Visual Devotion

More Than What You See

Medieval illuminated manuscript cuttings are more than beautiful pieces of art, they are filled with meaning that goes beyond what meets the eye. These images helped tell important religious stories, allowing viewers to connect with faith in a visual way. Each image was a tool for understanding, communicating religious truths through pictures.

A vibrant colour palette played an important role in these manuscripts, with burnished gold leaf, shimmering in the candlelight, and bright blues made from the costly mineral lapis lazuli being especially significant. These rich colours didn’t just attract the eye, they symbolised wealth. Their use is tangible evidence that people wanted to spend their earthly wealth venerating the divine.

The creatures shown in the margins of these cuttings also carried special meaning. Some may have been seen as sweet and charming, like playful animals, but others were more unsettling, like grotesque jesters or strange creatures. These characters were not just for decoration: in presenting a topsy-turvy take on the world, they reinforced the norms of the main images, reflecting ideas about good and evil, virtue and vice. They made viewers think about the contrasts of life, helping people reflect on their own beliefs and values (for more, see the essay and video in Discover More).

In the nineteenth century, people collected these cuttings not just for their beauty but for the deeper meaning they held. They were seen as treasures, pieces of history that sparked conversation and reflection on the role of faith in everyday life. Today, these images can still speak to us, inviting us to think about how devotion was visually expressed in the past.

Explore the Cuttings

Manuscript cutting initial ‘u’ showing job and his wifemanuscript cutting initial ‘u’ showing job and his wife

Manuscript Cutting: Leaf with Historiated Initial ‘U’ showing Job and his Wife

Manuscript cutting illuminated initial ‘d’ showing saint agnes holding a lambmanuscript cutting illuminated initial ‘d’ showing saint agnes holding a lamb

Manuscript Cutting: Leaf from an Antiphonary with an Historiated Initial ‘D’ showing Saint Agnes holding a Lamb

Manuscript cutting initial ‘a’ from a choir bookmanuscript cutting initial ‘a’ from a choir book

Manuscript Cutting: Illuminated Initial ‘A’ from a Choir Book

The flight into egypt, studio of the master of the boucicaut hours. bifa

Manuscript Cutting: Leaf from a Book of Hours with a Miniature showing the Flight into Egypt

Manuscript cutting mary magdalene with flowersmanuscript cutting mary magdalene with flowers

Manuscript Cutting: Leaf with a Miniature of Mary Magdalene with Flowers

Manuscript cutting saints and patron from the giltlingen psaltermanuscript cutting saints and patron from the giltlingen psalter

Manuscript Cutting: Frontispiece from the Giltlingen Psalter with a Miniature of Saints and a Patron

Manuscript cutting illuminated initial ‘c’ from a gradual showing christian martyrsmanuscript cutting illuminated initial ‘c’ from a gradual showing christian martyrs

Manuscript Cutting: Historiated Initial ‘C’ from a Gradual, showing Christian Martyrs

Manuscript cutting illuminated initial ‘m’ showing saint giustina and maximianmanuscript cutting illuminated initial ‘m’ showing saint giustina and maximian

Manuscript Cutting: Historiated Initial ‘M’ from an Antiphonary showing Saint Giustina disputing with Maximian