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Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · Hover to magnify, click for fullscreen
Original fileTwelve apostles are seated in a row on a long, ornate bench, each crowned with a golden halo. From a central celestial source containing a dove, twelve rays descend to touch the heads of the figures, representing the transmission of divine inspiration. The figures are dressed in traditional Romanesque robes and some hold books or scrolls, signifying the reception of sacred wisdom.
As part of Herrad of Landsberg's encyclopedic 'Hortus Deliciarum', this image illustrates the medieval synthesis of theology and knowledge. It reflects the concept of divine illumination, where the Holy Spirit acts as the source of all 'Sophia' (wisdom) and the liberal arts, a theme central to the Neoplatonic currents within medieval monastic natural philosophy.
Dies Pentecostes & advent⁹ Spirit⁹ Sancti sup discipulos
Translation
Day of Pentecost & the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples
Herrad of Landsberg
The artist and author of the Hortus Deliciarum, an encyclopedic text meant to guide her nuns through biblical and philosophical history.
Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite
His celestial hierarchy and theories of divine illumination heavily influenced the Romanesque depiction of light descending from God to man.
Object
Engraving
religious
Digital Source
Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
Hortus Deliciarum
Public domain
3459 × 1767 px
d17379be6329bf11e59caa55ec684337805a4bfe
March 7, 2014
March 24, 2026
Linked Data
AI AI-cataloged fields generated by gemini-3-flash-preview on April 2, 2026. Getty identifiers are AI-inferred and may require verification.