CMA: Medieval Art
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cmamedieval.bsky.social
CMA: Medieval Art
@cmamedieval.bsky.social
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Sharing public domain works from the Medieval Art department of
the Cleveland Museum of Art.
Automated thanks to @andreitr.bsky.social and @botfrens.bsky.social
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cmamedieval.bsky.social
Solidus with Heraclius and his Son Heraclius Constantine https://clevelandart.org/art/1968.56
Byzantine Gold Coins The vast number of surviving Byzantine coins attests to the level of trade across the empire. Controlled and supervised by the emperor, the producers of coins took care to represent his authority and reflect his stature. Talented artists were recruited to engrave the dies (molds) used for the striking of coins. Emperors increasingly came to include their heirs and co-emperors on their coinage, as well as other family members or even earlier rulers. Coins were recognized, then as now, as small, portable works of art. With their inscriptions and images, Byzantine coins provide valuable documentation of historical events and a record of the physical appearance of the emperors. The coins shown here include the solidus, the basic gold coin of 24 karats; the tremissis, a gold coin of one-third the weight and value of the solidus; and the nomisma, which in the 10th century replaced the solidus as the standard gold coin.
December 23, 2025 at 9:06 AM
cmamedieval.bsky.social
Hours of Queen Isabella the Catholic, Queen of Spain: Fol. 9r, August - Threshing Wheat https://clevelandart.org/art/1963.256.9.a
A great lover of Flemish art, Queen Isabella treasured her many devotional books. This deluxe manuscript was created for her private devotions by highly organized and distinctly talented manuscript painters active in Ghent and Bruges. The Ghent-Bruges school represents the culmination of Flemish book painting, whose main features were the use of rich colors, illusionistic effects, a love of landscape, and a strong sense of visual narrative. Manuscripts produced by this circle of artists are renowned for their border decoration featuring a rich variety of realistically painted flowers, scrolling acanthus leaves, birds, and butterflies.
December 22, 2025 at 7:25 PM
cmamedieval.bsky.social
Hours of Charles the Noble, King of Navarre (1361-1425): fol. 263r, St. Peter https://clevelandart.org/art/1964.40.263.b
This precious volume was obviously highly prized by its owner, the French-born King of Navarre, who had his coat of arms painted on no less than twenty folios. Rather than directly commissioning this manuscript from a specific workshop, it seems that Charles the Noble acquired his book of hours -- perhaps ready-made for the luxury market -- while on a trip to Paris in 1404-05. A collaborative effort, six painting styles are evidenced within the pages of this codex, those of two Italians, two Frenchmen, and two Netherlanders. The painter who was responsible for the planning and decoration of the book, and who produced seventeen of the large miniatures, was a Bolognese artist known as the Master of the Brussels Initials. His principal assistant, responsible for most of the borders, was a Florentine who signed his name "Zecho" da Firenze on folio 208 verso.
December 22, 2025 at 4:38 PM
cmamedieval.bsky.social
Book of Hours (Use of Rouen): fol. 154v https://clevelandart.org/art/1952.227.154.b
Book of Hours (Use of Rouen): fol. 154v
December 22, 2025 at 12:22 PM
cmamedieval.bsky.social
Deep Plate with Hawk, Rabbit, and Foliage https://clevelandart.org/art/1967.138
Deep Plate with Hawk, Rabbit, and Foliage
December 22, 2025 at 10:26 AM
cmamedieval.bsky.social
Solidus with Romanus I Lecapenus and His Son Christopher (obverse) https://clevelandart.org/art/1964.422.a
Byzantine Gold Coins The vast number of surviving Byzantine coins attests to the level of trade across the empire. Controlled and supervised by the emperor, the producers of coins took care to represent his authority and reflect his stature. Talented artists were recruited to engrave the dies (molds) used for the striking of coins. Emperors increasingly came to include their heirs and co-emperors on their coinage, as well as other family members or even earlier rulers. Coins were recognized, then as now, as small, portable works of art. With their inscriptions and images, Byzantine coins provide valuable documentation of historical events and a record of the physical appearance of the emperors. The coins shown here include the solidus, the basic gold coin of 24 karats; the tremissis, a gold coin of one-third the weight and value of the solidus; and the nomisma, which in the 10th century replaced the solidus as the standard gold coin.
December 22, 2025 at 9:28 AM
cmamedieval.bsky.social
Historiated Initial (E) Excised from a Gradual: Adoration of the Magi https://clevelandart.org/art/1952.280
Historiated Initial (E) Excised from a Gradual: Adoration of the Magi
December 21, 2025 at 6:29 PM
cmamedieval.bsky.social
Two Pounds https://clevelandart.org/art/1969.214
Two Pounds
December 21, 2025 at 4:50 PM
cmamedieval.bsky.social
Tilting Suit (composed) https://clevelandart.org/art/1916.1511
This armor was developed for the joust-a sporting combat between two mounted contestants. Although all of the elements of this armor date from the same period, they are not all from the same suit. This armor is thus called "composed." It also shows the asymmetry of jousting armor. The participants rode along a wall-like barrier known as a "tilt" with their left sides facing one another. Consequently, armor on that side of the body had to be thicker. Note the large plate (grandguard) over the left shoulder for extra protection. Also, the breathing holes in the helmet were placed on the right side (farthest from an opponent's lance) to avoid injuries from splinters. The bracket attached to the right breastplate is called the lance-rest, a shock-absorbing support designed to accommodate the lance when "couched" under the right armpit.
December 21, 2025 at 4:08 PM
cmamedieval.bsky.social
Altarpiece with The Passion of Christ https://clevelandart.org/art/1951.453.c
Altarpiece with The Passion of Christ
December 21, 2025 at 10:08 AM
cmamedieval.bsky.social
Missale: Fol. 287: Saint John the Baptist https://clevelandart.org/art/2006.154.287.a
Missale: Fol. 287: Saint John the Baptist
December 21, 2025 at 9:32 AM
cmamedieval.bsky.social
Book of Hours (Use of Paris): Fol. 106r, Multiple Initials with Decorated Border https://clevelandart.org/art/1951.120.106.a
Book of Hours (Use of Paris): Fol. 106r, Multiple Initials with Decorated Border
December 20, 2025 at 6:33 PM
cmamedieval.bsky.social
Fol. 20v, Exodus, historiated initial H, Moses and two followers with the tablets of the law https://clevelandart.org/art/2008.2.20.b
Biblical manuscripts were highly prized and important possessions of churches, monasteries, cathedral schools, and universities throughout medieval Europe. The biblical texts were known as the vulgate, the translations made by Saint Jerome in the fourth century from Hebrew and Greek into Latin, which became the definitive and official Latin version of the Roman Church. In the 13th century, the bible was, for the first time, produced as a single volume with an officially sanctioned sequence to its books and chapters as illustrated by this example. The very extensive decoration of this bible is arranged hierarchically to indicate the relative importance of the various texts so that full or almost full-page initials mark the openings of the first prologue, Genesis, and the first Gospel; historiated initials mark the beginning of each book and illuminated initials mark the Prologues.
December 20, 2025 at 5:18 PM
cmamedieval.bsky.social
The Gotha Missal: Fol. 126r, Text https://clevelandart.org/art/1962.287.126.a
This elegant Latin manuscript is known today as The Gotha Missal after its eighteenth-century owners, the German Dukes of Gotha. The volume was originally copied and illuminated in Paris around 1375 -- a commission of the Valois king, Charles V "the Wise" (1364-1380), one of the great bibliophiles of the fifteenth century and brother of Dukes Philip the Bold of Burgundy and Jean de Berry. Manuscript missals were not intended for the lay user, but rather for the use of the celebrant at Mass. The present volume was therefore meant to be used by the king's private chaplain and was probably housed in Charles's private chapel, possibly in his principle residence, the Palace of the Louvre (demolished in the sixteenth century). The main decorative body of the missal consists of two full-page miniatures comprising the Canon of the Mass and twenty-three small miniatures. The style and high quality of the decoration points to its inclusion withing a select group of manuscripts accepted today as from the hand of Jean Bondol. Bondol was active at the court of Charles V from 1368 until 1381 where he headed the court workshop and also served as the king's valet de chambre. The blind-tooled leather binding dates to the fifteenth century.
December 20, 2025 at 2:10 PM
cmamedieval.bsky.social
Book of Hours (Use of Rouen): fol. 58v https://clevelandart.org/art/1952.227.58.b
Book of Hours (Use of Rouen): fol. 58v
December 20, 2025 at 9:38 AM
cmamedieval.bsky.social
Leaf Excised from a Psalter: The Ascension https://clevelandart.org/art/1953.145.2
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.
December 19, 2025 at 7:16 PM
cmamedieval.bsky.social
Hours of Charles the Noble, King of Navarre (1361-1425): fol. 2041r, Text https://clevelandart.org/art/1964.40.201.a
This precious volume was obviously highly prized by its owner, the French-born King of Navarre, who had his coat of arms painted on no less than twenty folios. Rather than directly commissioning this manuscript from a specific workshop, it seems that Charles the Noble acquired his book of hours -- perhaps ready-made for the luxury market -- while on a trip to Paris in 1404-05. A collaborative effort, six painting styles are evidenced within the pages of this codex, those of two Italians, two Frenchmen, and two Netherlanders. The painter who was responsible for the planning and decoration of the book, and who produced seventeen of the large miniatures, was a Bolognese artist known as the Master of the Brussels Initials. His principal assistant, responsible for most of the borders, was a Florentine who signed his name "Zecho" da Firenze on folio 208 verso.
December 19, 2025 at 5:12 PM
cmamedieval.bsky.social
Capital with Birds https://clevelandart.org/art/1920.754
Capital with Birds
December 19, 2025 at 4:12 PM
cmamedieval.bsky.social
Mourning Virgin https://clevelandart.org/art/1943.656
Mourning Virgin
December 19, 2025 at 12:26 PM
cmamedieval.bsky.social
The Gotha Missal: Fol. 100r, Text https://clevelandart.org/art/1962.287.100.a
This elegant Latin manuscript is known today as The Gotha Missal after its eighteenth-century owners, the German Dukes of Gotha. The volume was originally copied and illuminated in Paris around 1375 -- a commission of the Valois king, Charles V "the Wise" (1364-1380), one of the great bibliophiles of the fifteenth century and brother of Dukes Philip the Bold of Burgundy and Jean de Berry. Manuscript missals were not intended for the lay user, but rather for the use of the celebrant at Mass. The present volume was therefore meant to be used by the king's private chaplain and was probably housed in Charles's private chapel, possibly in his principle residence, the Palace of the Louvre (demolished in the sixteenth century). The main decorative body of the missal consists of two full-page miniatures comprising the Canon of the Mass and twenty-three small miniatures. The style and high quality of the decoration points to its inclusion withing a select group of manuscripts accepted today as from the hand of Jean Bondol. Bondol was active at the court of Charles V from 1368 until 1381 where he headed the court workshop and also served as the king's valet de chambre. The blind-tooled leather binding dates to the fifteenth century.
December 19, 2025 at 9:42 AM
cmamedieval.bsky.social
Portable Triptych Icon: The Resurrection and Anastasis https://clevelandart.org/art/1961.35.a
This triptych icon was probably commissioned by a lay person for private prayer and meditation. It could be folded and shut when not in use. The scenes represented from left to right are: The Crucifixion (left); The Resurrection and Anastasis (center); and Adoration of the Miracle-Working Icon of the Vladimir Mother of God (right). Small portable icons such as this were common to later Russian religious practice.
December 18, 2025 at 7:57 PM
cmamedieval.bsky.social
Hours of Queen Isabella the Catholic, Queen of Spain: Fol. 239r https://clevelandart.org/art/1963.256.239.a
This manuscript was illuminated by a circle of at least five highly organized manuscript painters active in the Flemish cities of Ghent and Bruges. The principal illuminator was Alexander Bening, who painted the majority of the book's miniatures. Manuscripts produced by this circle of artists are renowned for the decoration of their borders, which typically feature a rich variety of realistically-painted flowers, birds, and butterflies. This prayer book, called a book of hours, was intended not for a cleric, but for the private devotions of a lay person-in this case, Isabella the Catholic, Queen of Spain (1451-1504). Isabella's coat of arms embellishes the book's frontispiece. It is unlikely that the book was commissioned by the Queen herself; rather, she probably received it as a diplomatic gift from someone courting her patronage, perhaps Cardinal Francisco Jimenez de Cisneros. A Franciscan friar, Jimenez was dependent upon Isabella for his advancement, first to the post of Queen's confessor in 1492, and then to Archbishop of Toledo in 1495.
December 18, 2025 at 3:36 PM
cmamedieval.bsky.social
Hours of Queen Isabella the Catholic, Queen of Spain: Fol. 36v https://clevelandart.org/art/1963.256.36.b
This manuscript was illuminated by a circle of at least five highly organized manuscript painters active in the Flemish cities of Ghent and Bruges. The principal illuminator was Alexander Bening, who painted the majority of the book's miniatures. Manuscripts produced by this circle of artists are renowned for the decoration of their borders, which typically feature a rich variety of realistically-painted flowers, birds, and butterflies. This prayer book, called a book of hours, was intended not for a cleric, but for the private devotions of a lay person-in this case, Isabella the Catholic, Queen of Spain (1451-1504). Isabella's coat of arms embellishes the book's frontispiece. It is unlikely that the book was commissioned by the Queen herself; rather, she probably received it as a diplomatic gift from someone courting her patronage, perhaps Cardinal Francisco Jimenez de Cisneros. A Franciscan friar, Jimenez was dependent upon Isabella for his advancement, first to the post of Queen's confessor in 1492, and then to Archbishop of Toledo in 1495.
December 18, 2025 at 2:33 PM
cmamedieval.bsky.social
Hours of Charles the Noble, King of Navarre (1361-1425): fol. 236r, Text https://clevelandart.org/art/1964.40.236.a
This precious volume was obviously highly prized by its owner, the French-born King of Navarre, who had his coat of arms painted on no less than twenty folios. Rather than directly commissioning this manuscript from a specific workshop, it seems that Charles the Noble acquired his book of hours -- perhaps ready-made for the luxury market -- while on a trip to Paris in 1404-05. A collaborative effort, six painting styles are evidenced within the pages of this codex, those of two Italians, two Frenchmen, and two Netherlanders. The painter who was responsible for the planning and decoration of the book, and who produced seventeen of the large miniatures, was a Bolognese artist known as the Master of the Brussels Initials. His principal assistant, responsible for most of the borders, was a Florentine who signed his name "Zecho" da Firenze on folio 208 verso.
December 18, 2025 at 12:07 PM
cmamedieval.bsky.social
Printed Book of Hours (Use of Rome): fol. 108r, St. Bernard of Clairvaulx https://clevelandart.org/art/2009.276.108.a
Printed Book of Hours (Use of Rome): fol. 108r, St. Bernard of Clairvaulx
December 18, 2025 at 10:31 AM