Bury Bible

Twelve pictures were painted on parchment of vellum bought from Ireland on separate pages and then incorporated into the work; six remain.

The first illuminated page contains colors of crimson and various shades of sapphire as well as gold encasing people and mythical creatures such as mermaids, imps, and centaurs as well as various birds and plants.

The faces were modeled ad shaded in green and gray and folds were divided into sections to show limbs.

As the art shapes elegantly into the right side of the page, green vines border it and painted letters sit in a negative space.

The first image and halfway through the book, gold leaf lettering of figures with halos around their heads speaking messages.

Animals rarely appear in the Bury Bible as the focus is on saints and holy figures preaching their messages to other people.

The gold trimmings around the middle figure are almond shaped and represent a full body halo, which was a symbol of Christ.

Beneath the angel is a griffon holding a scroll and parallel to that figure is a red bull, also winged and bearing a halo.

[citation needed] The blue is particularly rich and boarders the image while the red draws the eye towards the animals and saintly figures.

[citation needed] The green backdrop at first seems to fade into the background, however it is necessary for this piece, as it is filling negative space with its rich color.

His work has strong Byzantine influence as he uses green-gray shades for skin tones and the frames and illuminated letters swirl with Italianate plants.

Bury Bible - F1v - Frater Ambrosius
Cambridge, Corpus Christi College, MS 002 (3). The Bury Bible, fol. 281v. Vision of Ezekiel
Master Hugo 'The Bury St Edmunds Bible' (c.1135)
Master Hugo 'The Bury St Edmunds Bible' (c.1135)