Early Medieval Art

The Trier Gospels (Trier Domschatz Codex 61) bring us into rather rarefied air, but one particular folio makes it worth the effort, and an English-language monograph by Nancy Netzer, Cultural Interplay in the Eighth Century: The Trier Gospels and the Makings of a Scriptorium at Echternach (Cambridge Studies in Palaeography and Codicology), makes this manuscript rather accessible. 

The manuscript was written at the monastery of Echternach, which was founded by Willibrord, of Northumbrian origin, by way of Ireland, and in this manuscript one may discern original insular elements alongside derivative Merovingian ones.

On folio 5v, we see the culmination of the development of Tetramorph imagery, as it derives from the vision of Ezekiel by way of the Book of Revelation.  By this class, we had encountered many depictions of the four evangelist symbols.  In each quadrant, a titulus identifies one component of the figure – to the left: MATTEUS EVANG and MARCUS EVANG; and to the right: LUCAS EVANG and IOHANNIS EVANG.  The trick is to identify the feature of each.  The man of Matthew predominates, but the talons and wings of John, the hindquarters of Mark and the legs of Luke hang from the lower half of the figure.  The students also like noticing the knots at the waist and at the knee-height of the figure.  Below the frame, we find a signature: THOMAS SCRIBSIT.  Interestingly, folio 1v shows the four symbols arranged neatly in the four quadrants surrounding a cross, seemingly a duplication of meaning of the Tetramorph on folio 5v.

Folio 10r shows the archangels Michael and Gabriel flanking a tablet upon a pedestal.  The tablet displays the incipit to the Gospel of Matthew.  Here a reminder of the iconography of the archangels could be of use – the Coffin of Saint Cuthbert from the class on Irish and Hiberno-Saxon art and one plaque from the Hypogeum of the Dunes from this class. 

The manuscript also has author portraits and canon tables, although finding them in color poses a challenge.  I have only found the canon table on folio 12r in color. 

This entry was posted on Thursday, May 29th, 2008 at 9.06 and is filed under Early Medieval Art Survey, Manuscripts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.