Trier apocalypse
The Trier Apocalypse is a Carolingian manuscript with the Revelation of John . It is kept as Codex 31 in the Trier City Library and is particularly famous for its cycle of 74 illustrations, which is based on a late antique model.
Emergence
It is certain that the manuscript was made in the first quarter of the 9th century. The place of origin cannot be clearly determined: the writing shows great similarities with western French manuscripts, in particular the scriptorium of Tours , but the pictures rather point to an origin from northern France ( Cambrai ).
content
The manuscript contains the full Latin text of the Revelation of John in the Vulgate version. On the first page ( f. 1 r ) there are some later additions, mainly commentaries on the apocalypses from the 12th century. On f. 1 v there is an ownership notice of the St. Eucharius monastery in a document from the 12th century: Codex sancti Eucharii primi Trevirorum archiepiscopi. Si quis eum abstulerit, anathema sit. Amen. (Handwriting of the holy Eucharius , the first Archbishop of Trier. Whoever takes it away is cursed. Amen.)
Cover and writing material
The codex comprises 75 sheets of parchment measuring approximately 216 × 257 mm. The original binding has not been preserved, today's cardboard tape dates from around 1700. It is covered with white pigskin with blind embossing .
font
The manuscript was written by at least two scribes in different script forms: to f. 12r in a Carolingian minuscule , from f. 13r in a semi-uncial . Towards the end of the 11th century, numerous passages in the text were removed by shaving and then added in red ink. These supplements can be found on almost all text pages, they sometimes only concern individual words or a few lines, but sometimes almost the entire page has been rewritten.
Illustrations
The manuscript is illustrated with 74 colored pen drawings framed in red. The drawings each fill an entire page, with one text and one image page alternating with one single exception. Until f. 20v the illustrations are on the verso page, f. 21r contains text (four lines) and an image as the only page, from f. 22r are the illustrations on the recto side.
These are pure text illustrations that are intended to clarify the content. Numerous images are divided into horizontal stripes one above the other, in which two or more scenes are shown.
The picture cycle is a Carolingian adaptation of a late antique model. In addition to contemporary Carolingian depictions (e.g. the Franconian armor on. F. 10v), there are also a number of elements that were taken over unchanged from the late antique model: The depiction of the dragon as a winged snake instead of the reptile-like shape that was later common; the personification of the earth as a human figure devouring the rivers of water (f. 39r, Rev 12,16 EU ); the "crowns" of the 24 elders as laurel wreaths (f. 16v, Rev 4,4 EU , from Greek στέφανος = wreath, crown) and many others.
History of manuscript
The manuscript had been in the possession of the St. Eucharius Monastery in Trier since the 12th century, but when and from where it got there is unknown. After the secularization of the monastery in 1802, the manuscript ended up in the "Library of the Central School" in Trier, from which in 1804 the Trier City Library emerged. During the Second World War, the manuscript was first brought to the University Library in Giessen , then to a rock tunnel in Trier-Pallien and then back to Giessen. It was saved when the Giessen University Library was destroyed on December 11, 1944, and finally returned to Trier on May 15, 1945.
aftermath
A direct influence can only be found in the late Carolingian apocalypse of Cambrai (Bibliothèque municipale, Ms. 386), which is a direct copy of the Trier apocalypse. The discovery of the late Carolingian fragment of an illustrated apocalypse commentary in the Mainz City Library (Hs frag 18) added a new facet to the story of its impact.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Annelen Ottermann (Ed.): The late Carolingian fragment of an illustrated apocalypse commentary in the Mainz city library: Balance of an interdisciplinary approach. Publications of the libraries of the city of Mainz 60, Mainz 2014.
literature
- The Trier Apocalypse . Commentary by Peter K. Klein . With contributions by Richard Laufner and Gunther Franz. Akademische Druck- und Verlagsanstalt, Graz 2001, ISBN 3-201-01762-0 .
- Michael Embach: Hundred Highlights - Precious manuscripts and prints from the Trier City Library , Regensburg, 2013, ISBN 978-3-7954-2750-4 , p.
Web links
- Christian Host: The Trier Apocalypse: A showpiece of book art is available as a manuscript documentation. ORF , accessed on January 20, 2013 .