Boucicaut Master, The Seven Days of Creation From De Propertibus rerum by Barthelemy l'Anglais French (Paris), c. 1400-1425 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Francais 9141, fol. 9r |
“In the beginning, when God created the
heavens and the earth,
the earth was a formless wasteland, and darkness covered the abyss,
while a mighty wind swept over the waters.
Then God said,
"Let there be light," and there was light.
God saw how good the light was.
God then separated the light from the darkness.
God called the light "day," and the darkness he called "night."
Thus evening came, and morning followed–the first day.
Then God said,
"Let there be a dome in the middle of the waters,
to separate one body of water from the other."
And so it happened:
God made the dome,
and it separated the water above the dome from the water below it.
God called the dome "the sky."
Evening came, and morning followed–the second day.
Then God said,
"Let the water under the sky be gathered into a single basin,
so that the dry land may appear."
And so it happened:
the water under the sky was gathered into its basin,
and the dry land appeared.
God called the dry land "the earth,"
and the basin of the water he called "the sea."
God saw how good it was.
the earth was a formless wasteland, and darkness covered the abyss,
while a mighty wind swept over the waters.
Then God said,
"Let there be light," and there was light.
God saw how good the light was.
God then separated the light from the darkness.
God called the light "day," and the darkness he called "night."
Thus evening came, and morning followed–the first day.
Then God said,
"Let there be a dome in the middle of the waters,
to separate one body of water from the other."
And so it happened:
God made the dome,
and it separated the water above the dome from the water below it.
God called the dome "the sky."
Evening came, and morning followed–the second day.
Then God said,
"Let the water under the sky be gathered into a single basin,
so that the dry land may appear."
And so it happened:
the water under the sky was gathered into its basin,
and the dry land appeared.
God called the dry land "the earth,"
and the basin of the water he called "the sea."
God saw how good it was.
Then God said,
"Let the earth bring forth vegetation:
every kind of plant that bears seed
and every kind of fruit tree on earth
that bears fruit with its seed in it."
And so it happened:
the earth brought forth every kind of plant that bears seed
and every kind of fruit tree on earth that
bears fruit with its seed in it.
God saw how good it was.
Evening came, and morning followed–the third day.
Then God said:
"Let there be lights in the dome of the sky,
to separate day from night.
Let them mark the fixed times, the days and the years,
and serve as luminaries in the dome of the sky,
to shed light upon the earth."
And so it happened:
God made the two great lights,
the greater one to govern the day,
and the lesser one to govern the night;
and he made the stars.
God set them in the dome of the sky,
to shed light upon the earth,
to govern the day and the night,
and to separate the light from the darkness.
God saw how good it was.
Evening came, and morning followed–the fourth day.”
Genesis 1:1-19, Reading for February 6, Weekday Cycle 1
Some years ago I wrote an article on the iconography of the first book of Genesis, the creation of the world. Rereading it in preparation for an update this year, I have decided to alter it a bit. In fact, I have cut it in two. I hope that this will make it easier for readers to study the various ways in which the subject of the Creation has been addressed over the centuries.
I've divided it along chronological lines with the first article covering artistic representations from late antiquity through the high middle ages. The second article will cover the late middle ages, the renaissance and post-renaissance art to our own day.
I will be adding new images that I have uncovered in recent years, as well as updating the quality of the images where that is possible. Libraries and museums are continually upgrading the quality of images they make available and I try to keep up to date with that.
During the course of each year, the Catholic Church reads
almost the entire body of Scripture, both Old and New Testaments, following two
cycles of readings for the daily Masses and three cycles for the Sunday
Masses. Each Mass consists of a reading
from the Old Testament, followed by the antiphonal recitation of a Psalm, plus
a reading from the Gospels. On Sundays,
the Gospel readings for the majority of the year are drawn from each of the
Synoptic Gospels in turn, with year A being readings from the Gospel of
Matthew. Year B comes from the Gospel of Mark and Year C from the Gospel of Luke. Also on Sundays, a third
reading is added, between the Psalm and the Gospel, and may be drawn from the various Epistles.
During the Easter season, the
Old Testament readings are replaced by readings from the Acts of the Apostles
or from Revelation, while the Gospel is drawn from the Gospel of John. Also, there are set readings for certain days
of the year, for instance, the days of the Easter Triduum, that do not change
from year to year. For the Liturgical Year of 2022-2023, which began on the First Sunday of Advent at the end of November we are reading from Sunday Cycle Year A and Weekday Cycle 1.
Opening page of the Book of Genesis From a Bible Italian (Genoa), Mid-13th Century Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Latin 23, fol. 4r |
For three days at the beginning of February in Weekday Cycle
1, we are presented with the story of the
Creation from the Book of Genesis, a reading which is also heard each year at
the Easter Vigil. This beautiful and poetic
description of the creation of the universe, bears an astonishing resemblance
to the story of creation and evolution as told by scientists, from the Big Bang
to the appearance of humans. However, because it is a poetic (though logical) description and not a scientific one, the order of things is slightly
different. Most importantly, however, it
is not presented, as some seem to think, as the work of a moment, but something created and
developed over time, expressed by the word “day” (which need not mean a 24-hour
period of time). God works at it and
then, when He judges it to be complete, He rests and the processes He has begun
keep the process ongoing.
Artists often told the same story through their work,
especially those artists of the medieval period to the Renaissance who were
called on to illustrate books. I decided
that I would look at some of these to see how they illustrated some of the most
poetic words of the Bible and found that very many of them rose to the
occasion.
Creation of the World From Bible historiale by Guiard des Moulins French (Paris), c. 1300 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France Francais 155, fol. 2r |
So, I have decided to present
some of these works over two days of this three-day period, by departing a bit from my
customary practice by presenting images from the same set of books together, instead of spreading them over the "days" of God's activities. I hope that this will illuminate
some of our own understanding of how artists looked at the text and at what
inspiration they drew from each other.
Late Antiquity
There are a number of illustrated copies of the Book of
Genesis in existence. However, they have
felt the ravages of time. One of the
most important, and earliest extant, books is known as the Cotton Genesis and
is in the British Library in London. It was painted
in Egypt in the late 5th or early 6th century, giving it
a “date” of around 500. It was a large
and luxuriously produced book, replete with illustrations. Unfortunately, in 1731 the building in which
it was stored at the time, Ashburnham House, experienced a fire. Many of the books in its library burned,
including the Cotton Genesis. Only a few
shriveled and blackened pages survived. However, we can have some idea of how they were organized and how they looked
because they were copied several times.
The first record, in which they were used them as templates, is the
Creation Cupola mosaics of the Basilica of San Marco in Venice, which was
executed during the 13th Century.
Creation Mosaic Cupola after the Cotton Genesis (c. 500) Italian, c. 1215-1280 Venice, Basilica di San Marco |
In the cupola, we see three concentric rings featuring small
compartments in which appear images of the stories from the book of
Genesis. In the innermost ring are
images that tell the story of Creation up to the creation of the plants.
God Creating the World Detail from the Creation Cupola after the Cotton Genesis (c. 500) Italian, c. 1215-1280 Venice, Basilica di San Marco |
In the second ring are the stories of
Creation from the creation of the stars up to the creation of Eve.
Creation of Birds and Fish Detail from the Creation Cupola after the Cotton Genesis (c. 500) Italian, c. 1215-1280 Venice, Basilica di San Marco |
In the third, outermost ring are the stories
of what happened in the Garden of Eden that lead to the final image, which is
the expulsion of Adam and Eve from Paradise.
Temptation of Eve by the Serpent Detail from the Creation Cupola after the Cotton Genesis (c. 500) Italian, c. 1215-1280 Venice, Basilica di San Marco |
Adam and Eve Cast Out of Eden and Toiling in the World Detail from the Creation Cupola after the Cotton Genesis (c. 500) Italian, c. 1215-1280 Venice, Basilica di San Marco |
Since these mosaics were copied from the Cotton Genesis, we
know how, already at the earliest layer of Christian Biblical illumination, in
the books that were created for the use of the clergy and people within a
relatively short time following the establishment of the Church following
Constantine’s recognition, artists were depicting the events of Creation. And, for them the world, indeed the entire cosmos, appeared as a
sphere, not a flat square.
Early Medieval Period – 500-1000
In the early Medieval period I could find very
little extant evidence. This was also
the period of greatest instability for Europe, due to the barbarian invasions
of the 6th century, the forcible expansion of Islam in the 7th
and the Viking raids of the late 9th and 10th centuries. Much was probably lost in the wars and
general upheaval of this period. Some of what survived is not of very high quality.
The First Days of Creation From a Bible, known as the Pentateuque de Tours Origin unknown, c. 5th - 7th Centuries Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Nouvelle acquisition latine 2334, fol. 1v |
Where high quality work does survive, such as the luxury manuscripts produced for the Carolingian and
Ottonian courts, it appears to have a bias toward illustrating the New Testament, not the Old, and certainly not Genesis.
High Middle Ages – 1000 to 1400
The High Middle Ages were highly creative and a good deal
survives, especially for the later centuries.
Ivory Plaques, Eleventh Century
Ivory Plaque with Division of Day and Night and God Worshiped by Angels Italian (Salerno), 1001-1100 Salerno, Museo Diocesano San Matteo |
Roda Bible, 1050
Wall Painting, 1190
The Crusader Bible, 1245
Psalter-Hours of Yolande of Soissons, 1280
The First Four Days of Creation From the Crusader Bible French (Paris), c. 1245-1255 New York, Pierpont Morgan Library MS M 638, fol.1r |
The Separation of the Waters From the Psalter-Hours of Yolande of Soissons French (Amiens), c. 1280-1299 New York, Pierpont Morgan Library MS M 729, fol. 264v |
The Creation of the Plants From the Psalter-Hours of Yolande of Soissons French (Amiens), c.1280-1299 New York, Pierpont Morgan Library MS M 729, fol. 272v |
The Creation of the Birds and Animals From the Psalter-Hours of Yolande of Soissons French (Amiens), c. 1280-1299 New York, Pierpont Morgan Library MS M 729, fol. 286v |
Bible historiale, 1320, Illustrated by Richard de Montbaston
Richard de Montbaston, The Creation of the Earth From a Bible historiale French (Paris), c. 1320-1330 New York, Pierpont Morgan Library MS M 322, fol. 8r |
Richard de Montbaston, The Separation of the Waters From a Bible historiale French (Paris), c.1320-1330 New York, Pierpont Morgan Library MS M 322, fol. 9r |
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Richard de Montbaston, The Creation of the Birds and Fish From a Bible historiale French (Paris), c. 1320-1330 New York, Pierpont Morgan Library MS M 322, fol. 11r |
Bible historiale by Guiard des Moulins, 1333-1334, Illustrated by the Master of the Roman de Fauvel
Master of the Roman de Fauvel, God Creating the World From Speculum historiale by Vincent of Beauvais French (Paris), c. 1333-1334 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Francais 316, fol. 22v |
Master of the Roman de Fauvel, God Creating the Earth From Speculum historiale by Vincent of Beauvais French (Paris), c. 1333-1334 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Francais 316, fol. 23r |
Master of the Roman de Fauvel, God Creating the Sun and Moon From Speculum historiale by Vincent of Beauvais French (Paris), c. 1333-1334 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Francais 316, fol. 30v |
Master of the Roman de Fauvel, God Creating the Birds From Speculum historiale by Vincent of Beauvais French (Paris), c. 1333-1334 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Francais 316, fol. 31v |
Master of the Roman de Fauvel, The Creation of the Animals From Speculum historiale by Vincent of Beauvais French (Paris), c. 1333-1334 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Francais 316, fol. 32v |
Master of the Roman de Fauvel, The Creation of Eve From Speculum historiale by Vincent of Beauvais French (Paris), c. 1333-1334 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Francais 316, fol. 39v |
Master of the Roman de Fauvel, The Six Days of Creation From Speculum historiale by Vincent of Beauvais French (Paris), c. 1333-1334 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Francais 316, fol. 27r |
Wall Paintings from Wienhausen Abbey, 1335
The Creation of Light German, c.1335 Wienhausen, Abbey Church of Saints Mary, Alexander and Lawrence |
The Division of Water and Land German, c.1335 Wienhausen, Abbey Church of Saints Mary, Alexander and Lawrence |
The Creation of the Stars German, c.1335 Wienhausen, Abbey Church of Saints Mary, Alexander and Lawrence |
The Creation of Birds and Fish German, c.1335 Wienhausen, Abbey Church of Saints Mary, Alexander and Lawrence |
The Creation of Animals and Man German, c.1335 Wienhausen, Abbey Church of Saints Mary, Alexander and Lawrence |
From a copy of the Bible historiale by Guiard des Moulins, from around 1350
God the Creator From a Bible historiale by Guiard des Moulins French (Paris), c. 1350-1375 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Francais 2, fol. 3r |
God Creating the World From a Bible historiale by Guiard des Moulins French (Paris), c. 1350-1375 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Francais 2, fol. 4r |
The Creation of the Sun and Moon From a Bible historiale by Guiard des Moulins French (Paris), c. 1350-1375 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Francais 2, fol. 5r |
The Creation of the Fishes From a Bible historiale by Guiard des Moulins French (Paris), c. 1350-1375 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Francais 2, fol. 5v |
The Creation of Eve From a Bible historiale by Guiard des Moulins French (Paris), c. 1350-1375 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Francais 2, fol. 8r |
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And, another example of a Bible historiale illuminated by an artist known as the Master of the Breviary of Senlis, also from around 1350
Master of the Breviary of Senlis, God Creating Plants From a Bible historiale completée by Guiard des Moulins French (Paris), c. 1350-1375 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Francais 161, fol. 4v |
Master of the Breviary of Senlis, The Creation of Eve From a Bible historiale completée by Guiard des Moulins French (Paris), c. 1350-1375 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Francais 161, fol. 6v |
Weltkronik, 1355
Separation of the Waters from Weltkronik German (Regensburg), 1355-1365 New York, Pierpont Morgan Library MS M 769, fol. 7r |
Creation of the Earth from Weltkronik German (Regensburg), 1355-1365 New York, Pierpont Morgan Library MS M 769, fol. 7v |
Creation of Plants from Weltkronik German (Regensburg), 1355-1365 New York, Pierpont Morgan Library MS M 769, fol. 8r |
Creation of Sun, Moon and Stars from Weltkronik German (Regensburg), 1355-1365 New York, Pierpont Morgan Library MS M 769, fol. 8r |
Creation of the Birds and Fish from Weltkronik German (Regensburg), 1355-1365 New York, Pierpont Morgan Library MS M769, fol. 8v "Fish" in this instance includes mermaids! |
Creation of Eve from Weltkronik German (Regensburg), 1355-1365 New York, Pierpont Morgan Library MS M 769, fol. 9r |
Wall Painting, Creation of the World by Giusto Menabuoi, 1378
Giusto de'Menabuoi, Creation of the World Italian, c.1378 Padua, Baptistery In this painting, the Sun, Moon and Stars are represented by the signs of the Zodiac. |
Book of Hours, 1385, Illustrated by Giovanni di Benedetto and Collaborators
Giovanni d Benedetto and Collaborators, The Creation of the World From a Book of Hours Italian (Milan), c. 1385-1390 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Latin 757, fol. 24r |
Giovanni d Benedetto and Collaborators, The Separation of Earth and Water From a Book of Hours Italian (Milan), c. 1385-1390 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Latin 757, fol. 28r |
Giovanni d Benedetto and Collaborators. The Creation of the Sun, Moon and Stars From a Book of Hours Italian (Milan), c. 1385-1390 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Latin 757, fol. 41r |
Giovanni d Benedetto and Collaborators. The Creation of the Plants From a Book of Hours Italian (Milan), c. 1385-1390 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Latin 757, fol. 37r |
Giovanni d Benedetto and Collaborators, The Creation of the Birds and Fish From a Book of Hours Italian (Milan), c. 1385-1390 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Latin 757, fol. 45r |
Part Two (here) will review the artistic imagination from 1400 to the present time.
© M. Duffy, 2017, revised 2023
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