This page from the Turin-Milan Hours is the only surviving evidence for a lost painting of Christ by Jan van Eyck.
The Hours took over half a century to create, and its pages are dispersed among several collections. Several of the pages are themselves lost, having perished in a fire in 1904.
Christ Blessing (detail), about 1440–50, Master of the Berlin Crucifixion. The J. Paul Getty Museum
Beautiful.
Pretty medieval manuscript of the day depicts Christ at prayer, and in the border the betrayal. I think the mix of light and dark in this book of hours is quite enchanting.
Image source: British Library MS Egerton 1147. Image declared as public domain on the British Library website.
Pretty medieval manuscript of the day is a sumptuously illustrated leaf from a book of hours. This page shows the crucifixion, with a richly decorated border with flowers and mysterious creatures. Beautiful!
A full digitised edition is available on the main e-codices website.
Image source: Creative Commons licensed by e-codices via Flickr.
Pretty medieval manuscript of the day is a lovely illustration of the annunciation to the shepherds and the three magi. I really like this image as it seems to make the gilding jump out of the page - I think it captures the feel of handling these manuscripts really well. They sparkle, and seem to come alive in your hands. The artists who illuminated this book really put character and movement into their work. Lovely!
Image source: Creative Commons licensed by medievalfragments via Flickr.
Pretty medieval manuscript of the day is a stunning book binding depicting the crucifixion. According to the caption on Flickr, the book dates from the twelfth century, but this binding is much later. Can you spot the engraved 15—-49 above the cross? This suggests the binding was produced around that time. Isn’t it beautiful?
Image source: Creative Commons licensed by e-codices via Flickr.
Pretty medieval manuscript of the day is the De Lisle Psalter, a fascinating early fourteenth century devotional manuscript which ended up bound into a volume with two other books.
The British Library give the following description of this remarkable illustration:
Miniature of the Crucifixion, and the Tree of Life, from the De Lisle Psalter (Arundel 83 II). In the centre of the page, Christ is crucified on a slender green cross, from which grow twelve horizonal branches containing texts relating to Christ’s humanity, passion and glorification. On each side panels enclose twelve seated prophets, with six additional figures in a row below the cross, each carrying an inscribed scroll. Underneath is the prophecy of John from the Apocalypse; at the top of the cross a pelican nests with its young.
Image source: British Library MS Arundel 83 II. Image declared as public domain on the British Library website.
Pretty medieval manuscript of the day shows ‘doubting’ Thomas collapsing to the ground as he checks out Jesus’ stigmata.
Image source: British Library MS Yates Thompson 8. Image declared as public domain on the British Library website.
Pretty medieval manuscript of the day is another depiction of Christ on the road to Emmaus, walking with the two apostles. This is from the marvellously named Missal of Eberhard von Greiffenklau, one of the treasures of the Walters Museum. The lovely folks at the museum have provided the following information about the manuscript on Flickr:
The Missal of Eberhard von Greiffenklau is a masterpiece of Dutch manuscript painting. It was originally produced in the second quarter of the fifteenth century for von Greiffenklau, prebendary of Utrecht from 1446. The manuscript features work by the Masters of Zweder van Culemborg, active in the Utrecht area between 1420 and 1440, so-named after the Bishop of Utrecht 1425-33 for whom they produced a magnificent Missal in the late 1420s (now Bressanone, Bibl. del Seminario Maggiore). This Missal also features work by the celebrated Master of Catherine of Cleves, linking it to possibly the finest Dutch illuminated manuscript ever made; the Hours of Catherine of Cleves of c.1440 (Morgan Library & Museum, M.917 & M.945). This extremely elaborate Missal is illuminated with one full-page miniature, 52 column miniatures and 68 historiated initials throughout the manuscript, with the Temporal and Sanctoral sections being particularly richly decorated. In the late 15th century, a selection of prayers and sequences were added to the end of the manuscript in Germany, probably Mainz, and the volume was subsequently rebound with its current brown calf over boards, blind, rebacked binding either at that time or in the early 16th century.
Image source: Walters Museum MS 174. Creative Commons licensed via Flickr.
Pretty medieval manuscript of the day shows Christ on the road to Emmaus. He is met by two men, almost certainly meant to be the disciples who failed to recognise him. The book was produced in London in the fourteenth century, and is known as the ‘Taymouth hours’.
Image source: British Library MS Yates Thompson 13. Image declared as public domain on the British Library website.
Pretty medieval manuscript of the day is another depiction of Mary Magdalene’s encounter with Christ following the resurrection. This is from a mid-thirteenth century psalter produced in Bruges.
Image source: British Library MS Royal 2B III. Image declared as public domain on the British Library website.
Pretty medieval manuscript of the day shows the moment Mary Magdalene recognised Jesus, following the resurrection. This scene, referred to as “noli me tangere” (do not touch me) is from a lovely early-fifteenth century illustrated bible.
Image source: British Library MS Kings 5. Image declared as public domain on the British Library website.
Pretty medieval manuscript of the day is a fifteenth century prayer book showing scenes for Easter. The verso (on the left) shows the crucifixion, and the recto (on the right) shows the resurrection. I love the rather busy border.
Now belonging to the British Library, this little book started life in the low countries. The scribe was Nicolas Spierinck, who signed and dated the book 1486.
Image source: British Library MS Harley 2943. Image declared as public domain on the British Library website.
Pretty medieval manuscript of the day is depicts the entombment of Christ, an appropriate illustration for Easter-eve.
Image source: Walters Museum MS 188, Walters Museum Baltimore. Creative Commons licensed via Flickr.
Pretty medieval manuscript of the day is almost a thousand years old. This illumination depicts the crucifixion of Christ, commemorated on Good Friday in the Christian church (today!). The manuscript dates from the late eleventh century, sometime after 1073. Illustrated in the Romanesque style, it was produced in Winchester in England. The lozenges in the border depict the evangelists.
The book actually comprises parts of several books bound together. This illumination is from the first part, a book of psalms and canticles. The volume was certainly in the cathedral library at Winchester by 1099. Later in its life, presumably a result of the Reformation and dissolution, the book was in private hands. It is thought to have ended up in the personal library of Thomas Howard (1585-1646), the second earl of Arundel, fourth earl of Surrey, and first earl of Norfolk (something of a collection!). You can read a little more about him on Wikipedia. One of his successors, the sixth duke of Norfolk, gave it to the Royal Society in 1667. It was purchased by the British Museum in 1831, and has been part of the national collection at the British Library ever since.
Image source: British Library MS Arundel 60.Image declared as public domain on the British Library website.
Pretty medieval manuscript of the day depicts the Last Supper. Today is Maundy Thursday, when we remember the last supper.
Image source: British Library MS Harley 2865. Image declared as public domain on the British Library website.
