Illuminated texts of the Apocalypse were particularly popular in thirteenth-century England. Illuminating the End of Time: The Getty Apocalypse Manuscript (Getty Publications, 2012, $75.00, Hardcover) examines the copy in the collections of the J. Paul Getty Museum, which—with its lively narrative miniatures—stands as a testament to the artistic heights achieved during that period.
In this richly illustrated book, all eighty-two of the manuscript’s images are reproduced in color for the first time. They are accompanied by a full commentary. A general introduction to the history of thirteenth-century English illustrated Apocalypse manuscripts is followed by a succinct study of the artistic context of the Getty’s manuscript, as well as a consideration of its style and date. The rest of the commentary is devoted to a stylistic and iconographic analysis of the manuscript’s images; there is also a complete translation of the text.
About the Author—Nigel J. Morgan is one of the world’s leading authorities on English illuminated manuscripts of the Apocalypse. He is honorary professor of the history of art at the University of Cambridge, a fellow of Corpus Christi College in the United Kingdom, and the author of The Lambeth Apocalypse (Harvey Miller Publishers, 1990) and The Douce Apocalypse: Picturing the End of the World in the Middle Ages (Bodleian Library, 2007). Publication Information: Illuminating the End of Time The Getty Apocalypse Manuscript Nigel J. Morgan J. Paul Getty Museum 180 pages, 8 ¾ x 12 ½ inches, hardcover 82 color and 34 b/w illustrations, 6 line drawings ISBN 978-1-60606-071-1, $75.00 [UK £50.00]
Publication Date: March 6, 2012