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Henry II (974-1024), also known as Henry IV and Saint Henry, was the son of Henry II, Duke of Bavaria and great-grandson of King Henry I, therefore making him part of the Bavarian branch of the Ottonian dynasty. Due to his father's rebellion against the two previous emperors, Henry was often in exile and became close with the Church. He succeeded his father as Duke of Bavaria in 995, taking the name Henry IV.<br/><br/> As Henry was returning home to claim his lands however, Emperor Otto III died of fever with no heir to succeed him. Political chaos gripped the Holy Roman Empire, and Henry defeated several other claimants to become King of Germany in 1002, and King of Italy in 1004. He subsumed the Duchy of Bohemia into the Holy Roman Empire, and fought a series of wars against Poland. He also led a series of expeditions into Italy to ensure Imperial dominance against secessionist forces and the Byzantine Empire. He was eventually crowned as Holy Roman Emperor in 1014.<br/><br/> Henry II's rule was centralised, power consolidated in his hands through personal and political ties with the Catholic Church, which would lead to his canonisation a century later in 1146, the only German monarch to become a saint. Henry eventually died in 1024, leaving no children behind and ending the Ottonian dynasty.
The Eadwine Psalter, previously known as the Canterbury Psalter, is an illuminated manuscript produced in England in the twelfth century. It was written on calf vellum, and illustrated at Canterbury circa 1155-60, with additions circa 1160-70.<br/><br/> It was kept at the Cathedral Priory of Christ Church, Canterbury through most of the Middle Ages.
Luke the Evangelist is one of the Four Evangelists—the four traditionally ascribed authors of canonical Gospels. The early church fathers ascribed to him authorship of both the Gospel according to Luke and the book of Acts of the Apostles.<br/><br/> The authorship of The Gospel according to Luke and The Acts of the Apostles place Luke as having written a plurality of the New Testament, more even than Paul the Apostle. Prominent figures in early Christianity such as Jerome and Eusebius later reaffirmed his authorship, although the fragile evidence of the identity of the author of the works has led to discussion in scholarly circles, both secular and religious.
Bede (672/673 – 26 May 735), also referred to as Saint Bede or the Venerable Bede, was an English monk at the monastery of Saint Peter and its companion monastery, Saint Paul's, now Monkwearmouth–Jarrow Abbey, then in the Kingdom of Northumbria.<br/><br/> He is well known as an author and scholar, and his most famous work, <i>Ecclesiastical History of the English People</i> gained him the title 'The Father of English History'.
A scribe is a person who writes books or documents by hand in hieratics, cuneiform or other scripts and may help keep track of records for priests and government.<br/><br/> The profession, previously found in all literate cultures in some form, lost most of its importance and status with the advent of printing. The work could involve copying books, including sacred texts, or secretarial and administrative duties, such as taking of dictation and the keeping of business, judicial and, historical records for kings, nobles, temples, and cities. Later the profession developed into public servants, journalists, accountants, typists, and lawyers. In societies with low literacy rates, street-corner letter-writers (and readers) may still be found providing a service.
Gentile Bellini (c. 1429 – 23 February 1507) was an Italian painter of the school of Venice. He came from Venice's leading family of painters, and at least in the early part of his career was more highly regarded than his younger brother Giovanni Bellini, the reverse of the case today.<br/><br/> Now housed at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, this painting reflects Bellini’s passion for Eastern cultures. Originally commissioned by Fatih Sultan Mehmet II in 1479 to go to Constantinople to paint portraits of the sultan for two years, the Venetian painter was strongly influenced by Ottoman traditions and fashions.
Nestorianism is a Christological doctrine advanced by Nestorius, Patriarch of Constantinople from 428–431. Nestorius and his teachings were eventually condemned as heretical at the First Council of Ephesus in 431 and the Council of Chalcedon in 451, leading to the Nestorian Schism in which churches supporting Nestorius broke with the rest of the Christian Church.<br/><br/> Afterward many of Nestorius' supporters relocated to Sassanid Persia, where they affiliated with the local Christian community, known as the Church of the East. Subsequently the Church of the East became increasingly Nestorian in doctrine, leading it to be known alternately as the Nestorian Church.
Maqāma (literally 'assemblies') are an (originally) Arabic literary genre of rhymed prose with intervals of poetry in which rhetorical extravagance is conspicuous. The 10th century author Badī' al-Zaman al-Hamadhāni is said to have invented the form, which was extended by al-Hariri of Basra in the next century. Both authors' maqāmāt center on trickster figures whose wanderings and exploits in speaking to assemblies of the powerful are conveyed by a narrator.<br/><br/> Manuscripts of al-Harīrī's Maqāmāt, anecdotes of a roguish wanderer Abu Zayd from Saruj, were frequently illustrated with miniatures.
Yahyâ ibn Mahmûd al-Wâsitî was a 13th-century Arab Islamic artist. Al-Wasiti was born in Wasit in southern Iraq. He was noted for his illustrations of the Maqam of al-Hariri.<br/><br/> Maqāma (literally 'assemblies') are an (originally) Arabic literary genre of rhymed prose with intervals of poetry in which rhetorical extravagance is conspicuous. The 10th century author Badī' al-Zaman al-Hamadhāni is said to have invented the form, which was extended by al-Hariri of Basra in the next century. Both authors' maqāmāt center on trickster figures whose wanderings and exploits in speaking to assemblies of the powerful are conveyed by a narrator.<br/><br/> Manuscripts of al-Harīrī's Maqāmāt, anecdotes of a roguish wanderer Abu Zayd from Saruj, were frequently illustrated with miniatures.
Yahyâ ibn Mahmûd al-Wâsitî was a 13th-century Arab Islamic artist. Al-Wasiti was born in Wasit in southern Iraq. He was noted for his illustrations of the Maqam of al-Hariri.<br/><br/> Maqāma (literally 'assemblies') are an (originally) Arabic literary genre of rhymed prose with intervals of poetry in which rhetorical extravagance is conspicuous. The 10th century author Badī' al-Zaman al-Hamadhāni is said to have invented the form, which was extended by al-Hariri of Basra in the next century. Both authors' maqāmāt center on trickster figures whose wanderings and exploits in speaking to assemblies of the powerful are conveyed by a narrator.<br/><br/> Manuscripts of al-Harīrī's Maqāmāt, anecdotes of a roguish wanderer Abu Zayd from Saruj, were frequently illustrated with miniatures.
Portrait of a scribe at work, artist unknown. Perhaps intended as a portrait of Sayyid Husayn Yazdi, the scribe of the treatise on wonders of the world comprising the volume. It was painted in Iran sometime before 1546 (953 H), when a large owner's stamp was placed below the painting.<br/><br/> Figural imagery does not normally appear in a religious context, but there was a vigorous tradition of figural representation in other contexts, particularly that of science and medicine. Many of the Arabic versions of Dioscorides preserved today are testimony to a continuing and flourishing tradition of scientific illustration. Several profusely illustrated copies were produced, for example, in Baghdad in the 13th century, one of which is notable for its scenes of people gathering and preparing medicaments. Human anatomy was also a topic to receive the attention of illustrators.
The Qur’an (literally “the recitation”) is the main religious text of Islam. Muslims believe the Qur’an to be the verbal divine guidance and moral direction for mankind. Muslims also consider the original Arabic verbal text to be the final revelation of God. Muslims believe that the Qur’an was revealed from God to Muhammad through the angel Gabriel from 610 to 632 CE, the year of the Prophet’s death. Muhammad recited the Qur’an to his thousands of followers, who recited it until they had memorized it. He also dictated it to his scribes (Muhammad is said to have been illiterate) who wrote down its verses during his life. Shortly after Muhammad's death the Qur’an was established textually into a single book form by the order of the first Caliph Abu Bakr.
Painting of a scribe in flowing robes with pen and ink pot from a 14th century holy book, probably the bible.
The Qur’an (literally “the recitation”) is the main religious text of Islam. Muslims believe the Qur’an to be the verbal divine guidance and moral direction for mankind. Muslims also consider the original Arabic verbal text to be the final revelation of God. Muslims believe that the Qur’an was revealed from God to Muhammad through the angel Gabriel from 610 to 632 CE, the year of the Prophet’s death. Muhammad recited the Qur’an to his thousands of followers, who recited it until they had memorized it. He also dictated it to his scribes (Muhammad was illiterate) who wrote down its verses during his lifetime. Shortly after Muhammad's death the Qur’an was established textually into a single book form by the order of the first Caliph Abu Bakr.
Pierre Sonnerat (1748-1814) was a French naturalist and explorer who made several voyages to Southeast Asia between 1769 and 1781. He published this two-volume account of his voyage of 1774-81 in 1782.<br/><br/> Volume 1 deals exclusively with India, whose culture Sonnerat very much admired, and is especially noteworthy for its extended discussion of religion in India, Hinduism in particular.<br/><br/> Volume 2 covers Sonnerat’s travels to China, Burma, Madagascar, the Maldives, Mauritius, Ceylon (present-day Sri Lanka), Indonesia, and the Philippines. The book is illustrated with engravings based on Sonnerat’s drawings. Among the most interesting illustrations are Sonnerat’s pictures of various Hindu deities. Sonnerat was also a dedicated ornithologist and bird collector, and the book describes and depicts a number of species that he was the first to identify.
Now housed at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, this painting reflects Bellini’s passion for Eastern cultures. Originally commissioned by Fatih Sultan Mehmet II in 1479 to go to Constantinople to paint portraits of the sultan for two years, the Venetian painter was strongly influenced by Ottoman traditions and fashions.
Edwin Lord Weeks (1849 – 1903), American artist and Orientalist, was born at Boston, Massachusetts, in 1849. He was a pupil of Léon Bonnat and of Jean-Léon Gérôme, at Paris. He made many voyages to the East, and was distinguished as a painter of oriental scenes.<br/><br> Weeks' parents were affluent spice and tea merchants from Newton, a suburb of Boston and as such they were able to accept, probably encourage, and certainly finance their son's youthful interest in painting and travelling.<br/><br> As a young man Edwin Lord Weeks visited the Florida Keys to draw and also travelled to Surinam in South America. His earliest known paintings date from 1867 when Edwin Lord Weeks was eighteen years old. In 1895 he wrote and illustrated a book of travels, From the Black Sea through Persia and India.