psalters, books of hours, and choir books dominated the tradition. Psalters contained the book of Psalms from the Bible, while books of hours guided private devotions with prayer schedules, making them the most commonly preserved medieval illuminated manuscript, thanks to their widespread production and personal significance. In the Middle East, illuminated works included copies of the Quran, the Shahnameh (the Persian illustrated Book of Kings), as well as Hebrew texts like the Torah. Pages from all these traditions are featured in this exhibit. 

Painted Pages is more than an exhibit; it’s a journey through time. It offers the chance to step into a world where words were art and every page shimmered with meaning. These masterpieces, preserved for centuries, will only be on view until December 13. Don’t miss the opportunity to view them in person before they return to the archives, visit the Art Museum and experience the brilliance of Illuminated Manuscripts for yourself.