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10 September, 2010  
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The Codex Egberti
(Single leaves)
The Codex Egberti
A waymark of Ottonian illumination.
€ 68.00
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Skriptorium
Pichler & Winkler KEG Krenngasse 15
A-8010 Graz
Phone: ++43/316 890 527
Fax: ++43/316 890 527-15
E-Mail: info@skriptorium.at
Internet:
http://www.skriptorium.at

Firmenbuchnummer:
248308i
Gerichtsstand Graz
UID:
ATU58063525
Firmenbuchgericht:
Landesgericht für ZRS
Behörde gem. ECG:
Bezirkshauptmannschaft Graz-Stadt

Bankverbindung:
Bank Austria
Creditanstalt AG
Konto: 515 421 477 01
BLZ: 12000
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BIC: BKAUATWW
    
Gospel Lectionary of Reichenau
Gospel Lectionary of Reichenau
"Glanzlichter der Buchkunst" Vol. 5
show complete series
The Gospel Lectionary of Reichenau was made in the scriptorium of Reichenau Abbey, then the most important painting school of the West.
Product can be delivered immediately
€ 89.00 
Kupferstichkabinett der Staatlichen Museen Preußischer Kulturbesitz, Berlin, Codex 78 A 2, 2nd half of 11th cent.
Reproduction in reduced size of all 182 pp., 66 pp. commentary by P. Bloch, size: 15 x 19,5 cm. Cloth-bound/dust jacket, shipping slipcase.
Reduced series price per volume: Euro 79,- Single list price per volume: Euro 89,-
Produkt-Nr.: SK_110; Verlag/Hersteller: Adeva
The Gospel Lectionary of Reichenau was made over 900 years ago in the scriptorium of Reichenau Abbey, then the most important painting school of the West, and is considered the key work for the evaluation of Reichenauian book painting.

All 182 pages (91 folios) of this Gospel Lectionary present the central lessons of the history of Salvation to the reader. The miniatures, inserted sometimes as full pages, sometimes as strips, are lavishly embellished with gold and still entirely in the tradition of Ottonian art.
These miniatures, which are so typical for the School of Reichenau, enchant the reader with their characteristic delicate charm. The fixed order of the pictorial arrangements, a heritage of Ottonian art, unexpectedly combines with an expressive figurative style to overcome the statuary stiffness, long before Romanesque tradition saw the light of day. Wide swinging gestures lend a strong momentum to the pictures and the enhancement of mimic expression provides the Biblical narrative with emotion and vividness.

The close juxtaposition of different style elements makes the Gospel Lectionary of Reichenau a product, typical of a transition phase that is clearly marked by both traditional elements and a new beginning, thus forming a truly unique synthesis, in an unmatched combination.

A book of liturgy

The text of the Gospel Lectionary is written in Carolingian minuscule and ornate with a great wealth of luxurious initials. It starts with one of the four prefaces to the Gospel Book, the third preface of Hieronymus, which is followed by the four prologues introducing the individual Gospels. The Gospel Pericopes start with the lecture In vigilia nativitate domini and continue with lectures of the ecclesiastical year, from Christmas to Easter and the 26th Sunday after Pentecost, to end with the four Sundays of Advent, the feast days of the saints and a series of votive masses.

A precious gift for a sovereign

The overall character of the manuscript is that of an unfinished work. Some pictures are missing and the miniature of the birth of St. John the Baptist remained unfinished. This is all the more surprising as it was conceived as a gift for a high-ranking personality, judging from the donor’s portrait.

The dedication picture shows a crowned sovereign, in his left hand an orb with an eagle. A monk to his left hands him a book, no doubt the Gospel Lectionary of Reichenau.

Very little is known on the identity of the sovereign depicted in this dedication picture. Besides Henry IV, Henry III was mentioned time and again as receiver of the manuscript. Perhaps the sovereign on the one hand and the unfinished state of the codex on the other can be explained by their common historic background: the manuscript might have remained unfinished as the occasion of its donation was no longer valid.

A unique manuscript

Although a number of questions are left unanswered, this manuscript is a typical example for a transition phase. Its expressive movements and vivid illustration of the Biblical narrative show a variation of the Ottonian canon of forms. Imperial traditions combine with an effort for purity in both script and liturgy.
Other volumes in the series "Glanzlichter der Buchkunst"
Glanzlichter der Buchkunst (All published volumes)
Glanzlichter der Buchkunst /  € 1,659.00
Goslar Gospels
Glanzlichter der Buchkunst / Vol. 1 € 89.00
Bible moralisée
Glanzlichter der Buchkunst / Vol. 2 € 89.00
Book of Hours of Mary of Burgundy
Glanzlichter der Buchkunst / Vol. 3 € 89.00
Gaston Phoebus: Le Livre de la Chasse
Glanzlichter der Buchkunst / Vol. 4 € 89.00
Medicina antiqua
Glanzlichter der Buchkunst / Vol. 6 € 89.00
Speculum humanae salvationis
Glanzlichter der Buchkunst / Vol. 7 € 89.00
Vienna Dioscorides (2 parts)
Glanzlichter der Buchkunst / Vol. 8/1 and 8/2 € 178.00
Emperor Frederick II (De arte venandi cum avibus)
Glanzlichter der Buchkunst / Vol. 9 € 89.00
Treves Apokalypse
Glanzlichter der Buchkunst / Vol. 10 € 89.00
The Golden Bull
Glanzlichter der Buchkunst / Vol. 11 € 89.00
Ramsey Psalter
Glanzlichter der Buchkunst / Vol. 12 € 89.00
Tacuinum Sanitatis in Medicina (Österreichische Nationalbibliothek, Wien)
Glanzlichter der Buchkunst / vol. 13 € 89.00
Wolfram von Eschenbachs "Willehalm" (Vol. I)
Glanzlichter der Buchkunst / Vol. 14/1 € 89.00
Wolfram von Eschenbachs "Willehalm" (Vol. II)
Glanzlichter der Buchkunst / Volume 14/2 € 89.00
Der Oldenburger Sachsenspiegel
Glanzlichter der Buchkunst / Volume 15 € 89.00
Der Rosenroman für Francois I.
Glanzlichter der Buchkunst / Volume 16 € 89.00
The Antiphonary of St. Peter
Glanzlichter der Buchkunst / Volume 18/2 € 89.00
The Antiphonary of St. Peter
Glanzlichter der Buchkunst / Volume 18/1 € 89.00
Liber Aureus
Glanzlichter der Buchkunst / Band 17 € 89.00