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The Countesse de la Table of Couevres Family at Prayer
and Annunciation, Psalter-Hours of Yolande of Soissons,
in Latin and French, France, Amiens, ca. 1290-97 |
The Morgan Library and Museum continues to offer exhibitions of varying merit, but with Sing a New Song: The Psalms in Medieval Art and Life (September 12, 2025 – January 4, 2026), it achieves something truly sublime. This luminous show brings to life the beauty, devotion, and artistry that shaped the Psalms throughout the Middle Ages—illuminated manuscripts, leather bindings, and ivory rosary beads that once served as the heartbeat of Christian prayer. To stand before these works is to glimpse a world where faith and art were one, where every brushstroke was an act of praise. The Morgan has curated the exhibition with rare sensitivity, striking a balance between scholarship and a quiet sense of reverence.
While there, we also revisited J. Pierpont Morgan’s Library itself—a sanctuary of wood, leather, and light that never fails to inspire awe. We were equally moved by Weathering the Storm (May 13, 2025 – February 8, 2026), an evocative meditation on early nineteenth-century artists’ desire to give form to ethereal natural phenomena. By contrast, Mavericks of Malcontent: Beat Generation Broadsides (August 26 – December 14, 2025) and Lisa Yuskavage: Drawings (June 27, 2025 – January 4, 2026) left us cold—decadent and louche, they lacked the depth and transcendence that Sing a New Song captures so effortlessly. Unfortunately, we did not have time for Renoir Drawing (October 12, 2025 – February 8, 2026).
For those who still believe beauty can elevate the soul, this exhibition is not merely recommended—it is essential.
Upcoming exhibitions that may be of interest to our readers include Caravaggio's "Boy with a Basket of Fruit" in Focus (January 16 through April 19, 2026) and Tarot! Renaissance Symbols, Modern Visions (June 26 through October 4, 2026).
~ By Giovanni di Napoli, October 18th, Feast of San Luca Evangelista
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| Virgin and Child with Patrons and David with Musicians and Judgment of Solomon, Cuerden Psalter, in Latin, England, Oxford, ca. 1270 |
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(L) Virgin and Child with Patrons, Cuerden Psalter, in Latin, England,
Oxford, ca. 1270. (R) Benedict Sheltering Nuns, Martyrology and
Rule of St. Benedict, in Latin, illuminated by the Maestro del
Messale Orsini, Italy, Bologna, ca. 1370 and ca. 1420 |
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| Bathsheba and David in Penance, Hours of Claude Molé, in Latin and French, illuminated by the Master of Petrarch's Triumphs, France, Paris, ca. 1500 |
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David and Goliath, Bible historiale, in French, illuminated by the workshop
of Richard and Jeanne de Montbaston, France, Paris, ca. 1325 |
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Seated Apostle and Sts. Dominic and Francis, Psalter, in Latin,
illuminated by the Eerst Groep, Belgium, Bruges, ca. 1255 |
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Jerome in His Study, Book of Hours, in Latin, illuminated
by the Fastolf Master, England, ca. 1440-50 |
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Scenes from the Lives of Saints, Ramsey Psalter,
in Latin, England, Ramsey, ca. 1300-1310 |
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| Virgin and the Crucified Christ Intercede for Catherine of Cleves and Virgin and Christ in a Grape Arbor, Hours of Catherine of Cleves, in Latin, illuminated by the Master of Catherine of Cleves, The Netherlands, Utrecht, ca. 1440 |
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| All Saints, Breviary of Eleanor of Portugal, in Latin, illuminated by Alexander Bening (and Gerard Horenbout), Belgium, Bruges, 1500-1510 |
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Dance of Death, Book of Hours, in Latin and English, illuminated by the
Master of Philippe of Guelders, France, Paris, ca. 1500-1510 |
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Death or Uriah and David in Penance, Farnese Hours, in Latin,
illuminated by Giulio Clovio, Italy, Rome, 1546 |
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Tree of Jesse and Annunciation, Book of Hours, in Latin and French,
illuminated by Robert Boyvin, France, Rouen, ca. 1495-1503 |
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Lust and Asmodeus Encouraging Sexual Sins, Book of Hours,
in Latin, illuminated by Robinet Testard, France, Poitiers, ca. 1475 |
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| Death Personified, Book of Hours, in Latin and French, France, Tours, ca. 1465 |
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Scenes from the Life of St. Augustine of Hippo, Master of Saint Augustine,
oil, gold, and silver on wood, Belgium, Bruges, ca. 1490 |
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(L) Triumphant Christ, reliuary panel, Belgium, Mosan workshop, late
eleventh century (panel) and thirteenth century (frame). (R) King David
as Psalmist, Lorenzo Monaco, (Piero di Giovanni) tempera
on wood, gold ground, Italy, Florence, ca. 1408-10 |
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| Rosary terminal bead, elephant ivory, with emerald pendant, silver-gilt mount, north France or Flanders, ca. 1500-1525 |
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Details of a Rosary with bifurcated heads—half skull and half rotting flesh,
elephant ivory, silver, and partially gilded mounts, Germany, ca. 1500-1525 |
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Stormy Sky, ca. 1800, oil on paper, circle of Pierre
Henri de Valenciennes, French, 1750-1819 |
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Escarpment with Tree Stumps, Romsdal, 1836, oil on paper,
mounted to wood, Thomas Fearnley, Norwegian, 1802-1842 |
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Study of the Roots of a Fallen Tree, before 1820, oil on paper,
mounted to illustration board, François-Edme Ricois, French, 1795-1881 |
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Sunset on the Normandy Coast, ca. 1850, oil on paper,
mounted on canvas, Eugène Isabey, French, 1803-1886 |
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(L) Birch Tree in a Storm, 1849, oil on cardboard, Johan Christian
Dahl, Norwegian, 1788-1857. (R) J. Pierpont Morgan’s Library |
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| (R) Ford Madox Ford (1873-1939), Antwerp, cover illustration by Wyndham Lewis (1882-1957), London: The Poetry Bookshop, 1915. (L) Lise Deharme (1898-1980), Le coeur de Pic: Trente-deux poèmes pour les enfants illustrated by Claude Cahun (1894-1954), Paris; José Corti, 1937 |
