Sunday, February 5, 2023

In the Beginning, The First Days of Creation - Part One

Boucicaut Master, The Seven Days of Creation
From De Propertibus rerum by Barthelemy l'Anglais
French (Paris), c. 1400-1425
Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France
MS Francais 9141, fol. 9r




“In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth,
the earth was a formless wasteland, and darkness covered the abyss,
while a mighty wind swept over the waters.

Then God said,
"Let there be light," and there was light.
God saw how good the light was.
God then separated the light from the darkness.
God called the light "day," and the darkness he called "night."
Thus evening came, and morning followed–the first day.

Then God said,
"Let there be a dome in the middle of the waters,
to separate one body of water from the other."
And so it happened:
God made the dome,
and it separated the water above the dome from the water below it.
God called the dome "the sky."
Evening came, and morning followed–the second day.

Then God said,
"Let the water under the sky be gathered into a single basin,
so that the dry land may appear."
And so it happened:
the water under the sky was gathered into its basin,
and the dry land appeared.
God called the dry land "the earth,"
and the basin of the water he called "the sea."
God saw how good it was.

Then God said,
"Let the earth bring forth vegetation:
every kind of plant that bears seed
and every kind of fruit tree on earth
that bears fruit with its seed in it."
And so it happened:
the earth brought forth every kind of plant that bears seed
and every kind of fruit tree on earth that
bears fruit with its seed in it.
God saw how good it was.
Evening came, and morning followed–the third day.

Then God said:
"Let there be lights in the dome of the sky,
to separate day from night.
Let them mark the fixed times, the days and the years,
and serve as luminaries in the dome of the sky,
to shed light upon the earth."
And so it happened:
God made the two great lights,
the greater one to govern the day,
and the lesser one to govern the night;
and he made the stars.
God set them in the dome of the sky,
to shed light upon the earth,
to govern the day and the night,
and to separate the light from the darkness.
God saw how good it was.
Evening came, and morning followed–the fourth day.”

Genesis 1:1-19, Reading for February 6, Weekday Cycle 1


Some years ago I wrote an article on the iconography of the first book of Genesis, the creation of the world.  Rereading it in preparation for an update this year, I have decided to alter it a bit.  In fact, I have cut it in two.  I hope that this will make it easier for readers to study the various ways in which the subject of the Creation has been addressed over the centuries.  

I've divided it along chronological lines with the first article covering artistic representations from late antiquity through the high middle ages.  The second article will cover the late middle ages, the renaissance and post-renaissance art to our own day.

I will be adding new images that I have uncovered in recent years, as well as updating the quality of the images where that is possible.  Libraries and museums are continually upgrading the quality of images they make available and I try to keep up to date with that.


During the course of each year, the Catholic Church reads almost the entire body of Scripture, both Old and New Testaments, following two cycles of readings for the daily Masses and three cycles for the Sunday Masses.  Each Mass consists of a reading from the Old Testament, followed by the antiphonal recitation of a Psalm, plus a reading from the Gospels.  On Sundays, the Gospel readings for the majority of the year are drawn from each of the Synoptic Gospels in turn, with year A being readings from the Gospel of Matthew.  Year B comes from the Gospel of Mark and Year C from the Gospel of Luke.  Also on Sundays, a third reading is added, between the Psalm and the Gospel, and may be drawn from the various Epistles. 

During the Easter season, the Old Testament readings are replaced by readings from the Acts of the Apostles or from Revelation, while the Gospel is drawn from the Gospel of John.  Also, there are set readings for certain days of the year, for instance, the days of the Easter Triduum, that do not change from year to year.  For the Liturgical Year of 2022-2023, which began on the First Sunday of Advent at the end of November we are reading from Sunday Cycle Year A and Weekday Cycle 1.

Opening page of the Book of Genesis
From a Bible
Italian (Genoa), Mid-13th Century
Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France
MS Latin 23, fol. 4r


For three days at the beginning of February in Weekday Cycle 1, we are presented with the story of the Creation from the Book of Genesis, a reading which is also heard each year at the Easter Vigil.  This beautiful and poetic description of the creation of the universe, bears an astonishing resemblance to the story of creation and evolution as told by scientists, from the Big Bang to the appearance of humans.  However, because it is a poetic (though logical) description and not a scientific one, the order of things is slightly different.  Most importantly, however, it is not presented, as some seem to think, as the work of a moment, but something created and developed over time, expressed by the word “day” (which need not mean a 24-hour period of time).  God works at it and then, when He judges it to be complete, He rests and the processes He has begun keep the process ongoing.

Artists often told the same story through their work, especially those artists of the medieval period to the Renaissance who were called on to illustrate books.  I decided that I would look at some of these to see how they illustrated some of the most poetic words of the Bible and found that very many of them rose to the occasion.  


Creation of the World
From Bible historiale by Guiard des Moulins
French (Paris), c. 1300
Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France
Francais 155, fol. 2r


So, I have decided to present some of these works over two days of this three-day period, by departing a bit from my customary practice by presenting images from the same set of books together, instead of spreading them over the "days" of God's activities.  I hope that this will illuminate some of our own understanding of how artists looked at the text and at what inspiration they drew from each other. 



Late Antiquity

There are a number of illustrated copies of the Book of Genesis in existence.  However, they have felt the ravages of time.  One of the most important, and earliest extant, books is known as the Cotton Genesis and is in the British Library in London.  It was painted in Egypt in the late 5th or early 6th century, giving it a “date” of around 500.  It was a large and luxuriously produced book, replete with illustrations.  Unfortunately, in 1731 the building in which it was stored at the time, Ashburnham House, experienced a fire.  Many of the books in its library burned, including the Cotton Genesis.  Only a few shriveled and blackened pages survived.  However, we can have some idea of how they were organized and how they looked because they were copied several times.  The first record, in which they were used them as templates, is the Creation Cupola mosaics of the Basilica of San Marco in Venice, which was executed during the 13th Century. 

Creation Mosaic 
Cupola after the Cotton Genesis (c. 500)
Italian, c. 1215-1280
Venice, Basilica di San Marco

In the cupola, we see three concentric rings featuring small compartments in which appear images of the stories from the book of Genesis.  In the innermost ring are images that tell the story of Creation up to the creation of the plants.  

God Creating the World
Detail from the Creation Cupola after the Cotton Genesis (c. 500) 
Italian, c. 1215-1280
Venice, Basilica di San Marco

In the second ring are the stories of Creation from the creation of the stars up to the creation of Eve.  

Creation of Birds and Fish
Detail from the Creation Cupola after the Cotton Genesis (c. 500)
Italian, c. 1215-1280
Venice, Basilica di San Marco

In the third, outermost ring are the stories of what happened in the Garden of Eden that lead to the final image, which is the expulsion of Adam and Eve from Paradise. 

Temptation of Eve by the Serpent
Detail from the Creation Cupola after the Cotton Genesis (c. 500)
Italian, c. 1215-1280
Venice, Basilica di San Marco

Adam and Eve Cast Out of Eden and Toiling in the World
Detail from the Creation Cupola after the Cotton Genesis (c. 500)
Italian, c. 1215-1280
Venice, Basilica di San Marco

Since these mosaics were copied from the Cotton Genesis, we know how, already at the earliest layer of Christian Biblical illumination, in the books that were created for the use of the clergy and people within a relatively short time following the establishment of the Church following Constantine’s recognition, artists were depicting the events of Creation.  And, for them the world, indeed the entire cosmos,  appeared as a sphere, not a flat square.


Early Medieval Period – 500-1000

In the early Medieval period I could find very little extant evidence.  This was also the period of greatest instability for Europe, due to the barbarian invasions of the 6th century, the forcible expansion of Islam in the 7th and the Viking raids of the late 9th and 10th centuries.  Much was probably lost in the wars and general upheaval of this period.  Some of what survived is not of very high quality.

The First Days of Creation
From a Bible, known as the Pentateuque de Tours
Origin unknown, c. 5th - 7th Centuries
Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France
MS Nouvelle acquisition latine 2334, fol. 1v


Where high quality work does survive, such as the luxury manuscripts produced for the Carolingian and Ottonian courts, it appears to have a bias toward illustrating the New Testament, not the Old, and certainly not Genesis.


High Middle Ages – 1000 to 1400

The High Middle Ages were highly creative and a good deal survives, especially for the later centuries. 

Ivory Plaques, Eleventh Century

Ivory Plaque with Division of Day and Night and God Worshiped by Angels
Italian (Salerno), 1001-1100
Salerno, Museo Diocesano San Matteo


Ivory Plaque with Creation of Plants and Creation of Sun, Moon and Stars
Italian (Salerno), 1001-1100
Salerno, Museo Diocesano San Matteo
Interestingly, the Sun and Moon are differentiated by the inclusion within each sphere of the appropriately chosen pagan god, Diana for the moon and Apollo for the sun.


Roda Bible, 1050


Creation of the World 
Detail from the Roda Bible
Spanish (Catalonia), c. 1050
Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France
MS Latin 6 (1), fol. 6r
The Sun and Moon are still personified  by the pagan gods Diana and Apollo.



Wall Painting, 1190

Creation of the World
Italian, ca. 1190
Rome, Church of San Giovanni a Porta Latina



The Crusader Bible, 1245

The First Four Days of Creation
From the Crusader Bible
French (Paris), c. 1245-1255
New York, Pierpont Morgan Library
MS M 638, fol.1r



Psalter-Hours of Yolande of Soissons, 1280


The Separation of the Waters
From the Psalter-Hours of Yolande of Soissons
French (A‪miens), c. 1280-1299
New York, Pierpont Morgan Library
MS M 729, fol. 264v


The Creation of the Plants
From the Psalter-Hours of Yolande of Soissons
French (A‪miens), c.1280-1299
New York, Pierpont Morgan Library
MS M 729, fol. 272v


The Creation of the Sun, Moon and Stars
From the Psalter-Hours of Yolande of Soissons
French (A‪miens), c. 1280-1299
New York, Pierpont Morgan Library
MS M 729, fol. 279v

No longer are the sun and moon personified by the pagan gods.



The Creation of the Birds and Animals
From the Psalter-Hours of Yolande of Soissons
French (A‪miens), c. 1280-1299
New York, Pierpont Morgan Library
MS M 729, fol. 286v


Bible historiale, 1320, Illustrated by Richard de Montbaston

Richard de Montbaston, The Creation of the Earth
From a Bible historiale
French (Paris), c. 1320-1330
New York, Pierpont Morgan Library
MS M 322, fol. 8r


Richard de Montbaston, The Separation of the Waters
From a Bible historiale
French (Paris), c.1320-1330
New York, Pierpont Morgan Library
MS M 322, fol. 9r


Richard de Montbaston, The Creation of the Plants
From a Bible historiale
French (Paris), c. 1320-1330
New York, Pierpont Morgan Library
MS M 322, fol. 9v


Richard de Montbaston, The Creation of the Sun, Moon and Stars
From a Bible historiale
French (Paris), c. 1320-1330
New York, Pierpont Morgan Library
MS M 322, fol. 10r


Richard de Montbaston, The Creation of the Birds and Fish
From a Bible historiale
French (Paris), c. 1320-1330
New York, Pierpont Morgan Library
MS M 322, fol. 11r



Bible historiale by Guiard des Moulins, 1333-1334, Illustrated by the Master of the Roman de Fauvel


Master of the Roman de Fauvel, God Creating the World
From Speculum historiale by Vincent of Beauvais
French (Paris), c. 1333-1334
Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France
MS Francais 316, fol. 22v


Master of the Roman de Fauvel, God Separating Light and Darkness
From Speculum historiale by Vincent of Beauvais
French (Paris), c. 1333-1334
Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France
MS Francais 316, fol. 26r


Master of the Roman de Fauvel, God Creating the Earth
From Speculum historiale by Vincent of Beauvais
French (Paris), c. 1333-1334
Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France
MS Francais 316, fol. 23r



Master of the Roman de Fauvel, God Seperating the Earth and Sky
From Speculum historiale by Vincent of Beauvais
French (Paris), c. 1333-1334
Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France
MS Francais 316, fol. 28r



Master of the Roman de Fauvel, God Creating the Sun and Moon
From Speculum historiale by Vincent of Beauvais
French (Paris), c. 1333-1334
Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France
MS Francais 316, fol. 30v


Master of the Roman de Fauvel, God Creating the Plants and Fishes
From Speculum historiale by Vincent of Beauvais
French (Paris), c. 1333-1334
Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France
MS Francais 316, fol. 29r



Master of the Roman de Fauvel, God Creating the Birds
From Speculum historiale by Vincent of Beauvais
French (Paris), c. 1333-1334
Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France
MS Francais 316, fol. 31v


Master of the Roman de Fauvel, The Creation of the Animals
From Speculum historiale by Vincent of Beauvais
French (Paris), c. 1333-1334
Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France
MS Francais 316, fol. 32v


Master of the Roman de Fauvel, The Creation of Eve
From Speculum historiale by Vincent of Beauvais
French (Paris), c. 1333-1334
Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France
MS Francais 316, fol. 39v


Master of the Roman de Fauvel, God Instructing Adam and God Resting
From Speculum historiale by Vincent of Beauvais
French (Paris), c. 1333-1334
Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France
MS Francais 316, fol. 33v


Master of the Roman de Fauvel,  The Six Days of Creation
From Speculum historiale by Vincent of Beauvais
French (Paris), c. 1333-1334
Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France
MS Francais 316, fol. 27r


Wall Paintings from Wienhausen Abbey, 1335

The Creation of Light
German, c.1335
Wienhausen, Abbey Church of Saints Mary, Alexander and Lawrence
 
The Division of Water and Land
German, c.1335
Wienhausen, Abbey Church of Saints Mary, Alexander and Lawrence


The Creation of the Stars
German, c.1335
Wienhausen, Abbey Church of Saints Mary, Alexander and Lawrence

The Creation of Birds and Fish
German, c.1335
Wienhausen, Abbey Church of Saints Mary, Alexander and Lawrence

The Creation of Animals and Man
German, c.1335
Wienhausen, Abbey Church of Saints Mary, Alexander and Lawrence


From a copy of the Bible historiale by Guiard des Moulins, from around 1350

God the Creator
From a Bible historiale by Guiard des Moulins
French (Paris), c. 1350-1375
Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France
MS Francais 2, fol. 3r

God Creating the World
From a Bible historiale by Guiard des Moulins
French (Paris), c. 1350-1375
Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France
MS Francais 2, fol. 4r



The Separation of Light and Darkness
From a Bible historiale by Guiard des Moulins
French (Paris), c. 1350-1375
Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France
MS Francais 2, fol. 3v
I find it fascinating that the artist has represented light and darkness as a series of waves reminiscent about what we now know about waves of light and energy, in the middle of the fourteenth century!


The Creation of the Sun and Moon
From a Bible historiale by Guiard des Moulins
French (Paris), c. 1350-1375
Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France
MS Francais 2, fol. 5r


The Creation of the Fishes
From a Bible historiale by Guiard des Moulins
French (Paris), c. 1350-1375
Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France
MS Francais 2, fol. 5v


The Creation of Adam
From a Bible historiale by Guiard des Moulins
French (Paris), c. 1350-1375
Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France
MS Francais 2, fol. 6r
Note that God is using a sort of pipe to blow breath into Adam.


The Creation of Eve
From a Bible historiale by Guiard des Moulins
French (Paris), c. 1350-1375
Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France
MS Francais 2, fol. 8r

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And, another example of a Bible historiale illuminated by an artist known as the Master of the Breviary of Senlis, also from around 1350

Master of the Breviary of Senlis, God Creating the World
From a Bible historiale completée by Guiard des Moulins
French (Paris), c. 1350-1375
Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France
MS Francais 161, fol. 3v



Master of the Breviary of Senlis, God Creating the Sun and Moon
From a Bible historiale completée by Guiard des Moulins
French (Paris), c. 1350-1375
Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France
MS Francais 161, fol. 4r


Master of the Breviary of Senlis, God Separating the Earth and Sea
From a Bible historiale completée by Guiard des Moulins
French (Paris), c. 1350-1375
Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France
MS Francais 161, fol. 4v



Master of the Breviary of Senlis, God Creating Plants
From a Bible historiale completée by Guiard des Moulins
French (Paris), c. 1350-1375
Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France
MS Francais 161, fol. 4v



Master of the Breviary of Senlis, God Creating the Fish and the Birds
From a Bible historiale completée by Guiard des Moulins
French (Paris), c. 1350-1375
Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France
MS Francais 161, fol. 5r



Master of the Breviary of Senlis, God Creating the Animals
From a Bible historiale completée by Guiard des Moulins
French (Paris), c. 1350-1375
Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France
MS Francais 161, fol. 5r



Master of the Breviary of Senlis, The Creation of Eve
From a Bible historiale completée by Guiard des Moulins
French (Paris), c. 1350-1375
Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France
MS Francais 161, fol. 6v


Weltkronik, 1355

Separation of the Waters
from Weltkronik
German (Regensburg), 1355-1365
New York, Pierpont Morgan Library
MS M 769, fol. 7r

Creation of the Earth
from Weltkronik
German (Regensburg), 1355-1365
New York, Pierpont Morgan Library
MS M 769, fol. 7v


Creation of Plants
from Weltkronik
German (Regensburg), 1355-1365
New York, Pierpont Morgan Library
MS M 769, fol. 8r

Creation of Sun, Moon and Stars
from Weltkronik
German (Regensburg), 1355-1365
New York, Pierpont Morgan Library
MS M 769, fol. 8r


Creation of the Birds and Fish
from Weltkronik
German (Regensburg), 1355-1365
New York, Pierpont Morgan Library
MS M769, fol. 8v
"Fish" in this instance includes mermaids!

Creation of Eve
from Weltkronik
German (Regensburg), 1355-1365
New York, Pierpont Morgan Library
MS M 769, fol. 9r


Wall Painting,  Creation of the World by Giusto Menabuoi, 1378

Giusto de'Menabuoi, Creation of the World
Italian, c.1378
Padua, Baptistery
In this painting, the Sun, Moon and Stars are represented by the signs of the Zodiac.


Book of Hours, 1385, Illustrated by Giovanni di Benedetto and Collaborators

Giovanni d Benedetto and Collaborators, The Creation of the World
From a Book of Hours
Italian (Milan), c. 1385-1390
Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France
MS Latin 757, fol. 24r


Giovanni d Benedetto and Collaborators, The Separation of Earth and Water
From a Book of Hours
Italian (Milan), c. 1385-1390
Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France
MS Latin 757, fol. 28r

Giovanni d Benedetto and Collaborators. The Creation of the Sun, Moon and Stars
From a Book of Hours
Italian (Milan), c. 1385-1390
Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France
MS Latin 757, fol. 41r


Giovanni d Benedetto and Collaborators. The Creation of the Plants
From a Book of Hours
Italian (Milan), c. 1385-1390
Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France
MS Latin 757, fol. 37r


Giovanni d Benedetto and Collaborators, The Creation of the Birds and Fish
From a Book of Hours
Italian (Milan), c. 1385-1390
Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France
MS Latin 757, fol. 45r


Part Two (here) will review the artistic imagination from 1400 to the present time.


© M. Duffy, 2017, revised 2023

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