This exhibition explores the Book of the Marvels of the World, an illuminated manuscript made in the 1460s that weaves together tales of places both near and far. Told from the perspective of a medieval armchair traveler in northern France, the global locations are portrayed as bizarre, captivating, and sometimes dangerously different. Additional objects in the exhibition highlight how the overlapping sensations of wonder and fear helped create Western stereotypes of the “other” that still endure today.
This exhibition is presented in English and Spanish. Esta exhibición se presenta en inglés y en español.
SELECTED WORKS
Events
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Publication
The Book of Marvels: A Medieval Guide to the Globe
This volume explores an important fifteenth-century illustrated manuscript tradition that provides a revealing glimpse of how western Europeans conceptualized the world.
Purchase this and other publications in the Getty Museum Store
News and Stories
Getty’s newest manuscript provides fascinating glimpses into the mindset of medieval Europeans about faraway peoples and places.
Learn more about the tales of foreign places, medieval folklore, and travels throughout the world
Exhibition Resources
Learn more about the exhibition.
To request a checklist of objects, please contact: manuscripts@getty.edu.
Information on Getty Museum works of art can be found through a collection search