Illustrated Beatus manuscripts bring to life an extraordinary vision of the end of the world, as recorded by Saint John in the Apocalypse (Book of Revelation) and filtered through the lens of Beatus of Liébana, an eighth-century Asturian monk. These manuscripts are unique to medieval Spain and a testament to the pervasive artistry and intellectual milieu of monastic culture there. The leaf shown here comes from a manuscript disassembled in the 1870s.
In the top register, the seven angels are depicted holding vessels (rendered in cross section) containing the seven last plagues. Below, the celebrants play musical instruments before the Lamb of God, who carries a Greek type of processional cross. The celebrants sing, "Great and wonderful are thy works, O Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways; O King of ages." (Apoc. 15.3)
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Title:Leaf from a Beatus Manuscript: Seven Angels Hold the Cups of the Seven Last Plagues; The Hymn of the Lamb
Date:ca. 1180
Culture:Spanish
Medium:Tempera, gold, and ink on parchment
Dimensions:Overall (folio): 17 1/2 x 11 13/16 in. (44.5 x 30 cm) Mat: 22 x 16 in. (55.9 x 40.6 cm)
Classification:Manuscripts and Illuminations
Credit Line:Purchase, The Cloisters Collection, Rogers and Harris Brisbane Dick Funds, and Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, 1991
Accession Number:1991.232.14
From the Benedictine monastery of San Pedro de Cardeña, Burgos.; Victor Martin Le Roy, Neuilly-sur-Seine ; Jean-Joseph Marquet de Vasselot, Paris ; [ Alain Moatti, Paris (sold 1991)]
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