Book of the Seven Ages of the World
by MARMION, Simon, Manuscript (Ms. 947), 440 x 300 mm
This codex contains a cosmology, developed from God’s seven-day creation and arranged accordingly on the basis of the prevailing view of the seven ages of the world. It is illustrated with 3 miniatures, and numerous foliate borders and initials.
The illustration on folio 1v shows Adam and Eve in the Paradise before a landscape reaching far into the distance. In the heavens, God the Father rules over a world that is filled with peace and tranquillity.
Marmion’s creative genius in panel paintings and miniatures unites in wondrous harmony French traditions with the Netherlandish Rogier van der Weyden’s depictions of people and the natural lyricism of Jan van Eyck.