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Mysteries of vernacular: Miniature - Jessica Oreck

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TEDEd Animation

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Miniature’s root may be Latin, but its meaning is rooted in books, where red pigment was used to denote chapter breaks. Jessica Oreck explains how we got from there to the meaning of miniature today: something smaller than others of its class.

Why might medieval monks have denoted chapter breaks with red pigment, instead of starting each chapter on a new page?

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  • Director Jessica Oreck

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