Time and the Universe in the Iconography of the Guyart des Moulins’s “Bible Historiale”

Abstract

This article is devoted to the study of Guyart des Moulins’s “Bible Historiale” (“Historical Bible”) illumination art on the example of two codices preserved in the National Library of Russia. The “Bible Historiale”, which combined the translation of the Vulgate and the “Historia Scholastica” by Peter Comestor into French, was one of the most popular translations of the Bible in France and preserved in numerous copies. The manuscripts from the National Library of Russia stand out among other surviving copies of the Guyart des Moulins’s work for their unusual iconography. The author examines the illumination features of the Bible in the 14th century and shows how the subjects of time and the universe, the order of the earthly and heavenly worlds were reflected in the miniatures and the text of the Historical Bible. These topics reveal the outlook on the universe of medieval man, his attitude to life and history.