L'Ange répand la première Coupe. Apoc. XVI 

This image of an angel, titled "L'Ange répand la première Coupe. Apoc. XVI," was made around 1050 by Facundus. It is a painting, and the material is likely tempera on parchment. What is striking about this image is its graphic boldness. The angel is caught mid-action, pouring from a chalice onto the earth. The angel, the chalice, and even the stylized plants below, are all outlined with the same crisp, clear mark. This was no doubt executed with a quill, wielded by a very skilled hand. The use of color is highly formalized, even schematic. Yellow above, then grey, then red – it is a stack of horizontal registers. The symbolic intention is clear. It is meant to suggest the organization of the cosmos, from celestial gold to terrestrial red. In the end, this image is less about observation than about faith. It reminds us that artmaking is not always about what you see. Sometimes, it is about what you believe.