3-037-901 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Scenes from the Lives of Noah and Abraham; Wenceslaus Psalter, about 1250-1260. Additional Info:These scenes finish the visual story of Noah begun on the facing page (fol. 9v), and introduce another Biblical narrative. On the left side, at the top, a horse leaves the ark; in the middle, one of Noah's sons begins to sow the earth after the great flood; and at the bottom, Noah's sons cover their father's nakedness after he has become drunk on wine. In the upper central roundel, Noah reprimands his relations who had not covered their eyes when seeing him naked. The rest of the scenes on the page develop the story of Abraham and his son Isaac. Comparison to the facing page shows that the artist cleverly reversed the color schemes. The blue is on the top and bottom of the frame on the opposite page, leaving the pink for the sides. Here, the blue appears on the sides of the frame and the pink is on the top and bottom. In addition, red forms the backdrop for the roundels on this page, whereas blue predominates in the background of the facing page.