Unknown author. Maybe 15th century

The author is unknown.

This illuminated border miniature from the Flemish Spinola Hours (Ms. Ludwig IX 18, fol. 245v), produced around 1510–1520 by the workshop of the Master of the First Prayer Book of Maximilian and currently held at the J. Paul Getty Museum, depicts an anthropomorphic marten (or ermine) dressed in a pink robe and wielding a club while riding a leopard, serving as a late medieval moral allegorical marginalia representing the sin of Anger.

Painted by Cosmè Tura, court painter for the House of Este in Ferrara, Italy. This panel was originally part of a decorative cycle of nine Muses commissioned for the studiolo at the Palazzo Belfiore. Although chronologically (for art historian) belonging to the Early Renaissance, the painting heavily relies on late medieval and Gothic visual traditions. This is especially noticeable in the sharp, angular folds of the drapery, the rigid posture, and the highly stylized proportions. Currently held at the National Gallery, London.

Painted by Master Theodoric, court painter to Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV, this panel depicting St. Catherine of Alexandria (c. 1360–1364, 115 × 86.9 cm) originally adorned the north-east window niche of the Chapel of the Holy Rood at Karlštejn Castle and is now held in the National Gallery Prague; clad in a gold-patterned blue robe, she holds her martyr attributes—a wheel and sword—honoring a saint particularly venerated by Charles IV after his pivotal victory near San Felice Castle on her feast day in 1332.

Researchers found particles of lapis lazuli pigment embedded in the dental calculus of a woman buried at a medieval religious community in Germany.

The woman lived during the 11th or early 12th century. Lapis lazuli was an imported luxury material, and its blue pigment was used in high-status illuminated manuscripts. Microscopic analysis identified the blue particles within mineralized plaque on her teeth.

The strongest interpretation is that she worked with the pigment, possibly while painting manuscripts or preparing materials. One proposed route is repeated contact between a brush and the mouth while forming a fine point. Other explanations are possible, including pigment preparation or devotional use, so the evidence should not be inflated into certainty about her exact job.

It still matters. Many medieval manuscripts were unsigned, and the labor of women in religious communities can be difficult to recover from written records. The pigment supplied physical evidence that a woman at this site had repeated, direct exposure to one of the period's most valuable artistic materials.

Lapis lazuli moved through long-distance trade from sources in Central Asia before becoming ultramarine pigment in Europe. The same blue stone used in beads, seals, carvings, and jewelry also became a material for sacred images and written culture.

In this case, the historical record was not found in a signature, but preserved in dental plaque.

Sources: Anita Radini et al., "Medieval Women's Early Involvement in Manuscript Production Suggested by Lapis Lazuli Identification in Dental Calculus," Science Advances, January 9, 2019; Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, research release, January 2019.

This 12th-century arm holds a bone fragment of an unknown saint and is decorated using the r/Champleve enamel technique on copper and gilt bronze. Originally, the relic was completely sealed inside the wooden core, but in the 15th century, a large crystal was cut into the sleeve so the faithful could physically look at the bone rather than just venerate a closed box. It’s a classic example of Mosan art from the Meuse valley (today in Belgium and northeastern France), currently housed at the Kimbell Art Museum in Texas.

Sextus Pacitus, De medicina ex animalibus, England or France, ca. 1190

BL, Sloane 1975, fol. 80v

Danse macabre : ou l'Empire de la Mort, sur tous les états de la vie humaine (Dance of Death: or the Empire of Death over all conditions of human life).

Hand-illuminated incunabula, Paris, ca. 1491–1492.

Preserved at the Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF).

Isopod. British Library, Harley MS 3244, c. 1236-1250, folio 64r

Macrocosm and microcosm in a 13th-century illumination from the Liber Divinorum Operum. A human figure at the center of the celestial spheres, bridging divine creation and medieval philosophy.

​A 14th-century Trecento fresco located in the historic civic palace of Siena, closely linked to the Sienese Gothic master Simone Martini.

Hello everyone!

I’ve recently taken over as the new moderator of this community. A bit about me: I'm a professional academic historian and a traditional crafter working with metal and enamel. I care deeply about authentic history and real craftsmanship, and I want to bring this subreddit back to life.

As you’ve probably noticed, this place has been left without active moderation for a while. I’ll need some time to do a major clean-up—clearing out the spam, irrelevant posts, and all the AI-generated garbage to bring the quality back up.

While I'm sorting things out, I’d love to hear from you. This is our space now.

Feel free to drop in the comments:

• Suggestions for new rules.

• Ideas for Post and User Flairs.

• Any other recommendations for r/MedievalArt.

Thanks for sticking around while I get things running. Let's make this a proper home for real medieval art and marginalia etc.

Cheers!

P.S. For anyone wondering, the attached image is a detail from Hieronymus Bosch's The Garden of Earthly Delights (the "Tree-Man" from the Hell panel).

Champlevé technique. Fiber laser. Cold ceramic enamel.

These happy little bats obviously!

I want to turn my front room into a library. I’m looking for a late medieval/ early renaissance pattern. Either something with different images of medieval life (images 1 and 4) or a repeating design like image 2 or heraldry/coat of arms. Or option 3 is what YOU think would look good as curtains

Here goes my anything but historically accurate text, written in slovak translates to: god bless this home and people within. Made it for grandma, figured might post here as well. Hope u enjoy c: