<P> Monasteries produced manuscripts for their own use ; heavily illuminated ones tended to be reserved for liturgical use in the early period , while the monastery library held plainer texts . In the early period manuscripts were often commissioned by rulers for their own personal use or as diplomatic gifts , and many old manuscripts continued to be given in this way , even into the Early Modern period . Especially after the book of hours became popular , wealthy individuals commissioned works as a sign of status within the community , sometimes including donor portraits or heraldry : `` In a scene from the New Testament , Christ would be shown larger than an apostle , who would be bigger than a mere bystander in the picture , while the humble donor of the painting or the artist himself might appear as a tiny figure in the corner . '' The calendar was also personalized , recording the feast days of local or family saints . By the end of the Middle Ages many manuscripts were produced for distribution through a network of agents , and blank spaces might be reserved for the appropriate heraldry to be added locally by the buyer . </P>
<P> Monasteries produced manuscripts for their own use ; heavily illuminated ones tended to be reserved for liturgical use in the early period , while the monastery library held plainer texts . In the early period manuscripts were often commissioned by rulers for their own personal use or as diplomatic gifts , and many old manuscripts continued to be given in this way , even into the Early Modern period . Especially after the book of hours became popular , wealthy individuals commissioned works as a sign of status within the community , sometimes including donor portraits or heraldry : `` In a scene from the New Testament , Christ would be shown larger than an apostle , who would be bigger than a mere bystander in the picture , while the humble donor of the painting or the artist himself might appear as a tiny figure in the corner . '' The calendar was also personalized , recording the feast days of local or family saints . By the end of the Middle Ages many manuscripts were produced for distribution through a network of agents , and blank spaces might be reserved for the appropriate heraldry to be added locally by the buyer . </P>
during the middle ages who was most likely to own a manuscript or book
during the middle ages who was most likely to own a manuscript or book
Monasteries rulers wealthy individuals
Monasteries rulers wealthy individuals