Leaf from a Missal: Text (verso)

The crucified Christ was a central theme of medieval visual art. Each period set its own artistic and iconographic priorities, depending on the function and context of the works. For example, the dead Christ with his head bowed, the side wound dripping with blood, and the richly designed loincloth is characteristic of the 1300s. This miniature is localized to Bohemia (present-day Czech Republic and Slovakia), with its capital Prague as a leading art center of its time. The great plague, however, does not seem to have triggered a surge of innovation here.

Credit: Mr. and Mrs. William H. Marlatt Fund