In its early stages, manuscript illumination was only done by monks who resided in monasteries, and the practice was part of their daily spiritual routine just as prayer, self-reflection and farming were. Not surprisingly, most illuminated manuscripts produced by monks during the Middle Ages were either Bibles or documents needed for religious use. Though these documents are unique, their penmanship and decor are very similar, as illuminations were expected to follow a certain style and only made at the request of bishops or abbots.
The extravagance of illuminated manuscripts soon caught the eye of European royalty, and hand-crafted books and documents became highly sought after as methods of the craft were mastered by private bookmakers. Among the most famous Medieval illuminators were the Limbourg brothers, Jean, Paul and Herman, who were hired by a prince of the royal French house of Valois. Their work is typical of illuminations created around 1400, as their pieces typically feature elegant, courtly figures drawn among colorful motifs with such detail that readers can easily identify the variation of plants, animals and human characters on each page.
In the 13th century, secular texts began to be illuminated by practiced scribes in manuscript illumination meccas such as Bruges, Ghent, and Valenciennes of the Burgundian Netherlands and Paris, France. These "illuminators" catered to every design request of wealthy Europeans who desired illuminated books and manuscripts for their personal collections or to give as gifts. Details such as the style of penmanship, border preferences or how many miniatures to include in each piece were determined before the project began, as pattern and motif books were used to create illuminations rather than scenes from real life.