Treasury Gospels

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Treasury Gospels, fol. 14v: The four evangelists

The Treasury Gospel , also known as the Carolingian Gospel , is a Carolingian illuminated manuscript that was created at the court school of Charlemagne in the early 9th century . The Gospels belong to a group of manuscripts known as the group of the Vienna Coronation Gospels . It belonged to the church treasury of Aachen Palace Chapel of the Great Charles and is now in the Aachen Cathedral Treasury issued (Inv 4). The Treasury Gospels, along with the Ottonian Liuthar Gospels, are the older of the two important medieval manuscripts exhibited here.

Description and classification

Handwriting

Content and design

The codex consists of 280 parchment sheets in the format 30.1 × 23.3 cm. The text of the Codex is written in one column in Carolingian minuscule in 20 to 24 lines, whereas the title and headings are in Capitalis rustica . The content begins with the Jerome prologue (fol. 2r-5r) and the so-called Damasus letter (fol. 5r-7v). The gospel section is preceded by twelve canon tables (fol. 8v-14r) and a full-page miniature depicting the four evangelists (fol. 14v). The canon tables are surrounded by architectural frames which, unique in Carolingian book illumination, have the entablature type. This is followed by the texts of the four Gospels , each with the prefaces . Except for the depiction of the four evangelists and a decorative page with the title of the Gospel of Matthew in gold and silver Capitalis rustica on a purple background in an ornamental frame (fol. 19v), there is no other miniature in the manuscript. The last pages of the Gospel contain the Capitulare Evangeliorum , a list of the Gospel pericopes to be read in divine services on Sundays and public holidays (fol. 258r – 280v).

Evangelist image

The miniature on fol. 14 v of the manuscript shows the evangelists with their symbols together in a blue hilly landscape in a representation that is highly unusual for medieval art . Clockwise these are John with the eagle, Luke with the bull, Mark with the lion, Matthew with the human. The miniature shows a pink sky with trees above. The preliminary drawing of the picture, which is visible again today, makes it clear that walls with battlements were initially planned there. The evangelists with their white halos and their white clothing are portrayed in the tradition of ancient philosophers . You do a variety of writing activities while sitting. Although they are shown facing away from each other, in this representation they embrace a common spiritual unity.

cover

Ottonian binding of the Gospel
Golden book cover with Byzantine ivory relief

The manuscript of the Gospels served until 1972 as a cover , a cover of Ottonian time with a goldsmith frame in the middle of a Byzantine ivory relief of the late 10th century with a representation of Mary with the baby Jesus is. A previous use as a binding of Otto III. Liuthar Gospels donated for the Aachen Coronation Church is probable, especially since, in addition to the extremely valuable design, the date of origin and the origin are identical; In addition, the dimensions of the cover and book (height 30.4 cm; width 23.6 cm) match. In addition, however, the view is also expressed that the book cover, which is believed to have been made in Reichenau Abbey , may have been part of an altarpiece donated by Emperor Heinrich II , to which the Pala d'Oro in Aachen Cathedral is also assigned.

The center is the ivory tablet, which shows the Mother of God as Hodegetria (signpost). It points to Christ as the Savior . The relief which formerly the center of a Byzantine triptych formed from the tenth century is, at the same time the center in the longitudinal and transverse axis extending with gemstone and cells melting jewelry decorated webs which together a crux gemmata form, how to make it more frequently, at Carolingian predecessors for example the splendid binding of the Codex aureus of St. Emmeram , in whose tradition the book cover stands. The Hodegetria is framed up and down four from beaten -made sheet gold relief panels depicting scenes from the life of Christ: birth , crucifixion , resurrection and ascension . The size of about a third of these scenic representations can be found to the right and left of the ivory panel, the four evangelist symbols, also in golden drifting . These eight gold reliefs are stylistically closely related to those of the gold altar panel in Aachen Cathedral, which is why they were made in the same goldsmith's workshop that is presumably located in Fulda . The outer frame is formed by a wide border with rich ornamentation made of precious stones and filigree work.

In terms of time and style, the cover of the book is closest to that of the Codex aureus Epternacensis .

In the 19th century, the book cover was revised. The gold reliefs were driven and the symbols of Matthew and Mark were swapped.

literature

  • Wilhelm Koehler : The Carolingian miniatures . Vol. 3: The group of the Vienna Coronation Gospels. Deutscher Verlag für Kunstwissenschaft, Berlin 1960, esp. Pp. 72–80.
  • Frauke Steenbock: The magnificent church binding in the early Middle Ages. Deutscher Verlag für Kunstwissenschaft, Berlin 1965, pp. 133–135.
  • Ernst Günther Grimme (text), Ann Münchow (recordings): The Aachen Cathedral Treasure (= Aachener Kunstblätter. Vol. 42). Schwann, Düsseldorf 1973, No. 4, pp. 8-10 (handwriting); No. 24, pp. 30-31 (cover).
  • Herta Lepie , Georg Minkenberg : The treasury of the Aachen cathedral. Brimberg, Aachen 1995, ISBN 3-923773-16-1 , pp. 19-20.
  • Katharina Bierbrauer : Treasury Gospels. In: 799. Art and culture of the Carolingian era. Catalog of the exhibition Paderborn 1999. Zabern, Mainz 1999, ISBN 3-8053-2456-1 , Vol. 2, pp. 706–710.
  • Ernst Günther Grimme: The Golden Book Cover. In: ders .: The golden cathedral of the Ottonians. Einhard-Verlag, Aachen 2001, ISBN 3-930701-90-1 , pp. 50-53.
  • Kunibert Bering: Art of the Early Middle Ages. (= Art epochs 2). Reclam, Stuttgart 2002, ISBN 3-15-018169-0 , pp. 251-254.
  • Herta Lepie: The Aachen Cathedral Treasure. In: Clemens MM Bayer, Dominik M. Meiering , Martin Seidler, Martin Struck (eds.): Treasure art in Rhenish churches and museums. Schnell & Steiner, Regensburg 2013, ISBN 978-3-7954-2827-3 , pp. 121–137, here pp. 132–134 ( golden cover ).
  • Fabrizio Crivello: Treasury Gospels. In: 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 , pp. 241-243 (with further literature).

Remarks

  1. ↑ Detailed description of the content in Wilhelm Koehler : The Carolingian miniatures. P. 74–76 and Herta Lepie, Georg Minkenberg: The treasury of Aachen Cathedral. Pp. 19-20.
  2. ↑ A theological interpretation of the picture by Herta Lepie, Georg Minkenberg: Die Schatzkammer des Aachener Domes. P. 20.
  3. ↑ See Ernst Günther Grimme: The golden cathedral of the Ottonians. Pp. 50, 52.
  4. ^ A b Ernst Günther Grimme: The golden cathedral of the Ottonians. P. 50.
  5. ↑ Herta Lepie, Georg Minkenberg: The treasury of the Aachen cathedral. P. 62.
  6. ↑ Herta Lepie, Ann Münchow: Ivory art from the Aachen cathedral treasure. Imhof, Petersberg 2006, ISBN 3-86568-000-3 , pp. 18-21.
  7. ↑ Ernst Günther Grimme: The golden cathedral of the Ottonians. P. 52.
  8. ^ Ernst Günther Grimme: The Aachen Cathedral Treasure. Schwann, Düsseldorf 1973, p. 10.
  9. ↑ Herta Lepie, Georg Minkenberg: The treasury of the Aachen cathedral. P. 63.

Web links

Commons : Treasury Gospels  - Collection of images, videos, and audio files