ABSTRACT
Marginal decoration in manuscripts went through style changes and development over the centuries. In this chapter, these botanical motifs will be the starting point for a discussion on the evolution of style. I will deal in depth with the terminology and propose new nomenclature, focusing on the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. There are several explanations for the limited diversity of plant motifs in the late middle ages. In the first place, not all flowers and plants are appropriate for marginal decorations. Secondly, patterns and visual examples were passed around all over Europe which influenced the repertoire of an illuminator. And, last but not least, it seems that marginal decoration was less sensitive to changes in taste than miniature art.
