Medieval & Renaissance Manuscripts

Compilatio historiarum / Giovanni, da Udine
Switzerland, Basel, ca. 1476
MS M.158 fol. 29v

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Miniature, upper left: 1) Christ: Flight into Egypt -- Joseph the Carpenter, wearing headgear, with walking stick under belt, raises water-bottle to mouth with left hand and with right hand holds rope tied around neck of ass, on which is mounted Virgin Mary, nimbed, veiled, holding with both hands nude Christ Child, cross-nimbed, all on path in landscape, buildings on hillock in background. Miniature, lower left: 2) Jeremiah: Idol of Egypt -- On bench, crowned female figure, representing Egyptian idol, with right hand supports suckling child and with left hand holds flowering branch, flanked by candles in two candlesticks. Scene in room with tiled floor. Miniature, upper right: 3) Moses: Child at Court of Pharaoh -- Pharaoh, seated on canopied throne, extends hands to nude Moses, as youth, holding piece of coal in left hand and extending right hand to coals in basin with handle grasped by both hands of male attendant, wearing hat. In background, man, wearing hat, holds piece of coal with left hand and raises right forefinger to indicate scene; broken crown on tiled floor in foreground. Miniature, lower right: 4) Nebuchadnezzar: Dream I -- Nebuchadnezzar, crowned, eyes closed, resting head on right hand on pillow, reclines on bed. Statue of nude idol, crowned, holding bannered spear with right hand and shield with left, stands on pedestal next to the bed. Scene in bedroom with tiled floor. Miniatures for Richel’s Spiegel der Menschlichen Behältnis (Basel: 1476) with biblical quotes, commentary and abbreviated extracts, in German, of Chapter 11 in the Speculum Humanae Salvationis.