Vienna Coronation Gospels

The Krönungsevangeliar or Reichsevangeliar is a Carolingian illuminated manuscript, which was created shortly before 800 on the so-called palace school of Charlemagne at Aachen's royal palace and was located until 1794 in the Aachen Cathedral. It is the main work of a group of manuscripts, referred to by her as a group of Viennese Krönungsevangeliars.

The Gospel Book is illuminated with four full-page images and 16 evangelists canon tables. It was written with golden and silver ink on purple dyed parchment. Stylistically, the manuscripts of the "Group of the Vienna Krönungsevangeliars " in their time in northern Europe have no precedent. The effortless virtuosity with which the late antique forms were implemented, have the artists in Byzantium, might have learned in Italy. In comparison with the works of the same time and in the same place making " court school ", referred to by their Leithandschrift as " Ada group," the illuminated manuscripts of the palace school missing in particular the horror vacui, the fear of the emptiness of space. The moving by turns dynamic figures of the Evangelists in the attitude of ancient philosophers. Your powerfully sculpted body, airy and light-filled landscapes and mythological personifications and other classic motifs lend the works of this group of manuscripts atmospheric and illusionist character of antique Hellenistic illumination.

During the life of Charlemagne, the group of the Vienna Krönungsevangeliars seems a relatively isolated special case the book painting to have been standing in the shadow of the Palace School. However, after Charles' death, it was this school of painting that exerted much greater influence on the Carolingian book illumination, as the Ada group.

According to legend, was Otto III. the magnificent manuscript at the opening of the tomb of Charlemagne in the year 1000. since the artistically important manuscript handwriting group part of the imperial regalia and the German kings had laid the coronation oath on the Gospel Book. In 1500 the book was endowed by a cover made of gilded silver, the work of Hans von Aachen goldsmith Reutlingen. During the First Coalition War of the Codex in 1794 from Aachen to Paderborn and 1811 came to Vienna, where he is now in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in the Secular Treasury ( Inv. XIII 18).

Facsimile

In the year 2012 333 facsimiles of Evangeliers were under the responsibility of Franz Kirchweger, the curator of the Secular Treasury, made ​​together with the splendor covers.