The Universe Hildegard von Bingen Throw Blanket

• Our giclée prints are produced using only the highest quality materials, right here in America. We use premium cotton canvas and paper, and all our materials surpass the standards set by the Fine Art Trade Guild.
• Our stretched canvas is 1.5 inches deep, with mirrored wrapped edges, canvas backing and wire hanger– ready to be hung! It can also be inserted into a canvas floater frame.
• Small prints are shipped safely in a clear bag with a board, then secured in a sturdy shipping mailer. For larger prints, we use tissue and kraft paper to carefully roll them up, then pack them in a strong shipping art tube to ensure they arrive in excellent condition.

FRAME NOT INCLUDED. Frames displayed are to help you imagine the artwork in your home and to inspire you with framing ideas– they are NOT included with your print. You can find similar frames on Amazon below:

Solid wood frames:

• Oak by Fun Memories
• Oak by wallwisy
• Natural Solid Oak by RICHFOCUS
• Natural by Opposite Wall

Gold frame:

• "Foundry" by MCS

Saint Hildegard von Bingen was a 12th-century abbess, mystic, and visionary whose works continue to inspire devotion and admiration.

Hildegard's universe was centered around the Earth, which she believed to be spherical and the center of the universe. The Earth was surrounded by concentric shells or zones, with the inner zones being spherical and the outer ones oval or egg-shaped. The outermost zone was pointed, suggesting the quintessence of the other four elements.

Within the Earth, Hildegard believed there were two vast spaces shaped like truncated cones where punishment was endured, and from which great evil came forth. The Earth itself was composed of the four elements, which were represented unequally in proportion and shape, and their arrangement was disorderly.

Before the fall of man, the elements were united in a harmonious combination, and the Earth was Paradise. However, after that catastrophe, the harmony of the universe was disturbed, and the Earth became chaotic and confused, as represented by the irregular distribution of the elements.

The atmosphere surrounding the Earth was circular and spread across the four outer zones belonging to the four winds, indicated by the breath of supernatural beings. They also corresponded to the four elements and to the four regions of the heavenly bodies.

The first zone was the aer aquosus, corresponding to water, and containing the east wind. Beyond it was the purus aether, or zone of air, and containing the west wind. The umbrosa pellis or ignis niger, was the zone of the "dry" and the "earthy," of the north wind, thunder, lightning, and storms. The outermost zone was the ignis caelestis, or fiery zone, containing the south wind, and the heat of the sun.

Overall, Hildegard's universe was characterized by a harmonious combination of elements before the fall of man, followed by a disruption and chaos afterward. Her descriptions of the universe were rooted in her mystical visions and contemplative experiences.