Trinity College Dublin (TCD) celebrated the digitization of the Dublin Apocalypse manuscript, one of great medieval treasures of TCD’s library, on February 1.
The 14th-century Latin manuscript of the Book of Revelation is accompanied by exquisite illustrations in gold and other vivid colors depicting scenes of the horsemen of the Apocalypse, battles with many-headed beasts, and the heavenly Jerusalem for its readers to enjoy.
The manuscript has been in TCD’s possession for over a century, since former provost Franc Sadleir donated it from his private collection in 1851. Now for the first time, a full digital copy of the manuscript in all its splendor, 118 individual digital scans, can be viewed online by a global audience via the Library’s Digital Collections platform.
Laura Cleaver, Professor in the History of Medieval Art, explains: “An illuminated manuscript of international importance by a master artist, the Dublin Apocalypse provides an arresting vision of the end of the world. Unusually, the images rather than the Latin text, dominate each page.
“Aside from its stunning beauty, the manuscript provides insight into the long tradition of apocalypse manuscripts and how our ancestors contemplated the end of days.” ♦
Dublin Apocalypse Manuscript Now Online
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