The Three Marys at the Empty Tomb

The scene is framed by an architectural structure featuring a red, domed roof flanked by two sleeping guards wearing helmets and holding spears. In the foreground, an angel with large, prominent grey wings sits on the edge of the open tomb, wearing a golden-yellow robe and gesturing with a two-fingered blessing toward the entrance. Three women approach from the left, wearing veils and mantles in muted pink, white, and purple, carrying lidded incense vessels or jars of ointment. The interior of the tomb is a stark, dark rectangle containing decorative circular and serpentine ornaments, set against a muted gold background.

This illumination is from the Bamberg Apocalypse, an Ottonian manuscript produced around 1000 AD. It represents a foundational narrative in Christian theology and liturgy, depicting the moment when the Resurrection is first revealed to the holy women.