Artwork
Manuscript Illumination with Initial V, from a Bible
Manuscript Illumination with Initial V, from a Bible is an unspecified painting. It dates from 1175 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The page is a medieval illuminated manuscript leaf featuring a large initial V that begins a biblical text.
About this work
Overview
The page is a medieval illuminated manuscript leaf featuring a large initial V that begins a biblical text. The letter is rendered in vivid blues and outlined with intricate red, green and blue scrollwork, while gold leaf highlights accentuate the design. The surrounding margins contain Latin script in red and blue ink, punctuated by small marginal numerals.
Subject & Meaning
Within the interior of the initial V a miniature scene unfolds, depicting two mounted figures amid a tangle of vines and assorted animals. The composition suggests a narrative of a hunt or martial encounter, a common allegorical motif used to illustrate themes of spiritual struggle or the triumph of virtue in biblical contexts.
Technique & Style
The swirling vegetal patterns and the tightly packed figurative vignette demonstrate the intricate, labor‑intensive hand of a professional scribe‑artist.
The illumination employs tempera pigments applied to parchment, with gold leaf applied to the letter’s outline and decorative motifs. The palette—rich reds, deep greens, and bright blues—reflects the high medieval preference for saturated colors. The swirling vegetal patterns and the tightly packed figurative vignette demonstrate the intricate, labor‑intensive hand of a professional scribe‑artist.
History & Provenance
The page originates from a Latin Bible produced in the medieval period, though the precise century and workshop remain unidentified. Such initials were typical of Western European scriptoria that catered to ecclesiastical patrons. The manuscript later entered a collection that was eventually acquired by a major museum, where it is now displayed as part of its medieval illumination holdings.
Artist & collection
