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Medieval Religious Manuscripts

Illuminated pages depicting biblical scenes, including the Holy Family and the Annunciation, showcasing rich colors and intricate designs.

Jesus Among the Doctors; Naples, Campania, Italy; about 1460; Tempera colors, gold, and ink on parchment; Leaf: 17.1 x 12.1 cm (6 3,4 x 4 3,4 in.)

LIBRO DE HORAS DE LEONOR DE LA VEGA - SAGRADA FAMILIA - MANUSCRITO FLAMENCO - 1465-1470. Author: GUILLERMO VRELANT (1449-1481) ILUMINADOR DE LIBROS. Location: BIBLIOTECA NACIONAL-COLECCION. MADRID. SPAIN. VIRGIN MARY. PADRE ETERNO.

France, The annunciation, miniature from the manuscript Breviary 469 (folio 13), 1410-15

The Betrayal of Christ. Date/Period: Ca. 1405 - 1410. Folio. Tempera colors, gold leaf, and ink on parchment. Height: 165 mm (6.49 in); Width: 117 mm (4.60 in). Author: Masters of Dirc van Delf.

Jesus Among the Doctors; Naples, Campania, Italy; about 1460; Tempera colors, gold, and ink on parchment; Leaf: 17.1 x 12.1 cm (6 3,4 x 4 3,4 in.)

Leaf from a Book of Hours: Adoration of the Magi, c. 1440-50. Master of Thomas Hoo (French). Ink, tempera and gold on vellum; leaf: 20.2 x 14.4 cm (7 15/16 x 5 11/16 in.).

The Nativity, miniature from a Latin Book of Hours, manuscript C 1268 folio 24 verso, 16th Century.

Leaf from a Book of Hours: The Nativity (recto), c. 1430. Northeastern France, 15th century. Ink, tempera and gold on vellum; leaf: 17 x 12.5 cm (6 11/16 x 4 15/16 in.). Representing God's entry into the world, the Nativity remains one of medieval painting's most poignant Christian images. In the Gospels, only Matthew and Luke directly described this event. Perhaps the brevity and absence of detail in these texts allowed artists to devote so much creativity to amplifying the Christmas story. This miniature's simplicity makes it compelling. Only the three principalsMary, Joseph, and the newly born Christ Childappear in the scene. The Virgin kneels before an elegant canopied bed made sumptuous by a richly embroidered textile, which stands in contrast to the nearby rustic fence and receding landscape. This scene probably follows the mystical visions of Saint Bridget of Sweden who visited Bethlehem in 1370, and whose written accounts circulated widely after her canonization in 1391: "Wh

The Coronation of the Virgin. Master of Wauquelin's Alexander (Flemish, active about 1440 - 1460)

Leaf Excised from a Psalter: Flight Into Egypt, c. 1260. Flanders, Liège(), 13th century. Tempera and burnished gold on vellum; sheet: 11.6 x 8.3 cm (4 9/16 x 3 1/4 in.). Traditional locations within manuscript psalters were designated by decorated initials or, as is the case here, full-page miniatures. These locations marked the major divisions of the psalms as used in the daily office. The extraordinary quality of these miniatures suggests they once decorated a deluxe psalter made for a wealthy or aristocratic patron, possibly a cleric.

LIBRO DE HORAS - ADORACION DE LOS REYES MAGOS. Location: BIBLIOTECA NACIONAL-COLECCION. MADRID. SPAIN. INFANT JESUS. VIRGIN MARY. SAN JOSE ESPOSO DE LA VIRGEN MARIA.

Illuminated page from the Life of Saint Radegunda, illumination from Poitiers, Abbey of Saint Croix, manuscript folio 25 verso France, 11th Century.

The Last Supper; Christ Washing the Apostles' Feet; The Agony in the Garden; The Betrayal of Christ. Unknown

Book of Hours. Unknown

St Denis, St Rusticus and St Eleutherius before Sisinnius, attended by the High Priest, 1317. Manuscript illustration from a work on the life of St Denis (died c258 AD), written by Yves, a monk at the Abbey of St Denis. The book depicts the torture and martyrdom of the saint by the Roman governor Fescenninus Sisinnius. From the collection of the Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris, the artist is unknown.

Saint Gatian Preaching. Lieven van Lathem (Flemish, about 1430 - 1493)

The First Steps of Jesus; Naples, Campania, Italy; about 1460; Tempera colors, gold, and ink on parchment; Leaf: 17.1 x 12.1 cm (6 3,4 x 4 3,4 in.)

The Nativity in a Historiated Initial P from a Choir Book 1380-1400 Italy. Manuscript cutting in tempera and gold leaf on parchment, with gothica textualis inscriptions in black ink, verso . Master of the Brussels Initials

Coronation of the Virgin with Decorative Border from a Prayerbook. European. Date: 1400-1600. Dimensions: 163 × 99 mm. Manuscript cutting in tempera, red, brown and black ink, gold paint and gold leaf, with Latin inscriptions in black ink, ruled in red, and further inscriptions and decorations, verso, on parchment. Origin: Europe. Museum: The Chicago Art Institute, Chicago, USA.

Pentecost; Strasbourg, France; early 16th century; Tempera colors on parchment; Leaf: 13.5 x 10.5 cm (5 5,16 x 4 1,8 in.)

Avenue of the Holy Spirit. Miniature, 14th century. Conde Museum. Chantilly. France. Gothic style.

The Crucifixion. Unknown

Pentecost; Naples, Campania, Italy; about 1460; Tempera colors, gold, and ink on parchment; Leaf: 17.1 x 12.1 cm (6 3,4 x 4 3,4 in.)

Benedictional. Unknown

The Coronation of the Virgin. Master of the Lübeck Bible (Flemish, about 1485 - about 1520)

The Visitation; Strasbourg, France; early 16th century; Tempera colors on parchment; Leaf: 13.5 x 10.5 cm (5 5,16 x 4 1,8 in.)

Initial G: The Virgin, Saint Elizabeth, and the Infants John the Baptist and Christ. Unknown

The Nativity; Bruges (possibly), Belgium; mid-1200s; Tempera colors, gold leaf, and ink on parchment; Leaf: 23.5 x 16.5 cm (9 1,4 x 6 1,2 in.)

Mass for the Dead. Masters of Dirc van Delf (Dutch, active about 1400 - about 1410)

Nativity, ca.1450, Illuminated manuscript, UK, England, London, Christie's

Christ in Majesty Surrounded by the Symbols of the Four Evangelists. Unknown

The Nativity; Unknown; Hildesheim, Germany, Europe; probably 1170s; Tempera colors, gold leaf, silver leaf, and ink on parchment; Leaf: 28.2 x 18.9 cm (11 1/8 x 7 7/16 in.)

BIBLIA DE S LUIS-1226/34-TOMO I-PG 70-MARIA VUELVE CURADA DE LEPRA ANTE SUS HERMANOS MOISES Y AARON. Location: CATEDRAL-BIBLIOTECA. Toledo. SPAIN. MOSES. AARON SUMO SACERDOTE. MOISES HERMANO. MARIA HERMANA DE MOISES. MOISES HERMANA.

Initial Missus est Excised from an Antiphonary: The Annunciation, 1430-1438. Stefano da Verona (Italian, c. 1375-1438). Ink, tempera, and gold on vellum; sheet: 19.7 x 16.7 cm (7 3/4 x 6 9/16 in.); framed: 52.4 x 39.7 cm (20 5/8 x 15 5/8 in.); matted: 48.9 x 36.2 cm (19 1/4 x 14 1/4 in.). This masterful initial M, colorful and crowded with playful animals and fantastic forms, recalls the announcement to the Virgin Mary by the Angel Gabriel that she will conceive and bear a son: Missus est Gabriel Angelus ad Miriam Virginem.. (The Angel Gabriel was sent to Mary.. .), the response for the first Sunday in Advent. The decorated initial is related in style to a set of choir books made by Belbello for the Church of Saints Giovanni e Paolo in Venice. Belbello's style has been associated with another artist, the Master of the Murano Gradual, with whom he possibly collaborated in Venice. Belbello's career placed him in Milan, Mantua, Pavia, and Venice. His services were highly sought after b

Pentecost. Unknown

The Holy Trinity Enthroned. Date/Period: Ca. 1510 - 1520. Folio. Tempera colors, gold, and ink on parchment. Height: 232 mm (9.13 in); Width: 167 mm (6.57 in). Author: Master of James IV of Scotland.

BIBLIA DE SAN LUIS-DISCIPULOS DE JESUS COMEN ESPIGAS EN SABADO. Location: CATEDRAL-BIBLIOTECA. Toledo. SPAIN.

German 15th Century, Madonna between Saints Catherine and Barbara, 1440 1460 Madonna between Saints Catherine and Barbara

BIBLIA DE SAN LUIS - PARABOLA DEL AMO QUE DA TALENTOS - DEVOLUCION AL AMO - TOMO III - F 50 - SIGLO XIII. Location: CATEDRAL-BIBLIOTECA. Toledo. SPAIN.

German 15th Century, The Annunciation, c 1450 1470 The Annunciation

David before Nathan. Unknown

Leaf from a Picture Cycle Christ Appearing to the Three Marys, Christ and the Pilgrims on the Road to Emmaus, Doubting Thomas, and Christ Appearing to the Apostles 1325-1350 France. On this leaf, lively figures tell the story of Christís Crucifixion and of his appearances after the Resurrection. They are part of an extensive picture cycle from an early 14th-century book disassembled almost 200 years ago, its illustrated pages now scattered in libraries and private collections. The text has not survived, but the book was probably a Psalter.The original owner used the book for personal devotion, following the Roman numerals and captions in French placed next to each image through the cycles of the life of Christ and the saints. Thus, the numerical sequence makes clear that another page (with XXVI through XIX), now lost, once came between these two; it undoubtedly depicted the Resurrection.. Opaque watercolor, pen and brown, red, blue and black ink, with shell gold and gold leaf on parchm

The Pentecost, from a Book of Hours. French (possibly Loire Valley). Date: 1420-1440. Dimensions: 229 × 160 mm. Manuscript cutting with tempera and gold leaf, and pen and black ink, on parchment. Origin: France. Museum: The Chicago Art Institute, Chicago, USA.

Annunciation, manuscript, USA, Chicago, Newberry Library

The Visitation, from a Book of Hours 1440-1449 France. Manuscript cutting with decorations in tempera and gold leaf, and littera textualis inscriptions in brown ink, ruled in light brown wash, on parchment .

Saint Michael Presenting a Donor to Christ as Salvator Mundi ca. 1400-1410 Southern Netherlands Southern Netherlands This miniature from an unidentified manuscript is stylistically comparable to a group of works thought to have been produced in Bruges in the late fourteenth and early fifteenth centuries. While the depiction of Christ as "Salvator Mundi" (Savior of the World) was popular in parts of the Netherlands at the time, the presence of Saint Michael and a donor in this leafalluding to the Last Judgmentevidently is unique. The palette and the arrangement of figures are carefully calibrated: Saint Michael’s bright red shield plays a pivotal role, protecting the donor from the toothy jaws of the dragon, establishing his position in the background,and underscoring his suppliant status before Christ.. Saint Michael Presenting a Donor to Christ as Salvator Mundi 460799

BIBLIA DE SAN LUIS-LOS PAJAROS Y LA ZORRA. Location: CATEDRAL-BIBLIOTECA. Toledo. SPANIEN.

The Virgin Mary with Jesus and two angels, 14th century book of hours, South African Library Cape Town

Offering Maria in the temple (icon) unknown

The Ascension. Unknown

BIBLIA DE SAN LUIS-PEDRO CON UN PEZ PARA PAGAR TRIBUTO. Location: CATEDRAL-BIBLIOTECA. Toledo. SPAIN. APOSTLE PETER.

The Seven Last Words of Christ. Unknown

LIBRO DE HORAS DE LEONOR DE LA VEGA - CRUCIFIXION - MANUSCRITO FLAMENCO - 1465-1470. Author: GUILLERMO VRELANT (1449-1481) ILUMINADOR DE LIBROS. Location: BIBLIOTECA NACIONAL-COLECCION. MADRID. SPAIN. JESUS. VIRGIN MARY.

SAN JUAN ESCRIBIENDO EL EVANGELIO - SIGLO XV. Location: NATIONAL LIBRARY. NEAPEL. ITALIA. SAN JUAN EVANGELISTA Y APOSTOL.

The Nativity. Master of Jacques of Luxembourg (French, active about 1460 - 1470)

Miniature of King David, border design, initial and linefiller. 1400 - 1499. Religious books, Manuscripts. Manuscripts and Archives Division. Prayer, Harps, David, King of Israel

Altarpiece of the Virgin by Jaime Serra (1358-1395) Catalonian painter. Dated 14th Century

Book of Hours.

The Death of the Virgin. Unknown

Zuñiga codex. FOL 703. Pentecost. 15th century. Escorial monastery library. Location: MONASTERIO-BIBLIOTECA-COLECCION. SAN LORENZO DEL ESCORIAL. MADRID. SPAIN. ESPIRITU SANTO.

Nicolo da Bologna, Madonna and Child Enthroned between Saints Petronius and Alle (Eligius); Christ in the Initial A, in or after 1383 Madonna and Child Enthroned between Saints Petronius and Alle (Eligius); Christ in the Initial A

Saint Christopher Carrying the Christ Child. Master of Sir John Fastolf (French, active before about 1420 - about 1450)

The Nativity. Unknown

Gregoriusmis, Israhel van Meckenem (Possibly), 1455 - 1503 print The Holy Gregorius for an altar on which Christ appears with the passion tools. Above the show, outside the plate edge, an inscription in an old hand in red ink. On the back of the leaf also handwritten text in an old hand, in black ink. Bocholt (Germany) paper engraving the mass of St. Gregory the Great: Christ appears above the altar with the instruments of the Passion; maybe blood spouts from Christ's side

Saint Francis. Master of Sir John Fastolf (French, active before about 1420 - about 1450)

The Way to Calvary and Saint Veronica with the Sudarium. Master of James IV of Scotland (Flemish, before 1465 - about 1541)

Job and his friends / Illumin. / C15th

LIBRO DE HORAS DE ISABEL LA CATOLICA - RESURRECCION DE JESUS - SIGLO XV - 21,7x14 cm. Location: MONASTERIO-BIBLIOTECA-COLECCION. SAN LORENZO DEL ESCORIAL. MADRID. SPAIN. CRISTO RESUCITADO.

The Flagellation. Master of Sir John Fastolf (French, active before about 1420 - about 1450)

Saint Leonard. Master of Sir John Fastolf (French, active before about 1420 - about 1450)

The apostle Paul and his martyrdom; S: Pauwelus: o. Print from series of twelve. Apostle Paul in frame with flowers. Circle with the representation of the beheading of Paul. Separate sheet with handwritten text in black and red.

Hannah before Eli the High Priest. Date/Period: 1637 - 1638. Folio. Tempera colors, gold paint, and gold leaf on parchment. Height: 252 mm (9.92 in); Width: 183 mm (7.20 in). Author: Malnazar.

Leaf from a Missal: The Crucifixion (Frontispiece for the Canon of the Mass), c. 1440-1450. Master of Otto van Moerdrecht (Netherlandish). Ink, tempera, and gold on vellum; sheet: 33.6 x 25.5 cm (13 1/4 x 10 1/16 in.); framed: 63.5 x 48.3 cm (25 x 19 in.); matted: 55.9 x 40.6 cm (22 x 16 in.). This splendid crucifixion scene originally served as the canon illustration in a liturgical missal. The open landscape is remarkable since it is not found in Dutch missals before the end of the 1500s. The large number of figures at the foot of the cross is also exceptional. The composition is thought to have been copied from a painting by Jan van Eyck, now lost. The painter of this miniature derives his name from the illuminations in the Old Testament commentary of Nicholas of Lyra, which Otto van Moerdrecht, canon of Utrecht Cathedral, gave to the nearby Carthusian monastery of Nieuwlicht in 1424. The style is found in several manuscripts traced to various towns in the North Netherlands. Recent

Bishop at Mass in a Historiated Initial "P" from a Choirbook. French (possibly Paris); follower of Master Honoré (French, flourished 1288-1300). Date: 1290-1310. Dimensions: 105 × 80 mm. Manuscript cutting in tempera and gold leaf, with Latin inscriptions in gothic book hand, verso, in black ink, on parchment. Origin: France. Museum: The Chicago Art Institute, USA.

The Annunciation in a Historiated Initial "M" from an Antiphonary. Italian (Lombardy). Date: 1401-1500. Dimensions: 156 x 151 mm. Manuscript cutting in tempera and gold leaf on parchment, with gothica textura inscriptions in brown black ink, verso. Origin: Italy. Museum: The Chicago Art Institute, USA.

German 15th Century, Christ on the Cross with Angels, 1483, woodcut hand-colored with gouache, printed on vellum

The Resurrection. Unknown

"Colored current-cut print by an anonymous artist dated 1460-1470 depicting the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, showing figures, gestures, and symbolic religious elements."

Book of hours. Miniature depicting, in two compartments, the Genealogy of the Virgin and its Assumption. Folio IV (broken vertically). Library of the University of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.

The Virgin and Child. Unknown

Elevation of the Sacred Host. Page on 'Gospels of Paris to use of Charles, Duke of Angouleme.' Early 16th century. French School. Donation by Cardinal Francisco Javier de Zelada in 1798 to the Cathedral of Toledo, Spain. Gothic art. Miniature Painting. SPAIN. MADRID (AUTONOMOUS COMMUNITY). Madrid. National Library. Proc: SPAIN. CASTILE-LA MANCHA. Toledo. Cathedral.

The Adoration of the Magi. Unknown

Christ Carrying the Cross; Norfolk perhaps (written), East Anglia, England; about 1190 - 1200 and text about 1480 - 1490; Tempera colors and gold leaf on parchment; Leaf: 11.9 × 17 cm (4 11,16 × 6 11,16 in.)

The Nativity. Dated: c. 1470/1480. Medium: metalcut, hand-colored in yellow, red-brown lake, and green. Museum: National Gallery of Art, Washington DC. Author: German 15th Century.

Historiated Initial (P) Excised from a Choral Book: St. Michael and the Dragon, early 1200s. North Italy, Lombardy, 13th century. Ink and tempera on parchment; sheet: 16 x 10 cm (6 5/16 x 3 15/16 in.). The Archangel Michael was traditionally held to be the protector of souls. His intercessionary and protective role is connoted by his combat with and subjugation of the dragon as related in the Apocalypse of St. John the Evangelist. The present initial F is a type known as an "inhabited" initial. Here, the initial serves as a frame providing a display area for figural representation within.

Mocking of Christ. Master of Cardinal Bourbon (French, about 1480 - 1500)

Colored woodcut by an anonymous artist dated 1450-1470 depicting a proclamation scene, showing figures, gestures, and 15th-century German religious or civic iconography.

The Virgin Before the Cross. Unknown

Illumination depicting the adoration of the Magi from the Belles Heures of Jean de France, Duc de Berry (The Beautiful Hours) an early 15th-century illuminated manuscript book of hours. Dated 15th Century

The Annunciation Book of Hours Simon Marmion (C.1425-1489 French) Manuscript The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens, San Marino, California

Saint Hedwig of Silesia with Duke Ludwig I of Liegnitz and Brieg and Duchess Agnes. Unknown maker

Birth of Christ/ Illumination

The Baptism of Christ. Unknown

The Crucifixion. Date/Period: Ca. 1510 - 1520. Folio. Tempera colors, gold, and ink on parchment. Height: 232 mm (9.13 in); Width: 167 mm (6.57 in). Author: Master of James IV of Scotland.

Book of hours. 15th century. Circumcision. "Brit milah" Jewish religious male circuncision ceremony. Conde Museum. Chantilly. France.

Self portrait of Matthew Paris c. 1200 - 1259, English Benedictine monk, chronicler and illuminated manuscripts artist, at the feet of the Virgin and Child. After 13th century manuscript.

Russian Slavonic, Orthodox Christian miniature illustrating the Apocalypse of St John. Circa 1750

The Way to Calvary. Unknown

The Baptism of Christ; York perhaps (illuminated), Northern, 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.)

Bishop at Mass in a Historiated Initial P from a Choirbook 1290-1310 France. Manuscript cutting in tempera and gold leaf, with Latin inscriptions in gothic book hand, verso, in black ink, on parchment . Master Honoré

BIBLIA DE S LUIS DE FRANCIA-1226/34- ISAAC BENDICE A ESAU-MINIATURA GOTICA. Location: CATEDRAL-BIBLIOTECA. Toledo. SPAIN. Esau. ISAAC. REBECCA.

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