Bifolium from a Bible: Initial E[t factum est] with Ezekiel (c. 1290): Art, History and Details

Bifolium from a Bible: Initial E[t factum est] with Ezekiel (c. 1290) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection.

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

This large initial E on the left page introduces the Book of Ezekiel. The prophet is represented in the midst of his apocalyptic visions. Ezekiel's call to prophecy began as a vision showing God enthroned among four creatures, each with four wings and the face of a man, lion, ox, and eagle, respectively. These apocalyptic beasts recur in the Book of Revelation and were developed by the medieval Church into symbols of the Evangelists: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Since medieval manuscripts were not paginated, this large initial provided a clear visual cue for the reader to help locate the text of Ezekiel within the manuscript.

Object facts

• Title: Bifolium from a Bible: Initial E[t factum est] with Ezekiel
• Date: c. 1290
• Culture: France, Paris
• Type: Manuscript
• Technique: ink, tempera, and gold on vellum
• Dimensions: Sheet: 40.3 x 53.7 cm (15 7/8 x 21 1/8 in.)
• Collection: MED - Manuscript Illuminations
• Department: Medieval Art
• Accession number: 1959.272

A detail from the museum

This bifolium was likely once part of a Carthusian Bible; the initials in the margin are part of a unique reading system used by Carthusian monks.

Collection credit

The Harold T. Clark Educational Extension Fund

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.