Romanesque Bible of Burgos

A groundbreaking miniature made the so-called Bible of Burgos a main work of 12th century European illumination. Next to the innovative depiction of the Fall of Man and the Expulsion from Paradise, countless additional miniatures and initials in the codex from 1175 attest to the progressiveness of the Castilian artists in the scriptorium of San Pedro de Cardeña. The only surviving volume of the original three books enchants not only with its significant miniatures—sometimes typically Romanesque, sometimes already pointing to Gothic illumination. The gorgeous Carolingian script in black and red lends the Bible of Burgos an additional characteristic that makes it one of the most outstanding works of the Late Romanesque.

Castile – European Center of Illumination

Spanish illumination reached new heights in the 12th century. Whether on account of the grandiose Beatus codices or other manuscripts with religious content, the scriptoria of Castile were trailblazers in the innovative artistic furnishing of precious books. The scriptorium of the monastery of San Pedro de Cardeña was counted thereby among the most important sites of this artistic production. With the famous Cardeña Beatus (ca. 1180), the miniaturists of this scriptorium entered into art history. One of the artists was also likely involved in the Romanesque Bible of Burgos, which probably originated ca. 1175 in San Pedro de Cardeña. Another possible point of origin for the codex could be the royal Abbey of Santa María la Real de Las Huelgas near Burgos. Today, one of the original three volumes of the book survives. This is supplemented by two surviving fragments of the third part, which were bound in another codex from the holdings of the abbey.

The Splendor of the Late Romanesque

The codex, in an impressive format of 53 x 37 cm, assembles some of the highpoints of miniature painting of the Spanish Middle Ages or a late phase of the Romanesque on a total of 404 pages. The artists of Burgos united numerous stylistic characteristics in their pictures, which are sometimes typical for the time and innovatively point to the oncoming Gothic at others. Typical for the Romanesque style are the often overlong or very short figures and the flowing folds of the garments. On the other hand, the oft-discernable parallel folds are a Spanish characteristic. The miniatures, in their splendid colors and forms, offer a true firework for the eyes of the beholder and allowed the late phase of the great illumination of the Romanesque period to reach a final highpoint.

Unique Miniatures

The miniature of the Fall of Man and the Expulsion from Paradise are exceptional for art history. The scene on a luminous gold background is only partially colored, producing an unbelievable strong effect in the miniature. The Chiaroscuro painting already points to Gothic art. Everything has been worked-through ornamentally: the snake that entwines itself around the tree, the crowns of the trees, and the columns, which frame the miniature to the right and left. This representation is considered to be one of the most interesting and significant miniatures of European art during this epoch! Furthermore, the image pages, which are depicted in two registers from the Book of Genesis, are adorned with ornamental friezes. These show a discernable influence from insular illumination due to their artfully braided ornaments riddled with nude people and animals. Additionally, numerous initials with figurative and ornamental content append the lavish pictorial adornment of the codex. This variety of influences and new stylistic discoveries constitute the particular allure of the Romanesque Bible of Burgos, which has gone down in art history as a unique work of this great time in Spanish illumination.