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Getty Museum announces Miracles and Martyrs: Saints in the Middle Ages

Getty Museum presents Miracles and Martyrs: Saints in the Middle Ages an exhibition on view September 3, 2013–March 2, 2014 at the Getty Center.

The Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian (detail), about 1466–1470. Master of Jacques of Luxembourg (French, active about 1460–1470). Tempera colors, gold leaf, silver leaf, and ink on parchment. The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, Ms. Ludwig IX 11, fol. 126.
The Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian (detail), about 1466–1470. Master of Jacques of Luxembourg (French, active about 1460–1470). Tempera colors, gold leaf, silver leaf, and ink on parchment. The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, Ms. Ludwig IX 11, fol. 126.
Venerated for their willingness to suffer torture and death, their ability to perform miracles, and their privileged place in heaven, saints were vital to medieval Christianity. These holy men and women attempted to follow Christ’s example of piety and endurance in the face of persecution, and served as models of behavior and goodness.

Featuring objects from the Getty Museum’s renowned manuscripts collection, Miracles and Martyrs: Saints in the Middle Ages, includes works that present the remarkable and astonishing stories associated with saints. Inspired by images of both great beauty and incredible horror, faithful Christians were eager to celebrate those who were thought to provide comfort in times of need and to reveal the presence of the divine in the earthly realm.

“Devotion to the saints was an integral aspect of medieval Christianity,” explains Timothy Potts, director of the J. Paul Getty Museum. “This exhibition highlights a variety of types of books from the Museum’s rich manuscripts collection, including private prayer books, devotional tracts, and biographies that relate to the worship of saints, illustrating through these beautiful images the widespread appeal and influence the cult of saints had in art and society during the period.”

Miracles and Martyrs: Saints in the Middle Ages, is co-curated by Elizabeth Morrison, senior curator of manuscripts at the J. Paul Getty Museum, and Melanie Sympson, former intern in the Department of Manuscripts. Because these materials are light sensitive, this exhibition is presented at low light levels and in two different installations (September 3–December 2, 2013, and December 4, 2013–March 2, 2014). The exhibition runs concurrently with Canterbury and St. Albans: Treasures from Church and Cloister, on view September 20, 2013–February 2, 2014, an exhibition showcasing twelfth-century stained glass from Canterbury Cathedral and an extraordinary manuscript made in the same period at St. Albans Abbey, and featuring a section focused on the holy individuals associated with each of these two English institutions: Saint Thomas Becket of Canterbury and Christina of Markyate at St. Albans. www.getty.edu