Dedication Page with Blanche of Castile and King Louis IX of France and Scenes from the Apocalypse
Unknown Artist
c. 1225-1245
The Dedication Page is made of ink tempera, and gold leaf on vellum. It has four quadrants. One shows Blanche, one shows Louis IX, one shows a scribe, and one shows an clergyman. There are stylized and colorful buildings above their heads which suggests a sophisticated, urban setting. The people in this page were all intensely involved in the production of this manuscript. Queen Blanche of Castile was the patron and ruler. Louis IX’s job was to learn these lessons. The scribe and the clergyman are symbols of educational and religious importance. This dedication page is from a Bible moralisee, created in 1226-1234 CE in Gothic Europe. A Bible moralisee is a Bible with selected passages from the Old and New Testament that are accompanied by illuminations (illustrations and decorations) and folk tales that together convey a moral. Bible moralisees were usually commissioned by the wealthy and focused heavily on the illustrations and well known folk-tales, as most people were illiterate in Gothic Europe. This piece’s function was to reassure the people of the kingdom that their king knew what he was doing. His mother is instructing him in the ways of wise rulership and he will be ready to face any trouble that heads his way. Scenes from the Apocalypse is also from the same Bible moralisee. The illustrations are arranged much like the stained glass windows of the era. There are two vertical columns with four medallions on each side and each scene comes with a text summary.
Works Cited
Woodville, Louisa. “Saint Louis Bible (Moralized Bible).” Khan Academy, www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ap-art-history/early-europe-and-colonial-americas/medieval-europe-islamic-world/a/blanche-of-castile-and-king-louis-ix-of-france.
Ross, Nancy. “Bible Moralisée (Moralized Bibles).” Khan Academy, www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ap-art-history/early-europe-and-colonial-americas/medieval-europe-islamic-world/a/bible-moralisee.