Sundial of Ahaz, leaf from the Postilla Litteralis (Literal Commentary) of Nicholas of Lyra

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

With its fan-like shapes that seem to flutter across the page, this leaf exemplifies the medieval diagrammatic tradition at its best. What feels like elements lifted from a 20th century-century watercolor are in fact abstract sundials used to illustrate a fine point of 14th-century biblical exegesis. The leaf comes from the landmark study of Nicholas of Lyra (1270-1349), Master of Theology of the University of Paris, which provided commentary on every book of the Bible. The story here, found in both Isaiah (38:1-8) and 2 Kings (20:1-11), recounts God’s willingness to turn the shadow of the sun back 10 degrees—approximately one hour--as a sign to the Judean King Hezekiah. The illustrations on this leaf present two different ways of charting the miraculous reversal of time.

Medieval Art and The Cloisters

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Museum's collection of medieval and Byzantine art is among the most comprehensive in the world. Displayed in both The Met Fifth Avenue and in the Museum's branch in northern Manhattan, The Met Cloisters, the collection encompasses the art of the Mediterranean and Europe from the fall of Rome in the fourth century to the beginning of the Renaissance in the early sixteenth century. It also includes pre-medieval European works of art created during the Bronze Age and early Iron Age.

Metropolitan Museum of Art