Vatican Biblia Pauperum

Vatican Biblia Pauperum

Owned by the Vatican Library, this so-called “Biblia Pauperum” features 42 vivid illustrations depicting events from the New and Old Testaments in the finest Gothic style. The codex was commissioned by Friedrich von Hohenlohe, the Prince-Bishop of Bamberg, and was created in northern Hesse in the mid-15th century. The 46 pages were later bound together with a compendium of older hagiographic and liturgical texts. This second part of the composite manuscript comprises an additional 20 pages, a portion of which can be dated to 1348. The final leaf, containing antiphons in honor of the holy imperial couple Henry II and Cunigunde, was created sometime in the 14th century.

What is a Paupers’ Bible?

A medieval Paupers’ Bible, Biblia Pauperum in Latin, is a collection of picked scenes from the Old and New Testaments. Normally, a Paupers’ Bible shows a visual depiction of one of the events in the life of Jesus Christ from the New Testament on every page. These scenes were framed mostly by four images that showed either people or scenes from the Old Testament. The Old Testament scenes were arranged around the central depiction from the New Testament and were thus set in relation to one another. The Bible stories were depicted in a purposeful, salvation-historical nexus. Pauper’s Bibles were less expensive than complete Bible codices, hence the term.

A Pleasingly Simple Style

The Bamberg Paupers’ Bible originates from the aim to familiarize the community with the Bible through vivid pictures. The majority of the population in the Middle Ages could neither read nor write. The book painter, who illuminated the work, designed his miniatures to be easily understandable and appealing. He chose luminous colors for his figures and positioned the pictures of the Old and New Testaments so that the interrelated stories were easily understood. The miniatures were supported by clarifying text passages, which were adorned with colored initials.