Creative Commons License
Book Cover Plaque
(Medieval Europe )
This elaborate, enameled plaque was once attached to the cover of a Gospel book or a lectionary, a manuscript containing passages from the four Gospels arranged to be read throughout the year. At the center, Christ is flanked by the Virgin and St. John. Adam's skull, below, symbolizes the salvation of mankind through Christ's crucifixion on Golgotha, the reputed site of Adam's grave.
Inscription
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.
Frédéric Spitzer, Paris, by purchase; Sale, Paul Chevallier and Charles Mannheim, Paris, April 17, 1893, no. 256; Léguillon, Paris, by purchase; Sale,
Hôtel Drouot, Paris, December 9, 1895, no. 7; Heinrich Wencke, Hamburg, by purchase; Sale, J. M. Heberle, Cologne, October 27, 1898, no. 130; Dimitri Schevitch, Madrid, by purchase; Sale, Galerie George Petit, Paris, April 4, 1906, no. 183; Jacques Seligmann, Paris, by purchase; Henry Walters, Baltimore, May 16, 1906, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Exhibitions
| 1984-1985 | Illuminated Manuscripts: Masterpieces in Miniature. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
| 1985 | Songs of Glory: Medieval Art from 900-1500. Oklahoma Museum of Art, Oklahoma City. |
| 1957-1958 | The History of Bookbinding 525-1950 A.D.. Baltimore Museum of Art, Baltimore. |
Geographies
France, Limoges (Place of Origin)
Measurements
H: 12 7/16 x W: 8 1/4 x D: 1 in. (31.6 x 20.9 x 2.5 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired by Henry Walters, 1906
Location in Museum
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.
44.82