Selected Illuminations from the Munich Tristan
(Munich, Bavarian State Library, cgm 51)
The manuscript dates from the middle of the 13th century (ca. 1240?); the pictures are probably a little later than the text, but not much later. The pictures are all on separate folios, inserted into the text after the manuscript was first put together. The manuscript contains about 118 pictures on 15 folios. Two gatherings (groups of pages) are missing: one gap includes the drinking of the potion, the substitute bride, the attempt to murder Brangaene, Gandin, and Marojod’s first awareness of the adultery. The second includes the episode where Kadin finds out that Tristan has not touched his sister, Isolde Weißhand, Tristan’s visit to England, Tristan as leper, Tristan as fool.  It is probable, though not certain, that each of these missing gatherings contained a picture folio  with illustrations of some of these scenes.

Several illustrations are reproduced in Stephanie Cain Van D'Elden, "Discursive Illustrations in Three Tristan Manuscripts," in Keith Busby, ed., Word and Image in Arthurian Literature, 284-319. That is the source for most of the images here.

Images here are provided for study in the context of the course "Literature and the Visual Arts in the European Middle Ages" (Rutgers Camden, Fall, 2000) under the fair use doctrine and may not be further reproduced without permission of the copyright holders.
 

Folio 7r, King Mark's May festival


 

Folio 7v, Tournament at Mark's court. Blancheflur falls in love with Rivalin.

Folio 10r. Top: Battle: Rivalin badly wounded.
                Bottom left: Blancheflur speaks with her “Meisterin” (nurse)
                Bottom right: Blancheflur embraces Rivalin, who lies on a bed.

 

Fol. 10v.     Top left: Rivalin and Blancheflur in bed.
                   Top right: Messengers come to Rivalin, presumably reporting to him that Morgan has
                   attacked R’s land.
                   Bottom left: Blancheflur talks with Rivalin.
                   Bottom right: Rivalin takes leave from Mark.


 

Fol. 11r.    Top left. Rivalin and Blancheflur travel in a ship.
                 Top right. Rivalin and Blancheflur arrive in Parmenie and are greeted by Rual.
                  Bottom left. Rivalin and Blancheflur are wed.
                 Bottom right. Rual takes Blancheflur away.


 

Folio 11v.       Top: Morgan kills (or actually gets ready to strike) Rivalin.
                      Bottom: Rivalin is buried.

 

Folio 15r.   Top left. Blancheflur is informed about R’s death.
                  Top right. Tristan is born; Rivalin dies.
                  Middle. Blancheflur is buried.
                  Bottom. Pretended birthing by Rual’s wife, Floraete.

Folio 15v. Top: Baptism of Tristan.
                 Middle: Tristan learns reading, throwing, and music.
                 Tristan and Curneval on a ship with falcons and a  chessboard. Rual stands on shore, looking worried.


 

Folio 46r. Top: Tristan and Morolt, in separate boats (with their horses!), going to fight.
                Middle: Tristan and Morolt combat, lance phase. Clearly undecided, the lances cross each other high.
                Bottom right: Tristan kills Morolt . . .
                Bottom left: .  . . and sails away (reads L to R).
               (Photo courtesy Bayerische Staatsbibliothek)

 

Folio 82r. Top: Mark finds the blood.
                Middle: Mark holds a council.
                Bottom: Isolde on trial.

Folio 82v. Top: Tristan, disguised as pilgrim, carries Isolde on to shore.
                 Middle left: Isolde swears her oath.
                 Middle right: Isolde before the court. Shows judge her hand?
                 Bottom left: Tristan receives Petitcreiu.
                 Bottom right: Tristan leaves to seek Urgan li vilus.