The Gathering of the Manna

The story

The Israelites stoop to gather manna from the desert floor at dawn, rendered by the anonymous Dutch illuminator known only as the Master of Catherine of Cleves — one of the most inventive artists of the fifteenth century, working in a Northern palette of saturated blues, pinks, and burnished gold quite distinct from contemporary French or Flemish illumination. This scene, from the Book of Exodus, was chosen for its typological resonance: manna, bread given directly by God, was read throughout the Middle Ages as a prefiguration of the Eucharist. The border surrounding the miniature carries the Master's signature invention — a dense, almost trompe-l'œil scatter of naturalistic flora unusual for the period. The book was made for Catherine of Cleves, Duchess of Guelders, and remains one of the most lavishly illuminated manuscripts to survive from its century.