To Hell and Back: Dante’s Inferno in Art and Film
UPDATE: The screening of the 1911 film L’Inferno, scheduled for Saturday, June 23, at 3:00 p.m., has been cancelled. We apologize for the inconvenience.... Read More
illuminated manuscripts
Illuminating the End of Time
2012 was the year proclaimed as the end of time by Mayan hieroglyphs, extra-terrestrial communicators, and bad disaster movies. The Getty Apocalypse, a medieval... Read More
The Manuscript Files: An Impish Ape in a Medieval Zoo
One of my favorite acquisitions of the past five years in the Getty’s manuscript collection is the Northumberland Bestiary (Ms. 100), featured currently in... Read More
The Manuscript Files: Dancing Your Way to the End of the World
The current exhibition Gothic Grandeur features a number of works illustrating the Apocalypse, the last book of the Bible that recounts Saint John’s vision... Read More
The Manuscript Files: Medieval Children’s Games
The current exhibition Gothic Grandeur abounds with images in the margin. These charming and often humorous additions, called marginalia (Latin for “things in the... Read More
The Manuscript Files: A Demon Whispering Sweet Nothings
One of my favorite details from the current exhibition Gothic Grandeur comes from a French psalter of the early 1200s. A hallmark of Gothic... Read More
The Manuscript Files: A Medieval Holiday Message
On the opening page of the Abbey Bible, the first image we encounter is this roundel containing a scene of the Nativity of Christ.... Read More
The Manuscript Files: A Medieval Marilyn?
The luxuriant locks sported by this medieval figure might seem to say more “Marilyn Monroe” than “Saint John.” Both he and the movie star... Read More
Time for a Manuscript Close-Up! Welcoming the Abbey Bible to the Museum
The 13th-century illuminated manuscript known as the Abbey Bible recently joined the collection of the Getty Museum—and when the special book arrived, the task... Read More
See the Book That Was Kept in Storage for 800 Years
One of the most exciting aspects of curatorial work is the privilege of bringing you great works of art that were rarely seen before... Read More
Far from Marginal: Images in the Margins of the Abbey Bible
We use the word “marginal” to dismiss something as unimportant or trivial. But images in the margins of medieval books are so important they... Read More
Have You Seen an Illuminated Manuscript Lately?
The Getty Center is one of few places in the United States where you can see medieval and Renaissance illuminated manuscripts year-round. With three or... Read More