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Who made this?

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By Emma VanSeveren '23

The thirteenth-century saw a shift in manuscript production from the monastery to secular shops. Large productions like the Morgan Picture Bible required collaboration between multiple shops and artists. The Morgan Bible includes evidence that the work was distributed amongst several artists; this can be seen in the variety of preparatory sketches, indicating differences between those who designed the Bible and those who completed it.
To keep an orderly process, a project manager would assign units of work to artists and groups. According to the Morgan Library website, “A master artist can be distinguished, and he was responsible for nearly forty percent of the miniatures (fols. 12-29). He was a master of naturalistic detail, dynamic battle scenes, and elegant drawings, and he never used gold backgrounds.” The master artist focused on gatherings III-V; the middle of the book. The work of the master artist is distinguished by their use of alternating blue and pink backgrounds rather than gold. This page, MS M.638 13r, may be the work of the master artist, indicated by the blue and pink backgrounds. 
Three other artists focused on gatherings I and II. “The first of the three did folios 1,2, and 5-8; the second did folios 3 and 4, and the third did folios 9-11.” The final three artists were assigned a gathering each; VI (folios 30-35); VII (folios 36-41); and VIII (folios 42-46). 

It still remains unclear who the particular artists were. However, it is clear that the completion of the Morgan Picture Bible was a collaborative effort. 

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  1. Morgan Crusader Bible Folio 13r (MS M.638) Brooke Hendershott

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