The Bad But Not Very Bad Place
Jul. 31st, 2003 07:40 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
malsperanzaWas at the Getty Museum in LA last week, and saw there a wonderful show of Flemish medieval illuminated manuscripts. Sounds dry and academic, but in fact these things are gorgeous beyond belief.
And in a few cases veryveryfunny.
The Getty has a Burgundian illuminated book called The Visions of Tondal. It's an early medieval tale of an Irish knight, Tondal, who passes out at dinner (one too many butts of malmsey, perhaps?) and has a vision of Hell and Heaven. It belongs to the medieval literary tradition of visionary journeys to the Underworld (Dante's is the most famous. They are connected to Arthurian Quest stories.) Text by one Frater Marcus, illustrations by the redoubtable Simon Marmion, c. 1483. Hilarious.
I mean, how can you beat a book with an episode called "The Beast that Eats Unchaste Priests and Nuns"? Get back, Joss Whedon.
Here is the little nekked soul of Tondal being led by his guardian angel across a tightrope spanning the Valley of the Perversely Proud and Presumptuous.
But the two best scenes are The Bad But Not Very Bad Suffer Temporary Torments (due to a mistranslation from the Latin, they are stuck in a wall; and isn't that angel smirking just a little too much?) and The Good But Not Very Good Are Nourished by a Fountain.
They seem a little glum. (I suppose The Good And VeryVeryGood get nourished by something a little tastier.) Here's the whole page, showing the exquisite floral borders and ornamentation. So pretty.
I am in love with poor Tondal. Why do these things always happen to the Irish knights? --The Voyage of St. Brendan, not to mention St. Patrick's Purgatory and the Snakes. Ah well, he's better off Irish. In Latin his name is Tnugdal, poor fellow.
And in a few cases veryveryfunny.
The Getty has a Burgundian illuminated book called The Visions of Tondal. It's an early medieval tale of an Irish knight, Tondal, who passes out at dinner (one too many butts of malmsey, perhaps?) and has a vision of Hell and Heaven. It belongs to the medieval literary tradition of visionary journeys to the Underworld (Dante's is the most famous. They are connected to Arthurian Quest stories.) Text by one Frater Marcus, illustrations by the redoubtable Simon Marmion, c. 1483. Hilarious.
I mean, how can you beat a book with an episode called "The Beast that Eats Unchaste Priests and Nuns"? Get back, Joss Whedon.
Here is the little nekked soul of Tondal being led by his guardian angel across a tightrope spanning the Valley of the Perversely Proud and Presumptuous.
But the two best scenes are The Bad But Not Very Bad Suffer Temporary Torments (due to a mistranslation from the Latin, they are stuck in a wall; and isn't that angel smirking just a little too much?) and The Good But Not Very Good Are Nourished by a Fountain.
They seem a little glum. (I suppose The Good And VeryVeryGood get nourished by something a little tastier.) Here's the whole page, showing the exquisite floral borders and ornamentation. So pretty.
I am in love with poor Tondal. Why do these things always happen to the Irish knights? --The Voyage of St. Brendan, not to mention St. Patrick's Purgatory and the Snakes. Ah well, he's better off Irish. In Latin his name is Tnugdal, poor fellow.
