Medieval & Renaissance Manuscripts

Abrégé des histoires divines
France, possibly Amiens, between 1300 and 1310
MS M.751 fol. 1r

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Miniature:
1) Eve: Creation --God, raising right hand in blessing, grasps head of Eve with left hand. Nude Eve, with joined hands raised, emerges from back of nude Adam, supporting head with left hand, reclining on left side on ground.
2) Adam and Eve: Fall of Man --Serpent as winged two-legged dragon with head of woman wearing snood (Lilith), entwines tree flanked by nude Adam and Eve, looking toward the serpent.
3) Adam and Eve: Expulsion --Angel, raising red sword with right hand, extends left hand to back of Adam. He and Eve, both nude and covering genitals with leaves, look back at the angel.
Miniature enclosed in architectural frame; each scene against gold background, within trefoil arch below gable decorated with crockets and surmounted by fleur de lis. Atop the frame, scribe is seated in chair at desk, holding knife with left hand and pen with right hand on scroll across the desk. He looks toward man, gesturing with raised right hand, seated on bench at right, one man possibly Peter of Poitiers, Chancellor.
Right margin:
1) Creation Scene --God, nimbed, extending right hand, resting left hand on spotted globe.
2) Creation Scene --God, nimbed, raising right hand, resting left hand on spotted globe.
3) Creation Scene: 3rd Day --God, nimbed, holding with raised hands two orange objects at wavy patch of blue
4) Creation Scene: 4th Day --God, nimbed, raising right hand, grasping with left hand fish partly in water at right.
5) Creation Scene: 3rd Day --God, nimbed, raising right hand in blessing, extending left hand toward tree at right.
Scenes with gold backgrounds, all enclosed in linked medallions.
Lower margin:
Series of trefoil arches, six enclosing seated men wearing hats, gesturing, are inscribed ADAM, NOE, SEM, ABR(AHAM), YSA(A)C, IACOB. Job, wearing knotted headgear is seated below seventh arch inscribed IOB. Two men wearing conical hats stand below eighth arch inscribed IVI(F)S.