Leaf from a Book of Hours: St. Bartholomew
Unknown Artist
c. 1440–1460
Medium
ink, tempera and gold on vellum
Dimensions
12.5 × 8.5 cm
Classification
Manuscript
Department
Medieval Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
The Jeanne Miles Blackburn Collection
Accession Number
2006.11
About this artwork
Little is known of the life or acts of Saint Bartholomew, one of the twelve apostles. The Golden Legend records the tradition that Bartholomew preached in India and Armenia after Christ’s resurrection. It was in Armenia that the saint was martyred by being flayed alive. His attribute in art, as shown here, is typically a knife, the instrument of his death. The saint is shown standing within an architectural interior with a paneled ceiling, leaded windows, tiled floor, and a hanging cloth embelli...