In the margins are depicted hybrid angel-musicians, a bear-trainer and musicians, apes trapping a bird, apes at school, a nude man at the far left, and an ape kneeling before a doctor with a urinal.

Initial D with the Visitation

Unknown artist

In the margins are depicted hybrid angel-musicians, a bear-trainer and musicians, apes trapping a bird, apes at school, a nude man at the far left, and an ape kneeling before a doctor with a urinal.

Colors in this work

Details

Holding institution
Walters Art Museum
Image provider
wikimedia-commons
License
Public domain
Credit
Walters Art Museum

Art Genome Taxonomy

12 tags

Subject Matter

  • Bible Story Both · 99%

    The title identifies the central subject as the Visitation, and the image shows two haloed women meeting within the decorated initial.

  • Human Figure Visual · 99%

    Numerous human figures appear in the central image and throughout the marginal decoration.

  • The canonical description identifies hybrid angel-musicians, and the margins visibly include winged or hybridized figures alongside human-animal scenes.

  • Animals Both · 98%

    Apes, a bear-like animal, birds, and other creatures appear in the margins, matching the canonical description.

  • Related to Music Both · 97%

    Several marginal figures visibly play instruments, and the canonical description specifically identifies angel-musicians and musicians.

  • Text Visual · 99%

    Multiple lines of Gothic manuscript lettering fill the text block, with decorated initials integrated into the page design.

Styles and Movements

  • Gothic Art Both · 91%

    Pointed architectural forms, ornamental framing, and Gothic script are visible, while the canonical date of c. 1300–1325 places the work within the medieval period associated with Gothic art.

Visual Qualities

  • Highly Ornamented Visual · 99%

    The initial, border, architectural framing, patterned grounds, foliage, figures, animals, and reflective ornament create a richly ornamented page.

  • Dense Composition Visual · 97%

    Text, architectural framing, ornament, figures, and narrative scenes occupy most of the page in a crowded but structured arrangement.

Medium and Techniques

  • Manuscript Metadata · 99%

    The canonical classification identifies the work as “Manuscript or decorative art.”

Time Periods

  • 1000 - 1400 CE Art Metadata · 99%

    The canonical museum metadata dates the work to approximately 1300–1325.

Cultural and Religious Styles

  • The Visitation is a Christian subject, while the central haloed figures appear within a religious manuscript image.

Source & rights

Anonymous (France)Unknown author. Walters Art Museum: Home page Info about artwork

High-resolution sources