Description
The visionary text of Saint John the Evangelist's Apocalypse, the final book of the New Testament, inspired these images of salvation, sin, and divine retribution. A large number of illustrated volumes of the Apocalypse appeared in Northern Europe, especially in England, after the year 1240-perhaps reflecting a fear of the world's end. These miniatures come from a manuscript produced in Lorraine, then artistically influenced by English models.
Provenance
Daniel Burkhardt-Wildt (1759-1819), Basel, passed to his descendants (-1819); Sale: Sotheby's, London, 25 April 1983, lot 50 & 60 (25 April 1983); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (1983-)
Accession Number
1983.73
Medium
ink, tempera, and gold on vellum
Dimensions
Sheet: 10.2 x 14.7 cm (4 x 5 13/16 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.)
Classification
Manuscript
Credit Line
Mr. and Mrs. William H. Marlatt Fund