Major works of Carolingian book illumination

The main works of Carolingian book illumination are those illuminated manuscripts that were created in Carolingian times and are highlighted in art-historical literature as works of particular artistic rank (see especially the general overviews given in the literature list).

The first work to be designated as Carolingian is the Godescalc Evangelistary , which was written between 781 and 783 on behalf of Charlemagne . Until then, Merovingian and island book illumination had continued uninterrupted. The starting point for Carolingian book illumination was the so-called “Court School of Charlemagne” at the Aachen Royal Palace , to which the manuscripts of the so-called “ Ada Group” are assigned. At the same time and probably in the same place existed the so-called “palace school”, whose artists probably came from Byzantium or Italy , which was influenced by Byzantine times. The codices of this school are also called the “Viennese Coronation Gospel Gospel” group after their main manuscript . After the death of Charlemagne , the center of illumination shifted to Reims , Tours and Metz . While the court school dominated in the time of Charles, the works of the palace school were more popular in the later centers of book art. The heyday of Carolingian illumination ended in the late 9th century. In the late Carolingian period, a “ Franco-Saxon school ” developed, which again increasingly took up forms of older insular book illumination before a new era began with Ottonian book illumination at the end of the 10th century.

List of manuscripts

Illustration	designation	Dating	Localization, painting school	content	signature
	Godescalc Evangelist	between 781 and 783	Aachen (?)	Evangelist ; six full-page miniatures, ornamental decorations, initials and decorative pages; written in gold and silver ink on purple-stained parchment	Paris, Bibliothèque nationale , Ms. nouv. acq. lat. 1203
	Psalter of Montpellier	before 788	Mondsee	Psalter ; two full-page miniatures, 165 larger and 2000 small initials	Montpellier, Bibliothèque Interuniversitaire, Section Médicine, Ms. 409
	Ada handwriting	around 790, second part at the beginning of the 9th century	Aachen, Ada Group (Court School of Charlemagne)	Gospels	Trier, City Library , Cod. 22
	Gospels from Saint-Martin-des-Champs or Gospels from the Paris Arsenal Library	around 790	Aachen, Ada Group (Court School of Charlemagne)	Gospels	Paris, Bibliothèque de l'Arsenal , Ms. 599
	Dagulf Psalter	before 795	Aachen, Ada Group (Court School of Charlemagne)	Psalter	Vienna, Austrian National Library , Ms. 1861
	Gospels of Saint-Riquier , also Gospels from Centula or Gospels in Abbeville	End of the 8th century	Aachen, Ada Group (Court School of Charlemagne)	Gospels	Abbeville , Bibliothèque municipale, Ms. 4
	Coronation Gospel or Imperial Gospel	shortly before 800	Aachen (?), Group of the Vienna Coronation Gospel ("Palace School of Charlemagne")	Gospels; four full-page evangelist pictures , 16 canon tables ; written in gold and silver ink on purple-stained parchment	Vienna, Kunsthistorisches Museum , Treasury Inv. XIII 18th
	Livinus Gospels	around 800	Saint-Amand Abbey (?)	Gospels; 18 canon tables, 2 (originally four) images of the evangelists; Incipit and initial pages	Gent, Sint-Baafskapittel, Ms. 13
	Gospels of Charlemagne	around 800	Aachen, environment of the court school of Charlemagne	Gospels	Munich, University Library , Cim. 1 (= 2 ° Cod. Ms. 29)
	Hiltfred Gospels	801/825	France	Gospels	Cologne, Archbishop's Diocesan and Cathedral Library , Cathedral Hs. 13
	Treasury Gospels	Early 9th century	Aachen (?), Group of the Vienna Coronation Gospel ("Palace School of Charlemagne")	Gospels	Aachen, Cathedral Treasury, Inv.-No. 4th
	Xanten Gospels	Early 9th century	Aachen (?), Group of the Vienna Coronation Gospel ("Palace School of Charlemagne")	Gospels	Brussels, Bibliothèque Royale , Ms. 18723
	[[Brescia, Biblioteca Queriniana , Ms. E. II.9 | Gospels from Aachen]]	Early 9th century	Aachen (?), Group of the Vienna Coronation Gospel ("Palace School of Charlemagne")	Gospels	Brescia, Biblioteca Queriniana, Ms. E. II.9
	Fragment of a Gospel in London	Early 9th century	Aachen, Ada Group (Court School of Charlemagne)	A single miniature with a depiction of Luke 1, 8-13	London, British Library , Cotton Clausius BV
	Trier apocalypse	first quarter of the 9th century	West Franconia	Apocalypse ; 74 illustrations	Trier, City Library, Cod. 31
	Lorsch Gospels	around 810	Aachen, Ada Group (Court School of Charlemagne)	Gospels; six full-page miniatures, 12 canon tables; written in gold and silver ink on purple-stained parchment	Bucharest, National Library of Romania; Vatican City, Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana , Pal. lat. 50
	Harley Gospels	around 800	Aachen, Ada Group (Court School of Charlemagne)	Gospels	London, British Library, Harley Ms. 2788
	Ebo Gospels	between 816 and 835	Reims	Gospels	Épernay, Bibliothèque Municipale, Ms. 1
	Stuttgart Psalter	between 820 and 830	Saint-Germain-des-Prés	Psalter	Stuttgart, Württemberg State Library , Cod. Bibl. fol. 23
	Utrecht Psalter	around 825	Reims	Psalter; 166 pen drawings	Utrecht, University Library , Ms. 484
	Agrimensor Codex in the Vatican City	around 825	Aachen (?)	Texts on land surveying	Vatican City, Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana , Pal. lat. 1564
	Terence manuscript in the Vatican City	around 825	Aachen (?)	Terence : comedies; over 130 illustrations	Vatican City, Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, Vat. Lat. 3868
	Bern Physiologus	between 825 and 850	Reims	Physiologus ; 25 framed and 10 unframed miniatures	Bern, Burgerbibliothek, Codex Bongarsianus 318
	Fleury Gospel Book	between 825 and 850	Fleury	Gospels	Bern, Burgerbibliothek , Codex 348
	Psalter of Louis the German	second quarter of the 9th century	Saint-Omer	Psalter	Berlin, State Library, Ms. theol. lat. fol. 58
	Gospels from Saint Médard in Soissons	before 827	Aachen, Ada Group (Court School of Charlemagne)	Gospels; six full-page miniatures and 12 canon tables; written in gold and silver ink on purple-stained parchment	Paris, Bibliothèque nationale, Ms. lat. 8850
	Leiden Aratea	between 830 and 840	Lotharingien (Aachen or Metz)	Latin verse adaptation of the Phainomena des Aratos by Claudius Caesar Germanicus with additions from the adaptation of Avienus ; 35 full-page miniatures (four images missing)	Leiden, University Library , Voss. lat. Q 79
	Bamberg Bible	between 834 and 843	Tours	Bible	Bamberg, State Library , Msc Bibl. 1
	Grandval Bible	around 840	Tours	Bible; four full-page miniatures	London, British Library, Add. Ms. 10546
	Codex Vaticanus Reginensis latinus 124	around 840	Fulda	Hrabanus Maurus : De laudibus sanctae crucis	Vatican City, Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, Reg. Lat. 124
	Fulda Gospels	around 840	Fulda	Gospels	Würzburg, University Library , Mp. Theol. fol. 66
	Astronomical-computistic textbook in Madrid	around 840	Metz	Astronomical - computistic textbook; 52 colored miniatures	Madrid, Biblioteca Nacional , Cod. 3307
	Drogo sacramentary	842	Metz	Sacramentary ; 41 historicized initials	Paris, Bibliothèque nationale, Ms. lat. 9428
	Bamberg Boëthius	around 845	Tours	Boëthius : De institutione arithmetica libri II	Bamberg, State Library, Msc.Class. 5
	Vivian Bible or First Bible of Charles the Bald	845/846	Tours	Bible; eight full-page miniatures, four canon tables, 87 initials	Paris, Bibliothèque nationale, Ms. lat. 1
	Charles the Bald's prayer book	between 846 and 869	Court school of Charles the Bald	oldest royal prayer book; two full-page miniatures, a full-page decorative initial	Munich, Treasury of the Residenz, ResMü. Schk0004-WL
	Lothar Gospels	between 849 and 851	Tours	Gospels; six miniatures, nine framed incipit pages, twelve canon tables, 18 framed indexes of chapters and five initials	Paris, Bibliothèque nationale, Ms. lat. 266
	Gospels from Prüm	around 850	Tours	Gospels; five miniatures, initials, canon tables and decorative pages	Berlin, State Library, Ms. theol. lat. fol. 733
	Gospels from Kleve or Gospels from Emperor Lothar	before 852	Aachen, court school of Emperor Lothar	Gospels	Berlin, State Library , Ms. theol. Lat. folio 260
	Terence manuscript in Paris	second half of the 9th century	Reims	Terence : comedies; 148 pen drawings	Paris, Bibliothèque nationale, Ms. lat. 7899
	Franz II Gospel Book	second half of the 9th century	Saint-Amand Abbey	Gospels	Paris, Bibliothèque nationale, Ms. lat. 257
	Gospels from St. Denis	second half of the 9th century	northern or northeastern Franconian Empire	Gospels	Paris, Bibliothèque nationale, Ms. lat. 9387
	Golden Psalter of St. Gallen	started around 860 and continued between 870 and 900	St. Denis (?) (Court School of Charles the Bald), later continued in St. Gallen	Psalter; two full-page miniature pages as well as 15 irregularly distributed full or half-page illustrations for the psalm mentuli	St. Gallen, Abbey Library , Cod. Sang. 22nd
	Fragment of an evangelist	second third of the 9th century	Reims	Evangelist	Düsseldorf, University and State Library , B. 113
	Prudentius manuscript in Bern	third third of the 9th century	Reichenau (?)	Prudentius : poems	Bern, Burgerbibliothek, Codex Bongarsianus 264
	Psalter of Charles the Bald	after 869	St. Denis (?) (Court School of Charles the Bald)	Psalter	Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale, Ms. lat. 1152
	Sacramentary of Charles the Bald or Sacramentary of Metz	around 870	Metz or St. Denis (?) (Court School of Charles the Bald)	Sacramentary (fragment, 10 leaves); five full-page miniatures and two initial pages	Paris, Bibliothèque nationale, Ms. lat. 1141
	Codex aureus of St. Emmeram	around 870	St. Denis (?) (Court School of Charles the Bald)	Sacramentary; seven full-page miniatures, 12 canon tables, 10 decorative pages	Munich, Bavarian State Library , Clm 14000
	Bible of St. Paul or Bible of Charles the Bald	around 870	St. Denis (?) (Court School of Charles the Bald)	Bible; 24 (originally 25) title miniatures, four canon tables, 35 decorative pages, 91 initials; written in gold and silver ink on purple-stained parchment	Rome, San Paolo fuori le mura , o. P.
	Folchart Psalter	around 870	St. Gallen	Psalter	St. Gallen, Abbey Library, Cod. Sang. 23
	Second Bible of Charles the Bald	between 871 and 873	Saint-Amand Abbey	Bible	Paris, Bibliothèque nationale, Ms. lat. 2
	Gospels in Prague	late 9th century	Saint-Vaast	Gospels; 15 canon tables, eight miniatures, framed incipit and initial pages	Prague, Kapitulni Knihovna, Cim. 2

literature

• Florentine Mütherich , Joachim E. Gaehde: Carolingian book painting . Prestel, Munich 1979. ISBN 3-7913-0395-3
• Hermann Fillitz : Propylaea Art History , Volume 5: The Middle Ages 1 . Propylaen Verlag, Berlin 1990. ISBN 3-549-05105-0
• Hans Holländer : The emergence of Europe. In: Bels style history. Study edition, Volume 2, edited by Christoph Wetzel , Belser, Stuttgart 1993, pp. 153-384 [on book painting pp. 241-255].
• Christoph Stiegemann, Matthias Wemhoff : 799. Art and culture of the Carolingian period. Catalog of the exhibition Paderborn 1999, Verlag Philipp von Zabern, Mainz 1999. ISBN 3-8053-2456-1
• Kunibert Bering: Art of the Early Middle Ages (Art Epochs, Volume 2). Reclam, Stuttgart 2002. ISBN 3-15-018169-0
• Ingo F. Walther, Norbert Wolf : Masterpieces of book illumination. Taschen, Cologne et al. 2005, ISBN 3-8228-4747-X
• Peter van den Brink, Sarvenaz Ayooghi (ed.): Charlemagne - Charlemagne. Karl's art. Catalog of the special exhibition Karls Kunst from June 20 to September 21, 2014 in the Center Charlemagne , Aachen. Sandstein, Dresden 2014, ISBN 978-3-95498-093-2 (on book painting passim).

Web links

Commons : Carolingian book illumination  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Remarks

1. ↑ Harald Wolter von dem Knesebeck : Gospels of Charlemagne. In: Peter van den Brink, Sarvenaz Ayooghi (ed.): Charlemagne - Charlemagne. Karl's art. Dresden 2014, pp. 236-237 (with lit.).
2. ^ Gospels of Charlemagne. on the pages of the Munich University Library.
3. ↑ Hiltfred Gospels in Cultural Heritage Cologne .
4. ↑ Langkatalogisat in the codices Electronici Ecclesiae Coloniensis .
5. ↑ Gospels from Saint-Denis in the picture index of art and architecture ; Charlotte Denoël: Gospels from Saint-Denis. In: Peter van den Brink, Sarvenaz Ayooghi (ed.): Charlemagne - Charlemagne. Karl's art. Dresden 2014, pp. 192–194 (with lit.).

This version was included in the selection of informative lists and portals on September 17th, 2008 .