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Reichenau Gospels
(Manuscripts and Rare Books, Medieval Europe )
This Gospel Book is believed to come from the Abbey of Reichenau, on Lake Constance, on the basis of its script and illumination. The decoration of the manuscript places it in the so-called Luithar school of Reichenau. Its ornamental motifs compare very closely with those in Munich, Bayerische Staatsbibliothek Clm. 4453, and its palette is nearly identical to that in the Reichenau manuscripts of the Bamberg Cathedral Treasury. Gold uncials begin each paragraph as well as the introductory words of each chapter; they are a distinct mark of Reichenau manufacture. The manuscript's text is written in Caroline minuscule. It is paleographically related to Bamberg, Staatsbibliothek Mss. Bibl. 76 and Bibl. 22, and also Munich, Bayerische Staatsbibliothek Clm. 4454. As a whole, it is an excellent example of Ottonian book illumination.
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object.
Abbey of St. Peter, Reichenau (?), mid-11th century; German Library, 19th century [date and mode of acquisition unknown, no. 203]; Sir Thomas Brooke, Huddersfield, Yorkshire, after 1854 [acquired from the dealer G.I. Ellis, mode of acquisition unknown]; Ingraham Brooke, Sotheby's March 7, 1913, lot 8; Leon Gruel, after 1913 [mode of acquisition unknown]; Henry Walters, Baltimore [date of acquisition unknown], by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Exhibitions
| 2009 | The Saint John's Bible: A Modern Vision through Medieval Methods. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore. |
| 2006 | Schatzkammer: Henry Walters' German Manuscripts. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore. |
| 2004 | Illuminating the Word: Gospel Books in the Middle Ages. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore. |
| 1993-1994 | Medieval Writing and Calligraphy. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
| 1990-1991 | The Book and the Author: Portraits of the Evangelists in Eastern and Western Manuscripts. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
| 1987 | Real People in the Middle Ages: Donor Portraits in Illuminated Manuscripts. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
| 1984-1985 | Illuminated Manuscripts: Masterpieces in Miniature. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
| 1977-1978 | Splendor in Books. Grolier Club, New York; The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
| 1965 | 2,000 Years of Calligraphy. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
| 1964 | Twelve Masterpieces of Medieval and Renaissance Book Illumination. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland. |
| 1953-1954 | Medieval and Renaissance Illuminated Manuscripts. Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles. |
| 1949 | Illuminated Books of the Middle Ages and Renaissance. Baltimore Museum of Art, Baltimore. |
| 1940 | Arts of the Middle Ages. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Boston. |
Conservation
| Date | Description | Narrative |
|---|---|---|
| 10/7/1977 | Examination | examined for loan |
| 5/10/1982 | Treatment | stabilized |
Geographies
Germany, Reichenau (Place of Origin)
Measurements
Closed Book: H: 9 7/16 × W: 7 1/16 × D: 2 3/4 in. (23.9 × 18 × 7 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired by Henry Walters
Location in Museum
Not on view
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
W.7
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