Codex Aureus of Echternach
The Gospels Echternach (Latin: Codex aureus Epternacensis ) is a work of Ottonian book illumination. The Gospel Book was created 1030-1050 in the Benedictine Abbey of Echternach. Today it is preserved in the Germanic National Museum in Nuremberg.
- 3.1 facsimile
- 3.2 secondary literature
Description of the manuscript
The very rich decorated codex is written on vellum, and consists of 136 sheets of size 445 × 310 mm. It contains the four Gospels and is written in Latin. The text is written throughout in golden minuscule. The client for this book might Abbot Humbert of Echternach ( * 1028, † 1051 ) have been.
Cover
The magnificently decorated original cover was probably between the years 985 and 991 in Trier and was made in the working for the Archbishop Egbert of Trier workshops. This cover was a foundation of Empress Theophano and her son Otto III. The hitherto remained without solid beech block deluxe binding was probably soon joined by the consecration of the Echternach monastery building on 19 October 1031 the parchment pages of the Echternach Gospels.
The 43.5 cm high gold front cover of the book cover is decorated with precious stones, pearls, filigree, small e- tablets and flat -driven gold reliefs. It carries in its center an ivory panel of a Echternacher master, showing a crucifixion scene. The ivory plaque is surrounded by an inner and outer frames that are occupied alternately with Email tablets, encrusted Filigranplätchen and Almandinherzen. Four straight and four narrow diagonal strip connecting the two frames and share the gold surface in eight fields. The gold reliefs show up and down the four rivers of Paradise personalized with their associated symbols of the Evangelists; left and right of the founders accompanied by the Virgin Mary, the Apostle Peter. than the oldest patron saint of the abbey of Echternach, the Holy Willibrord as a founder of the monastery of Echternach, the founder of an order of Benedictine Benedict, the missionary Willibrord and Boniface students as well as the missionary Liudger The attached in the center of the book cover ivory tablet is 19.2 × 11.8 mm in size and shows the Crucifixion with Longinus. It was well made 985-987.
The spine of the binder is covered with green silk, the back book cover with a reddish earlier, but now faded, silk fabric. In addition, gold plated copper, fittings mounted on the back cover. Originally, the cover had two silver clasps, of which only one remains today.
The deluxe binding was separated in 1955 from the handwriting and is also located in the Germanic National Museum in Nuremberg. In 1962/ 63, the parchment - book block was newly incorporated and has since held a wooden lid cover which is covered with goat leather and is closed with two clasps.
Decoration of the manuscript
The handwriting is equipped with over 60 ceremonial and decorative pages, 16 full-page miniatures, 4 evangelists images, 10 canon tables, 9 full-page and 16 half-page and 503 smaller initials.
Scene: Those killed winemaker
Jewelry Page
Text page
History of the manuscript
Codex was created for use in Echternach monastery and was there until the French Revolution.
After the closure of the monastery to 1795/1796 the book about Mainz came to Erfurt. In 1801 bought Ernst II of Saxe -Gotha -Altenburg Codex. The manuscript was part of the library at Castle peace in Gotha. During the clashes around the Prince expropriation, the property passed in 1928 to the Duke of Saxe- Coburg- Gotha'sche Foundation for Art and science. The Gospel Book is one of the artworks that were done in 1945 by the ducal family to Coburg.
On 9 May 1955, the House Coburg-Gotha sold it for financial reasons at the Germanic National Museum in Nuremberg for 1.1 million DM