Walters Art Museum Illuminated Manuscripts
Gospel Book, The Nativity; Abraham, David, Jesus Christ; Evangelist Matthew, Walters Manuscript W.522, fol. 12r
This Gospel book was likely created in the capital of the Byzantine Empire, Constantinople, in the eleventh century. The manuscript is remarkable on account of its exceptionally small size, as well as the high quality of its script and miniatures. Its extensive image cycle includes six full-page miniatures, four half-page miniatures, four historiated initials, and marginalia.
An image of the Nativity sometimes (as here) serves as a headpiece for Matthew's Gospel, because the first important liturgical reading in the Gospel of Matthew is the one for Christmas. The image is very worn: most of the paint has flaked, laying bare the preliminary ink drawing. However, one can still make out the three angels in the upper left corner, raising their hands in veneration toward the star of Bethlehem (Luke 2:13). In the upper right, corner an angel talks to the shepherds (Luke 2:8-12). On the left below, Joseph sits deep in though at the mystery of the Incarnation. Next to him, the newborn Jesus is being washed by his two midwives (the tub resembles a baptismal font). In the center, the Virgin lies on a red bedsheet next to her infant son. The vertical stroke of the initial letter B in Matthew 1:1 ("*B*ook of the generation...") is formed by a figure of the evangelist, pen in hand. He is actually writing the text that we read on the page. This is the very beginning of the Gospel, where Christ's genealogy is recounted. Correspondingly, the three standing figures in the side margin form a sort of abbreviated family tree of the Savior: Abraham above, David in the middle, and Jesus Himself at the bottom.
To explore fully digitized manuscripts with a virtual page-turning application, please visit Walters Ex Libris.
Gospel Book, The Nativity; Abraham, David, Jesus Christ; Evangelist Matthew, Walters Manuscript W.522, fol. 12r
This Gospel book was likely created in the capital of the Byzantine Empire, Constantinople, in the eleventh century. The manuscript is remarkable on account of its exceptionally small size, as well as the high quality of its script and miniatures. Its extensive image cycle includes six full-page miniatures, four half-page miniatures, four historiated initials, and marginalia.
An image of the Nativity sometimes (as here) serves as a headpiece for Matthew's Gospel, because the first important liturgical reading in the Gospel of Matthew is the one for Christmas. The image is very worn: most of the paint has flaked, laying bare the preliminary ink drawing. However, one can still make out the three angels in the upper left corner, raising their hands in veneration toward the star of Bethlehem (Luke 2:13). In the upper right, corner an angel talks to the shepherds (Luke 2:8-12). On the left below, Joseph sits deep in though at the mystery of the Incarnation. Next to him, the newborn Jesus is being washed by his two midwives (the tub resembles a baptismal font). In the center, the Virgin lies on a red bedsheet next to her infant son. The vertical stroke of the initial letter B in Matthew 1:1 ("*B*ook of the generation...") is formed by a figure of the evangelist, pen in hand. He is actually writing the text that we read on the page. This is the very beginning of the Gospel, where Christ's genealogy is recounted. Correspondingly, the three standing figures in the side margin form a sort of abbreviated family tree of the Savior: Abraham above, David in the middle, and Jesus Himself at the bottom.
To explore fully digitized manuscripts with a virtual page-turning application, please visit Walters Ex Libris.