Leaf from a Bible with Daniel in the lions’ den aided by the prophet Habakuk
French
Description
As the sacred text of the Christian faith, the Bible was used continuously throughout the Middle Ages. By the 12th century, every monastery could be expected to own a Bible, typically produced in the monastic scriptorium, or scribal workshop, though often decorated by professional, lay artists working in the monastery. By the 13th century, professional scribes working in urban workshops, produced Bibles for preachers, scholars, and university students.
The demand for smaller and more affordable Bibles, such as this one, led to economical and ingenious use of the page. In this densely inscribed leaf, the rubrics (section headings so called because they are in red ink), are neatly and tightly integrated into the main text. At the bottom of the second column of text, the historiated initial "I" (which tells a story, or "history") shows the prophet Habakkuk—with an angel lifting him by the hair of his head—bringing food and drink to Daniel in the lions’ den.
Exhibition label text, collections gallery, by Curator Annette Dixon, April 2001
The demand for smaller and more affordable Bibles led to ingenious and economical use of teh page, as in rubrics (section headings) which are neatly integrated into the main text. The beginning of the Book of Daniel is marked by a historiated initial "I" showing Habakkuk, assisted by an angel, bringing food and drink to Daniel in the lions' den.
Subject Matter:
This manuscript page, taken from a bible, contains the prologue and opening text of the Book of Daniel. A diminutive rectangular painting marks the beginning of the book itself in the lower right column of text. Daniel, clothed in a white robe, appears at the bottom of this image within a dark enclosure surrounded by four lions. Above the enclosure stands the larger figure of the prophet Habakuk holding a jug of water and a plate of bread. With the help of an angel who suspends him by his hair, Habakuk miraculously delivers the sustaining food to Daniel.
Physical Description:
Two columns of Latin text fill this page taken from a bible manuscript. A painting in a gold rectangular frame is located in the lower right column. An angel descends from a blue semicircular disc in the upper right corner of the painting and grasps a larger figure by the hair with both hands. This second figure holds a jug in his left hand and a plate with bread in his right. A third figure, dressed in a white robe, reaches up toward this larger figure from an enclosure below. He appears against a black background and four gray animal heads overlap his torso.
Usage Rights:
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