I had to post this image from my recent trip to the Cloisters in New York. The Cloisters hosts most of the medieval art belonging to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and this is an illumination from a medieval manuscript. Unfortunately I didn’t note the manuscript’s name, but I believe this particular illumination depicts a scene from Revelations. It’s probably meant to be scary, but I think it’s charming.
The image captivates me because it seems so modern. The playful way the monsters’ bodies blend into one another as they cavort around the page, their copious teeth bristling and their orange eyes bugging — it looks just like the work of Maurice Sendak! Upon returning home and examining my copy of Where The Wild Things Are, I’m even more amazed at the family resemblance. What do you think?
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