Glossed Gospels

This manuscript is a glossed Gospel Book made in England in the late twelfth or early thirteenth century. The glosses contain commentaries on the Gospels written by several medieval theologians: Hrabanus Maurus and John Chrysostom on Matthew, Jerome and Bede on Mark, Ambrose and Bede on Luke, and Augustine on John. Written in Gothic script, the Gospels text is enlarged with smaller script employed for the glosses. The manuscript is decorated with simple illumination, consisting only of two large initials, and numerous smaller ones marking major divisions in the text. This Gospel Book is exceptional because it contains legal formularies of Oxford origin, written on five folios. The formulary mentions the kings Richard and John, and there are also references to the churches in Oxford and Northampton. The dates within the formulary are pieces of evidence that help date the manuscript. The binding in white deer skin over oak boards is original, and the remains of the original over cover are still preserved at the fore-edge of the lower board as well.

Provenance

Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object.

J. Reynoldes, England. Rowland Clegg-Hill, Shropshire. Henry Walters, Baltimore. By bequest to Walters Art Museum, 1931.