When was this made?
The Morgan Bible was made in the mid-thirteenth century, during the reign of King Louis IX (1226-70). The estimated production date lies between the years 1244-1254. The Morgan Bible was estimated to be produced during this crucial decade (1244-1254), because it was the time surrounding Louis’s first crusade.This time period is significant because the Gothic style was transforming the appearance in cities and libraries, while the French illumination of manuscripts entered its most memorable period.
The Morgan Bible can be compared to other manuscripts commissioned by the king during this time “including the Saint Louis Psalter, the Arsenal Old Testament, and the moralized Bibles, among others.” These manuscripts reflect the same cycle of the Old Testament that is presented in the Morgan Bible.
The Morgan Bible presents biblical heroes in contemporary dress and armor of French crusaders. The style of clothing on the biblical figures and the references to other works commissioned under King Louis IX, such as the fleur-de-lis crowns and scepters and Saint-Chapelle, further support the time-frame of the mid-1240s to early 1250s.