Trinity Apocalypse
Date:
ca. 1255–60
Location or Findspot (Modern-Day Country):
United Kingdom
Medium:
Parchment
Dimensions:
43.5 × 32 cm
Description:
This extensively illustrated Apocalypse manuscript is named after its current repository, Trinity College, Cambridge. It was made around the middle of the thirteenth century, a period when illustrated copies of the book of Revelation were some of the most popular luxury books in England. The illustrations include scenes from the life of John the Evangelist (often conflated with John, the author of the book of Revelation) and illustrations of the Apocalypse itself—John's visions of the end of time. The biblical text in an Anglo-Norman verse translation is sometimes paired with a commentary by Berengaudus (probably c. 1100, although little is known about who this commentator was).
The depiction of the Heavenly Jerusalem in the Trinity Apocalypse (fol. 25v) with its delicately tooled gold leaf is appropriate to the biblical description of the heavenly city made of gold and other precious materials. The square layout of the city on the page also reveals the artist's familiarity with Beatus manuscripts, illustrated copies of a Commentary on the Apocalypse originally written by the Iberian monk Beatus of Liébana.
The depiction of the Heavenly Jerusalem in the Trinity Apocalypse (fol. 25v) with its delicately tooled gold leaf is appropriate to the biblical description of the heavenly city made of gold and other precious materials. The square layout of the city on the page also reveals the artist's familiarity with Beatus manuscripts, illustrated copies of a Commentary on the Apocalypse originally written by the Iberian monk Beatus of Liébana.
Relevant Textbook Chapter(s):
9
Repository and Online Resources:
• Look through the manuscript on the Trinity College website.
