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MS M.710, fol. 19v

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Adoration of the Magi

Berthold Sacramentary, in Latin
Illuminated by the Master of the Berthold Sacramentary

Germany, Weingarten Abbey
ca. 1215
293 x 204 mm

Purchased by J. P. Morgan, Jr., 1926

MS M.710 (fol. 19v)
Item description: 

The Berthold Sacramentary, named after the abbot of Weingarten who commissioned it about 1215–1217, is without question the masterpiece of the Weingarten school of manuscript illumination. It is also one of the finest and most luxurious manuscripts produced in Germany at that time. The artist is unknown but he has been dubed the Master of the Berthold Sacramentary after this book. The top register depicts the arrival of the Magi, guided by the star, with the first king riding into the gold background. In the middle the Magi present their gifts to Jesus, while at the bottom they emerge from the gold background, discussing what they have seen.