Medieval Manuscripts Illuminate Violence

Illuminated manuscripts, handwritten texts aglow with pictorial and decorative embellishments of gold, silver, lapis lazuli and other precious materials, are among the most beautiful works of art created during the Middle Ages. The seductive, jewel-like quality of their shimmering pages stands in sharp contrast to the often gruesome subject matter being depicted, whether it be scenes of the Passion or vivid and precise images of torture, execution or war. ‘It seems jarring to our modern sensibility, but it was a natural juxtaposition for people in the Middle Ages,’ says Elizabeth Morrison, associate curator of manuscripts at the J. Paul Getty Museum and organizer of the current exhibition ‘Images of Violence in the Medieval World.’ The show’s underlying theme is how violence in the Middle Ages was considered an integral’even necessary’aspect of life, a concept so counter to our contemporary view. ‘Violence is really unacceptable everywhere except perhaps in professional football,’ Morrison notes with a laugh while leading a recent tour of the exhibition. This day, instead of the usual handful of people who turn out for a gallery talk, Morrison was met by a crowd of close to 50, all eager to delve deeper into the darker side of medieval life. Lest anyone imagine the show’s boundaries as confined to the Middle Ages (roughly the years 500 to 1500 A.D.), Morrison shares with the audience how modern-day acts of violence uncannily affected the planning of the exhibition. The official launch meeting, scheduled on September 12, 2001, was canceled in response to the horrific events of the previous day, 9/11, and the show was temporarily shelved. Morrison turned in her text for the revived exhibition on March 20, 2003, the same day the U.S. declared war on Iraq. In addition to being a timely reminder about the origins of violence, the exhibition also is seen by Morrison as an opportunity for people to make a connection with a more obscure part of the Getty’s collection. The Getty’s holdings of illuminated manuscripts, considered the finest in the United States after that of the Pierpont Morgan Library in New York, make possible the creation of countless thematic shows, including ‘Family Life in the Middle Ages,’ a show Morrison mounted last year, and ‘Medieval Beasts,’ an exhibition she is planning for 2007. One of Morrison’s biggest challenges with the current exhibition was to winnow 17 select images (all except one from the Getty’s collection) from the vast selection of brutal imagery abounding in medieval texts. A variety of texts, ranging from saints’ lives and prayer books to romances and histories, are represented and shown in the context of three categories: violence in everyday life, in the world of religion and in the name of the state. The dangers of everyday life were many in the Middle Ages, when even the barest necessities were often scarce, plunder and oppression were common and family feuds and disputes were often settled on the side of the strongest and fiercest contender. In a 13th-century Spanish legal manuscript, two men involved in a money dispute go before the king, who concludes the case merits decision by duel, an aspect of the Spanish legal system that was decisive and legally binding. Both the combatants and the witnesses firmly believed that God would be ‘on the winning side’ and victory would be awarded accordingly. Another fascinating glimpse into daily life is found in a popular medieval book known as ‘The Romance of the Rose.’ While the text seems to argue against the practice of wife beating, warning that under these conditions ‘true love cannot long endure,’ we nonetheless see a graphic depiction of a man gripping his wife’s hair with one hand and threatening her with a stick with the other. In the late Middle Ages, a father’s money and power were passed on to his eldest son. The deadly rivalries this brought about are graphically illustrated in ‘A Massacre of Family Members,’ where grisly beheadings, a drowning and a hanging fill the picture plane as due warning. The account of the torture and death of Christ was the most well-known story in the Middle Ages, when suffering in one’s own life was seen by Christians as necessary for salvation. This point was constantly underscored by vivid images of the Crucifixion, scenes of flagellation and tales of martyrdom. An exquisite painting of the Crucifixion from a 15th-century German manuscript is of a particular visceral nature, intended to encourage readers to empathize with Christ’s pain. A section devoted to ‘The Art of War’ unveils clashes for land and power, including revolts pitting lord against vassal, holy wars waged in the name of religion and confrontations between dueling nations. In one such picture, the battle of Aljubarrota, one of the most famous battles of the Hundred Years’ War (1337-1453), shows the victorious Portuguese army triumphantly waving their pink banners while Spanish soldiers are massacred in the foreground. Morrison hopes the exhibition causes people to contemplate the tremendous power of images, both in the Middle Ages and in contemporary times. ‘Imagine the impact of the Abu Ghraib prison story without photographs,’ she challenges. ‘There’s one aspect of violence that’s unchanging,’ Morrison says. ‘Differences bring it out, whether in religion, race or country. I think this exhibition puts in relief that it [violence] is nothing new.’ Morrison will conduct two more one-hour talks on the exhibition on Tuesday, February 15 and Friday, March 4, both at 3 p.m. Related programs include a film series, ‘Savage Cinema: The Violent Poetry of War on Film,’ selected by Los Angeles Times critic and Palisadian Kenneth Turan, which explores cinematic portrayals of violence in war from the Middle Ages to modern times. It takes place Friday, February 4 at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, February 5 at 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Another event is a lecture on ‘Violence in the Middle Ages’ to be presented on Thursday, March 2 at 4 p.m. by best-selling author and noted historian Michael Wood. ‘Images of Violence in the Medieval World’ continues through March 13 at the Getty Museum, 1200 Getty Center Drive. Contact: 440-7300 or go online to www.getty.edu.