Resonance and Reuse: The Fifteenth-Century Transformation of a Late Romanesque Vita Christi

Abstract

This essay explores the fifteenth-century reinvention of Getty Ms. 101, a late Romanesque picture book that was reconfigured as a devotional manual. The fifteenth-century additions included rosary prayers and the only surviving image of Robert of Bury, one of the child saints said to have been murdered by Jews in the twelfth century. The article examines the ways in which changes to the manuscript, including a number of adjustments to the Infancy narrative, not only reflect an evolving and widespread devotional practice, but also how the book was attuned to its local environment.

Keywords

• Getty
• Ms. 101
• Vita Christi
• quire
• manuscript
• medieval art
• medieval design
• artist book
• romanesque