And there appeared a great wonder in Heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered. And there appeared another wonder in Heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads (Revelation, 12.1-3)
The Book of Revelation of St John was written in the last part of the 1st century AD, probably during the persecution of Christians carried out under either the Roman emperor Nero or Domitian. The concept of the Apocalypse, finds roots in the later books of the Old Testament, most notably in the Book of Daniel.
These two illustrations are not only centuries apart, they were created for very different reasons. One is an illustrated Apocalypse commissioned by Eleanor of Provence and reflects the interest of elite women of the court during the late Middle Ages. The other illustrates the same subject, but was produced by monks living in the Asturias region of Spain, isolated from the culture of the rest of continental and insular Europe. Pushed to the edge of Spain by the Umayyad Dynasty, the monks in Spain perhaps transferred the destructive symbolism of the Book of Revelation to the Islamic rulers. In their isolation, they saw the approaching turn of the millennium as the fulfillment of end time prophecy. (Their illustrations are heavily indebted to Islamic stylistic traits.)
Compare the two illustrations. You should be able to tell the courtly one from the one produced by those waiting for the end of the world. Keep in mind the entertainment value placed on religious illustrations by women of the court. These women were also the chief audience for Medieval Romances like Tristan and Isolde and the Legends of King Arthur.
Which style do you think more appropriate for an illustration of the Apocalypse?
The illustration of the Apocalypse commissioned by Eleanor of Provence appears much more courtly to me when compared to the illustration created by the Spanish monks. The image of the woman is more feminine and subtle. It can be explained by the fact that it is aimed to reflect "the interest of elite women." Moreover, two episodes of the Apocalypse are depicted in separate spaces making the illustration more refined. The Spanish monk's vision of the Apocalypse is more dramatic and intense. Bold, dark colors, such as red, orange, and dark blue, create a feeling of an impending tragedy. Several episodes are depicted in a single space with many details, such as the images of the dead bodies lying behind the dragon. Details make this illustration very narrative. The intensity of the images and the monk's vision of the Apocalypse, leading to the end of the world, probably, reflect their isolated way of life. I believe their style is more appropriate for an illustration of the Apocalypse.
ReplyDeleteThe Apocalypse of Eleanor of provence seems a lot more dramatic and represents an apocalyptical painting more than the painting by the monks. I would have to say that these two cultures had different expectations of the Apocalypse. The monks seemed to believe that if you lead a worthy life then when judgement day comes, then you will be wisked away to heaven. On the other hand Eleanore of Provence seems to believe in a much more hanous occurence with a lot of death and punishment being handed out.
ReplyDeleteRight away I would say the second illistration (bottom) is the work commisioned for the ladies of the court. Even though the subject matter is the same I can see a certain calm mood to the work for the court. It looks more ordered as well. It looks like a sort of register line has been incorporated into the work. In the first illistration there looks like there is an urgency to "get it all in". This looks like the work of people expecting the world to end when comparing to the other work. I see a hint of the Islamic influance. There seems to be use of more geometric paterns and the people scattered about in the bottom left corner remind of "the Plug' work where the muslims are in a flood.
ReplyDeleteI think the two Apocalypse of Eleanor style are very historic and have a dark and some what of a family meaning.The two seem similar but the monk seen to have a more of a life of glory and the Eleanor is work of a dark tunnel old world death time.I feel the monk had more of a Apocalypse style in all.
ReplyDeleteFrom reading about and looking and these two illustrations I would have to say that The Apocalypse by Eleanor of provence is the more courtly one then the illustration produced by monks living in the Asturias region of Spain, isolated from the culture of the rest of continental and insular Europe. That one seems much more illustrated by those waiting for the end of the world. The two illustrations are very different from each other.
ReplyDeleteDuring the early centuries and the illustrations of the woman with the great red dragon having the ten horns and crowns upon his heads in the top drawing. While Islam and other religion during a certain time did not encourage making of graven images. The bottom images would be be a reflection of elite women of the court during the middle ages.
ReplyDeleteThe picture illustrated by the spanish monks seems to be more dramatic as if the world is coming to an end. The dragons look wild, there are dead bodies laid around and the picture has a very dull looking effect. The apocalypes creted by Eleanor of Provence seems to be more courtly. The dragons are calm, the colors are vibrant. It seems as if everyone is just waiting calmly for a result.
ReplyDeleteMichael B. both of these illustrations are giving woman a imprtant part in the end of the world, they seem to be the only ones left and waiting for the end to come, they also seem relaxed and not afraid of the dragon coming. the one in the bottom left is the one i believe to be made by the courtly while the other looks more like it would come from a group of people who were waiting for the world to end. that one looks a lot more destructive with there being what looks like dead bodies and the dragrons spitting out flames. i also feel that the top right photo is a more appropriate illustration for a apocalypse since it shows a more destuctive image.
ReplyDeleteElizaveta G.
ReplyDeleteThe first illustration was probably created by Asturias monks. The second painting is more courtly and, possibly, depicts Eleanor of Provence herself. The focus is on the posture of the woman, on the folds of her garments, and on her gestures. The flowers around the woman are elaborate and fairy-tale-looking. It would be more to the taste of the medieval court than the first illustration.
It seems that the first illustration is the one made by the monks. It is more dramatic as it shows the woman there looking at the attacking dragon. It also shows dead bodies behind the dragon as a symbol of world ending. The second picture seems more curtly, is not as dramatic, it seems there is an order of things happening, there is not dead bodies, the dragon does not look like a threat to the woman or the other people. They seem to be in peace, fearless. I think the first illustration is more of a representation of the apocalypse.
ReplyDeleteThe first illustration, the one made by the monks seems to be the more better representation of the apocalypse. The dragon approaches the woman with fire and dead bodies behind and yet she's looking the end of the world right in the eyes as she holds the hands of an angel. It shows that even with the end knowingly coming upon her that she still believes in redemption. The second painting there is a lot less action going on and the dragon seems to be less threatening and the person doesn't seem afraid of the dragon like it couldnt affect them.
ReplyDeleteAfter carefully look at the two illustrations, I think the illustrated produced by “monks living in the Asturias region of Spain” is more appropriate for an illustration of the apocalypse. Because, the apocalypse is more marked by distinctive good and evil or literary features, particularly prediction of future events and the second illustration illustrated that.
ReplyDeleteI believe the top image is the one made by the spanish monks to depict the Apocalypse and the bottom one is more courtly and created by Eleanor of Provence. All though they both have woman facing the red dragon, the top one is far more dramatic and shows a far more aggressive dragon and you can see bodies all on the bottom of the painting. In the bottom painting by Eleanor Provence you just have a more calm feeling looking at it. Even though the woman has a dragon with seven heads and ten horns looking at her she barely seems to even notice and surely doesn't seem worried, possibly because of the angels over her head. The top painting however the woman is starring down the dragon and you can see the angels trying to attack the snake with spears and fire coming from the dragons mouth.
ReplyDeleteI feel both of theses pieces of art show the importance a woman will have in the final days.The pictures seem to be very dark and upsetting. But, I see a lighter side to the works of art. Maybe they imply a new beginning. I feel that the first picture is more courtly, because of the presence of the other people in the picture. The second picture seems to be more intimate.
ReplyDeleteWhile both of these depict the red dragon, the bottom one, commissioned by Eleanor, is far less threatening than the ones created by the monks. The picture the monks created was a much more aggressive and bleak painting, while Eleanor's is focusing on the feminine aspect of this scene.
ReplyDeleteLeonard S. The illustration from the monks from Spain has more of an appropriate illustration of the apocalypse. It’s much more graphic then the other illustration. With the other illustration, I would have never guessed that was supposed to represent the apocalypse. Its kind of hard to really follow what’s going on. In one of the pictures it looks like the women doesn’t even know that the dragon is there and in the other it looks like she is just moving a person away from her as the dragon is coming towards her. On the contrary, the monk’s illustration it gives a sense of death and everyone dying. There are naked dead people on the ground, where angels look like they’re picking up their bodies. There is also some angles trying to fight the dragon, but it looks like it is still winning.
ReplyDeleteJ.C. C. "The Eleanor of Provence illustrating the Apocalypse clearly looks like the end of the world with the buried dead bodies displayed in the bottome right of the drawing. The picture from the monks is less gruesome and does not show such a dramaatic scene."
ReplyDeleteSheila E. I believe the first illustration was produced by monks living in the Asturias region of Spain. It is very in detailed; you can see the fear in the woman. The dragon looks as if it is ready to attack from all angles. I think this symbolize the end of the world because you see dead bodies on the ground and the angels coming for them. The second illustration I believe is the Apocalypse commissioned by Eleanor of Provence. This illustration is more focused on the woman and the angels protecting her. The dragon does not look as if it’s causing much of a threat to her. It is more organizes and shows more indebt details.
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