Evangelica Historia

Evangelica Historia

The extraordinary manuscript L 58 sup. from the Biblioteca Ambrosiana was produced in the second half of the 14th century. Almost every page was decorated with half-page pen and ink drawings by a truly virtuoso Italian illuminator, although the first pages have unfortunately not survived the centuries. There are 160 remaining pages with a two-column Latin text and 158 miniatures, mostly arranged above it, which are characterized by a captivating dynamic, countless fascinating details, a naturalistic conception of the figures, great expressiveness and wonderful Gothic architecture.

The Life and Work of Christ

Both the text and the images tell of the life and work of Christ, but also of some of the people surrounding him. The basis for the Latin prose text in neat Textura are not only canonical Bible texts, namely the four Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles, but also apocryphal texts, i.e. writings that were not included in the Bible. For example, the Pseudo-Gospel of Matthew was used to integrate stories about Mary and her parents Anna and Joachim, but also from Jesus' childhood, into the text. The end of the manuscript also contains three passages on the Death of Pilate, based on the apocryphal text Mors Pilati, the Destruction of Jerusalem and Mary's Death and Ascension, with each new section identified by a red rubric.

Narrative Images

In the text, all these writings are brought together in a new form in order to present a comprehensive, but at the same time concise and homogeneous narration of the events surrounding Christ's time on earth to an educated lay readership. The images play a decisive role in this. Using common iconography, they visualize the stories, but make them unique with a few artistic twists and details. In the medium of pen and ink drawings, the miniatures' thoughtful detail and lifelikeness are particularly effective. While some scenes are particularly expressive due to their simple composition, others impress with the sheer number of figures, whereby not a single one has been neglected. Christ can be recognized throughout thanks to his Cross Nimbus. In some miniatures, important saints are also hierarchically emphasized by an implied 'embossing' of their halos.