#bologna

Circle of the Carracci in Bologna - Seated male Nude seen from behind, early 17th century, pen and brown ink on paper.

The Bologna Bible (ms 2705), late 12th century

This manuscript (ms 2705) was copied and illustrated in Bologna, Italy, during the late 12th century, perhaps by members of the Armenian community in exile there following the fall of Constantinople in 1204. The illustrations in the Bologna Bible exhibit refined elegance and bear witness to a distinct artistic sensibility. The colours are soft and delicately nuanced, the forms rendered with remarkable precision, and the compositions reveal exceptional mastery. Western influence is evident in the introduction of new themes, such as the Apocalypse.