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Gospel Lectionary
(Manuscripts and Rare Books, Byzantium and Early Russia)
This is one of twenty-six known manuscripts by the hand of Luke the Cypriot (active 1583-1625), an accomplished Greek calligrapher who worked after the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople (1453). He copied it in 1594 at his episcopal see of Buzau (in Wallachia, now Romania) and soon took it to Moscow, where it was richly illustrated with New Testament scenes by a team of anonymous Russian artists. The book contains passages taken from the four Gospels and arranged in the order in which they are read out loud in church in the course of the year (hence its name Lectionary, from the Latin "lectio," reading). Short intructions in Slavonic accompany some of the miniatures, offering a glimpse of the painters' working process.
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.
Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem, ca. 1598, by gift; Léon Gruel, Paris, by purchase; Henry Walters, Baltimore, purchased from Gruel before 1931; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Exhibitions
| 2009 | The Saint John's Bible: A Modern Vision through Medieval Methods. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore. |
| 2003 | The Cross and the Crescent: Books from the Ottoman Age. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore. |
| 1988-1989 | A Millennium of Christianity: Russian Art from The Walters Art Gallery. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
| 1986 | Byzantine Gold: Illumination in Greek Manuscripts. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
| 1984-1985 | Illuminated Manuscripts: Masterpieces in Miniature. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
| 1947 | Early Christian and Byzantine Art. Baltimore Museum of Art, Baltimore. |
Conservation
| Date | Description | Narrative |
|---|---|---|
| 10/24/1984 | Examination | examined for condition |
| 8/6/1985 | Treatment | re-housed |
Geographies
Romania, Buzau
(Place of Origin)
Russia, Moscow (Place of Origin)
Measurements
H: 15 1/2 x W: 10 5/8 in. (39.4 x 27 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.535
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Parent Object
Related Objects
Healing of the woman with the issue of blood; raising of the daughter of Jairus
Christ healing the sick; the calling of Peter and Andrew; the calling of James and John
Ornamented headpiece and initial letter "E" with the parable of the lost sheep
Leaf from a Gospel Lectionary: Ornamented Headpiece and Initial E with the Resurrection of Christ and John the Baptist Preaching
