From griffins and giants to demons and dragons, monsters have enthralled people throughout time. In medieval art and literature, these fanciful creatures give form to fears, curiosities, and fantasies of the unfamiliar and the unknown. Medieval Monsters, organized by the Morgan Library & Museum in New York, will present a lively array of monsters that appear in more than fifty illuminated manuscripts from the European Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Each of the three sections of the exhibition—Terrors, Aliens, and Wonders—will explore the ways monsters functioned as the embodiment of power, the representation of marginalized groups in society, or the inspiration of awe.
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John the Baptist, from Prayer Scroll, Percival, Canon (active 1500), England, Yorkshire, ca. 1500, The Morgan Library & Museum, MS G.39 section 9. Photography by Graham S Haber 2017.
St. Martha Taming the Tarasque, from Hours of Henry VIII, France, Tours, ca. 1500. The Morgan Library & Museum, MS H.8, fol. 191v, detail. Photography by Graham S. Haber, 2013.
Martyrdom of St. Bartholomew, from Hungarian Anjou legendary single leaves, Italy or Hungary, 1325-1335, The Morgan Library & Museum, MS M.360.21. Photography by Janny Chiu, 2017.
MS M.962 fol. 55r, Figure, Male, TwInitial V, from Twelve Minor Prophets, Northeastern France, 1131-1165, The Morgan Library & Museum, MS M.962, fol. 55r. Photography by Janny Chiu, 2017.
Ethiopia, from Marvels of the World, France, possibly Angers, ca. 1460, The Morgan Library & Museum, MS M.461, fol. 26v. Photography by Janny Chiu, 2018.
Detail from Tapestry with Wild Men and Moors, Alsace, Strasbourg, ca. 1440, linen and wool slit tapestry, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Charles Potter Kling Fund. Photograph © 2017 Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. All Rights Reserved.
Siren, from Abus du Monde (The Abuses of the World), France, Rouen, ca. 1510, The Morgan Library & Museum, MS M.42, fol. 15r. Photography by Janny Chiu, 2017.
Wild man, woman, and child, from Book of Hours, Belgium, ca. 1490, The Morgan Library & Museum, MS S.7 fol. 30r. Photography by Graham S. Haber, 2017.
The Annunciation as an Allegorical Unicorn Hunt, Germany, Eichstätt, ca. 1500, The Morgan Library & Museum, MS M.1201. Photography by Janny Chiu, 2017.
Mint, Mummy, and Mandrake, from Compendium Salernitanum, Northern Italy, possibly Venice, 1350-1375, The Morgan Library & Museum, MS M.873, fol. 61v. Photography by Graham S. Haber, 2017.
St. Christopher Carries Christ Child, from Book of Hours, Belgium, Bruges, ca. 1520, The Morgan Library & Museum, MS M.307, fol. 160v. Photography by Graham S. Haber, 2017.
The Whore of Babylon, from Morgan Apocalypse, London, England, ca.1255, The Morgan Library & Museum, MS M.524, fol. 16v. Photography by Graham S. Haber 2017.
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Credit
Medieval Monsters: Terrors, Aliens, Wonders is organized by the Morgan Library & Museum, New York.
Funding for this exhibition at the Blanton is provided in part by Suzanne Deal Booth.