"Six Days of Creation" Fine Art Giclée Print

This fully restored, museum-quality reproduction brings one of Hildegard of Bingen’s most luminous mandalas back to life with renewed clarity and color. Known as The Six Days of Creation: Creation, Fall, and Redemption, the image is rich in layered symbolism and spiritual meaning. Printed with archival inks on premium fine art paper using the giclée process, this print is made to last and retain its vibrant colors even with regular light exposure. A timeless work of medieval art, perfect for collectors, contemplative spaces, and lovers of historical and spiritual imagery.

Meaning of the illumination: 

In The Six Days of Creation mandala, Hildegard of Bingen offers a strikingly original vision of the story of Genesis. 

At the center of the illumination appears a circle containing six smaller circles, representing the six days of creation: the separation of light and darkness, the forming of heaven and earth, the emergence of plants, the creation of the sun, moon, and stars, the arrival of animals, and finally the creation of humankind. The first human is shown with his head emerging from a lump of red clay, because, as Hildegard reminds us, “the earth is the fleshy material of humans.”

What gives life and breath to all these creatures is a beam of light descending from the great golden and blue sphere into the six smaller circles. This represents “the finger of God which is the Holy Spirit,” described by Hildegard as the creative Spirit that, like a finger, stirs the waters of creation. The composition reveals another hidden meaning: the finger touches all created things, yet it points directly to the human below, acting as a link between heaven and earth. As Hildegard writes, “A person contains the likeness of heaven and of earth in herself.”

On the right side, however, the drama of Adam’s fall unfolds. First we see Adam smelling a flower, youthful and alive; then we see an old man slipping downward, his skin red like the clay from which he originally came. Hildegard offers a remarkably creative theological explanation for Adam’s fall. She compares it to a person who uses only one sense—smelling the flower, in this case—instead of using all the senses to fully experience something. Adam smells but does not taste; he looks but does not touch: in other words, he fails to fully partake of the gifts of creation. This is another way for Hildegard to remind us that the human being should not merely be an observer of the world, but a participant in its unfolding life.

Fortunately, Adam’s fall into darkness is stopped by the figure of Jesus, who emerges from another radiant sphere partially visible at the bottom of the image. Christ is backed by a flame, representing John the Baptist, while other prophets, shown as stars, also illuminate the darkness of the central band. In other words, Jesus arrests the fall of Adam by preventing darkness from spreading, with the help of the major and minor prophets. This reveals another innovative concept in Hildegard’s theology: darkness spreads through “forgetfulness of the Creator,” and the redemption brought by Christ takes the form of reminding humanity what truly matters.

In essence, The Six Days of Creation presents a mystical vision of a universe continually sustained by divine energy, where we are all called to participate in creation and remember what truly matters in life. The composition itself makes a profound statement: all creation is shown as held between two spheres of divine mystery, above and below, sustained by a power greater than itself.

The Restoration process:

This beautiful mandala was, unfortunately, in a very poor state of preservation: the colors had faded, the subjects appeared blurred when viewed up close, and many faces had lost their expression. In addition, some areas were missing and the geometry of the composition had become distorted, likely due to the effects of age and humidity on the parchment.

Our restoration process was aimed at recovering the original appearance of the mandala: vivid colors, balanced geometry, clearly visible figures, and expressive faces. Only after this meticulous work were we able to upscale the image and prepare it for the larger formats required for fine art printing. We also extended the central band beyond the original frame, allowing the composition to fit beautifully within a standard square print. The result is a vivid and remarkably detailed rendition that preserves the spirit of the original while allowing the viewer to experience its colors and symbolism with a clarity unmatched by traditional reproductions.

Product Features:

• Museum-grade archival paper resists yellowing for long-term display
• Giclée print produces bright, fade-resistant colors
• Matte finish reduces glare and enhances fine detail
• Heavyweight paper (175–189 g/m² depending on fulfillment location)
• If the print does gather any dust, you may wipe it off gently with a clean, dry cloth.

EU representative: Medieval Made LLC, info@medievalmade.com, 3838 Oak Lawn Ave, STE 1000, PMB 1108, Dallas, TX, 75219, US

Product information: Generic brand, 2 year warranty in EU and Northern Ireland as per Directive 1999/44/EC

Warnings, Hazard: For adults