Bifolia with Scenes from the Life of Christ
Unknown Artist
1230–1240
Medium
tempera, and gold on vellum
Dimensions
30.7 × 45.2 cm · framed: 48.3 × 63.5 cm
Classification
Manuscript
Department
Medieval Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
Accession Number
1933.448
About this artwork
This pair of bifolia consists of two sheets of vellum each folded in half to create four leaves. In the bound volume, they would have originally been inserted one inside the other to form part of a large psalter or book of the psalms. The miniatures decorating each leaf are subdivided into four small panels and sequentially illustrate the life of Christ. This particular format, along with aspects of style, help us locate the psalter’s place of production to North Germany and the Diocese of Hilde...