Home > Digitized Walters Manuscripts

The Digital Walters


W.8, Mondsee Gospel Lectionary

Abstract

This eleventh-century Gospel Lectionary was written in a clear Carolingian minuscule in Regensburg, Germany. Its remarkable treasure binding, which is original to the manuscript, is extremely fragile due to the Byzantine or Islamic silk that constitutes the spine; therefore it is not possible to image the entire manuscript. The cover, which alone has been photographed, is a rare survival and a rich example of Ottonian art. Bound in silver, the front cover displays an impressive mastery of filigree, segments of which have been gilded. A variety of textures and substances, including niello bosses in the corners, ivory plaques depicting the four Evangelists, gemstones (now lost), and a golden image of the Crucifixion beneath a polished rock crystal, give the cover an opulence rarely seen in medieval bookbinding. The back cover, necessarily flat to lie on the altar without damaging the decoration, consists of a sheet of hammered and gilded silver, engraved with an image of St. Michael slaying a dragon. This image has traditionally led to an association with the abbey of SS. Peter and Michael in Mondsee, Austria, but its more recent attribution to Otloh, a scribe active in Regensburg, suggests that it is more likely of German manufacture.

Manuscript Description (in a new window) | TEI (XML format) | View at art.thewalters.org

Persistent URLs (PURLs)

The following URLs are assured to route to the named resources. For more information see the ReadMe file.

  • http://purl.thewalters.org/art/W.8/data
  • http://purl.thewalters.org/art/W.8/browse
  • http://purl.thewalters.org/art/W.8/TEI
  • http://purl.thewalters.org/art/W.8/description
  •  
     
    1. Upper board outside

      W.8, Upper board outside
    2. Lower board outside

      W.8, Lower board outside
    3. Spine

      W.8, Spine
    4. Fore-edge

      W.8, Fore-edge
    5. Head

      W.8, Head
    6. Tail

      W.8, Tail

    All images listed on this page are of books and manuscripts from private collections and were imaged at the Walters Art Museum. Unless otherwise indicated all images and associated data linked to from this page are released for free under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license for anyone who wants to use them.