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Pentecost From Lives of the Virgin and of Christ Italian (Naples), c. 1350) Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Français 9561, fol. 189v |
“Now there were devout Jews from every
nation under heaven staying in Jerusalem.
At this sound, they gathered in a large crowd”
Acts 2:5-6
While researching illustrations for the essay on Pentecost “Tongues of Fire” I came across a series of images that seem to beg for an essay of
their own. These are a series of images,
dating primarily from the fourteenth century, showing both the inside and the
outside of the building in which the disciples are experiencing the
Pentecost.
In the earliest images, from the first half of the fourteenth century, we see a scene similar to all other images of Pentecost with the disciples (and Mary) receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit as tongues of fire. However, the full image shows the building in which they are seated as if it were tilted and the roof removed. For we see, in addition to the interior, the exterior doors and, standing before the doors, people showing curiosity about what is happening inside.
Giotto, the great painter whose work injected began the development that came to be called the Renaissance produced a similar image several decades earlier.
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| Giotto, Pentecost Italian, c.1320 London, National Gallery |
As the use of perspective became better understood, this
image developed. In those images made
after 1360 we can see that the action has now been divided into two
levels. The Pentecost is occurring in
the upper level, as if it were happening in a portico on the second floor of
the house, while below, on the street, stand the curious.
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Jacopo di Cione and Workshop, Pentecost From The San Pier Maggiore Altarpiece Italian, c. 1370-1371 London, National Gallery |
Eventually, perspective developed to the point where both the interior of the building, with the scene of the Pentecost, and the outside, street scene, with its curious passersby, could be depicted with what appears to be nearly realistic.
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| Georges Trubert, Pentecost From the Prayer Book of Rene II of Lorraine French (Nancy), 1492-1493 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Latin 10491, fol. 221 |
Scripture
texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition ©
2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C.
and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All Rights Reserved. No part
of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in
writing from the copyright owner.
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