Master of the Registrum Gregorii

Gregormeister: Gregor dictated ("Gregorblatt"), around 985. Trier, City Library

The master of the Registrum Gregorii , Registrummeister or Gregormeister was an Ottonian scribe and illuminator , unknown by name , who worked in Trier under the art-loving Archbishop Egbert von Trier (977-993). He received his emergency name from Arthur Haseloff after a single sheet ( Trier, City Library, Hs. 171/1626 ), which shows Pope Gregory I. The art historian Franz J. Ronig , curator of the Trier cathedral treasure , judged him: "His artistic direction, his style and finally his talent are unique in the illumination of the Egbert period."

The work

The Gregor sheet, after which the master of the Registrum Gregorii got his name, probably belonged to a manuscript of the letters of this Pope ( Registrum Gregorii ), to which a double sheet with a dedication poem by Bishop Egbert von Triers and the title of the manuscript (Trier, Stadtbibliothek , Hs. 171 / 1626a ) and a throne image of Otto II (Chantilly, Musée Condé , Ms. 14 bis), which are also attributed to the master of the Registrum Gregorii. A text fragment of the manuscript comprising 37 sheets of parchment is also preserved in Trier; the registrar master was not involved in this.

On the sheet of paper, Gregor is sitting under a column architecture at a lectern and dictating to a clerk who is separated from him by a curtain. The scribe, who notes his words on a wax tablet, pokes a hole in the curtain with his pen to see the dove of the Holy Spirit whisper the words in the saint's ear. It shows that Pope Gregory, like the evangelists , is inspired by the Holy Spirit.

Other works ascribed to the master of the Registrum Gregorii are:

• a sacramentary from Trier (Chantilly, Musée Condé, Ms. 40, ex. 1447),
• the revision and decoration of a Gospel book written in Tours in the early 9th century ( Prague, Strahov Monastery, Ms. DF III 3 ),
• seven miniatures of the Codex Egberti (Trier, City Library, Ms. 24),
• Writing and miniatures in the Gospel Book of the Sainte Chapelle (Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale , Lat. 8851),
• Decorative initial pages and frame in a Trier sacramentary (Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale, Lat. 10501),
• the prologue page, an initial decorative page and the first text page in Egbert's Little Psalter (Trier, City Library, Ms. 7/9),
• the book decoration in a gospel book from Trier ( Manchester, John Rylands Library, Ms. 98 ),
• a single sheet with the evangelist Markus (library of the seminary of St. Peter in the Black Forest),
• a single sheet depicting Saint Willibrord (Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale, Lat. 10510)
• a single sheet with an announcement (Würzburg, university library, Mpth.q.4a),
• the picturesque decoration of the so-called marriage certificate of the empress Theophanu , whereby some of these attributions are controversial.

Other works are derived from works in a similar style, for example the manuscript London, British Library, Harl (perhaps from Lorsch). 2970 as a copy of a lost work. Another manuscript, according to Hartmut Hoffmann, was in Italy in the 12th century, where it was included in a gospel book (Firenze, Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana , Acquisiti e Doni 91).

Bode Museum Berlin, Inv. 2848: The offering of Jesus in the temple, attributed by Carl Nordenfalk to the master of the Registrum Gregorii

It is discussed whether the master of the registrum Gregorii also exercised other trades, such as that of the goldsmith or that of the ivory carver. On several works from Egbert's goldsmith's workshop there are enamels that are very similar to the painting of the Gregory Master, for example on the Egbert shrine , whose evangelist symbols have similarities with those of the Strahov Gospel. His skillful use of gold leaf as a component of miniatures could also be explained by training as a goldsmith. Carl Nordenfalk assumed that the registrar master had also worked as an ivory carver, and ascribed to him an ivory showing St. Nazarinus in Hanover, a Madonna in the Mainz antiquity museum and an offering in the temple of the Bode Museum.

Painting style

Codex Egberti, fol. 15v, the child murder in Bethlehem , is probably one of the earliest works by the master of the Registrum Gregorii

Adolph Goldschmidt characterized the style of the master of the registrum Gregorii in his work on Ottonian book illumination:

“The whole group, presumably to be located in Trier, is characterized by an elegant calm, the outlines are drawn out long in evenly running curves, the modeling takes place in a gentle curve without energetic contrasts of light and shadow, the color is in harmony with it bright , at times almost pale. The gestures are restrained, and the expression of the heads without excessive movement, but of uniform beauty. The architecture also shows a certain purity of lines and a relatively correct perspective. In addition, there is a balanced composition, which is already expressed in the moving scenes of the Egbert Codex. This reveals a classicistic outlook that is inspired by models of ancient or antique origins, but which does not really coincide with any such model, but rather reveals an independent artist personality that has emerged from the new era. "

- Adolph Goldschmidt : The German book illumination. 2. Ottonian book illumination in Germany

In terms of motifs, the master of the Registrum Gregorii resorted to Touronic Carolingian book illumination , but also to ancient forms. His initials are related to the so-called Eburnat group of Reichenau book painting. According to Holger Simon, the roof structure of the Gregorblatt also follows a model from this group, namely the dedication image of the Gero Codex . In some cases other templates have also been recognized. The master of the Registrum Gregorii was inspired by ancient capitals when painting capitals in architectural depictions. For the animal depictions on the marriage certificate of the Empress Theophanu, Hoffmann referred to a Sassanid silver plate from the 5th century.

To the painting technique

An art-technological examination of the Codex Egberti allowed insights into the painting technique of the master. For example, only the master of the Registrum Gregorii used the blue dye azurite in the manuscript , which the other illuminators of the manuscript did not use. He was also the only one of the painters involved who worked with washes in the preliminary drawings . The deviations in the actual painting technique are particularly noticeable. After the preliminary drawing, the master of the Registrum Gregorii first painted the background of the picture, but did not omit the lines of the preliminary drawing as usual, so that parts of the representation had to be painted on the layers of color of the background. In some miniatures of the Egbert Codex he even completely covered the preliminary drawings with the background color. This way of working is problematic in that the thick layers of paint were slightly damaged when the manuscripts were used by turning the pages; in the Egbert Codex, the drawings by the master of the Registrum Gregorii were more damaged than those of the other draftsmen. Later works by the master of the Registrum Gregorii, such as the Gregorblatt, no longer have this consistent background; Oltrogge believes it is possible that the Gregor master had no actual training as an illuminator.

Another peculiarity of the master of the Registrum Gregorii is that he often used gold leaf for golden surfaces , which was applied after the painted parts were finished. The gold was cut into shape beforehand and glued on with binding agent. He used this technique in addition to the Codex Egbertii in the Gospels in Strahov as well as in the single sheets from the Registrum Gregorii and in the single sheet with the evangelist Markus.

effect

The single sheet with Saint Willibrord is described on the back by the master of the Registrum Gregorii, whether he was also the painter is disputed. The leaf was in the 11th century in a program written in Echternach Tropar involved.

The master of the Registrum Gregorii influenced the Reichenau illumination at the same time , whereby Carl Nordenfalk assumes that he joined Heinrich the Quarrel , who was striving for power, in the time of political turmoil after the death of Otto II, in which his sponsor, Bishop Egbert, joined himself , moved back to Reichenau Monastery. On the Codex Egberti, which is dated to this time, the master of the Registrum Gregorii worked together with Reichenau painters and scribes. Also in the Gospel Book of the Sainte-Chapelle, which, according to a controversial thesis, was planned as a gift from Egbert to Heinrich for his coronation, typical figures of Reichenau can be found on a canon table; conversely, the later Reichenau rulers assume the image of Emperor Otto from the Registrum Gregorii. The Gospels now in Manchester influenced Ottonian book illumination in Cologne, where the images of the Evangelists, which are now lost, were copied in a Gospel manuscript in the 3rd quarter of the 11th century (Württembergische Landesbibliothek, Bibl. Fol. 21). His painting also influenced the illumination of the Echternach monastery in the 11th century and the Maasland illumination.

Identification attempts

Carl Nordenfalk suggested identifying the master of the Registrum Gregorii with Johannes Italicus , who was born in 996 by Emperor Otto III. was called from Italy to Aachen to paint the Aachen Cathedral. Hartmut Hoffmann rejected this proposal because the master of the Registrum Gregorii 996 would have been active north of the Alps for a long time and nothing in his work indicates an Italian origin.

Theodor K. Kempf, director of the Trier Diocesan Museum, suggested identifying the master of the registrum Gregorii with Benna , educator of St. Edith and creator of the Benna cross of the Mainz cathedral. This identification could not be established either, since Benna was the master of the Registrum Gregorii in Wessex at the beginning of the Trier period and no activity as an illuminator has come down to us.

literature

• Katharina Bierbrauer : Gregor Master . In: Lexicon of the Middle Ages , Volume 4, Munich a. a. 1989, col. 1693.
• Hartmut Hoffmann: Book art and royalty in the Ottonian and early Salian empires , Stuttgart 1986, ISBN 3-7772-8638-9 ( MGH writings , volume 30).
• Brigitte Nitschke: The manuscript group around the master of the registrum Gregorii , Recklinghausen 1966 (Münster studies on art history, volume 5).
• Carl Nordenfalk: The Chronology of the Registrum Master . In: Carlo Bertelli , Artur Rosenauer, Gerold Weber (ed.): Art historical research. Otto Pächt on his 70th birthday . Salzburg 1972, ISBN 3-7017-0027-3 , pp. 62-76.
• Carl Nordenfalk: The Master of the Registrum Gregorii . In: Münchner Jahrbuch der Bildenden Kunst , 3rd part, Volume 1, 1950, pp. 61–77.
• Franz J. Ronig (Ed.): Egbert. Archbishop of Trier 877–993. Commemorative writing of the Diocese of Trier on the 1000th anniversary of death . Trier 1993, ISBN 3-923319-27-4 (Trier magazine for history and art of the state of Trier and its neighboring areas, supplements 18).

Web links

Commons : Master of the Registrum Gregorii  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

1. ^ Franz J. Ronig: Some comments on Egbert's life and work . In: Egbert. Archbishop of Trier 977–993 , p. 12.
2. ↑ fol. 9v, 10v, 12, 13, 15v, 22, 22v
3. ↑ Hartmut Hoffmann : Theophanu's marriage certificate . In: Bernward von Hildesheim and the age of the Ottonians , vol. 2, p. 63.
4. ↑ Carl Nordenfalk: The chronology of the Registrum Master , p. 65. Hartmut Hoffmann: Book art and royalty in the Ottonian and early Salian empire , pp. 206, 216 u. 219.
5. ↑ Irmgard Siede: Firenze, Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana, Evangeliario, ms. Acq. e Doni 91. In: Giordana Canova Mariani (ed.): Luca Evangelista. Parola e immagine tra oriente e occidente. Museo Diocesano di Padova, 14 ottobre 2000 - 6 gennaio 2001. Padova 2000, pp. 242-243.
6. ↑ Hartmut Hoffmann: Book Art and Kingship in the Ottonian and Early Salian Empire , p. 121.
7. ↑ Catalog Between Rhine and Maas , catalog no. C 11 The Strahower Gospels.
8. ^ Carl Nordenfalk: The Chronology of the Registrum Master , p. 60.
9. ^ Adolph Goldschmidt: The German book painting . 2. Ottonian book illumination in Germany . Munich 1928, p. 7.
10. ↑ Hartmut Hoffmann: Book Art and Kings in the Ottonian and Early Salian Empire , p. 108ff.
11. ^ Carl Nordenfalk: Illumination in the Middle Ages , p. 118.
12. ↑ Holger Simon : Architectural representations in Ottonian book illumination. The Old Cologne Cathedral in the Hillinus Codex . In: Stefanie Lieb (Ed.): Stil und Form (Festschrift Binding), Darmstadt 2001, pp. 32–44. ( PDF version at CEEC ), on pp. 10f. the PDF version
13. ^ Henry Mayr-Harting: Ottonische Buchmalerei. Liturgical art in the realm of emperors, bishops and abbots . P. 26.0
14. ↑ Hartmut Hoffmann: Book Art and Kings in the Ottonian and Early Salian Empire , p. 106.
15. ^ ^{A b} Doris Oltrogge: "Materia" and "Ingenium" - observations on the creation of the Egbert Codex . In: Egbert. Archbishop of Trier 977–993 , p. 131.
16. ↑ Doris Oltrogge: "Materia" and "Ingenium" - observations on the creation of the Egbert Codex . In: Egbert. Archbishop of Trier 977–993 , p. 133.
17. ↑ Doris Oltrogge: "Materia" and "Ingenium" - observations on the creation of the Egbert Codex . In: Egbert. Archbishop of Trier 977-993 , pp. 133f.
18. ^ Carl Nordenfalk: The Chronology of the Registrum Master , p. 69.
19. ^ Egbert - Archbishop of Trier 977-993 . Commemorative document of the Diocese of Trier on the 1000th anniversary of death, vol. 1, p. 28.
20. ↑ Hoffmann: Book Art and Kingship in the Ottonian and Early Salian Empire , p. 123.
21. ↑ Hoffmann: Book Art and Kingship in the Ottonian and Early Salian Empire , p. 126.

This article was added to the list of articles worth reading on December 10, 2011 in this version .