The recently discovered Book of Miracles markss one of the most spectacular finds in the field of Renaissance art. The near-complete illustrated manuscript, created in Augsburg, Germany, around 1550, is composed of 169 pages of large-format illustrations in gouache and watercolor, depicting wondrous, eerie, and often macabre phenomena.
The mesmerizing images deal with both biblical and folkloric tales, depicting stories from the Old Testament and Book of Revelation as well as events that took place contemporaneous to the manuscript’s authorship. From shooting stars to swarms of locusts, terrifying monsters to fatal floods, page after page hypnotizes with visions alternately dreadful, spectacular, and even apocalyptic.
This volume presents the revelatory Book of Miracles in a new, compact format and comes with a translation of the manuscript texts and two essays that give an introduction to the cultural and historical context of this unique Renaissance work.
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