The mesmerizing allure of medieval illuminated manuscripts continues to captivate us even after centuries. How couldn’t they, adorned with colored inks, vivid paints, and glistening gold leaf. But they were the result of painstaking labor, as medieval artists dedicated countless hours to sourcing, preparing, and applying their materials. Exhibitions of my own reproductions of medieval art in The Netherlands, gave rise to monnikenwerk.art’s name. When looking at my work, Dutch people would frequently utter the saying “monnikenwerk.” With this website, I intend to show the time, materials and techniques that go into making medieval manuscripts.

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Art

Individual artworks allow me to explore medieval styles, techniques and materials. Each of the artworks presented below are handmade paintings on calfskin vellum, employing the age-old techniques of white of egg tempera combined with vibrant pigments, all set against a backdrop of 24 karat gold leaf. I’ve also taken care to include sources and information about the images themselves.

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Books

Making manuscripts in the spirit of medieval traditions lies at the core of my activities. Apart from copying and illuminating them, I’m also learning the art of binding them as well. All guided by our current knowledge and understanding of the practices of medieval artisans. Below you find both my completed manuscripts as well as those who are currently still a work in progress.

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External Links

Interested in medieval manuscripts? Then there’s many other websites on the internet that might appeal to you. Therefore, I’ve presented some of my personal favorites that I recommend checking out below. The topics range from general codicology to more specific topics such as palaeography, pigments and bookbinding.

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