Book Description

This richly illustrated volume introduces the reader to the textual and visual tradition of the Corpus. The life and work of Beatus are considered in their historical, political and theological background; styles and locations of production are analysed; the sources of the textual commentaries and the evolution of particular iconographical forms are examined; and finally the Mozarabic and Islamic characteristics of the illustrations are assessed. The startling colour plates show the range of style and form in examples from the earliest Beatus manuscript, the Silos Fragment, to the late Arroya Beatus and the Rioseco Fragment. The monochrome illustrations show comparative material covering influences from the Islamic Mediterranean to the Carolingian and Gothic styles of the North. A Table of Apocalypse subjects, Map, Bibliography and Index are also included. This richly illustrated volume introduces the reader to the textual and visual tradition of the Corpus of Illustrations of the Commentary on the Apocalypse, considering the life and work of Beatus in their historical, political and theological background.