A change of ink colour can help a reader recognise divisions on a manuscript page. Its role deserves attention before the page is flattened into a single block of modern text.
Locate the coloured passages
Getty’s page-reading guide uses a medieval Bible to illustrate rubrics and the beginnings and endings of textual portions. The example provides a visible case, not a universal rule for every manuscript tradition.
Mark where the red writing occurs in relation to the surrounding lines. Is it isolated, embedded or placed at a boundary? Use the source’s explanation where available instead of assuming every coloured word carries the same function.
Compare with the modern edition
An edition may represent the division through a heading, spacing or another convention. Check its editorial explanation before concluding that a feature was ignored.
A useful note links the manuscript location with the edition’s treatment. This can reveal how a modern reading page translates visual organisation into typography. It also reminds us that historical reading involved more than recognising the words: colour and placement could help guide attention, while their exact role must still be established for the book in question.