Sundial of Ahaz, leaf from the Postilla Litteralis (Literal Commentary) of Nicholas of Lyra
Not on view
With its fan-like shapes that seem to flutter across the page, this leaf exemplifies the medieval diagrammatic tradition at its best. What feels like elements lifted from a 20th century-century watercolor are in fact abstract sundials used to illustrate a fine point of 14th-century biblical exegesis.
The leaf comes from the landmark study of Nicholas of Lyra (1270-1349), Master of Theology of the University of Paris, which provided commentary on every book of the Bible. The story here, found in both Isaiah (38:1-8) and 2 Kings (20:1-11), recounts God’s willingness to turn the shadow of the sun back 10 degrees—approximately one hour--as a sign to the Judean King Hezekiah. The illustrations on this leaf present two different ways of charting the miraculous reversal of time.
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