Research Guides: Medieval and Byzantine Art: Illuminated Manuscripts

Medieval and Renaissance manuscript materials in the UCLA Library Special Collections

Medieval and Renaissance manuscripts of Western European origin in the UCLA Library Special Collections are housed primarily in two collections. Together, these two collections comprise approximately 400 bound manuscripts, as well as hundreds of documents, leaves and bifolia. Detailed descriptions are found in the "Manuscript Collections" guide.

The Richard and Mary Rouse Collection
Bound Manuscripts Collection

Other collections that include medieval and Renaissance manuscripts, such as family papers, and those of individual collectors that are topically focused and contain but are not exclusively comprised of early manuscripts, are listed below, with more detailed description in "Manuscripts in other collections"

Miscellaneous Manuscripts Collection
The Elmer Belt Library of Vinciana
Farley Katz Collection of 13th-16th century manuscripts and documents
Orsini Family Papers
Bourbon del Monte di San Faustino Family papers

Digital Collections

Beinecke Library
The collection of Early European Books and Manuscripts encompasses materials produced before 1600 in Western Europe and 1700 in Eastern Europe. There are a significant number of Greek manuscripts and printed books from the Byzantine world. The Beinecke Library’s collection of Middle Eastern manuscripts is among the oldest and richest collections in North America.You can use the search tool at the bottom of the page to find specific manuscripts or browse through images of their collections by searching “illuminated manuscript.”
British Library Catalogue of Illuminated Manuscript
Use this website to find and view descriptions and images of medieval and Renaissance manuscripts in the British Library, one of the most significant collections in the world.
Getty Collection
The Getty has built an expansive representation of the illuminated manuscript as an art form. Featuring European illuminations, the collection also contains a small but important group of Byzantine, Armenian, and Ethiopian objects. The collection can be explored using the search bar on the right side of the page.
Goodspeed Manuscript Collection
The Edgar J. Goodspeed Manuscript Collection comprises 68 early Greek, Syriac, Ethiopic, Armenian, Arabic, and Latin manuscripts ranging in date from the 5th to the 19th centuries. All 68 New Testament manuscripts have been digitized in their entirety and are presented with high-quality zoomable images through an interface that supports browsing within individual manuscripts and across the collection.
Islamic Painted Page
A database of Persian, Ottoman, Arab and Mughal paintings, illuminations, decorated Qur'an pages, and book bindings from over 270 collections worldwide.
The Morgan Library and Museum — Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts
There are thousands of images from The Morgan Library & Museum’s collection of medieval and Renaissance manuscripts available on this website. You can browse, search, or see highlights.
Online Archive of California
The Online Archive of California (OAC) provides free public access to detailed descriptions of primary resource collections maintained by more than 300 contributing institutions including libraries, special collections, archives, historical societies, and museums throughout California and collections maintained by the 10 University of California (UC) campuses.

Medieval and Byzantine Art

Medieval and Renaissance manuscript materials in the UCLA Library Special Collections

Digital Collections

Individual Digitized Manuscripts