Ashburnham Pentateuch

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Ashburnham Pentateuch: Cain and Abel (7th century)
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The Ashburnham Pentateuch (Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France , MS nouv. Acq. Lat. 2334) is an illuminated manuscript that was probably made in the 7th century. It is one of the oldest surviving illustrated biblical codes . It contains illustrations of the books of Moses from the Old Testament called the Pentateuch .

Place of origin

The Ashburnham Pentateuch and its pictures were probably made in North Africa or Spain. Italy was also suggested as the place of origin.

History of manuscript

The manuscript was in the library of St. Gatien Cathedral in Tours , hence it is also known as the Tours Bible or the Tours Pentateuch . In 1842 it was stolen from there by the art thief Count Guglielmo Libri . In 1847 it was sold to the manuscript collector Bertram, 4th Earl of Ashburnham (1797–1878), and then finally in 1888 to the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris.

Contents of the manuscript

The manuscript illustrated the Latin translation of the text of the five books of Moses, the so-called Pentateuch. However, the entire book of Deuteronomy and parts of the other books are lost today. A total of 142 pages with 19 illustrations have been preserved, 18 pictures in the text and the also decorated table of contents. Probably the master had created more than 65 pictures. It is very likely that the text was written by a scribe and not by the master himself.

Oldest surviving Bible illustrations

The images of the Ashburnham Pentateuch are among the oldest surviving Bible illustrations. Her portrayal of Genesis in particular, the Judeo-Christian conception of the creation story, was seen early in art historical research as an insight into the world of thought of the early Middle Ages. They show to this day how the thoughts of this creation and the beginning of the biblical tradition were then interpreted.

Painting style

The Ashburnham Pentateuch explains the text in moving images, the depicted environment, such as the architecture of the buildings or clothing of the people, is allegedly based on models from Asia Minor, for example from the region around Palmyra . Sometimes a cycle of a story is told in several frames on one page. The structure and sequence of the narrative and the gestures of the people can be seen as theatrical .

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Dorothy Verkerk: Early Medieval Bible Illumination and the Ashburnham Pentateuch . Cambridge 2004, p. 3.
  2. ^ Léopold Victor Delisle : Les manuscrits du comte d'Ashburnham. Report au Ministre de l'instruction publique et ds Beaux Arts . Paris 1883.
  3. ↑ z. B. Anton Springer: Genesis images in the art of the early Middle Ages, with special reference to the Ashburnham Pentateuch. Leipzig 1884.
  4. ↑ see for example Joseph Gutmann: The Jewish Origin of the Ashburnham Pentateuch Miniatures . In: Jewish Quarterly Review, New Series 44 (1953), pp. 55-72 and Joseph Gutmann: The Illustrated Jewish Manuscript in Antiquity: The Present State of the Question . In: Gesta 5 (1966), pp. 39-44.
  5. ↑ Louis Bréhier: Illuminated Manuscripts . In: Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume 7, New York 1913.
  6. ^ Dorothy Verkerk: Early Medieval Bible Illumination and the Ashburnham Pentateuch . Cambridge 2004, p. 2.

literature

  • Oscar von Gebhardt : The Miniatures of the Ashburnham Pentateuch . London 1884, OCLC 16220100 .
  • Anton Springer : Genesis Images in the Art of the Early Middle Ages, with special reference to the Ashburnham Pentateuch . Hirzel, Leipzig 1884, DNB 1001809602 .
  • Franz Rickert: Studies on the Ashburnham Pentateuch (Paris, Bibl. Nat. NAL. 2334) . Dissertation Bonn 1986.
  • Dorothy Verkerk: Early Medieval Bible Illumination and the Ashburnham Pentateuch . Cambridge 2004, ISBN 0-521-82917-8 .

Web links

Commons : Ashburnham Pentateuch  - collection of images, videos and audio files