Creation of Heaven and Earth
Leaf from an Antiphoner, Siena, Italy, c.1460

The dominant pigment in this beautiful manuscript is lapis lazuli. It was the most expensive of the pigments available to the medieval illuminator, imported from Afghanistan.

The depiction of the eight celestial spheres and four elements emerging simultaneously (red for fire, light blue air, green the waters that surround the earth centrally) draw on Dante’s Divine Comedy rather than the sequential story of Genesis in the text.

Not for Sale.