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Chapter Fifty-Three of the Book of Isaiah
(Manuscripts and Rare Books)
This English manuscript was made in the nineteenth century, using an extremely fine parchment. It contains the fifty-third chapter of the Book of Isaiah, in English translation. The small book is composed of eight folios written and decorated on the rectos, leaving the versos blank. Script and decoration suggest that the book was conceived to imitate the style of fourteenth- or fifteenth-century French illumination. The creators, Eleanor Taylor and James Slie, signed the book on the title page, and declared their intended revival of this tradition. Each folio is embellished with border decoration showing narratives of Christ's life, as well as zoomorphic and foliate motifs in a palette of blue, red, and gold leaf. The contemporary binding is painted with a coat of arms inscribed with the motto "GANG WARILY" (proceed with caution). Although the manuscript has traditionally been considered to be of English origin, the armorial shield points to a Scottish use.
Inscription
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.
Edward Ripley Duggan of Wilsey Rare Books, Oliveridge, NY [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1997, by purchase.
Exhibitions
| 2009 | The Saint John's Bible: A Modern Vision through Medieval Methods. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore. |
Geographies
England (Place of Origin)
Measurements
Folio H: 9 11/16 × W: 7 3/8 in. (24.6 × 18.8 cm)
Credit Line
Museum purchase, 1997
Location in Museum
Not on view
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
W.842