Plan your visit. 225 Madison Avenue at 36th Street, New York, NY 10016.

Plan your visit. 225 Madison Avenue at 36th Street, New York, NY 10016.

Medieval Monsters: Terrors, Aliens, Wonders

June 8 through September 23, 2018

Monsters captivated the imagination of medieval men and women, just as they continue to fascinate us today. Drawing on the Morgan's superb collection of illuminated manuscripts, this major exhibition, the first of its kind in North America, will explore the complex social role of monsters in the Middle Ages. Medieval Monsters will lead visitors through three sections based on the ways monsters functioned in medieval societies. "Terrors" explores how monsters enhanced the aura of those in power, be they rulers, knights, or saints. A second section on "Aliens" demonstrates how marginalized groups in European societies—such as Jews, Muslims, women, the poor, and the disabled—were further alienated by being figured as monstrous. The final section, "Wonders", considers a group of strange beauties and frightful anomalies that populated the medieval world. Whether employed in ornamental, entertaining, or contemplative settings, these fantastic beings were meant to inspire a sense of marvel and awe in their viewers.

Medieval Monsters: Terrors, Aliens, Wonders is generously supported by an anonymous gift in memory of Melvin R. Seiden, The Janine Luke and Melvin R. Seiden Fund for Exhibitions and Publications, the Andrew W. Mellon Research and Publications Fund, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Charles E. Pierce, Jr. Fund for Exhibitions, and Mrs. Alexandre P. Rosenberg.

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Siren, from Abus du Monde (The Abuses of the World), France, Rouen, ca. 1510. New York, The Morgan Library & Museum, MS M.42, fol. 15r.

Publication

Selected Images

John the Baptist, from Prayer Scroll, Percival, Canon (active 1500), England, Yorkshire, ca. 1500, The Morgan Library & Museum, MS G.39 section 9.

The Taming the Tarasque, from Hours of Henry VIII, France, Tours, ca. 1500. The Morgan Library & Museum, MS H.8, fol. 191v, detail.

St. Firmin Holding His Head, France, Amiens, ca. 1225-75, limestone and pigment, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, acc. nr. 36.81, image copyright © The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Martyrdom of St. Bartholomew, from Hungarian Anjou legendary single leaves, Italy or Hungary, 1325-1335, The Morgan Library & Museum, MS M.360.21.

Initial V, from Twelve Minor Prophets, Northeastern France, 1131-1165, The Morgan Library & Museum, MS M.962, fol. 55r.

Ethiopia, from Marvels of the World, France, possibly Angers, ca. 1460, The Morgan Library & Museum, MS M.461, fol. 26v.

Detail from Tapestry with Wild Men and Moors, Alsace, Strasbourg, ca. 1440, linen and wool slit tapestry, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Charles Potter Kling Fund. Photograph © 2017 Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. All Rights Reserved.

Siren, from Abus du Monde (The Abuses of the World), France, Rouen, ca. 1510, The Morgan Library & Museum, MS M.42, fol. 15r.

Wild man, woman, and child, from Book of Hours, Belgium, ca. 1490, The Morgan Library & Museum, MS S.7 fol. 30r.

The Annunciation as an Allegorical Unicorn Hunt, Germany, Eichstätt, ca. 1500, The Morgan Library & Museum, MS M.1201.

Mint, Mummy, and Mandrake, from Compendium Salernitanum, Northern Italy, possibly Venice, 1350-1375, The Morgan Library & Museum, MS M.873, fol. 61v.

St. Christopher Carries Christ Child, from Book of Hours, Belgium, Bruges, ca. 1520, The Morgan Library & Museum, MS M.307, fol. 160v.

The Whore of Babylon, from Morgan Apocalypse, London, England, ca.1255, The Morgan Library & Museum, MS M.524, fol. 16v.