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False Rainbow symbolsJ.W. Richter 

Having identified the false rainbow(s) in the Stuppach Madonna I started a search for some other samples of similar deviations from traditional smbolism in order to stud the idea of intentional

smbolic ordering of colors in the rainbows.

Most of these rainbows have been painted in a wa that the red and blue colors have been

arranged as ad!acent elements.

So far no other intentional order has been identified" but the stud !ust started and further samples of 

false rainbows will be documented in this manuscript.

Period Artist Painting Rainbow' color sequence

(from the outer to the inner band)

#$$ %& ' iennese ible   blue'green'ellow'white'red1

*+*+ ,imburg rothers St. John at -atmos white'ellow'red-blue'green ()

(c. *++/0/$) Rogier v. d. Weden 1he eaune %ltarpiece   red 0ellow'dar2 

*/*3 Jerg Ratgeb Resurrection   blue'green'ellow'red

*/45 Matthias 6r7newald Stuppach Madonna ellow'green'blue-red

*//3 0 *#45 &omenico -assignano Resurrection   blue-red'ellow'green

ca. 8$*$ %cadem St. -aul Jesus on a rainbow red'blue-red

* In the main rainbow the correct order of the / colors should be (from the outer to the inner band)9 Red':ellow'6reen'lue'iolet or alternativel for ; colors9 Red'<range':ellow'6reen'lue'Indigo'iolet.

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The rainbow bridge2

In  =orse mtholog" Bifröst or Bilröst is a burning rainbow bridge that reaches between Midgard

(the world) and %sgard" the realm of the gods.

1he bridge is mentioned in the Prose Edda boo2s Gylfaginning  and Skáldskaparmál " where

it is referred to as Bifröst . %s2ed for the wa between heaven and earth" the enthroned Highe>plains that the gods built a bridge from heaven and earth. High sas that 6angleri must

have seen it" and notes that 6angleri ma call it a rainbow. High sas that the bridge consists

of three colors" has great strength" and is built with art and s2ill to a greater e>tent than other 

constructions.

% couple of ?stonian riddles are referring to the colors of the rainbow9

•  Punane puuder, sinine siider, ripub rikka mehe räästa all  (@ JAe) or in Binnish Sininen siirto,

 punainen puurto, keskellä kamarin kattoa (Corhola *3#*). 1his riddle is hardl translatable"

 but broadl spea2ing" the rainbow is described here through two colors" red  and blue.

Hpothesis on the grounds of the preceding could be the proposition" that for the ?stonian"Binnish and other neighbouring nations there were onl two significant colors connected

with the rainbow ' red  and blue. Still such conclusion could be precipitate" as the use of red 

and blue  is rather freDuent in other clichEs of alliterative fol2'songs. %s a rule the

combination is used to emphasiFe (color)differences between beings or things and to refer to

e>traordinar phenomena.4

8 ifrGst4 Info from the chapter + (Rainbow olors) in Rainbow" colors and Science Mtholog  b Virve Sarapik  

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Summary of historical rainbow colors

?speciall %ristoteles authorit seems to have defined the three'colored smbolism

of the rainbows color" which more or less complied with the ?ddas definition (three

colors9 probably gold" red" blue).

%ccording to Homer the rainbow merel had one color9 purple ' porphureos!" enophanes (ca. /;$' +;/ ) described the rainbow as having three bands of color9 purple" greenKellow" and red+.

%ristoteles defines three colors red "  green" or purple" which b the wa are the most important

smbolic colors for medieval paintings.

1here are never more than two rainbows at one time. ?ach of them is three'coloredL the

colors are the same in both and their number is the same" but in the outer rainbow the are

fainter and their position is reversed. In the inner rainbow the first and largest band is red L in

the outer rainbow the band that is nearest to this one and smallest is of the same color9 the

other bands correspond on the same principle. 1hese are almost the onl colors which

 painters cannot manufacture9 for there are colors which the create b mi>ing" but no mi>ing

will give red " green" or purple. 1hese are the colors of the rainbow" though between the redand the green an orange color is often seen/.

%ristoteles shows wh the rainbow has three colors and that these are its onl colors.

Islam defines four rainbow colors" which are combined with elements9 red" ellow" green" blue. #

John &olland  considered two spectral colors blue and ellow. %lbertus Magnus identified the

rainbow colors as red" green" and blue" 

1he ?dda'poems rainbow ifrost has been tri'colored" probabl (but not sure)9 gold" red" blue.

Romantic writers in the earl *5$$s identified the following 4'color smbolism9 gold smboliFes

6od" the free people represented the red and the slaves the blue elements.

+ %ncient 6ree2 olor ision

/ Source9 Meteorolog ' b %ristotle (Written 4/$ ..?) ' 1ranslated b ?. W. Webster# %bout Rainbows

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600 AD-Viennese Bible

 =oah and his sons are receiving 6ods hand sign from the s2 in the iennese ible" reaching

through a rainbow colored (from the outside to the inner band) blue'green'ellow'white'red.

 #ig" $% &oah has been re'eiving God(s sign from the sky in the Viennese Bible

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1!0" The altar#iece at the $os#ices de Beaune

1he rainbow in the )he Beaune *ltarpie'e+ " b Rogier van der Weden does not reall e>press the

 basic colors violet and blue. Instead the dar2est section at the lower side seemed to represent dar2"

or even blac2 dirt. 1he upper side however represented bright red.

<f course the red side is found at the s2s boundar whereas the dirt side is the lower side"representing the earths surface. <f course the dirtN blac2 hue ma be considered as a dar2ened

 blue 0 comparable to the blac2 colors in ?lisabeth Is coat of arms. However the eaune %ltarpiece

clearl displas Mar in blue garments" John the aptist in a purple and Jesus hrist -ancreator in

scarlet colors. 1he rainbow does not contain green" but varies from light red over ellow and orange

to a dirt dar2N. Somehow the red color seemed to smboliFe

• the upper region of the rainbow as the s2 representing a hol" divine" eternal section and

• the lower region of the rainbow as the earth representing the human" mortal section.

In this model the color red represents the holiness of the -ancreator" whereas the dar2 colors blue

and purple represent the dar2ness of mortal" human life. lue ma represent the female element and purple the male element of humanit.

1he color composition red'ellow'blac2 matches the color components of the elgian flag and the

6erman flag.

; 1he Beaune Altarpiece (c. *++/0/$)" often called The Last Judgement " is a large  polptch altarpiece b theBlemish artist Rogier van der Weden.  1he painting is located at the Hospices de eaune.

 % -ohn the Baptist .% Pan'reator /hrist 0% )he Virgin St" 1ary

 2% )he 3ainbo4

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1!1% &esurrection ' (erg &atgeb

Jerg Ratgebs Resurrection at the Herrenberg altar bases on a nimbus" which uses the rainbows

colors in a reversed seDuence9 blue'green'ellow'red.

 #ig" 5% -erg 3atgeb(s 3esurre'tion at the 6errenberg altar $0$7!

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1600" &esurrection - Domenico )assignano*

1he following painting Resurrection b &omenico -assignano3 uses a band of blue at the outer 

 borderline" directl followed b a red band" a ellow and a green inner band" which cannot be

considered as a realistic rainbow.

 public domain be'ause its 'opyright has expired " 

5 %lso documented in ipolar Monotheism (% Historical Record of 6od" olors and owels)3 *//3 0 *; Ma *#45

 #ig" +% 3esurre'tion by 8omeni'o Passignano

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&omenico -assignano painted the rainbow blue'red'ellow'green from the outer to the inner band9

&etail in the Resurrection b &omenico -assignano" painted earl in the *;th centur.

 #ig" 9% 3ainbo4 in the 3esurre'tion by 8omeni'o Passignano

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1!1*" The double rainbow in the +Stu##ach ,adonna

6r7newald painted the main rainbow ellow'green'blue'red from the outer to the inner band.

1he Stuppach Madonna (6erman9 Stuppacher Madonna) is a */*+ ' */*3 painting of the Madonna

and hild b the 6erman Renaissance painter Matthias 6r7newald. <f course the Madonna has

 been painted with brighter (red" purple and blue) colors as displaed on the image.

%t the end of the Middle %ge the rainbow of course is to be considered as a religious smbol. %

double rainbow even signifies both rainbows as attributes to 6od (who ma be identified in a

swarm of angels at the top left position of the paining) and to the Madonna with her child Jesus.

Strange as it ma seem the double rainbow has not been drawn the correct wa. 1he colors red and blue have been ordered in a particular wa" which contrar to phsics have been rearranged to fit

the smbolic meaning*$.

1he inner rainbow has been drawn with a red banner at the inside" immediatel followed b the blue

 banner" which should be located at the outside borderline of the rainbow.

1he blue banner is broader than the red banner" which ma indicate to attribute the blue smbol to

the adult Mother Mar and the tin red banner to the male child.

%ccording to the laws of phsics the red band should be at the upper side ** of the primar rainbow"

which obviousl has been ignored b the painter ' probabl to associate the red (male) smbol to

the child Jesus.

1hese red and blue banners as close neighbors are oriented at the side of the Madonna and Jesus"

and suggest to consider these smbolic colors as attributes to the saints.

1he upper rainbow is a secondar rainbow" which should reveal a reversed seDuence of the colors.

1he secondar rainbow however is barel identifiable and has onl be painted e>actl between the

Madonna and 6od in the s2. -robabl the same red O blue tapes have been oriented at the side of 

the divine eing.

6runewalds Stuppacher Madonna therefore probabl signifies that the rainbows red O blue colors

are the main medieval smbols in the rainbows smbolism.

*$ 1he double rainbow in the Stuppach MadonnaN** See samples at the source9 Rainbow

 #ig" 7% 3ed and blue banners lo'ated 'lose

together at the main rainbo4

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The third and fourth Rainbows (?)

1he ultimate information is found in the (two P) rainbows or nimbus'circles crowning the divine"

 probabl solar image of 6od. 1his or these rainbows respectivel nimbus'circles ma onl be seen

in a good photograph from an art'boo2 or close inspection of the artwor2 itself.

1he rainbow crowning 6od is a purple image" which ma smboliFe a mi>ture of male red andfemale blue" resulting in an andrognous smbolism. 1he ad!acent secondar (purpleKblue) rainbow

is hardl visible at all.

In the lower right corner of this detail photograph the upper secondar rainbow for the Madonna O

hild ma be seen as a curved segment of the rainbow.

 #ig" $:% God, surrounded 4ith one or t4o purple;blue <! rainbo4s

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11" St. (ohn at )atmos /imbourg brothers

1rQs Riches Heures du &uc de err 

,imbourg brothers 

*8

1412-1416 

*8 6ebroeders van ,imburg9 Herman" -aul" and Johan

 #ig" $$% St" -ohn at Patmos

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1he rainbow in St. John at -atmos has been painted white'ellow'red'blue'green () from the

outside to the inner band.

 #ig" $2% 3ainbo4 in St" -ohn at Patmos

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ca. 2010" (esus on a rainbow

Modern icon (a few ears of age) painted at a wor2shop at the %cadem St. -aul. 1he rainbow has

 been smboliFed red'blue'red 0 probabl to fit to the standard red O blue garments.

 #ig" $% -esus on a rainbo4 = *'ademy St" Paul 

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nidentified &ainbows

Some of the rainbows (mostl found in the list of illuminated manuscripts) have not been identified

as real rainbows9

• Worship before the 1hrone of 6od (Bolio *$ verso del %pocalipsis de amberg)

• Bolio ;5 recto from the Code Aureus of !c"ternac"" ,aFarus and &ives.

3ontents

1he rainbow bridge...............................................................................................................................8

Summar of historical rainbow colors.................................................................................................4

#$$ %&'iennese ible........................................................................................................................+

*+/$9 1he altarpiece at the Hospices de eaune................................................................................../

*/*3 Resurrection 0 Jerg Ratgeb..........................................................................................................#

*#$$9 Resurrection ' &omenico -assignano.........................................................................................;*/*59 1he double rainbow in the Stuppach MadonnaN.....................................................................3

1he third and fourth Rainbows ().................................................................................................*$

*+*+9 St. John at -atmos (,imbourg brothers)...................................................................................**

ca. 8$*$9 Jesus on a rainbow..............................................................................................................*4

nidentified Rainbows.......................................................................................................................*+