Title: Manuscript Leaf with the Agony in the Garden and Betrayal of ChristArtist: An English PsalterDate: 1270Medium: Tempera and gold on parchmentSize: 23.5 by 16.5 c.m.
The illustrated manuscript came from an English psalter, a book of psalms from the Old Testament. It is believed that the manuscript was for Queen Eleanor of Provence, who became a nun in 1272 after the death of her husband, King Henry III. The manuscript is divided horizontally into two panels to portray the idea of the artwork which are the events in Christ's life before his crucifixion. The upper panel is the episode known as the Agony in the Garden, while the Betrayal of Christ is in the lower panel. This separation of the two very pieces creates a sense of conflict and unity to show the Christian theme that good will defeat evil.
The scene of Agony in the Garden has a gentle mood to it due to the kneeling or sitting positions of Christ and his apostles. The the natural shapes of the trees and sky in the background have smoothed cured lines to influence the viewer into a tranquil state of mind. Each of the apostles are holding their heads with the hands, and have their eyes closed. The artist did this to convey the apostles' feelings of sadness towards Christ's upcoming crucifixion. The scene of the Betrayal of Christ has a mood of anger and violence due to the depiction of weapons and the standing body language of the majority of the figures in the image. The illustrations features several different figures in a compact space, leading to the feeling of overwhelment to trigger the sense of anger and fear in the viewer. The two very different moods in the illustrations create a sense of conflict. However, the pieces are unified due the similar colors, and how the figures are drawn. there is movement starting from the upper panel and then to the lower panel due to the vertical arrangement of the scenes, and the rectangular frame that separates the scenes horizontally.
These elements contribute to the Christian theme that good will always defeat evil by having the scene of Agony in the Garden above the Betrayal of Christ. This order also portrays the Christian ideals of showing kindness over anger and violence. This work still had special relevance to viewers today, especially to those practicing a form of Christianity because it features very important scenes before Christ's crucifixion, a very important role in the religion.
