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• 1 2021-11-03T13:50:34-07:00 How was this made? 6 plain 2023-01-14T09:55:19-08:00 by Augusta Holyfield '22
  
  The Morgan Crusader Bible was probably made in a workshop setting, with various skilled craftsmen working together to create all the elements of the manuscript. The workshop was certainly in northern France and most likely Paris. 
  
  This manuscript was not made from paper.  Instead, animal skin, or vellum was used. First, the vellum would be created by soaking animal skins in a lime solution that chemically removes the hair from the skin. The vellum is then stretched onto a frame to dry, before being scraped to remove any remaining hair or flesh. Once the vellum has been dried, stretched, and thinned, it is cut into the size necessary for the project. 
  
  The vellum would then be sent to an illuminators' workshop. One master designer would be in charge of planning out the entire book. This designer would decide what should go on each page and draw a basic outline for the illustrations. At least six different artists illuminated the 46 surviving folios of the Crusader Bible. Each artist would use various mineral or plant based pigments mixed with a binding agent like egg for paint. Gold leaf was applied to many of the pages to add a shine to the already vibrantly painted pages. 
  
  Finally, all the completed pages would be sent to a book binder, who would place the pages in order and bind the book together. The binder would also decorate the outside of the manuscript as appropriate for its content. Based on the commissioner of the piece, the original binding of the Morgan Crusader Bible was likely very extravagant. That original binding no longer survives.