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Curtain of the Tabernacle, one of six illustrated leaves from the Postilla Litteralis (Literal Commentary) of Nicholas of Lyra

ca. 1360–1380
Not on view
One of the most influential university texts of the Middle Ages, the Postilla litteralis provided an extended commentary on the entire Christian Bible. Its author, Nicholas of Lyra, who taught at the University of Paris, was particularly interested in architecture and included numerous diagrams of biblical structures to clarify his explanations. This leaf accompanies a discussion of the Tabernacle from the book of Exodus. It shows the ten panels of the curtain ordered by God to be made “of violet and purple, and scarlet twice-dyed, and fine, twisted linen.”

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Curtain of the Tabernacle, one of six illustrated leaves from the Postilla Litteralis (Literal Commentary) of Nicholas of Lyra
  • Date: ca. 1360–1380
  • Culture: French
  • Medium: Opaque watercolor, iron-gall ink and gold on vellum
  • Dimensions: 16 1/2 x 9 3/4 in. (41.9 x 24.8 cm)
    Mat: 22 × 16 in. (55.9 × 40.6 cm)
  • Classification: Manuscripts and Illuminations
  • Credit Line: The Cloisters Collection, 2011
  • Object Number: 2011.20.1
  • Curatorial Department: Medieval Art and The Cloisters

More Artwork

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Elevation of Solomon's Temple, one of six illustrated leaves from the Postilla Litteralis (Literal Commentary) of Nicholas of Lyra, Opaque watercolor, iron-gall ink and gold on vellum, French
Elevation of Solomon's Temple, one of six illustrated leaves from the Postilla Litteralis (Literal Commentary) of Nicholas of Lyra
French
ca. 1360–1380
Brazen Sea, one of six illustrated leaves from the Postilla Litteralis (Literal Commentary) of Nicholas of Lyra, Opaque watercolor, iron-gall ink and gold on vellum, French
Brazen Sea, one of six illustrated leaves from the Postilla Litteralis (Literal Commentary) of Nicholas of Lyra
French
ca. 1360–1380
Arrangement of the Levite Camps around the Tabernacle, one of six illustrated leaves from the Postilla Litteralis (Literal Commentary) of Nicholas of Lyra, Opaque watercolor, iron-gall ink and gold on vellum, French
Arrangement of the Levite Camps around the Tabernacle, one of six illustrated leaves from the Postilla Litteralis (Literal Commentary) of Nicholas of Lyra
French
ca. 1360–1380
Floor Plan of the Tabernacle, one of six illustrated leaves from the Postilla Litteralis (Literal Commentary) of Nicholas of Lyra, Opaque watercolor, iron-gall ink and gold on vellum, French
Floor Plan of the Tabernacle, one of six illustrated leaves from the Postilla Litteralis (Literal Commentary) of Nicholas of Lyra
French
ca. 1360–1380
Initial "V" from the commentary of Nehemiah, one of six illustrated leaves from the Postilla Litteralis (Literal Commentary) of Nicholas of Lyra, Opaque watercolor, iron-gall ink and gold on vellum, French
Initial "V" from the commentary of Nehemiah, one of six illustrated leaves from the Postilla Litteralis (Literal Commentary) of Nicholas of Lyra
French
ca. 1360–1380

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