Most of the painting on antique manuscript pages occurs within decorated initials, ornate letters that open a passage or a page. Modern eyes have trouble recognizing many of the stylized letters.

The similarity to Jedi Grand Master Yoda was recently highlighted by historians Damien Kempf and Maria L. Gilbert on the ... and the new popularity of illuminated manuscripts on the Web.

In 1863, elderly and still enslaved, ibn Said wrote a letter in Arabic to John Owen ... The objects on view include exquisitely illuminated manuscripts featuring gold leaf and finely detailed ...