Illuminations (painting).

Scope Note: Paintings and other adornments applied to books, scrolls, or other document types for the purpose of illustrating or decorating the text. It may take any of three forms: Miniatures, which are small pictures that are often set apart from the text and comprise a self-contained design; decorated initial letters, that themselves may contain a small scene; and decorated borders, which also may contain scenes. The media of illumination generally includes paint, ink, and precious metals on vellum, paper, or silk. Among the earliest surviving illuminated documents are papyrus rolls of the ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead. Other early examples have survived from Classical Greece and Rome, as Aztec pictorial maps, and in Mayan and Chinese codices. The art form flourished in bibles and other sacred books of medieval Europe, where the media typically were egg-white tempera on vellum and card. It also flourished in Indian and Islamic miniatures, which were produced into the 19th century. For pictures that are not painted miniatures or that accompany printed books or advertisements, use "illustrations."

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