iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

CMA: Medieval Art

@cmamedieval.bsky.social

804 followers 3 following 3.7K posts

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

Posts Replies Media

CMA: Medieval Art @cmamedieval.bsky.social · 9h

Half Angel clevelandart.org/art/1969.171

Half Angel

000

CMA: Medieval Art @cmamedieval.bsky.social · 10h

Gospel Book with Commentaries: Portrait of Luke clevelandart.org/art/1942.152.200.a

Each of the four gospels in this book opens on a page with brilliantly illuminated borders depicting the author of the text as well as birds-principally peacocks, symbols of the immortality of the soul-and fountains, representing the fountain of life and the salvation of the soul. This volume consists of 428 leaves with texts in Greek. Its level of sophistication suggests that it was probably written and decorated in a monastery in Constantinople.

000

CMA: Medieval Art @cmamedieval.bsky.social · 12h

Hours of Charles the Noble, King of Navarre (1361-1425): fol. 241r, Text clevelandart.org/art/1964.40.241.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.

CMA: Medieval Art @cmamedieval.bsky.social · 16h

Falconet with Arms of Alessandro Farnese, Pope Paul III (1534-1549) clevelandart.org/art/1916.1903

Falconet with Arms of Alessandro Farnese, Pope Paul III (1534-1549)

CMA: Medieval Art @cmamedieval.bsky.social · 18h

Hours of Queen Isabella the Catholic, Queen of Spain: Fol. 111v clevelandart.org/art/1963.256.111.b

Hours of Queen Isabella the Catholic, Queen of Spain: Fol. 111v

000

CMA: Medieval Art @cmamedieval.bsky.social · 13/10/2026

Book of Hours (Use of Rouen): fol. 61r clevelandart.org/art/1952.227.61.a

Book of Hours (Use of Rouen): fol. 61r

000

CMA: Medieval Art @cmamedieval.bsky.social · 13/10/2026

Candlestick clevelandart.org/art/1961.25.1

Candlestick

CMA: Medieval Art @cmamedieval.bsky.social · 13/10/2026

Hours of Queen Isabella the Catholic, Queen of Spain: Fol. 115r clevelandart.org/art/1963.256.115.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.

000

CMA: Medieval Art @cmamedieval.bsky.social · 13/10/2026

Spouted Pitcher clevelandart.org/art/1956.32

A large quantity of tableware survives from the Roman Empire, including this piece from Antioch and the Eastern Mediterranean. Most of the recovered groups of silver seem to have been hoards concealed during times of trouble. A complete table service, called a <em>ministerium</em> in Latin and a synthesis in Greek, consisted of silver for eating and drinking: trays, platters, plates, dishes, spoons, pepper dispensers, goblets, pitchers, ladles, and bowls. The god of wine, Dionysos, was frequently depicted on drinking and eating vessels.

000

CMA: Medieval Art @cmamedieval.bsky.social · 13/10/2026

The Birth and Naming of John the Baptist clevelandart.org/art/1975.3

This painting was once a panel from the important five-panel altarpiece commissioned by Queen Isabella for the Carthusian monastery of Miraflores near Burgos, site of the royal tombs of her parents and brother. The altarpiece, of which the other panels survive, was likely painted during the artist’s early employment at the royal court. Typical of Flemish art of the period with its love of naturalistic detail and almost photographic depiction of a domestic interior, this scene suggests a comfortable burgher’s home in 15th-century Ghent or Bruges in which the artist transforms a contemporary setting to frame the story of the birth of John the Baptist. Having just given birth, Elizabeth lies in bed. Nearby, her cousin, the Virgin Mary, presents the newly born child to his elderly father, Zacharias. Having lost his ability to speak when he doubted an angel’s prophecy of the child’s birth, Zacharias writes the chosen name for his son. At this moment, his speech is restored.

CMA: Medieval Art @cmamedieval.bsky.social · 12/10/2026

Hours of Charles the Noble, King of Navarre (1361-1425): fol. 230r, Text clevelandart.org/art/1964.40.230.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.

CMA: Medieval Art @cmamedieval.bsky.social · 12/10/2026

Two Pounds clevelandart.org/art/1969.214

Two Pounds

000

CMA: Medieval Art @cmamedieval.bsky.social · 12/10/2026

Hours of Queen Isabella the Catholic, Queen of Spain: Fol. 154v, Death of the Virgin clevelandart.org/art/1963.256.154.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.

CMA: Medieval Art @cmamedieval.bsky.social · 12/10/2026

Double Column Base clevelandart.org/art/1916.2057

Double Column Base

CMA: Medieval Art @cmamedieval.bsky.social · 12/10/2026

The Annunciation (Matins, Office of the Virgin): Leaf from a Book of Hours (1 of 3 Excised Leaves) clevelandart.org/art/2001.80

Unusual in French manuscript painting of the period, certain fuschia pinks and bright acid greens characterize the painting's palette. Set in the foreground of the miniatures, against deep, pale blue landscapes, are figures draped in brilliant orange, deep raspberry reds, and enamel blue. The miniatures are either surrounded by illusionistic borders in the Flemish style or else enclosed within "Fontainebleau"-style architectural frames, as in this example. The 1520s Hours Workshop primarily produced jewel-like luxury books of hours for a wealthy clientele. Until recently, the workshop was believed to be located in Tours on the Loire River. However, evidence points to Paris as the site of the workshop's activity under the direction of the Antwerp-born miniaturist Noël Bellemare (died 1546).

CMA: Medieval Art @cmamedieval.bsky.social · 11/10/2026

Hours of Charles the Noble, King of Navarre (1361-1425): fol. 183r, Text clevelandart.org/art/1964.40.183.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.

CMA: Medieval Art @cmamedieval.bsky.social · 11/10/2026

Executioner's Sword clevelandart.org/art/1916.1616

Executioner's Sword

CMA: Medieval Art @cmamedieval.bsky.social · 11/10/2026

Canon Page from a Missal: Christ in Majesty with Evangelists clevelandart.org/art/1952.5

Canon Page from a Missal: Christ in Majesty with Evangelists

CMA: Medieval Art @cmamedieval.bsky.social · 11/10/2026

Hours of Charles the Noble, King of Navarre (1361-1425): fol. 245r, Text clevelandart.org/art/1964.40.245.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.

CMA: Medieval Art @cmamedieval.bsky.social · 10/10/2026

Powder Flask clevelandart.org/art/1916.60

Powder flasks are small, portable containers designed to hold gunpowder. From the 1400s to the 1800s, powder flasks were indispensable for charging and priming firearms of all types. Without powder flasks firearms were of little use to their owners. Many highly decorated flasks rank as works of art.

CMA: Medieval Art @cmamedieval.bsky.social · 10/10/2026

Hours of Queen Isabella the Catholic, Queen of Spain: Fol. 215r clevelandart.org/art/1963.256.215.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.

000

CMA: Medieval Art @cmamedieval.bsky.social · 10/10/2026

The Gotha Missal: Fol. 105r, Text clevelandart.org/art/1962.287.105.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.

CMA: Medieval Art @cmamedieval.bsky.social · 10/10/2026

The Gotha Missal: Fol. 29v, Text clevelandart.org/art/1962.287.29.b

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" (reigned 1364–80), one of the great bibliophiles of the 1400s and brother of Dukes Philip the Bold of Burgundy and Jean de Berry. Manuscript missals were not intended for the lay user; the present volume was 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 1500s). The main decorative body of the missal consists of two full-page miniatures comprising the Canon of the Mass and 23 small miniatures. The style and high quality of the decoration points to its inclusion within a select group of manuscripts accepted today by the hand of Jean Bondol. Bondol was active at the court of Charles V from 1368 until 1381, where he was head of the court workshop and also served as the king's valet de chambre. The blind-tooled leather binding dates to the 1400s.

CMA: Medieval Art @cmamedieval.bsky.social · 10/10/2026

Leaf from a Gradual: Initial (G) with Christ, the Virgin, and Apostles clevelandart.org/art/1950.391

Leaf from a Gradual: Initial (G) with Christ, the Virgin, and Apostles

CMA: Medieval Art @cmamedieval.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

Broad [pattern] clevelandart.org/art/1969.198

Broad [pattern]

CMA: Medieval Art @cmamedieval.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

Two-Handled "Oak Leaf" Drug Jar with Male and Female Portraits clevelandart.org/art/1943.54

CMA: Medieval Art @cmamedieval.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

Single-Edged Knife (Scramasax) clevelandart.org/art/1919.1015

The scramasax, a single-edged knife, was a general purpose implement. It could serve equally well as a tool or as a weapon and generally did not exceed 12 inches in length. As with most objects of the Migration period, iron weapons survive as excavated grave goods and tend to be heavily corroded. The grips, now missing, were probably fashioned from wood or bone and silver inlay decorated the pommels (the knob on the hilt, or handle). The ornamental gold foil bands, perhaps from the original scabbards (the cases in which the blades of swords or daggers are kept) have survived relatively intact.

CMA: Medieval Art @cmamedieval.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

Blood Reliquary (lid) clevelandart.org/art/1950.365.b

Blood Reliquary (lid)

000

CMA: Medieval Art @cmamedieval.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

Relatio on St. Elizabeth of Portugal clevelandart.org/art/1989.254

Relatio on St. Elizabeth of Portugal

000

CMA: Medieval Art @cmamedieval.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

The Gotha Missal: Fol. 132v, Text clevelandart.org/art/1962.287.132.b

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.

CMA: Medieval Art @cmamedieval.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

The Gotha Missal: Fol. 48r, Text clevelandart.org/art/1962.287.48.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.

CMA: Medieval Art @cmamedieval.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

Broad [pattern] (obverse) clevelandart.org/art/1969.197.a

Broad [pattern] (obverse)

000

CMA: Medieval Art @cmamedieval.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

Helmet with Barred Visor clevelandart.org/art/1916.1084

Helmet with Barred Visor

CMA: Medieval Art @cmamedieval.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

Brooch clevelandart.org/art/1918.932

Brooch

CMA: Medieval Art @cmamedieval.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Sovereign of Thirty Shillings (reverse) clevelandart.org/art/1969.181.b

Sovereign of Thirty Shillings (reverse)

000

CMA: Medieval Art @cmamedieval.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

The Gotha Missal: Fol. 150r, Text clevelandart.org/art/1962.287.150.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.

000

CMA: Medieval Art @cmamedieval.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Miniature from a Manuscript of the Apocalypse: The Woman Clothed with the Sun and The War in Heaven clevelandart.org/art/1983.73.2

The visionary text of St. 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.

CMA: Medieval Art @cmamedieval.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Crossbow Bolt clevelandart.org/art/1916.1756

Crossbow Bolt

000

CMA: Medieval Art @cmamedieval.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Book of Hours (Use of Rouen): fol. 30v clevelandart.org/art/1952.227.30.b

Book of Hours (Use of Rouen): fol. 30v

CMA: Medieval Art @cmamedieval.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

The Gotha Missal: Fol. 8r, Text clevelandart.org/art/1962.287.8.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.

000

CMA: Medieval Art @cmamedieval.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Leaf from a Book of Hours: The Crucifixion clevelandart.org/art/2011.58

The Master of Guillebert de Mets is named after the scribe who records his name in an illuminated copy of the <em>Decameron</em>, made for Duke Philip the Good of Burgundy, and for which he contributed many of its miniatures. He was active from about 1410 to 1445. So far there is no proof that allows us to follow his career or to know precisely where he worked. Calendars in other manuscripts with which he is associated suggest his shop may have been in Tournai, Liège, Bruges, and more credibly, Ghent. His commissions may have been linked to the itinerant Burgundian court, though no original provenance survives for any of his manuscripts. The Master of Guillebert de Mets painted in an easily recognizable style. His figures have prominent heads with well-delineated eyes and small mouths, slender torsos with thin, spindly legs, and long, finely worked fingers. Many of his miniatures, such as The Crucifixion and The Last Judgment here, show that he often favored mosaic backgrounds of delicately worked checkered patterns.

CMA: Medieval Art @cmamedieval.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Pilgrim’s Flask clevelandart.org/art/1999.234

After the Crusader conquest of the Holy Land in 1099, Jerusalem experienced a revival of Christian pilgrimage. During the 12th century, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher was rebuilt, redecorated, and reconsecrated. With the influx of new pilgrims, especially from Western Europe, lead ampullae (small flasks) such as this very rare example were briefly reintroduced. The flask was cast with images of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and Christ’s Descent into Limbo (Anastasis), establishing a visual connection with the holy sites of Christ’s death and entombment.

CMA: Medieval Art @cmamedieval.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Earring clevelandart.org/art/1975.48.2

Earring

000

CMA: Medieval Art @cmamedieval.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Hours of Queen Isabella the Catholic, Queen of Spain: Fol. 248r clevelandart.org/art/1963.256.248.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.

CMA: Medieval Art @cmamedieval.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Icon of the Mother of God and Infant Christ (Virgin Eleousa) clevelandart.org/art/2010.154

This type of icon is known as the Virgin Eleousa (Virgin of Tenderness) characterized by the touching cheeks of mother and child in a loving moment. The icon signifies Christ’s incarnation, suffering, and death for the sake of humankind. Three ornamental stars on the Virgin’s cloak are traditional symbols of her chastity; a blue cap covers her hair and protects her modesty. The child wears a pale green tunic and deep orange cloak, both highlighted in gold. The Christ Child holds a scroll tied with a ribbon, a symbol of the Gospels. The icon was painted by the Cretan icon painter Akotantos, the preeminent artistic personality on Crete during the 1400s. This icon is from his period of greatest activity and pre-dates the collapse of Constantinople in 1453. The treatment of the faces and draperies is handled with fluency and skill and reveals Akotantos to be a painter of great talent. Given its large scale, the icon was intended for use within an orthodox church, possibly a monastery, and not for a private home.

CMA: Medieval Art @cmamedieval.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Hours of Queen Isabella the Catholic, Queen of Spain: Fol. 112v clevelandart.org/art/1963.256.112.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.

CMA: Medieval Art @cmamedieval.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Book of Hours (Use of Rouen): fol. 61v clevelandart.org/art/1952.227.61.b

Book of Hours (Use of Rouen): fol. 61v

000

CMA: Medieval Art @cmamedieval.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Hours of Queen Isabella the Catholic, Queen of Spain: Fol. 108v clevelandart.org/art/1963.256.108.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.

CMA: Medieval Art @cmamedieval.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

The Gotha Missal: Fol. 62r, Text clevelandart.org/art/1962.287.62.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.

000

CMA: Medieval Art @cmamedieval.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Hours of Queen Isabella the Catholic, Queen of Spain: Fol. 78r clevelandart.org/art/1963.256.78.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.