The Prophetic Faith of Our Fathers, vol. 1

XI. The Illustrated Bamberg Apocalypse

In this chapter we have already dealt with the eighth-century Spanish monk, Beatus, whose illustrations of the Apoca lypse exerted a profound influence upon successive generations during the Middle Ages. But Beatus, and the school developing after him, were not alone in this field. In southern Germany, at the monastery of Reichenau, art was cultivated and produced its own distinctive style. A beautiful specimen is the illustrated Apocalypse that was finished around the year 1000—probably in 1005 or 1007—and which brought fame to this school. This work is known as the Bamberg Apocalypse, because the emperor Henry II presented it to the church of St. Stephen, at Bamberg, in 1020. With its fifty-eight illustrations on the Apocalypse, it constitutes the main part of a larger work. ⁷⁵ PFF1 591.4

Picture 3: ILLUSTRATED BAMBERG APOCALYPSE OF ELEVENTH CENTURY
Fifth trumpet, with fighting locusts emerging from well (upper left), dragon attacking the woman, who had just given birth to the man child (center), the woman fleeing from the dragon’s flood (upper right), leopard beast of Revelation 13 (lower left), two horned beast of Revelation 13 (lower right).
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The illustrations in the Bamberg Apocalypse, compared with those of the Beatus group, contain, in general, less detail. However, their main figures are mostly well proportioned and show a harmony of movement that reveals real artistry. Nonessentials are merely indicated by a few suggestive lines. For instance, the sea is indicated by wavy lines, and the earth by a straight line. This leaves the definite impression that the effect desired is to emphasize the symbolic nature of the entire picture—a point that modern illustrators often fail to take into consideration. PFF1 593.1

After becoming accustomed to the medieval lack of perspective in drawing, one immediately notices the very careful composition of these pictures by the artist. For instance, the direct attack of the seven-headed dragon upon the woman who had given birth to the man child, in the one picture, and the spewing out the stream of water after her when she is fleeing, in another, show the dragon already on the defensive. In the pictures illustrating the leopard beast of Revelation 13 and the two-horned beast of the same chapter, the dragon character of both is definitely emphasized. In the former it will be noticed that one of the heads is bent, indicating its deadly wound. PFF1 593.2

In the picture illustrating the outpouring of the plagues the similar postures of the different angels emphasize the sameness of their task. However, differentiation is effected by showing various ways of holding the vials. Really grotesque is the binding and loosing of Satan. He is bound, together with the dragon, and the fiery pit rolls into the picture like an immense ball. It reminds one somehow of modernistic symbolic illustrations. All the paintings are done in opaque colors, principally in three-gold, darkish green, and a purple-brown, with many intermediate shades. It is assuredly the work of an outstanding though unnamed artist of that time. PFF1 593.3

Picture 4: FURTHER ILLUSTRATIONS FROM BAMBERG APOCALYPSE
The first three plagues (left), the great Harlote, riding the beast (center), Satan bound then loosened (right).
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The theme chosen shows the marked influence the apocalyptic visions of John had upon the minds of the people—kings, priests, and laymen alike. This is especially well illustrated by the fact that this work was given by the holy Roman emperor to a noted church in Bavaria. All this shows clearly that the Apocalypse had a much greater place in the thinking and imagination of the people of that century than it has today. PFF1 594.1