Medieval Manuscript Illuminations

Illuminated manuscripts depicting biblical scenes and saints. Detailed illustrations and vibrant colors capture the artistry and religious significance of the time.

Mary, John, Jacobus / Illumination

An Angel Presents Christ's Burial Garment to the Virgin; The Virgin Shows the Garment to Saint John. Unknown

BIBLIA DE S LUIS DE FRANCIA-PAGINA-COPIADA E ILUMINADA ENTRE 1226/34. Location: CATEDRAL-BIBLIOTECA. Toledo. SPAIN.

Initial D: The Anointing of David. Bute Master (Franco-Flemish, active about 1260 - 1290)

Manuscript Leaf with King David in an Initial I, from a Psalter early 15th century North Italian This intensely colored illumination, by an unknown artist for an unknown commission, is a singularly beautiful evocation of David as author of the 150 psalms. Quill in hand, he cocks his head to listen to the voice of God, whose face appears in the clouds. The image serves as a counterpoint to the text, in which David implores: "Incline thy ear, O Lord, and hear me.". Manuscript Leaf with King David in an Initial I, from a Psalter 466773

Master of Catherine of Cleves / Hours of Catherine of Cleves, 'Holy Family at Work', ca. 1440, 19,2 x 13 cm. MS M.917/945, pp. 146-149.

Descent from the Cross. Master of Cardinal Bourbon (French, about 1480 - 1500)

ATHANARIC II II (c.335 - 381). Visigothic King (369-381). Considered by the author as the first of the genealogical line of kings of Spain. In lower right margin, portrait of Bishop Gudilla, in charge of teaching the Christian faith. GenealogÕa de los Reyes de EspaÐa. 1463. Gothic art. Miniature Painting. SPAIN. MADRID (AUTONOMOUS COMMUNITY). Madrid. National Library.

The Birth of Esau and Jacob. Date/Period: Ca. 1360 - 1370. Folio. Tempera colors, gold, and ink on parchment. Height: 349 mm (13.74 in); Width: 260 mm (10.23 in). Author: Master of Jean de Mandeville.

Psalter with night and day holiday Hymns according to the Roman Curia tradition, by Anonymous Sienese painter, 15th Century, illuminated manuscript. Italy, Tuscany, Siena, Osservanza basilica. Whole artwork. David illuminated page verses psalms prayer incipit: beginning initial letter square man king David halo: aureole book Holy Scriptures plant volutes rinceaux blue yellow green red black white.

Job in Prayer. Follower of the Egerton Master (French / Netherlandish, active about 1405 - 1420)

Initial Q: Gillion's Wives Marie and Gracienne during Mass at the Abbey of Olive.

The Birth of the Virgin.

Zodiacal Sign of Aquarius. Unknown

Leaf with miniature of the Resurrection. Large historiated initial showing the Resurrection, on gold field. Three-side border showing donor (Willem van Schooten), coats of arms, birds, flowers, insects, and other scenes.. 1475 - 1500. Religious books, Manuscripts. Manuscripts and Archives Division

Crucifixion. Master of the Chronique scandaleuse (French, active about 1493 - 1510)

Initial S: Pentecost. Vanni di Baldolo, illuminator (Italian, active 1330s - 1340s) about 1330-1340

Leaf from a gradual. Vanni di Baldolo, illuminator (Italian, active 1330s - 1340s) about 1330-1340 This large leaf originally from a Christian choir book shows Pentecost, the biblical episode in which the Holy Spirit (in the form of a dove) anoints Christs apostles so that they may speak all known languages and preach to the world. Saint Peter sits at center, holding the keys of his papal office, while the apostles to either side gesture and gaze at each other. The drama of the event is emphasized by the dove, representing the Holy Spirit, and the bright red rays of divine light that touch the apostles heads as small flames visible atop the radiant gold haloes. Rather than breaking up the scene with the curve of the initial S, as other artists of the time often did, the illuminator foregrounded the composition, with the concentrated row of halos standing in as the curve of the letter. The page is from a dispersed gradual, a choir book containing the sung portions of the Mass, and the i

Initial E: The Mission of the Apostles. Unknown

Hanun Mocks David's Messengers.

Missal, an illumination, by Tomasino da Vimercate (active 1390-1415) an Italian illuminator. Dated 15th Century.

SOBRE LOS LUGARES SANTOS - VIRGEN Y NINO. Author: BEDA EL VENERABLE (-735). Location: ARCHIVO DE LA CORONA DE ARAGON. Barcelona. SPAIN. VIRGIN MARY.

Leaf from a Gradual: Initial (G) with Christ, the Virgin, and Apostles, c. 1300. Italy, Siena (). Ink, tempera, and gold on vellum; sheet: 55.7 x 37.9 cm (21 15/16 x 14 15/16 in.). The large decorated initial G introduces the text, Gaudeamus omnes in Domino (Let us rejoice in the Lord). It is the beginning of the opening prayer, or introit, of the Mass for the Feast of All Saints (November 1). The figures within the initial include Christ, the Virgin Mary, and various saints.

Large historiated initial showing the Ascension of Christ, on gold field. Three-side border, including a scene of Augustine and the Christ child with various onlookers at the seaside, birds, flowers, and insects.. 1475 - 1500. Religious books, Manuscripts. Manuscripts and Archives Division

Adam and Eve Eating the Forbidden Fruit; The Expulsion from Paradise.

Initial D: The Adoration of the Magi. Master of Sir John Fastolf (French, active before about 1420 - about 1450)

The Throne of Grace Trinity. Master of Jean Rolin II (Hand B) (French, active Paris, France last third of 14th century)

Christ on rainbow / Illumination

Moses and the Seventy Elders before God.

Psalter with weekday holiday day Hymns according to the Roman Curia tradition, by Anonymous Sienese painter, 15th Century, illuminated manuscript. Italy, Tuscany, Siena, Osservanza basilica. Detail. Prophet- illuminated page verses psalms prayer incipit: beginning initial letter square beard man prophet halo: aureole scroll plant volutes rinceaux blue yellow green red black white.

Jesus Raising a Dead Child.

Two Messengers from the God of Love Delivering a Letter to Venus. Unknown

The Ascension of Elijah.

Jesus at School.

Initial H: Moses Speaking to the Israelites; Austria; about 1300; Tempera colors and gold leaf on parchment; Leaf: 34.3 x 24.3 cm (13 1,2 x 9 9,16 in.)

Fight and death of Judah Maccabee, miniature from the Bible of Stephen Harding, manuscript 14 folio 122 verso, Citeaux, France 12th Century.

Pontifical de Guillaume Durand, c. 1409-1415. Letra inicial. Obispo y virgen con niño. Arxiu Capitular de la Catedral de Girona.

Decorated Incipit Page. Mesrop of Khizan (Armenian, active 1605 - 1651)

Manoah and His Wife Offering a Meal to the Angel.

Pontifical de Guillaume Durand, c. 1409-1415. Letra inicial obispo bendiciendo. Arxiu Capitular de la Catedral de Girona.

The Entombment.

Initial I: Christ Holding a Cross and a Lance. Bute Master (Franco-Flemish, active about 1260 - 1290)

Initial C: Clerics Singing. Bute Master (Franco-Flemish, active about 1260 - 1290)

Initial Q: Saint Peter. Unknown

Decorated Initial O. Unknown

The Mother of Allegranzia Appealing to Saints Aimo and Vermondo to Save Her Child. Attributed to Anovelo da Imbonate (Italian (Lombard), active about 1400)

Cronica Cronicarum (...), blad 1; Cronica Cronicarum abbrege et mis par figures descentes (...).Leaf 1 verso of a world bony. First page of the first part. Text in bookpress in French with decorated initials. At the top six performances side by side of the six creation days. Left below the middle a representation of the fall of Lucifer (Satan). Below this a representation of the creation of Eve from the side of Adam by God the Father. At the bottom right two performances. Above: the fall. Below: Adam and Eva driven out of paradise. All on the left an ornament edge with prophets.

Psalter with night and day holiday Hymns according to the Roman Curia tradition, by Anonymous Sienese painter, 15th Century, illuminated manuscript. Italy, Tuscany, Siena, Osservanza basilica. Detail. Expectans- illuminated page verses psalms prayer incipit: beginning initial letter plant volutes rinceaux blue yellow green red black white.

Illuminated initial capital letter depicting the Nativity, by Girolamo of Cremona, from a medieval manuscript, Italy 15th Century.

CODICE SABOYA - SAN JUAN EVANGELISTA EN PATMOS DONDE ESCRIBIO EL APOCALIPSIS. Location: MONASTERIO-BIBLIOTECA-COLECCION. SAN LORENZO DEL ESCORIAL. MADRID. SPAIN. SAN JUAN EVANGELISTA Y APOSTOL.

Moses Placed in the River. Unknown

Day and night Antiphonary from the 6th Sunday after Pentecost to the Advent, by Anonymous Sienese painter, 15th Century, illuminated manuscript. Italy, Tuscany, Siena, Osservanza Basilica. Whole artwork. St Francis gives up riches illuminated page score notes music chant plant shoots panel incipit: beginning initial letter St Francis man saint tonsure nudity halo: aureole dresses: robes: garments giving up Pontiff pr.

A Bishop from Breuiarium iuxta ritu predicatorum, plate 83 from Woodcuts from Books of the XVI Century 1514 Italy. Hand-colored woodcut on paper . Unknown artist

Initial M: The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist. Unknown

The Prophet Amos; England; about 1250 - 1260; Pen-and-ink drawings tinted with body color and translucent washes on parchment; Leaf: 21 x 15.7 cm (8 1,4 x 6 3,16 in.)

Moses chooses men / Illumin. / c.1410

The Virgin as Queen of Heaven; The Emperor Augustus Told of Jesus's Birth; The Pacis Temple in Rome Destroyed by the Winds.

The Crucifixion with Longinus Kneeling. Unknown

Decorated Initial R. Unknown

The Assumption of the Virgin in a Historiated Initial from a Gradual. Spanish. Date: 1480-1520. Dimensions: 240 x 245 mm (initial); 850 x 580 mm (sheet). Manuscript cutting in tempera and gold leaf, with gothica textura inscriptions in Latin in black ink, ruled in red, with red rubrics and other decorations, on parchment. Origin: Spain. Museum: The Chicago Art Institute, Chicago, USA.

The Temptation of Christ.

The Virgin and Child in a White Rose; Norfolk perhaps (written), East Anglia, England; illumination about 1190; written about 1490; Tempera colors and gold leaf on parchment; Leaf: 11.9 x 17 cm (4 11,16 x 6 11,16 in.)

The Woman from Shunem on a Donkey.

Christ and the Woman Taken in Adultery; Regensburg, Bavaria, Germany; about 1400 - 1410; Tempera colors, gold, silver paint, and ink on parchment; Leaf: 33.5 x 23.5 cm (13 3,16 x 9 1,4 in.)

Jesus before Mary and Joseph; Jesus and a Child with a Broken Jug.

Initial S: David in Prayer. Master of the Ingeborg Psalter (French, active about 1195 - about 1210)

Initial V: The Assumption of the Virgin. Unknown

Fragment of an antiphonarium: initial f with baptism of Christ. .

The Betrayal of Christ.

Initial G: The Stigmatization of Saint Francis; Attributed to Rinaldo da Siena (Italian, active 1270s); Siena, Italy; about 1275; Tempera colors and gold leaf on parchment; Other: 18.1 x 12.9 cm (7 1,8 x 5 1,16 in.)

Alfonso X, called 'The Wise' (1221-1284). Cantigas de Santa Maria (Virgin Mary Songs). 13th c. The King Alfonso X surrounded by scribes. Gothic art. Miniature Painting. SPAIN. MADRID (AUTONOMOUS COMMUNITY). San Lorenzo de El Escorial. Royal Library of the Monastery of El Escorial.

Christ before the High Priests.

Death of the Egyptians / Illumination

Christ before Caiaphas; Regensburg, Bavaria, Germany; about 1400 - 1410; Tempera colors, gold, silver paint, and ink on parchment; Leaf: 33.5 x 23.5 cm (13 3,16 x 9 1,4 in.)

The Wall of Metals and Jewels Surrounding Angels and Saints. Simon Marmion (Flemish, active 1450 - 1489)

Initial E: Josiah Sacrificing at an Altar. Unknown

Manuscript Illumination with the Assumption of the Virgin in an Initial A, from an Antiphonary 1450-60 Attributed to Cosmè Tura (Cosimo di Domenico di Bonaventura) Italian The solemnity of the scene of Jesus' apostles witnessing the miraculous Assumption of the Virgin into heaven is radically transformed by the depiction of a monstrous green dragon whose body forms the opening letter A of the chant.A contract of 1452 indicates that Cosmè Tura was to paint miniatures on a coffret, and it is therefore inferred that he was active both as a painter and as an illuminator of manuscripts. Displayed in this case and an adjacent one are four illuminations attributed to him from the same ensemble of choir books, two from the gradual for the Mass and two from the antiphonary for the Daily Office.. Manuscript Illumination with the Assumption of the Virgin in an Initial A, from an Antiphonary 463542

BIBLIA DE ALBA - LECTURA DE LA LEY MOSAICA POR ESDRAS CON EL PUEBLO ADORANDO A DIOS (NEHEMIAS 8). Location: PRIVATE COLLECTION. MADRID. SPAIN.

HISTORIA GENERAL DE ALFONSO X-I-12.RESURRECCION Y APARICION A LAS SANTAS MUJERES. Author: ALFONSO X EL SABIO (1221-1284). Location: MONASTERIO-BIBLIOTECA-COLECCION. SAN LORENZO DEL ESCORIAL. MADRID. SPAIN. CRISTO RESUCITADO.

The Drunkenness of Noah.

The Martyrdom of Saint John the Evangelist (recto), and December Calendar (verso), from Book of Hours 1496-1497 France. Around 1488, engraver and printer Philippe Pigouchet and bookseller Simon Vostre embarked on a successful business partnership in Paris, and over the next 20 years they produced hundreds of exquisitely illustrated books. This leaf is taken from a book of hours, a Christian devotional publication containing psalms, prayers, and a calendar for worship and celebrations. It depicts the miracle of Saint John, when he emerged unharmed from a vat of boiling oil. The image is an illustration for themonth of December, the calendar on the sheetís verso, reminding readers to celebrate Saint Johnís Feast Day on December 27.. Metalcut and letterpress in black with rubrication (recto/verso) on vellum . Philippe Pigouchet

Saint Peter, Anonymous, 1495 print Leaf from a book, with two columns printed text. In the right column an image of Peter with key and book. Right under two coats of arms. Low Countries paper the apostle Peter, first bishop of Rome; possible attributes: book, cock, (upturned) cross, (triple) crozier, fish, key, scroll, ship, tiara

The Antichrist before Scholars and Monks. Unknown

Gradual from Palm Sunday to the XXIV Sunday after Pentecost, by Anonymous Sienese painter, 15th Century, illuminated manuscript. Italy, Tuscany, Siena, Osservanza Basilica. Whole artwork. Cibavit. Illuminated page score notes text verses prayer chant incipit: beginning initial letter decoration blue red green yellow.

The Personification of Friendship Giving a Garland and Sacks of Gold for Alms to the Lover. Unknown

The Dream Interpreters being Dismissed by Nebuchadnezzar.

Angel with Sacred Heart, Anonymous, 1490 - 1510 print Angel with cloth with the holy heart with the monogram "I h s". Above the angel there is an inscription. Low Countries paper the Sacred Heart. angels. IHS ('Iesus Hominum Salvator') ~ symbol of Christ

Initial H: Moses Speaking to the Israelites. Unknown

Miniature of John the Evangelist on Patmos, with the eagle holding the saint's pen case; line fillers on last two text lines to justify the right margin of text.. 1485 - 1499. text. Religious books, Manuscripts. Manuscripts and Archives Division. Eagles, John, the Apostle, Saint, Borders (Ornament Areas)

Day hours and night hours antiphonary from the first Saturday of Advent to the IV Sunday after Epiphany, by Anonymous Sienese painter, 15th Century, illuminated manuscript. Italy, Tuscany, Siena, Osservanza Basilica. Whole artwork. Illuminated page with St John the Evangelist page score notes music chant text writings plant volutes square St John the Evangelist man beard apostle book Gospel blue red yellow green black.

Fifth vision: an angel announces judgment to men of many categories of life; another angel points to the city of Babylon falling to pieces.. 1425 - 1450. Religious books, Manuscripts. Manuscripts and Archives Division. Angels, Ruins, Babylon (Extinct city)

Excerpt of a missal: two initials with martyrs, Lippo Vanni, 1342 - 1346 drawing. miniature parchment (animal material). gold leaf. deck paint. ink pen / brush historiated initial. manuscript of musical score. saints

Diurnal and Nocturne Antiphonary from the First Saturday after Epiphany to Holy Saturday, by Anonymous Sienese painter, 15th Century, illuminated manuscript. Italy, Tuscany, Siena, Osservanza Basilica. Detail. Illuminated page - Locutus Est. Score notes music chant panel letter initial letter incipit: beginning bird phoenix plant shoots blue red yellow green.

The Blessing of Melchizedek.

Manuscript Leaf with a Funeral Procession in an Initial R, from a Gradual second half 15th century Mariano del Buono Italian This illumination offers a glimpse of life and death among wealthy citizens of Florence. The funeral procession is a lavish affair, with the deceased resting on a bier covered with expensive silk and the mourners attired in brightly colored costumes. Listen to experts illuminate this artwork's story Listen Play or pause #2846. A Funeral Procession in an Initial R, Part 1 Play or pause #2847. A Funeral Procession in an Initial R, Part 2 Supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies We're sorry, the transcript for this audio track is not available at this time. We are working to make it available as soon as possible.. Manuscript Leaf with a Funeral Procession in an Initial R, from a Gradual 469048

The Adoration of the Magi. Unknown

The Healing of the Paralytic at the Pool of Bethesda.

Saul and the Witch of Endor.

Initial P: The Adoration of the Christ Child and The Annunciation to the Shepherds; Northern Italy, Italy; about 1460 - 1480; Tempera colors and gold leaf on parchment; Leaf: 60.3 x 44 cm (23 3,4 x 17 5,16 in.)

Initial M: The Death of Saint Dominic; Bolognese Illuminator of the First Style; Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, Italy; about 1265; Tempera colors, gold, and ink on parchment; Leaf: 52.5 x 37.3 cm (20 11,16 x 14 11,16 in.)

The Hanging of Ishbosheth's Murderers.

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