Bees from a Medieval Manuscript

Bees (with beehive, tree, and flowers), illustration on fol. 38v of J. Paul Getty Museum, Ms. 100, aka the Northumberland Bestiary. The manuscript was written in England in about 1250-60. In the middle ages bees were believed to be small birds; further, it was believed that they were born from the decaying flesh of slaughtered calf or oxen. Digital image courtesy of the Getty's Open Content Program. Although the Getty Museum makes digital images available for re-use through the Open Content Program, it neither endorses nor approves of Medieval Manuscript Designs products.