Abstract
The article examines the War in Heaven scene depicting the Fall of the Rebel Angels in the 1200s Anglo-Norman group of illustrated Apocalypse manuscripts, key in the development of Apocalypse illustration as far as quality, quantity, and art historical heritage are concerned. The iconography of the crucial War in Heaven scene shows a variety in the manuscript group; the compositions, divided into three well-defined groups at Satan’s pivotal moment of defeat, are depicted in three principal compositional types: one manuscript group focuses on the narrative of the battle, the second fuses the battle and its victorious result, and the third type focuses on the victory itself. The article establishes further subgroups on the basis of compositional similarities, and results occasionally strengthen or weaken existing theories about the traditional grouping of the manuscripts. The highlighted iconographical similarities provide new material for the reconsideration of the manuscripts’ artistic relations and dating.
Highlights
Pegaso International Malta, 2 Indipendence Square, VLT 1520 Valletta, Malta; Abstract: The article examines the War in Heaven scene depicting the Fall of the Rebel Angels in the 1200s Anglo-Norman group of illustrated Apocalypse manuscripts, key in the development of Apocalypse illustration as far as quality, quantity, and art historical heritage are concerned
The intertwining of the Fall of the Angels tradition and the biblical passage is traceable in textual and visual sources from the early Middle Ages on, and the present essay explores its visual imagery in the so-called Anglo-Norman or Anglo-French group of illustrated Apocalypse manuscripts
This essay presented an iconographical analysis of the War in Heaven scene in the
Summary
“ war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven.”. The New Testament idea that God permits evil but only for a short period is the core message of the Book of Revelations, which turns the War in Heaven scene into a key moment in Apocalypse imagery. This is the moment of final defeat for Satan, who appears in the form of a dragon. The intertwining of the Fall of the Angels tradition and the biblical passage is traceable in textual and visual sources from the early Middle Ages on, and the present essay explores its visual imagery in the so-called Anglo-Norman or Anglo-French group of illustrated Apocalypse manuscripts. The present article aims to move research forward on the relative dating of the manuscripts through a quest for iconographical similarities within the War in Heaven scenes
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