Elizabeth Morrison

Bio

Elizabeth Morrison is senior curator of manuscripts at the J. Paul Getty Museum.

Manuscripts, J. Paul Getty Museum Senior Curator

Stories

  1. The Adventures of Alexander the Great, Medieval-Style

    Article

    manuscript page featuring script above an illumination of an army fighting a man riding on a swine

    Alexander battles giants and unicorns in this new addition to Getty’s manuscripts collection

    Aug 28, 2025

  2. A Medieval Feminist Manuscript Makes Its Getty Museum Debut

    Article

    Manuscript illustration of a woman sitting at a desk with an open book, facing a group of young women

    How a pioneering feminist writer championed women’s moral and intellectual power

    Mar 26, 2025

  3. What If Picasso Had Been Born a Girl?

    Article

    Painting of a stylish woman in a blue dress and extravagant hat holding a painting palette in front of a canvas, two other women behind her

    Three stories that show how women have created throughout history

    Mar 5, 2024

  4. Two Armenian Manuscripts Join the Getty Collection

    Article

    Page from a manuscript, featuring a colorful illustration of shepherds and the Magi surrounding the infant Christ

    Learn more about the new additions

    Dec 21, 2020

  5. An Introduction to the Bestiary, Book of Beasts in the Medieval World

    Article

    Illustration of a mythical half eagle half lion holding a nude man in its beak

    On the occasion of a new book and the first major exhibition devoted to the bestiary, two curators explore this unique medieval book

    May 13, 2019

  6. An Introduction to the Rothschild Pentateuch, an Illuminated Hebrew Masterpiece

    Article

    An illuminated manuscript with large Hebrew letters painted with bright colors and subtle patterns. A man blows a horn from the letters

    Seven centuries of the Rothschild Pentateuch’s history chart the story of the Jewish diaspora

    Sep 19, 2018

  7. The Olympics Go Medieval

    Article

    Manuscript page depicting two different illustrations of sword fighting; in the image on the left, one figure has held the arm of the other, making them point their sword down; on the right, the two are in a closed stance, pressing their swords against each other.

    A curator imagines what sports would classify as worthy of the Olympics in the Middle Ages

    Aug 18, 2016

  8. An Artist’s Pet Dog Photobombs the Middle Ages

    Article

    A man with a black hat and robe with crests sits at a writing desk with a dog curled up on the floor to his right

    The same charming dog appears in illumination after illumination by late-medieval artist Simon Bening. Was it possibly his own pet?

    Aug 3, 2016

  9. Medieval Mysteries: Considering a Recent Acquisition

    Article

    Manuscript illumination with red and blue paint and gold leaf embellishment depicting various figures inside a cathedral

    An intriguing, previously unpublished manuscript leaf from the 1400s offers a glimpse at the medieval artist at work

    Nov 3, 2015

  10. Far from Marginal: Images in the Margins of the Abbey Bible

    Article

    Manuscript page showing illuminated margin down the left and bottom parts of the pages with mini scenes from the Bible

    Marginalia explained

    Sep 7, 2011