Virtual exhibitions
Here are several virtual exhibitions about medieval art, created in conjunction with actual exhibitions at The J. Paul Getty Museum, featuring objects and manuscripts from the Getty collections.
The Art of Three Faiths: Torah, Bible, Qur'an. The exhibitions highlights remarkable examples of these three texts - all beautifully illuminated manuscripts - from the Getty Museum's collection.
Heaven, Hell, and Dying Well: Image of Death in the Middle Ages complements the exhibition at the Getty in summer of 2012. In the Middle Ages, hope mingled with fear concerning death and the afterlife, providing stirring subjects for manuscript illumination. Depictions of souls in paradise, the rewards of the blessed, and God's mercy reassured Christian audiences, while sometimes horrific illustrations of funerals, demons, and the punishment of the wicked prompted the pious to repent for their sins. At the core of visual devotion stood images of the crucified Christ, promising resurrection and eternal salvation. This exhibition—which includes not only manuscripts but also printed books, a panel painting, stained glass and other media—explores medieval images that reflect imagined travels to the netherworld and attempts to map what awaited humankind beyond this earthly existence.
Eat, Drink, and Be Merry: Food in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance was on view at The Getty in 2016. The cultivation, preparation, and consumption of food formed the framework for daily labor and leisure in the Middle Ages and Renaissance. Illuminated manuscripts offer images of the chores that produced sustenance, cooking techniques, popular dishes, grand feasts, and diners of different social classes. Food had powerful symbolic meaning in Christian devotional practice as well as in biblical stories and saintly miracles, where it nourished both the body and the soul.
Happy exploring of these visually enticing virtual exhibitions!
(image: Detail of a page in the Rothschild Pentateuch decorated with Hebrew letters and marginal figures. Rothshild Pentateuch, 1296, made in France or Germany. Ink, gold, and tempera colors on parchment, 10 13/16 × 8 1/4 in. Getty Museum, Ms. 116, fol. 119v)
