Michaelbeuern Gospels - Illuminated

The Gospel book from the Benedictine monastery at Michaelbeuern is considered a work of the Salzburg school because of its similarity to other Salzburg manuscripts. Whether it was brought to Michaelbeuern in the first half of the 11th century (when that monastery was being reestablished from Saint Peter’s in Salzburg) or later cannot be determined with certainty. Besides canon tables and lesser initials, it shows, on double leaves, which are interpolated but which always have formed part of the manuscript, four illustrations of the evangelists facing ornamental initial pages. The evangelists, with their long-winged symbols descending from above, are laid out in bright colors on a pure-gold ground. Only writing stands and utensils complete the compositions, so that attention is concentrated on the relationship between the evangelists and their symbols. (World Digital Library)