A Passion for Collecting Manuscripts

This exhibition looks at the Getty Center’s world-renowned collections of medieval manuscripts (31 January–23 April), and explores how the works came to be housed in Los Angeles. Among the highlights is The Presentation in the Temple (c. 1498–99), one of the few remaining pages from Jean Bourdichon’s illuminated book of hours, produced for King Louis XII. Recently acquired works include a leaf by the prominent 16th-century Armenian manuscript illuminator, Mesrop of Khizan; Nativity of Christ with the Adoration of the Shepherds and the Magi (1615) was created for Khizan’s gospel book and is thought to have been separated from the original text by an art dealer in the early 20th century. The Getty’s acquisition reunites the page with its manuscript, which has been part of the institution’s collections since 1983. Find out more on the Getty’s website.

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Anne of Brittany Enthroned (c. 1493), Master of the Chronique scandaleuse. J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles

The Nativity with the Adoration of the Shepherds and Magi (1615), Mesrop of Khizan. J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles

Initial E: Saint John the Evangelist (early 1500s), Master B.F. J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles