Getty exhibit focuses on gift manuscripts

  J. Paul Getty Museum "The Adoration of the Mai," a
miniature from a psalter, is one of the exhibits being shown at the
Getty Museum Nov. 21 to Feb. 4, 2001.

By Kelsey McConnell
Daily Bruin Contributor

As modern shoppers browse Thanksgiving sales and online
merchandise, the tradition of exchanging presents ensues. Hearken
back to the Middle Ages, however, and a dramatically different
concept of gift-giving is apparent.

The use of lines and vibrant colors translates the significance
and joy of gift-giving in a new display at the J. Paul Getty
Museum. “The Art of Giving in the Middle Ages” is a
beautiful display of 20 illuminated, or illustrated, manuscripts
from 11th to 16th-century Western Europe and the Byzantine
Empire.

The exhibition features artwork and texts that were copied from
the Bible into volumes by nuns and monks of the Catholic church.
These works were made of animal skins and considered sacred. For
the illiterate, illustrations accompanied the text to further
explain the stories being told.

The exhibit is organized and divided into three sections titled
“The Models For Giving,” “The Culture of
Giving” and “The Gift of the Book.”

  J. Paul Getty Museum "The Art of Giving in the Middle
Ages," now at the Getty Museum, will showcase such pieces as "The
Legenda Aymonis," shown here. The first section features
manuscripts that show the “models for giving,” which
can be found in scripture and through the lives of the saints. On
display are pieces demonstrating the Medieval Christian mentality,
which made models out of men and women who forsook their worldly
possessions for a life of simple spiritual devotion.

One of the exhibit’s pieces, “From the Life of Saint
Anthony,” provides such a model of sacrificial giving. The
illumination shows Saint Anthony giving away his possessions only
to be tormented by demons and buried by a lion. The expressive
detail in the drawing of the demons and the grimace on the face of
Saint Anthony effectively display his torture.

The second series of manuscripts, “The Culture of
Giving,” moves from gift-giving as an act of charity aimed at
securing a place in heaven to Saint Hedwig, who spawned a wave of
genuine compassion for the downtrodden.

“Hedwig Caring for the Sick” is a piece that shows
the saint bending over to spoon soup into the gaping mouths of the
hungry and giving coins to a huddled mass of paupers. The serene
face of Saint Hedwig soothingly contrasts the wide eyes of the
starving children and the downtrodden.

This piece differs from the first section, which focuses around
saints who sacrificed all their possessions and social life to live
in seclusion. “Hedwig Caring for the Sick” is
demonstrative of how saints began directly helping the poor.

The rest of this section deals with the importance of
gift-giving within the aristocracy. Such graciousness was an act
that demonstrated the giver’s good will and allegiance toward
the recipient. Many of the illuminated manuscripts on display were
commissioned by aristocrats in the 11th to 16th centuries to foster
better foreign relations.

The final works are a representation of how the giving of
illuminated manuscripts became the premier way to circulate items
of luxury. One of the exhibition’s most interesting features
is an illuminated prayer book known as the
“Gualenghi-d’Este Hours.”

This book was occasioned by the marriage of Andrea Gualengo to
Orsina d’Este of the ruling family of Ferrara, a city in
northern Italy. The volume contains amazingly clear and colorful
illuminations of the Catholic mass, which were meant to aid the
young couple in prayer.

“The Art of Giving in the Middle Ages” is an exhibit
of startling beauty and skill, with works by artists such as Simon
Bening, Gerard Horenbout, Simon Marmion and Taddeo Crivelli.

Often bordered by ornate gilding and stately designs of flowers
and birds, the Biblical scenes featured in the manuscripts are done
in amazing detail with thin black lines filled in with brilliant
blues and reds that create lush landscapes and portraits.

The intricate care with which the manuscripts were formed was
used not only with Biblical stories, but also for luxurious 11th to
16th century clothing, ceilings and floors with elaborate and
beautiful patterning. The faces in the illuminations are an equally
striking accomplishment: the down-cast or wide eyes, the serene or
anguished mouths, the glowing Madonnas or savagely twisted demons
provide a supreme form of sacred and artistic expression.

ART: The Getty Museum’s exhibition “The Art of
Giving in the Middle Ages” is on view through Feb. 4, 2001 in
the North Pavillion’s Plaza Level. Parking reservations are
not needed for students. For more information, call (310)
440-7300.