"The Morgan Picture Bible was designed to bring selected Old Testament stories into the thirteenth-century present of its original audience. The creators' original intention was to make these stories not only powerful and meaningful, but also as appealing and entertaining as possible by placing biblical heroes in contemporary settings.". "The Book of Kings provides the reader with unique insights into the politics, religion, and culture of thirteenth-century France. Eight essays by noted scholars of history and art history bring the court and crusades of King Louis IX (later Saint Louis) to life. Moreover, they demonstrate the relevance of Old Testament stories and imagery both in thirteenth-century France and in seventeenth-century Iran, when the Picture Bible belonged to the great Safavid ruler Shah 'Abbas. Furthermore, the catalogue section follows the path of the exhibition, which displays folios of the Picture Bible alongside a variety of other works in other media. The volume is beautifully illustrated with full-color images of over fifty folios, evoking the color and richness of the original."--BOOK JACKET.