Cleveland Museum of Art
Single Leaf from a "Biblia Pauperum": Christ Carrying the Cross (verso)
- Date
- c. 1410
- Medium
- ink and tempera on vellum
- Culture
- Germany, Bavaria
- Department
- Medieval Art
- Institution
- Cleveland Museum of Art
- Object ID
- 135246
From the Cleveland Museum of Art record
Also known as the "Poor Man's Bible," the Biblia Pauperum was a simple picture book used to explain biblical prophecies and symbolism. These volumes served as an aid for preachers to demonstrate the unity of the Bible. The iconography of these popular books juxtaposed two Old Testament scenes with one from the life of Christ. In this example, the image of Christ carrying the cross is inserted between Abraham and Isaac on the way to sacrifice (on the left) and Elijah with the widow of Zarephath (right). The Biblia Pauperum appeared first in manuscript form in the 1200s, became a popular picture book with miniatures in the 1300s, and after 1450 it emerged as a print book with woodcuts.
The authoritative record is held by Cleveland Museum of Art. LinkedCulture surfaces this object and its connections; it does not alter institutional metadata.
Get printable QR codesHide QR codes
Open QR codes for this object page and the museum record. They stay collapsed until needed.
Provenance & credit
As published by the source institution. Coverage varies — not every institution's open-data feed includes ownership history.
- Credit line
- Gift in honor of William M. Milliken from members of his staff, 1919-1958
- Provenance
- Staedelsches Kunstinstitut, Frankfurt | Adolf Trier (?), Frankfurt | Victor Goldschmidt, Heidelberg | E. Eisemann, London | Staedelsches Kunstinstitut, Frankfurt; Adolf Trier (?), Frankfurt; Victor Goldschmidt, Heidelberg; E. Eisemann, London
Related across collections
Semantically similar works from Cleveland Museum of Art and other institutions.