Legacies

These two panels were mounted on a wall as part of the exhibit. They are on loan from our National Gallery, and date circa 1450-1500. Thought to be done by the Italian Neri di Bicci, these angels may have been part of the altarpiece The Assumption Of The Virgin at the Spini chapel in Santa Trinita Church in Florence.

Here we have Scripture. Dating circa 1420-1440, and done on vellum in Latin, this contains the Epistle to the Colossians from the New Testament. It is on loan to the exhibit from the rare books collection at McGill University in Montreal, which also loaned the last item I'll show today.

Below are papal seals. The first was attached to a document from Pope Urban VI, whose reign was from 1378-1389, and whose reign saw the start of the Western Schism and period of two rival popes. The second was that of Martin V, whose papacy picked up when the Schism ended in 1417 and lasted until 1431.

Thematic panels continued to lead the way.

These lead glazed earthenware tiles depict mythical creatures like dragons. They date to the 13th century, when common beliefs held that such creatures still existed in far off lands.

Here we have another of the tapestries from the Victoria and Albert Museum. This depicts wild men and wild women around those mythical creatures, and dates back to that period as well. Tapestry design became an art throughout the medieval age, across Europe. This one was likely made in what is now Switzerland.

It wasn't just religious or courtly life that marked the middle ages in Europe. Life in general was part of this exhibit, in terms of utensils you might find for eating, and medical matters.

The black death, or bubonic plague, lingered over Europe in the 14th century, killing millions. This is explored in this display case and panels. The doctor's mask of the time, meant to stave off infections, is a reproduction of a model that was done around 1700. A few days before I had come to the exhibit, I had watched Inferno again, the most recent of the Dan Brown adaptations, and those masks appear in the film.

I finish this look at the exhibit with a page from the Gutenberg Bible, a legacy of the medieval era. The printer made it possible for thousands of pages of a manuscript to be made, and was a significant factor in the passage from the Middle Ages into the Renaissance and Reformation. This page is from the book of Jeremiah, and dates to 1455. Tomorrow we'll have some more views from around the museum, as I can never resist going down into the Grand Hall.