15th century, Europe, fooleum, France, illumination, Latin, manuscript, primary source
Fools frequently pop up in various guises in medieval illuminations, sometimes with a scriptural connection, illustrating the line from Psalm 53 in which the fool is one who denies God: ‘The fool says in his heart “There is no God.”‘...
13th century, Europe, fooleum, France, illumination, manuscript, primary source
​This outstanding illumination has a double dose of fools. The first is the fool who would presume to menace Christ, perhaps unique among fools for sporting a dog’s face, let alone his winged headgear. He also has what appears to be a fool’s...
13th century, Europe, fooleum, France, illumination, manuscript
Medieval illuminations are a rich source of fool imagery, sometimes deploying the fool for serious theological messaging, at others apparently due to mere whimsy on the part of the illuminator. Of the former, most common are depictions of a fool to illustrate the...
