The J. Paul Getty Museum will explore how medieval artists imagined and depicted journeys in its upcoming exhibition Going Places: Travel in the Middle Ages, on view at the Getty Center from September 2 to November 30, 2025. The show draws on the museum’s manuscript collection — including rarely displayed works — to reveal the many reasons people travelled during the Middle Ages, from religious devotion to diplomacy, trade, and warfare.
In medieval Europe, long-distance journeys were uncommon, but travel loomed large in the medieval imagination, inspiring artworks that blended real experiences with fantastical visions of far-off lands. This can be seen in some of the highlights in this exhibition, such as the Romance of Alexander, a 13th-century acquisition making its debut at the Getty, and The Book of Marvels of the World, which was purchased in 2022.
Saint Christopher Carrying the Christ Child from Book of Hours, about 1420, by Spitz Master (French, active about 1415-1425) – Getty Museum Ms. 57 (94.ML.26), fol. 42v
“This exhibition allows our audience to connect with medieval art through what today is an almost everyday human experience – travel,” says Timothy Potts, Maria Hummer-Tuttle and Robert Tuttle Director of the Getty Museum. “Many of our visitors are travelers themselves, coming to the Getty from around the world, and this exhibition offers them a glimpse into how people hundreds of years ago understood travel through art.”
Three Perspectives on Medieval Travel
The exhibition at the Los-Angeles-based museum unfolds in three thematic sections:
Following in the Footsteps of Christ
The Sick, the Leprous, and the Lame Praying at Saint Hedwig’s Tomb; People Coming to Visit Saint Hedwig’s Tomb from Life of the Blessed Hedwig, 1353, Silesian – Getty Museum Ms. Ludwig XI 7 (83.MN.126), fol. 87v
Pilgrimages were the most significant form of medieval religious travel, with journeys often depicted alongside spiritual transformations. One featured manuscript, The Sick, the Leprous, and the Lame Praying at Saint Hedwig’s Tomb; People Coming to Visit Saint Hedwig’s Tomb, shows pilgrims approaching the saint’s shrine by foot, horseback, and cart, seeking miraculous cures. Visitors can also try Pilgrimage Road, an interactive experience styled like an early 8-bit arcade game. Players navigate the medieval route to Santiago de Compostela, encountering perils and rewards on the way to one of the era’s most important pilgrimage sites.
Distant Lands
China (Seres) from Book of the Marvels of the World, about 1460 – 65, by the Master of the Geneva Boccaccio (French, active about 1445 – 1470) – Getty Museum Ms. 124 (2022.15), fol. 30v
This section examines travel for commerce, war, and the mind’s eye. Works such as China (Seres) portray merchants loading goods at a port, while simultaneously imagining the country as a desert inhabited by dragons. It also addresses the darker realities of movement, including the expulsion of Jews from England, the enslavement of Moors in Africa, and Christopher Columbus’s enslavement of Indigenous peoples.
Medieval Modes of Travel
Barlaam, Carrying a Shoulder Pack, Crosses a River from Barlaam and Josephat, 1469, by a Follower of Hans Schilling (German, active 1459 – 1467) – Getty Museum Ms. Ludwig XV 9 (83.MR.179), fol. 38v
Artists documented walking, sailing, and riding, but also illustrated fantastical journeys. In Barlaam, Carrying a Shoulder Pack, Crosses a River, the hermit is shown crossing to India in a small boat to convert Prince Josephat, a scene reflecting both real ferry crossings and imagined missionary voyages.
“Travel doesn’t necessarily involve great distances and can mean something different to everyone, both in the Middle Ages and today,” says Larisa Grollemond, associate curator of manuscripts at the Getty Museum and one of the curators of this exhibition. “We hope this exhibition invites visitors from all backgrounds to see their own experiences and notions of travel reflected in these medieval narratives of mobility of all different types.”
You can learn more about Going Places: Travel in the Middle Ages on the Getty website
The Torment of the Proud—Valley of Burning Sulphur from Visions of the Knight Tondal, 1475, by Simon Marmion (Flemish, active 1450 – 1489) – Getty Museum Ms. 30 (87.MN.141), fol. 15v
Top Image: Villagers on Their Way to Church from Book of Hours, about 1550 , by Simon Bening (Flemish, about 1483 – 1561) – Getty Museum Ms. 50 (93.MS.19), r
The J. Paul Getty Museum will explore how medieval artists imagined and depicted journeys in its upcoming exhibition Going Places: Travel in the Middle Ages, on view at the Getty Center from September 2 to November 30, 2025. The show draws on the museum’s manuscript collection — including rarely displayed works — to reveal the many reasons people travelled during the Middle Ages, from religious devotion to diplomacy, trade, and warfare.
In medieval Europe, long-distance journeys were uncommon, but travel loomed large in the medieval imagination, inspiring artworks that blended real experiences with fantastical visions of far-off lands. This can be seen in some of the highlights in this exhibition, such as the Romance of Alexander, a 13th-century acquisition making its debut at the Getty, and The Book of Marvels of the World, which was purchased in 2022.
“This exhibition allows our audience to connect with medieval art through what today is an almost everyday human experience – travel,” says Timothy Potts, Maria Hummer-Tuttle and Robert Tuttle Director of the Getty Museum. “Many of our visitors are travelers themselves, coming to the Getty from around the world, and this exhibition offers them a glimpse into how people hundreds of years ago understood travel through art.”
Three Perspectives on Medieval Travel
The exhibition at the Los-Angeles-based museum unfolds in three thematic sections:
Following in the Footsteps of Christ
Pilgrimages were the most significant form of medieval religious travel, with journeys often depicted alongside spiritual transformations. One featured manuscript, The Sick, the Leprous, and the Lame Praying at Saint Hedwig’s Tomb; People Coming to Visit Saint Hedwig’s Tomb, shows pilgrims approaching the saint’s shrine by foot, horseback, and cart, seeking miraculous cures. Visitors can also try Pilgrimage Road, an interactive experience styled like an early 8-bit arcade game. Players navigate the medieval route to Santiago de Compostela, encountering perils and rewards on the way to one of the era’s most important pilgrimage sites.
Distant Lands
This section examines travel for commerce, war, and the mind’s eye. Works such as China (Seres) portray merchants loading goods at a port, while simultaneously imagining the country as a desert inhabited by dragons. It also addresses the darker realities of movement, including the expulsion of Jews from England, the enslavement of Moors in Africa, and Christopher Columbus’s enslavement of Indigenous peoples.
Medieval Modes of Travel
Artists documented walking, sailing, and riding, but also illustrated fantastical journeys. In Barlaam, Carrying a Shoulder Pack, Crosses a River, the hermit is shown crossing to India in a small boat to convert Prince Josephat, a scene reflecting both real ferry crossings and imagined missionary voyages.
“Travel doesn’t necessarily involve great distances and can mean something different to everyone, both in the Middle Ages and today,” says Larisa Grollemond, associate curator of manuscripts at the Getty Museum and one of the curators of this exhibition. “We hope this exhibition invites visitors from all backgrounds to see their own experiences and notions of travel reflected in these medieval narratives of mobility of all different types.”
You can learn more about Going Places: Travel in the Middle Ages on the Getty website
Top Image: Villagers on Their Way to Church from Book of Hours, about 1550 , by Simon Bening (Flemish, about 1483 – 1561) – Getty Museum Ms. 50 (93.MS.19), r
Subscribe to Medievalverse
Related Posts