The Bible is a cornerstone of religion, art, and literature in the western world. Few books can demonstrate the power of the printed word as vividly as scripture—a bedrock of faith, an object of veneration, a formative influence on language and culture. For Pierpont Morgan it represented a magnificent opportunity to express his religious convictions through his collecting interests in archaeological artifacts, illuminated manuscripts, early printed books, decorative arts, and master drawings. This exhibition includes masterpieces in each of these mediums, including a cuneiform tablet with the deluge story, the earliest surviving first five verses of the Septuagint Genesis, the Lindau Gospels treasure binding, the Golden Gospels of Henry VIII, the Gutenberg Bible, Rubens drawings, and Rembrandt prints. Viewed as an ensemble, Morgan's collection was an inspirational accomplishment predicated on the historical importance and artistic excellence of his books.
Morgan’s Bibles: Splendor in Scripture is made possible by the Johansson Family Foundation, the Lucy Ricciardi Family Exhibition Fund, the B.H. Breslauer Foundation, and Mr. G. Scott Clemons and Ms. Karyn Joaquino, with support from T. Kimball Brooker, the Achelis & Bodman Foundation, Martha J. Fleischman, the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, the Themis Anastasia Brown Fund, Roland and Mary Ann Folter, Susan and Eugene Flamm, and Jonathan and Megumi Hill.
MS M.653.1, Christmas Day, recto Gradual cuttings (M.653.1–5). Florence, Italy, 1392–1399. The Morgan Library & Museum, MS M.653.1.
