The Mystery of Creation

"Creation of the firmament, Creation of the animals, Creation of humanity"

Creation of the firmament (1549/1557) by Corrado de MochisVeneranda Fabbrica del Duomo di Milano

"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the Earth. Now the earth was without form and empty, and darkness covered the abyss, and the Spirit of God moved over the waters".

"God saw that the light was good and separated the light from the darkness, and he called the light day and the darkness night. And there was evening and there was morning: the first day".

"God said, 'Let there be a firmament amidst the waters to separate water from water'".

"Let there be lights within the firmament of the heavens to distinguish the day from the night; let them serve as signs for the seasons, for the days, and for the years".

"God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night, and the stars".

Creation of the animals (1549/1557) by Corrado de MochisVeneranda Fabbrica del Duomo di Milano

"God said: 'Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, reptiles, and wild beasts, according to their kinds'".

"And God said: 'Let us make man in our own image, in our likeness, and let him rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all of the wild beasts, and over all of the reptiles that crawl along the ground'".

Creation of man (1549/1557) by Corrado de MochisVeneranda Fabbrica del Duomo di Milano

"God created man in his own image; in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them".
(Genesis 1:1)

Creation of the firmament, Creation of the animals, Creation of man is a triptych of panels made between 1549 and 1557 by Corrado de Mochis from Cologne, based on sketches by Giuseppe Arcimboldi.

Creation of the animals (1549/1557) by Corrado de MochisVeneranda Fabbrica del Duomo di Milano

The panels originate from apsidal stained-glass window V21, dedicated to the Old Testament, with small 19th-century replacements included. The recent restoration involved a general cleaning and the removal of lead parts that were too invasive.

Creation of man (1549/1557) by Corrado de MochisVeneranda Fabbrica del Duomo di Milano

The tree trunks are of excellent workmanship, created with extensive use of silver stain, greatly used within these stained-glass windows.

Stained-glass windows roomVeneranda Fabbrica del Duomo di Milano

The three ancient panels are currently exhibited inside the Milan Duomo Museum, in the room dedicated to the panels coming from the Duomo.


Read more on Milan Cathedral Remixed.

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