This painting on calfskin vellum reproduces the illumination of a man that is holding a dove while being surrounded by six others. You can find this image in the Ashmole 1511, on folio 45v. It was painted using white egg tempera mixed with mineral pigments and 24 karat gold leaf for the golden background. A timelapse of the painting process can be watched below:
Doves in medieval imagery
The dove is, perhaps, the foremost animal to be depicted due to the importance of its symbolism. It is references both in the bible and medieval literature, as well as in various other forms of art throughout the medieval and later periods.
The dove in the Bible
In the Old Testament a dove bore a branch of an olive tree back to the ark, making it a symbol of hope, as well as a narrative of good triumphing over evil. Moses proscribed offering a dove for purity after a birth. Then, later in the Bible, the dove is connected with the Holy Spirit when Jesus is baptized in the New Testament. After this the dove became a representation of baptizing.
The dove in medieval literature
In medieval literature, the representation of one or more doves can indicate several things. Three doves resemble the trinity. Twelve doves represent the apostles. Seven doves, as seen in the reproduction above, are [most likely] connected to the seven spirits (or ‘virtues’) as described in Isaiah 11:2-3, where we read:
2 And the Spirit of the Lord will rest upon him: the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and fortitude, the spirit of knowledge and piety. 3 And he will be filled with the spirit of the fear of the Lord.
Isaiah 11:2-3 – Bíblia Católica Online
The dove in the bestiary
The average bestiary in medieval times often drew allegorical comparisons between nature and Christian lore. For the bestiary Ashmole 1511, I (unfortunately) do not possess a translation. However, I do have one for the bestiary Bodley 764, which is a later copy of the other manuscript. Thus, we read that the medieval author(s) made an almost comical comparison between doves and preachers:
“The dove sighs rather than sings; and so the preachers, not caring for love-songs, sigh for their own sins and those of others. The dove does not mangle things with its beak: again, this applies to the preachers, who do not falsify the Holy Scriptures as the heretics do. The dove chooses its grain, pecking out the best, just as the preachers choose the best sentences from the Scriptures. It brings up the chicks of other birds: the preachers nourish the children of this world who are estranged from God by their sins, and bring them again to Christ.”
“Barber, Richard; “BESTIARY”, The Boydell Press, 1993 (p.162)”
Concluding
As we can read, the medieval dove is an important symbol of peace, purity and, in Christianity, the holy spirit. This has directly lead to a white dove bearing an olive branche to become the symbol of “a sense of freedom and is the universal symbol of peace, humanity, and love.”