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Secondary sourcePainting

The Creation of the World in Six Days

Unknown author

A visionary miniature illustrating Hildegard's account of creation, showing how her written visions were turned into images.

This miniature visualizes one of Hildegard's own visions about the creation of the world.

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Medieval illuminated miniature on blue ground with a gold-rayed circle at top, a dark starry band, a central column with small roundel scenes, a reclining nude figure at upper right, and a seated figure with gold rays below.
The Creation of the World in Six Days, miniature illustrating a vision of Hildegard of Bingen.

About this source

What it is

This illuminated miniature illustrates a vision from Hildegard of Bingen's writings describing the creation of the world. It shows a gold-rayed circle, a starry band, a central column with small scenes, and human figures including a reclining nude figure.

Why it matters

Hildegard's visions combined religious, scientific and cosmic ideas, and artists working from her descriptions created striking images like this one. It shows how her complex theological ideas were translated into pictures for readers of her manuscripts.

Look closer

  • What details in the image suggest the artist was trying to show the whole universe at once?
  • Why might a nude figure be included in a religious image like this?
  • What might this image leave out compared to Hildegard's written description?

This painting is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Hildegard of Bingen on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Illuminated manuscript miniature: an oval mandala of gold flame-like rays and dark red and white bands surrounds a blue field with gold stars, a red-and-white sun or disc at top, and a central cosmic diagram of concentric rings with a bluish-white globe and green figures at top and bottom.Book

Primary source

Scivias

Hildegard of Bingen · 1151-1152

Detail of a painted medieval miniature in orange, red and gold tones. A figure with flowing red hair sits at a desk, writing with a stylus on a tablet. A second face in profile appears at the right edge.Painting

Primary source

Scivias Frontispiece Miniature

12th century

A large open medieval manuscript codex lies on a dark display stand in a glass case, with a metal chain attached to its binding and a white label reading 'Rupert' at the bottom. The pages show black text in columns and red decorated initials.Book

Primary source

Wiesbaden Codex

Hildegard of Bingen · c. 1200

Medieval illuminated manuscript miniature of the Universal Man: a nude human figure with outstretched arms stands within a large white circle surrounded by concentric rings, red and gray bands, and a red border. A bearded head crowns the top and a red-footed figure appears below. A small seated scribe at lower left writes at a desk.Book

Primary source

Liber divinorum operum

Hildegard of Bingen · c. 1163-1174

Front cover of an old manuscript volume bound in worn reddish-brown leather with a dark spine featuring raised bands and small gold floral tooling at the corners and gold edge rules. The cover is scratched and stained.Document

Primary source

Dendermonde Codex

Hildegard of Bingen · c. 1175

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