Artwork Page for Text, folio 281 (recto), from a Gospel Book with Commentaries

Details / Information for Text, folio 281 (recto), from a Gospel Book with Commentaries

Text, folio 281 (recto), from a Gospel Book with Commentaries

c. 1000–1100
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Byzantium, Constantinople

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Medium
ink, tempera, and gold on vellum; leather binding
Measurements
Sheet: 28 x 23 cm (11 x 9 1/16 in.)
Credit Line
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1942.152.281.a
Public Domain
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Location
105 Byzantine(not visible)
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Did You Know?

Gospel books were carried in procession through Byzantine churches.

Description

Each of the four gospels in this book opens on a page with brilliantly illuminated borders depicting the author of the text as well as birds—principally peacocks, symbols of the immortality of the soul—and fountains, representing the fountain of life and the salvation of the soul. This volume consists of 428 leaves with texts in Greek. Its level of sophistication suggests that it was probably written and decorated in a monastery in Constantinople.
A vertically oriented vellum manuscript page features a single column of dense, calligraphic Greek script in dark brown ink. A bold red heading spans the top, while small red and gold initials punctuate the text. The cream-colored surface shows ripples and light brown stains. Margin notes appear on the left, and pencil numbers mark the upper right corner. The composition highlights the aged parchment's texture and its orderly, historic handwriting.

Text, folio 281 (recto), from a Gospel Book with Commentaries

c. 1000–1100

Byzantium, Constantinople

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