JOURNAL ARCHIVES
Reflections on life, myth & art
SUMMER 2010
INSPIRATION
A living tapestry
Bhaishajyaguru
St. Luke
The guild of St. Luke
Hodegetria of Smolensk
The Black Madonna of Częstochowa
Following the thread more closely
Claude Monet
Impression, sunrise (Claude Monet)
SPRING 2010
ILLUMINATION
The commissions of Jean France, Duc de Berry
The little office of the blessed Virgin Mary
Terce (The annunciation to the shepherds)
Sext (The adoration of the Magi)
None (The presentation in the temple)
Vespers (The massacre of the innocents)
Compline (The flight into Egypt)
WINTER 2010
INCARNATION
The Incarnation Initial (The Book of Kells)
Virgin and child (The Book of Kells)
Carpet page (The Book of Kells)
Mark as the lion (The Book of Kells)
The resurrection (Piero della Francesca)
The history of the true cross (Piero della Francesca)
The flagellation of Christ (Piero della Francesca)
The baptism of Christ (Piero della Francesca)
Madonna della Misericordia (Piero della Francesca)
Madonna del Parto (Piero della Francesca)
JOURNAL 2009
A FEMININE MYTH
Creating a new myth
AUTUMN 2009
A FEMININE MYTH
Hsi Wang Mu, goddess of immortality
The girl with the peaches: portrait of Vera Mamontova (Valentin Serov)
Carnation Lily, Lily Rose (John Singer Sargent)
The mermaid at Clonfert Cathedral
Olympia (Édouard Manet)
SUMMER 2009
MYTHOLOGY OF PLANET
Impression, Sunrise (Claude Monet)
The mythology of the Rowan tree
While writing in Putnam Valley
Vertumnus: Portrait of Rudolph II (Giuseppe Arcimboldo)
The mythology of the chinese phoenix
The dream of the three white cranes
Prometheus and the theft of fire
Sunday afternoon on the island of La Grande Jatte (Georges Seurat)
SPRING 2009
MYTHOLOGY OF OTHER
Ledger Art (Black Hawk)
The scream (Edvard Munch)
The Arnolfini Marriage (Jan Van Eyck)
The bath (Mary Cassatt)
The metaphorical rim of the glass
Berthe Morisot with a fan(Édouard Manet)
A bouquet of violets (Édouard Manet)
Woman and child against stained glass background (Odilon Redon)
WINTER 2009
MYTHOLOGY OF SELF
The appearance of a white hart
A fool, a cup and a wounded fisher king
JOURNAL 2008
THE BIRTH OF VENUS
Finding the inner muse
AUTUMN 2008
SELF-PORTRAITS
Giuseppe Arcimboldo (1527-93)
Mary Cassatt (1844-1926)
Piero della Francesca (1412-92)
Édouard Manet (1832-83)
Berthe Morisot (1841-95)
Edvard Munch (1863-1944)
Odilon Redon (1840-1916)
Henri Rousseau (1844-1910)
John Singer Sargent (1856-1925)
Caterina van Hemessen (1528-87)
Marie-Denise Villers (1774-1821)
SUMMER 2008
WATERSHED ART
Vertumnus: Portrait of Rudolph II (Giuseppe Arcimboldo)
Nude descending a staircase, No. 2 (Marcel Duchamp)
The kiss (Gustav Klimt)
Luncheon on the grass (Edouard Manet)
Olympia (Edouard Manet)
The scream (Edvard Munch)
Impression, Sunrise (Claude Monet)
The sleeping gypsy (Henri Rousseau)
Carnation Lily, Lily Rose (John Singer Sargent)
The girl with the peaches: portrait of Vera Mamontova (Valentin Serov)
Sunday afternoon on the island of La Grande Jatte (Georges Seurat)
The Arnolfini Marriage (Jan Van Eyck)
SPRING 2008
ODILON REDON (1840-1916)
Odilon Redon: before and after
The family of the artist: Ari and Camille
WINTER 2008
BERTHE MORISOT (1841-95)
Portrait of the mother and the sister of the artist reading
JOURNAL 2007
FOLLOWING THE WHITE HART
Exploring the link between faith and creativity
AUTUMN 2007
THE JOURNEY
A fool, a cup and a wounded fisher king
The mermaid at Clonfert Cathedral
The appearance of a white hart
The mythology of the Rowan tree
SUMMER 2007
SEEKING THE OX
Hsi Wang Mu, goddess of immortality
The mythology of the chinese phoenix
The dream of the three white cranes
SPRING 2007
WHILE WRITING IN PUTNAM VALLEY
WINTER 2007
A BOX ON MY HEAD
The metaphorical rim of the glass
The slaying of the Medusa and the rescue of Andromeda
SUMMER 2010
A LIVING TAPESTRY
George MacDonald. The princess and the goblin. London : Blackie & Son, Limited, [1900]
Imagine a tapestry.
It contains thousands, perhaps millions, of individual threads. When the threads are woven together, something larger forms and an overall design emerges.
Now imagine that tapestry woven out of living threads, each thread having the ability to change color and shape. And as each thread changes, the tapestry responds and transforms as well, allowing a different design to be revealed.
Your life is just like a single thread in a living tapestry.
SUMMER 2010
BHAISHAJYAGURU
BODHISATTVA
[Sanskrit bodhisattvah, one who has attained perfect knowledge or enlightenment, from bodhih, perfect knowledge + sattvam, essence, being].
(above) The pure land of Bhaishajyaguru. Water-based pigment over a foundation of clay mixed with straw. Yuan Dynasty. ca. 1319. Sackler Gallery, Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York.
(left) Head of bodhisattva. Northern Qi Dynasty. 550-77. Sackler Gallery, Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York.
Bhaishajyaguru is the healing Buddha or Buddha of Medicine. As such, he cures illness, provides daily necessities and oversees the birth of healthy children. Buddhist tradition holds that when a bodhisattva attains enlightenment, he or she does not leave the world and its suffering but chooses to stay and bring enlightenment into it. These bodhisattvas emanate a radiance which forms a pure land or world which fosters enlightenment. The pure land of Bhaishajyaguru, therefore, is not separate from this world but is found embedded in it.
SUMMER 2010
SAINT LUKE, PATRON SAINT OF ARTISTS AND HEALERS
Luke and the Madonna, Altar of the Guild of Saint Luke. Hermen Rode. 1484. Sankt-Annen-Museum, Lubeck, Germany.
coming soon
SUMMER 2010
THE GUILD OF SAINT LUKE
Judith Leyster , self-portrait. 1630. National Gallery of Art. Washington, DC.
coming soon
SUMMER 2010
HODEGETRIA OF SMOLENSK
Theotokos of Smolensk. Dionisius version. ca 1500.
THEOTOKOS
[Greek, Θεοτόκος, god-bearer; one who gives birth to God]
HODEGETRIA
[Greek, Οδηγήτρια, she who shows the way]
coming soon
SUMMER 2010
THE BLACK MADONNA OF CZESTOCHOWA
Black Madonna of Częstochowa. artist and date unknown. The Jasna Góra Monastery, Częstochowa, Poland.
coming soon
SUMMER 2010
FOLLOWING THE THREAD MORE CLOSELYLike the religious and cosmic myths that humankind has created across the ages, a personal myth can carry forward something about humankind that is worth preserving and improving. The stories we create can influence the stories of other people, those stories give rise to still others, and soon we find meaning and connection within a web of story making and story living. Through our personal myths, we help to create the world we live in, at the same time that it is creating us.
Dan McAdams, The Stories We Live By: personal myths and the making of the self (1993)
CIRCA 1930'S
My mother grew up in Augusta, Georgia and in 1939, when she was six, there was a polio epidemic. The school board closed down all the schools as a precaution but she caught it anyway. A neighborhood friend also contracted it at the same time. My grandmother blamed the whole business on a glass of lemonade. It seems both girls had purchased nickel glasses at a neighborhood stand ten days earlier and my grandmother decided that the lemonade was the link between the children and their two cases of the polio.
For two weeks my mother was in isolation on an infectious disease ward. She was strapped to a bed the entire time, her arms and legs snugly wedged between a series of sand bags. After discharge her routine at home did not vary much. For the better part of that summer, she remained in bed, arms and legs immobilized.
For two years my mother wore her Warm Springs braces: a pair of metal braces for her legs; a metal brace for her back, connected to two metal trays for her arms. She returned to school in January 1940, still in those braces. Another neighborhood child who had contracted the disease returned to school at the same time. Every morning she saw him, his sister pulling him to school in a red wagon.
It was not until July 1942 that her recovery was complete. My grandfather took the abandoned leg braces and ceremoniously hung them on a peg in a back corner of the basement. Three decades later, when he finished paying off the medical bills, the braces disappeared.
CIRCA 1960'S
My grandparents' house was a small, white clapboard cottage in the "Hill" section of Augusta, Georgia. There were pansies in the front borders and two large pine trees standing sentinel on either side of the front lawn. My grandparents had a child late in life, my aunt (eight years my senior). My grandmother purchased her white French Provincial bedroom furniture and a white, cat-shaped, shag rug. Sometimes when we went to visit, my sister and I had the special privilege of sleeping in that bedroom.
Around the time my mother's braces disappeared from the hook in the basement, I was visiting my grandparents for the weekend. Saturdays seemed long on those visits. Every now and then the next door neighbors hosted their grandchildren on coinciding weekends and we would play with them. Occasionally, my aunt, newly licensed, would take me for long rides in the family car. On this particular Saturday, however, there was nothing to do once the morning lineup of cartoons was over. Bored and restless, I distracted myself by studying my grandmother's collection of Irish Dresden figurines which occupied several shelves of a living room bookcase. It was there that I first discovered The Princess and the Goblin.
I read the book throughout the afternoon and evening. At bedtime, after my parents turned out the lights, I used a flashlight from my grandparents' hall closet and read under the blankets. When you are small and reading about goblins in the middle of the night that experience stays with you. I remember being both terrified and unable to put it down.
My life was changed somewhat by that story. Like Princess Irene, there was a door to the attic stairs in my bedroom. After reading the book, that door and those stairs came alive for me. For years afterward, I sometimes fell asleep imagining a mysterious, unknown grandmother residing up those stairs, waiting to love and comfort me.
I never owned a copy of The Princess and the Goblin as child but I reread the book whenever I visited my grandparents. Then on one visit I couldn't find it. My aunt assumed I had taken it home with me to Savannah. I hadn't and the book was never found.
CIRCA 1980'S
My mother-in-law was a master gardener, an accomplished cook, a well read and well-traveled Southern matriarch. In her late sixties she still rode horses regularly.Though her life was rich and varied, my strongest associations of her are connected to literature. She read almost anything she could get her hands on and rarely left the house without a paperback in her purse. In fact, when giving a book to a family member at Christmas, she always read it first, not wishing to miss one single literary experience.
Shortly after I joined her family, we discovered our mutual love of The Princess and the Goblin. I told her my experience of the story and she said that in her childhood she had read and loved it as well. For Christmas that year, she gave me an 1887 edition of the book. It is one that had been in her family and is the same edition that I read under the blankets at my grandmother's house so many years ago.
FOLLOWING THE THREAD MORE RECENTLY
My mother told me recently that the copy of The Princess and the Goblin I read as a child was originally a gift that she received from a family friend, the summer she was recovering from polio. Now when I think about this story I also imagine my mother as a small child, propped up in her bed, weak and a little bored. I see her as she is tearing away wrapping paper, then opening a green bound book to a page with the image of a little princess fleeing from goblin terrors.
And, of course, I now connect my mother-in-law to its telling. There is a picture of my mother-in-law as a little girl on a backyard swing, dressed in white batiste and lace, long ringlets down her back. In my imagining this child leaves her swing for her mother's lap. Her mother, just past the camera's eye, opens a green bound book, and reads about the haven of a loving grandmother with two melted stars in her eyes.
And finally, there is my own experience of this story, buried under a canopy of blankets, flashlight in hand, following Princess Irene down into the goblin depths. The story of Princess Irene forms a personal connection between me and two other distinctly different childhoods. Through it I can weave another strand in my personal web of community and family.
And there is a more individual discovery here as I reflect on my own particular thread and its place in the larger web. If I follow that thread through my life, I can see ways that it has guided me on my path, a path in some ways not unlike the princess in this childhood story. How interesting it is to me that, as a child, I was so enchanted by the story of a young girl whose adventures took place in the mysterious lower realms. It makes me think that even as a child I was a budding symbolist, mythologist, explorer of dream worlds. Much as I am now, as I navigate my way through the maze, following that same unbroken thread, through the worlds of storytelling, dreams and art.
SUMMER 2010
CLAUDE MONET
Claude Monet in his garden at Giverny (New York Times, 1922).
(right) Bridge over a pond of water lilies. Claude Monet. 1899. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY.
coming soon
SUMMER 2010
IMPRESSION, SUNRISE (CLAUDE MONET)
Impression, Soleil Levant (Impression, Sunrise). Claude Monet. 1872. Musée Marmottan-Monet, Paris.
In the 1870's, after viewing Claude Monet's painting, Impression, Soleil Levant, a Parisian art critic coined the term "impressionism", intending it to be a pejorative. However, the association of artists who embraced this style adopted the term and a ground-breaking artistic movement was christened and launched.
Two art forms had a significant impact on French Impressionistic painting: Japanese block prints (Monet had an extensive collection) and the emergence of photography. Photography, particularly snapshot photography, had an influence on both landscape and portrait art. The blurring of images coupled with the cropping and unusual juxtaposition of forms and figures created a feeling of movement and spontaneity, a goal of French Impressionists.
In addition to a feeling of movement and spontaneity, French Impressionism had several distinguishing characteristics. In a departure from traditional indoor studios, artists worked in out-of-door venues (plein-air painting). Additionally, their subject matter centered around everyday people in casual outdoor settings. This differed from earlier traditional forms which focused on rich or highly ranked people and historical or biblical themes. Technique changed as well. Broken color and broken brushstrokes gave the paintings a sketchy and unfinished quality. These two techniques were also highly evocative, conveying a sense of light and atmosphere. There were other departures in technique. Traditional artists mixed colors on the palette. Impressionists, however, applied pure, unmixed color directly on the canvas. This further enhanced the sense of atmosphere that the Impressionists sought. Finally, in their continued exploration of light, these artists accomplished the shadowing of images with color rather than with blacks and grays. Their work in open air settings and the impact of color in those settings influenced this development.
French Impressionistic painting influenced movements in both literature and music, where writers and musicians continued the exploration of environment and atmosphere. This includes the music of Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel, the writing of Virginia Woolf and Joseph Conrad. Notable French Impressionistic painters include Claude Monet, Berthe Morisot, Eduoard Manet, Pierre-August Renoir, Edgar Degas and Mary Cassatt.
SPRING 2010
NAMING HER LIFE
Charlotte Brontë, chalk, George Richmond. circa 1850. National Portrait Gallery, London.
Responsibility to yourself means refusing to let others do your thinking, talking, and naming for you...it means that you do not treat your body as a commodity with which to purchase superficial intimacy or economic security; for our bodies to be treated as objects, our minds are in mortal danger. It means insisting that those to whom you give your friendship and love are able to respect your mind. It means being able to say, with Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre: "I have an inward treasure born with me, which can keep me alive if all the extraneous delights should be withheld or offered only at a price I cannot afford to give."
Adrienne Rich (1929 -) poet, feminist, essayist
SPRING 2010
THE BRONTË FAMILY PORTRAIT
(left to right) Ann, Emily and Charlotte Brontë. Branwell Brontë. ca. 1834.
National Portrait Gallery, London.Patrick Brontë and Maria Branwell married in December of 1812 and over the next eight years they had five daughters and one son. In 1821, shortly after the birth of her youngest child, Maria died of cancer. Patrick tried to remarry but was unable to find a bride. As a result, the long term care of the children fell to their maternal aunt, Elizabeth Branwell. By all reports, "Aunt Branwell" was reserved and quite firm; nevertheless she was devoted to the well-being of her nieces and nephew. She developed an especially close relationship to the infant Anne with whom she shared a room.
In 1824 their father sent Maria, Elizabeth, Charlotte and Emily to the school at Cowan Bridge. The conditions at the school were harsh. Students were subjected to mistreatment by the staff as well as hunger and cold. In 1825, at the ages of eleven and ten respectively, Maria and Elizabeth contracted tuberculosis. They withdrew from school and returned home, but died shortly afterward. The death of their mother and sisters had a traumatic effect on the Brontë siblings and, many years later, Charlotte used her personal experience of boarding school and death as material for her novel Jane Eyre.
For the five years immediately following the deaths of Maria and Elizabeth, the Brontë children received their education at home from their father, their aunt, and two private music and art instructors. It was during this period that the children developed an imaginary world: the African kingdom of "Angria". The children created extensive characters and stories about Angria which they then meticulously logged in diminutive books. These early stories were the first expressions of their literary talents.
In time, Anne, Emily and Charlotte all went away to school again and eventually all took work as teachers and governesses. One of the last such posts was Anne's employment as governess to the children of Reverend Edmund Robinson and his wife Lydia at Thorp Green [1840-1845]. In 1842 she secured a tutoring position at Thorp Green for her brother Branwell. However, Branwell's affair with Lydia Robinson resulted in his dismissal and Anne's resignation in 1845.
. . . we veiled our own names under those of Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell; the ambiguous choice being dictated by a sort of conscientious scruple at assuming Christian names positively masculine . . . we had a vague impression that authoresses are liable to be looked on with prejudice.
Charlotte Brontë (1816-1855), novelist, poetIt was that summer of 1845, following the employment reversal for Anne and Branwell, that the sisters began working on a collection of poems. This collection was published the next year under the pseudonyms of Currer, Ellis and Acton Bell. Though the book sold only two copies, each of the sisters soon began writing their first novels. By 1847, all three sisters had published manuscripts under their pen names of Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell: Wuthering Heights [Emily Brontë/Ellis Bell], Agnes Grey [Anne Brontë/Acton Bell] and Jane Eyre [Charlotte Brontë/Currer Bell]. Following the enormous success of Jane Eyre, there was a public rumor that all three books were the work of one author. In the summer of 1848, Charlotte and Anne traveled to the publishing house of Smith, Elder & Co in London and revealed their three identities as the authors of these novels.
During the year following that trip to London, Branwell, Anne and Emily all died of tuberculosis. After their deaths, Charlotte assumed primary care of her father. Her authorship of Jane Eyre had brought a certain amount of unwelcome notoriety to Charlotte but by living life 'quietly' as the dutiful daughter of her parson father, she was spared some of the intense public scrutiny. On occasion, her publisher even managed to persuade her to visit London where she socialized with the city's literary elite.
Before her death, Charlotte saw two more manuscripts published, Shirley (1849) and Villette (1853). She married in 1854 and the following year, like her siblings, died of tuberculosis. She was pregnant with her first child.
Patrick Brontë (1777 - 1861), husband of Maria and father of the six Brontë children, was the curate of the Haworth parish. He was the descendant of Irish farmers and studied successfully at Cambridge. He was a sometime writer and poet.
Maria Branwell Brontë (1783 - 1821), wife of Patrick and mother of the six Brontë children, was also the daughter of a prosperous middle class family. She died at the age of thirty-eight, probably from uterine cancer.
Elizabeth Branwell (1776 - 1842), "Aunt Branwell", was the older sister of Maria and after caring for her dying sister, assumed the care of the six Brontë children.
Maria Brontë (1814-1825) was the oldest of the six children. At the age of eleven she died from tuberculosis which she contracted while attending boarding school.
Elizabeth Brontë (1815-1825) was the second oldest of the six children. At the age of ten she died from tuberculosis which she contracted while attending boarding school.
Charlotte Brontë, chalk, George Richmond. circa 1850. National Portrait Gallery, London.
Conventionality is not morality.
Charlotte Brontë (1816 – 1855) writer, poet, oldest of the three surviving sistersCharlotte Brontë wrote under two pen names: initially as Lord Charles Albert Florian Wellesley, later as Currer Bell. She is the only one of the Brontë sisters who received recognition for her work in her lifetime. Her best known novel is Jane Eyre which contains much autobiographical material. For example, she used her personal experience of boarding school at Cowan Bridge in her depiction of Lowood School, the boarding facility which Jane Eyre attends. Charlotte also models Helen Burns, a young girl who dies of consumption at Lowood, after her sisters.
After the deaths of Anne, Emily and Branwell, Charlotte centered her life around her father's care. Her portrayal of female passion and desire in her heroine Jane Eyre had made Charlotte and her novel subject to attack. By living life as the dutiful daughter of her parson father, she was able to know some measure of peace. Despite the cost of her notoriety, on occasion, her publisher managed to persuade her to visit London where she socialized with the city's literary elite.
She saw two more manuscripts published before her death: Shirley (1849) and Villette (1853). In June 1854, at the age of thirty-eight, Charlotte married Arthur Bell Nichols, the vicar of Haworth. She was in the early stages of pregnancy the following spring when she contracted tuberculosis and died. She is the only literary Brontë to receive significant recognition in her lifetime.
WORKS OF CHARLOTTE BRONTË
The Green Dwarf, A Tale of the Perfect Tense (1833)
Tales of Angria (1834)
Poems by Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell (1846)
Jane Eyre (1847)
Shirley (1849)
Villette (1853)
The Professor (published posthumously 1857)
Emma (unfinished)Patrick Branwell Brontë (1817 – 1848) was a painter, writer and occasional worker. As an adult, he developed an addiction to alcohol and laudanum. [Anne used the experience of Branwell's addiction as a model for a character in The Tenant of Wildfell Hall.] In 1848, at the age of 31, he contracted tuberculosis and died.
Emily Brontë, Patrick Branwell Brontë. date unknown.
I've dreamt in my life dreams that have stayed with me ever after, and changed my ideas; they've gone through me, like wine through water, and altered the colour of my mind.
Emily Brontë (1818-48) writer, poet, second of the three surfing sistersEmily Brontë was an extremely introverted individual who had few friends and was drawn to the mystical. Little of her juvenile writing survives. However, her adult poetry was the inspiration for the collection which the sisters published in 1846.
She is best known for her only novel, Wuthering Heights. It was first published as two volumes of a three volume set which included Agnes Grey. The first edition credited Ellis Bell with its authorship. After Charlotte and Anne revealed the true identities of Currer, Ellis and Acton Bell in 1848, there were some who still believed that Branwell must have written Wuthering Heights. This skepticism was due to the intensely passionate nature of the text, which contemporary readers thought could only be written by a man and not a sheltered and retiring woman.
Shortly after the funeral of her brother Branwell in 1848, Emily became ill. She refused all medical attention, contracted tuberculosis, and died three months later. In 1850, Charlotte published Wuthering Heights as a stand alone novel and under her sister's real name. The complex approach to the structure of time, coupled with the use of layered narrative, made this novel one ahead of its time. It is also this innovation which may make Emily the most gifted of the three Brontë writers.
WORKS OF EMILY BRONTË
Poems by Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell (1846)
Wuthering Heights (1847)
Anne Brontë, Charlotte Brontë. 1834.
My soul is awakened, my spirit is soaring.
Anne Brontë (1820-49), writer, poet, youngest of the three surviving sistersAnne Brontë wrote under the pen name of Acton Bell. Her major works were two novels: Agnes Grey and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. Her writer's voice was both realistic and ironic, a style very dissimilar from her sisters' decidedly Romantic approach. Though her novels are not as popular as Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights, they are considered among the classics of English literature.
Of the three sisters who survived into adulthood, Anne was the most intensely spiritual. She was especially close to her maternal aunt, Elizabeth Branwell, who helped shape her religious thinking. A Christian Universalist, Anne believed that all souls will eventually be saved.
Shortly after the death of her sister Emily in December of 1848, Anne contracted influenza. She never recovered fully and in May 1849, while traveling for her health, Anne died of consumption at the age of 29.
WORKS OF ANNE BRONTË
Poems by Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell (1846)
Agnes Grey (1847)
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (1848)
SPRING 2010
SAINT MATTHEW
Saint Matthew, Les Très Riches Heures du duc de Berry, 1410. The Musée Condé, Chantilly.
In the New Testament, Matthew is a tax collector whom Jesus calls into service as one of the original twelve apostles. Following the death of Jesus, Matthew preached the Gospel in Hebrew in Judea. During his later ministry his work focused on the Gentiles. Some sources report that he died of natural causes in either Ethiopia or Macedonia. Church tradition holds that he was martyred.
Early church sources credit Matthew with writing a first gospel known as the Gospel of the Hebrews which survived him. According to one tradition, the original text was in Hebrew. This text was later translated into Greek but was lost. The Hebrew version was held at the Library of Caesarea and was copied for the use of Jerome in the 5th Century. Only writing fragments from Matthew's Gospel of the Hebrews remain. All full text copies have been lost.
Some scholars attribute the authorship of The Gospel of Matthew (New Testament) to a late first century Jewish Christian. Christian tradition, however, credits the disciple Matthew with the work. The Gospel of Matthew is the first of the four canonical writings and presents Christ as the fulfillment of Jewish Messianic prophecies. The text focuses on the childhood, adult ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus. Though sharing material with both the Gospels of Mark and Luke, the infancy narratives are unique to the Gospel of Matthew. The most famous passages in this text include the Sermon on the Mount and the Great Commission. The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), which has such notable passages as the Beatitudes and The Lord's Prayer, has presented a template for Christian discipleship for many notable world leaders, including Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr.
Saint Matthew as an angel. Artist unknown. 13th Century. The British Library, London.
THE BEATITUDES
Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:1-10 (KJV)
SPRING 2010
THE COMMISSIONS OF JEAN FRANCE, DUC DE BERRY
Jean de France, Duke of Berry, study of a sculpture by Jean de Cambrai. Hans Holbein the Younger. 1523/24. Kunstmuseum Basel.
Jean, Duc de Berry [1340-1416], was the third of four sons born to King John II of France. He was heavily involved in the court intrigue which surrounded the reign of his mentally ill nephew, Charles VI. From 1382-88, he served as Regent along with Charles' maternal uncle, the Duke of Bourbon. When his only surviving brother, Philip the Bold, died in 1404, Jean assumed the role of peacemaker, mediating disputes between his warring nephews.
He was married twice. With his first wife, Joanna of Armagnac [1346-1387], he had five children. The year following Joanna's death, he married his second wife, Joan II, Countess of Auvergne and Boulogne [1378-1434].
Jean is perhaps remembered most for his extensive patronage of the arts. His commissions include many illuminated manuscripts as well as the Holy Thorn Reliquary and the Royal Gold Cup, also known as the Saint Agnes Cup. His cultivation of art and artists severely impacted his wealth and when he died in the plague of 1416, he was heavily in debt.
Les Petite Heures (The little hours) was commissioned by the duke in 1373. Originally, five illuminators worked on the illustrations, among them Jean Le Noir, the era's leading artist in French book illustration. Art historians credit him with the Passion of Christ, the office of John the Baptist, and an illumination for the penitential psalms. When Le Noir died in 1375, production of the book halted for almost a decade. In 1385 other artists were brought into the project [Jacquemart, Master of the Trinity, and the Pseudo-Jacquemart], completing it by 1390. In 1400, the duke commissioned the Limbourg brothers to add a final miniature. Presently, this book is is part of the special collections of the Bibliothèque nationale in Paris.
The Turin-Milan Hours was commissioned at some point during the decade of 1380-90. It is believed that Jean de Berry is responsible for this commission. The project was an unusual one as it was not intended to be a standard book of hours but rather an extravagantly illuminated manuscript which contained not only the book of hours but a prayer-book and missal as well. In 1413 the Duke gave the book to his treasurer Robert D'estampes who divided the still incomplete manuscript, selling the missal and prayer book and retaining the book of hours.
Très Belles Heures de Notre-Dame de Duc Jean de Berry (The very beautiful hours of Our Lady) is the book of hours portion of The Turin-Milan Hours. Robert D'Estampes, treasurer to Jean de Berry, retained this portion of the larger manuscript in his personal effects and it remained in his family until the 1700's. It is now in the Bibliothèque nationale de France, a bequest from the Rothschild family in the 1950's.
Saint John the Baptist, Limbourg Brothers, The Petite Heures of Jean of France, Duke of Berry. ca. 15th Century. Bibliothèque nationale de France.
The Turin Hours is the prayer book portion of The Turin-Milan Hours, sold by Robert D'Estampes to John, Count of Holland. During this ownership, historians identify eleven different artists who were hired to illuminate the work. By the mid-1400's the manuscript was in the court of Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy. It was during this period that the noted Flemish artist Jan Van Eyck contributed to the illustrations. By 1479 this section belonged to the House of Savoy who gave it to the National Library in Turin in 1720. A fire in 1904 destroyed the manuscript.
The Milan Hours is the missal portion of The Turin-Milan Hours, sold by Robert D'Estampes to John, Count of Holland. The Milan Hours and The Turin Hours remained together until the Milan Hours was taken by an Italian collector to Paris in 1800. As a result, the missal was spared the destruction which befell the prayer book section in the Turin fire. In 1935 Turin acquired The Milan Hours [minus eight leaves] and it is presently part of the collection at the Turin Civic Museum. Four leaves from this manuscript are at the Louvre Museum in Paris. In 2000 the Getty Museum bought a single leaf from a private collection in Belgium.
Les Belles Heures (Item, une belles Heures, tres bien et richement historiees [Item, a beautiful hours, very well and richly illuminated]) features exclusively the illumination work of the Limbourg Brothers - Herman, Paul and John. Commissioned by Jean France, Duke of Berry, in 1405, the brothers finished the book in 1409. The Limbourg brothers were unusually close to the duke and were commissioned by him for several different book of hours. In this version, they added more artwork than originally planned, creating seven picture book cycles with three to twelve full page illuminations in each cycle. This illumination is noted for its strong emotional content, unusual for painting during this period. The book is presently in the Cloisters Collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York).
Les Grandes heures de Jean de France, duc de Berry, (The grand hours of the Duke of Berry) is the largest book of hours from the duke's many commissions. History credits Pseudo-Jacquemart with its illuminations. The work was completed around 1409 and is part of the special collections of the Bibliothèque nationale in Paris.
Les Très Riches Heures (The very rich hours of the Duke of Berry) is a book of hours commissioned by Jean France Duc de Berry around 1410. Over a century in the making, the book has more than 400 pages and features 131 large scale illustrations. It is possibly the single most valuable book in the world and is considered the most important illuminated manuscript of the 15th Century, earning the distinction "le roi des manuscrits enluminés" (the king of illuminated manuscripts). Artists associated with the creation of this manuscript include the Limbourg brothers (Netherlands), Barthélemy van Eyck (Netherlands), and Jean Colombe (France). In 1416, while this masterpiece was in process, the Duke and the Limbourg brothers all succumbed to the plague. This manuscript is part of the collection of The Musée Condé in Chantilly, France.
[left] January, Les Très Riches Heures du duc de Berry, 1410. The Musée Condé, Chantilly. Jean de France is featured in this illumination as one of the guests at the banquet table [far right center in blue gown and fur cap].
SPRING 2010
THE BOOK OF HOURS
A prayer to St. Christopher. The Hastings Hours. Artist unknown. ca. 1470. The British Library, London.
The book of hours was a Christian devotional of writings, psalms and prayers, popular in the Middle Ages and intended for use by the laity. The books were usually written in Latin though vernacular forms were not uncommon. The practice of reciting the hours was meant to provide the individual with a more immediate relationship with God and the Virgin Mary. The standard components included a calendar of church feasts, the Hours of the Virgin, the Hours of the Cross, the Hours of the Holy Spirit, the Office for the Dead, and the Suffrages.
The books varied in decorative content. Simpler versions contained only ornamental letters. More lavish versions, commissioned by wealthy patrons, featured richly executed full page illustrations or miniatures. One outstanding example of this manuscript, Les Très Riches Heures (The very rich hours of the Duke of Berry), is possibly the single most valuable book in the world.
THE CANONICAL HOURS
The canonical hours are distinct intervals of time between the daily prayers. A book of hours contains these prayers. In the Roman and Anglican traditions the canonical hours are also known as 'offices'. In the Eastern Orthodox Church, they are called 'the divine services' and The Books of Hours is called a Horologian (῾Ωρολόγιον).
SPRING 2010
THE LITTLE OFFICE OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
The annunciation, Limbourg Brothers, The Belles Heures of Jean of France, Duke of Berry*. Ink, tempera, and gold leaf on vellum; The Cloisters Collection. Metropolitan Museum of Art. ca. 1406-09. *Item, une belles Heures, tres bien et richement historiees (Item, a beautiful hours, very well and richly illuminated)
The little office of the blessed Virgin Mary is a weekly devotional cycle consisting of psalms, hymns and sacred readings. It began in the eighth century as a monastic spiritual practice. By the tenth century it had come into more widespread use and was a standard text in the book of hours. By the fourteenth century it was obligatory practice for all clergy.
This ritual remained in widespread usage until Pope Paul VI recommended to the church that practitioners use the Divine Office in lieu of The little office of the blessed Virgin Mary "so that they may participate more intimately in the liturgical life of the Church...." Following this instruction by the Pope, many congregations abandoned the office in order to adopt the Liturgy of the hours. However, there have been several editions of The little office since then and it has never been out of print.
In the Middle Ages books were usually displayed on ornate stands [detail above from The Belles Heures]. Since books were scarce and quite valuable it was not unusual for books to be chained to their stands as a measure against theft.
SPRING 2010
THE ANNUNCIATION (MATINS)
The annunciation, artist unknown, Petites heures d'Anne de Bretagne (Little Book of Hours of Anne of Brittany), 1503.
Matins [Latin matutinus, of the morning] is the longest and most complex of the daily services. It is traditionally observed before sunrise and is the last of the four night watches [Compline, Vespers, Midnight Office].
And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.
And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.
And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.
And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.
Luke 1:28 - 32 [KJV]The story of the annunciation describes the visitation of the angel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary. In this story, the angel is sent by God to Nazareth to give Mary the news of the impending virgin birth. The annunciation is a popular motif in Christian art and is associated with the office of Matins in The little office of the blessed Virgin Mary.
The little office of the blessed Virgin Mary
Matins (The annunciation)
Lauds (The visitation)
Prime (The nativity)
Terce (The annunciation to the shepherds)
Sext (The adoration of the Magi)
None (The presentation in the temple)
Vespers (The massacre of the innocents)
Compline (The flight into Egypt)
SPRING 2010
THE VISITATION (LAUDS)
The visitation, Les Très Riches Heures du duc de Berry, 1410. The Musée Condé, Chantilly.
Lauds is one of the most ancient offices and can be traced back to the era of the apostles. Also known as the Morning Office or Office of Aurora, it is the principle office of the day. The origin of the name [Medieval Latin, laud-, praise] derives from the psalms [Psalm 148, 149, or 150] which traditionally close the service. The intent of this office is to recall the resurrection of Christ.
My soul doth magnify the Lord,
And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
Luke 1:46 - 47 [KJV], opening lines of The MagnificatIn The little office of the blessed Virgin Mary this ritual is associated with the visitation, a meeting between Mary and Elizabeth, found in Luke 1:39-56. Significantly, both women are pregnant: Elizabeth with the prophet John and Mary with the Christ child. Their conversation addresses the nature of faith and service in the context of these pregnancies.
The scripture in this passage of Luke is also the source of The Magnificat, a popular canticle spoken or sung in church services.
The little office of the blessed Virgin Mary
Matins (The annunciation)
Lauds (The visitation)
Prime (The nativity)
Terce (The annunciation to the shepherds)
Sext (The adoration of the Magi)
None (The presentation in the temple)
Vespers (The massacre of the innocents)
Compline (The flight into Egypt)
SPRING 2010
THE NATIVITY (PRIME)
The nativity, Les Très Riches Heures du duc de Berry, 1410. The Musée Condé, Chantilly.
Prime [Latin, primus, first] is the office which is read at the first hour or daybreak. Its purpose is to consecrate one's daily labors to God. According to fourth century documents written by Saint John Cassian, his monastery was the cradle of the office.
. . . it is to be known . . . this morning canonical function was first instituted in our time and in our monastery. . .
Saint John Cassian [360-435], monk noted for mystical writingsOriginally there was no service between Lauds [4-6am] and Terce [9am]. Instead it was customary for monks to retire back to their rooms after Lauds. Prime was added to prevent the monks from sleeping during the entire interim between the two early offices. This meant that they would work earlier and longer, beginning their daily labor and spiritual practice immediately after Prime.
The nativity or story of the birth of the Christ is associated with Prime in The little office of the blessed Virgin Mary.
The little office of the blessed Virgin Mary
Matins (The annunciation)
Lauds (The visitation)
Prime (The nativity)
Terce (The annunciation to the shepherds)
Sext (The adoration of the Magi)
None (The presentation in the temple)
Vespers (The massacre of the innocents)
Compline (The flight into Egypt)
SPRING 2010
THE ANNUNCIATION TO THE SHEPHERDS (TERCE)
The Annunciation to the Shepherds, Master of the Houghton Miniatures. Emerson-White Hours. ca. 1480. J. Paul Getty Museum.
Terce, or Third Hour [Latin, from hora tertia, third hour after dawn], is a fixed hour for prayer dating back to Apostolic times. The third hour was also the traditional hour for Eucharist on feast days. This custom derived from the biblical reference to the third hour as the time that the holy spirit descended on the apostles at Pentecost. The third hour is also called hora aurea or hora sacra ("golden hour" or "holy hour").
And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
Luke 2:10-12 [KJV]The annunciation to the shepherds is an event in the nativity of Jesus and is found in Luke 2. In the little office of the blessed Virgin Mary, it is associated with Terce.
The little office of the blessed Virgin Mary
Matins (The annunciation)
Lauds (The visitation)
Prime (The nativity)
Terce (The annunciation to the shepherds)
Sext (The adoration of the Magi)
None (The presentation in the temple)
Vespers (The massacre of the innocents)
Compline (The flight into Egypt)
SPRING 2010
THE ADORATION OF THE MAGI (SEXT)
The adoration of the Magi, A book of hours, ca. 1480.
Sext [Latin, sexta, sixth] refers to noon or the sixth hour after dawn. It is an established time of prayer in the Divine Office. It holds particular religious significance as coinciding when the light of the sun is the fullest, the time when Adam and Eve ate the apple, the time when Christ was nailed to the cross. This is an ancient rite but earliest accounts of sext describe it as short and conducted privately.
[T]hey departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.
When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.
And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh. Matthew 2:9-11 [KJV]The adoration of the magi is a popular theme in Christian art. Earliest depictions date from the fourth century and are found on catacomb walls or sarcophagus surfaces. These early works show the Magi in simple dress, without crowns, in submissive poses. Around the twelfth century, the three magi were portrayed to represent the three different parts of the world: Europe [Melchior], Africa [Balthasar], Eastern Asia [Kaspar].
The little office of the blessed Virgin Mary
Matins (The annunciation)
Lauds (The visitation)
Prime (The nativity)
Terce (The annunciation to the shepherds)
Sext (The adoration of the Magi)
None (The presentation in the temple)
Vespers (The massacre of the innocents)
Compline (The flight into Egypt)
SPRING 2010
THE PRESENTATION IN THE TEMPLE (None)
The presentation in the temple. Les Très Riches Heures du duc de Berry, 1410. The Musée Condé, Chantilly.
None [Latin, nona, ninth] is the service which takes place at the ninth hour after sunrise, or roughly 3pm. Along with terce and sext, it is a traditional time for private prayer. The rite was in existence by the fourth century and was mandatory for monks. The original purpose of None was to acknowledge the conclusion of the day's work.
Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word:
For mine eyes have seen thy salvation,
Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people;
A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.
Luke 2:29-32 [Simeon gives thanks on viewing the infant Christ]In the little office of the blessed Virgin Mary, None is associated with the presentation of the infant Christ in the temple. A description of the event is found in Luke 2:22-40. In addition to the holy family, Simeon is part of this story and he is often found in depictions of this scene. He was a man devoted to God and had received the promise that he would not die before he saw the Messiah. There is also a reference to the prophetess, Anna, who was present at the temple and later spread the news that the child had been born who was the awaited redeemer.
The little office of the blessed Virgin Mary
Matins (The annunciation)
Lauds (The visitation)
Prime (The nativity)
Terce (The annunciation to the shepherds)
Sext (The adoration of the Magi)
None (The presentation in the temple)
Vespers (The massacre of the innocents)
Compline (The flight into Egypt)
SPRING 2010
THE MASSACRE OF THE INNOCENTS (VESPERS)
The massacre of the Innocents. German manuscript, ca. 1350. The British Library, London.
Vespers [Greek εσπερινός and Latin vesper, evening] is the traditional evening prayer service. The service is observed before sunset [i.e. at some point between 4 pm and 6 pm] and consecrates the day to God. Vespers is one of the most ancient and solemn of the church offices.
Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men.
Matthew 2:16 [KJV]In The little office of the blessed Virgin Mary, Vespers is associated with the massacre of the innocents. This New Testament story concerns an infanticide ordered by King Herod in response to the reported birth of a child which fulfilled Old Testament prophecies and threatened Herod with the loss of his throne. The slaughter of these infants is considered the first Christian martyrdom.
The little office of the blessed Virgin Mary
Matins (The annunciation)
Lauds (The visitation)
Prime (The nativity)
Terce (The annunciation to the shepherds)
Sext (The adoration of the Magi)
None (The presentation in the temple)
Vespers (The massacre of the innocents)
Compline (The flight into Egypt)
SPRING 2010
THE FLIGHT INTO EGYPT (COMPLINE)
The miracles of the palm tree and corn on the Flight into Egypt.Les Très Riches Heures du duc de Berry, 1410. The Musée Condé, Chantilly.
Compline [Latin completorium completion] is the final office of the church day. It is also known as the night office. Compline is contemplative in nature, with a focus on cultivating spiritual peace.
And after they were departed, behold an angel of the Lord appeared in sleep to Joseph, saying: Arise, and take the child and his mother, and fly into Egypt: and be there until I shall tell thee. For it will come to pass that Herod will seek the child to destroy him.
When he arose, he took the child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt: and he was there until the death of Herod.
Matthew 2:13-14 [KJV]The illuminated miniature above refers to the flight from Egypt described in Matthew and traditionally associated with Compline in The little office of the blessed Virgin Mary. The miracle of the palm trees is a Christian myth which describes the Christ child ordering a palm tree to bend toward his mother and provide her with food during the journey to Egypt. In the corn myth, corn miraculously grows to maturity overnight, allowing shepherds to report to Herod's soldiers that the family had passed by before the corn had grown. This manipulation of time enabled the shepherd to protect the holy family from the pursuit of Herod's soldiers. Pagan statues also tumbled to the ground as the holy family traveled, according to this myth.
The little office of the blessed Virgin Mary
Matins (The annunciation)
Lauds (The visitation)
Prime (The nativity)
Terce (The annunciation to the shepherds)
Sext (The adoration of the Magi)
None (The presentation in the temple)
Vespers (The massacre of the innocents)
Compline (The flight into Egypt)
