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Original fileThe First Trumpet of the Apocalypse
BambergApocalypseFolio020rFirstTrumpet
About This Work
A tall angel with large grey wings and a green mantle stands on a green field, blowing into a blue horn. Before the angel, the ground is depicted in three rounded hills; the leftmost and rightmost show red flames, while the central one features trees with drooping, pale-colored foliage. To the right, a person with a blue halo looks upward toward the angel, resting their chin on their hand in a gesture of contemplation or distress. The background is composed of a flat, burnished gold leaf, typical of Ottonian manuscript illumination. The style is characterized by clear, linear outlines and a limited, symbolic color palette.
This illumination is a page from the Bamberg Apocalypse, an Ottonian manuscript created in the early 11th century. It provides a visual representation of the Book of Revelation (8:7), depicting the first of seven trumpets sounded by angels to signal the end of the world.
Inscriptions(Latin)
Et primus angelus tuba cecinit. Et facta est grando & ignis mixta cum sanguine. & missum est in terram & tercia pars terre combusta est. & omne foenum uiride combustum est. & tercia pars arborum combusta est.
Translation
And the first angel sounded the trumpet. And there followed hail and fire, mingled with blood, and it was cast on the earth, and the third part of the earth was burnt up, and all the green grass was burnt up, and the third part of the trees was burnt up.
Connected Texts
Book of Revelation
This image is a direct illustration of Revelation 8:7.