Bryan C Keene is a curator of manuscripts
at the Getty Museum in LA. His latest book is
the edited volume Toward a Global Middle Ages:
Encountering the World through Illuminated
Manuscripts (Getty Publications, 2019)MUSEUM OF THE WORLD Global history’s finest objects, curated by experts
CREATIVE^ COMMONS- J
PAULGETTY^ TRUSTdoublets and pointed
shoes, coloured with a
palette of ink and wash-
es including rhubarb
and vermilion (reds),
vivid verdigris (green),
and the occasional
azurite (blue).Barlaam and Josaphat
is so significant
because it is a Chris-
tianised version of
the life of the Buddha.
It took scholars centu-
ries to realise that the
Latin name Josaphat
derives from Ioasaph in
Greek, from Iodasaph in
Georgian, Budhasaf in
Arabic, and ultimately
bodhisattva in Sanskrit –
an enlightened follower
of the Buddha who helps
others reach Nirvana,
or release from the cycle of desire
and suffering.
Versions appeared at least eight cen-
turies before the Portuguese humanist
Diogo do Couto (c1542–1616) recognised
shared events in the life of the fiction-
al Josaphat and that of the historical
Buddha. Variations of the story appeared
in the eighth-century writings of John of
Damascus, who features as a key figure
in the Schilling version, and in texts by
writers including Yahya ibn Khalid (ninth
century, Bactria) and Marco Polo (14th
century, Italy). Accounts have appeared
in a multitude of languages, from French
and Ge’ez to Tagalog and Yiddish.It is, perhaps, ironic that a tale about
renouncing worldliness has traversed
the globe and spanned vast geographies
through local interpretation and artistic
expression. Indeed, the rare rhubarb red
in this manuscript likely came from India
or even China, which inspires questions
about trade and travel. The study of thepathways by which such knowledge trav-
elled forms part of a field of inquiry known
as the global Middle Ages. Much like
today’s museums and libraries, illumi-
nated manuscripts and illustrated books
preserve a rich array of information about
how people perceived the world, its many
cultures, and their place in it. This field of
study also considers vantage points from
beyond Europe, whose histories have long
been central to a view of the medieval era.
For example, scholars have suggested
links between a supernova that occurred
in 1054, North Amerindian petroglyphs,
and texts from Japan, China, Iraq and
Europe. Further study will, hopefully,
reveal more links between all corners
of the medieval world.This illustrated manuscript is one of
more than 50 German and Latin texts
produced in the 15th century by a thriving
workshop in the Hagenau commune, now
in eastern France. It depicts the tale of
Barlaam and Josaphat as told by Rudolf
von Ems (1200–54). We are told that prince
Josaphat lived in isolation for many years
in a royal palace in India; then, one day,
he witnessed illness, old age and death
for the first time. Distraught, he meditated
under a tree until he met Barlaam, a
Christian monk and, renouncing worldly
pleasures, converted to Christianity.
The manuscript of nearly 760 pages
features 138 narrative scenes. There’s
Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden,
which establishes a starting point in the
manuscript and reveals the world view
of the author. Then, later, Christians are
burned at the stake by Josaphat’s father,
King Avenir, and personifications of
planets and heavenly luminaries. We also
meet biblical figures including Noah and
Moses giving sermons on virtue and vice.
Led by Diebold Lauber and his close
associate Hans Schilling, the workshop
specialised in making illustrated books
on paper. The manuscripts they decorated
transported readers to distant lands and
introduced them to dramatic events of
human history and legend. In this image,
the prince and his retinue are depicted
wearing 15th-century high fashion, with
“Manuscripts such as
this transported their
readers to distant lands”
Barlaam and Josaphat
manuscript
Created by: A follower of
Hans Schilling, 1469
Now at: The Getty Museum,
Los Angeles
Chosen by: Bryan C Keene