The oldest-known example of an illuminated manuscript, dating back to 560 AD, is an Irish book of psalms called An Cathach. Other examples of illuminated manuscripts include the Book of Durrow (produced in the British Isles around 650 AD), the Lindisfarne Gospels (produced on an island off the northeast English coast around 700 AD), and perhaps the most famous, the Book of Kells (produced in Ireland in the 800s AD).

Embellishment of texts was a long, elaborate process—and therefore extremely expensive. In the 1400s—the zenith of the practice—only one in ten manuscripts were illuminated. Only the most revered texts received this royal treatment, and were often stored in the confines of monasteries and churches until much later, when wealthy private citizens began acquiring them as status symbols.

The practice of illumination continued unabated worldwide until the invention of the printing press in the mid-fifteenth century, which slowed and then effectively stopped most instances of the labor-intensive process. Thankfully, though the art of illumination slowed, many ancient manuscripts have survived the intervening centuries and are displayed in libraries and museums worldwide.