The Harley Golden Gospels,
British Library
The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and is one of the largest libraries in the world. It is estimated to contain between 170 and 200 million items from many countries. As a legal deposit library, the Briti ...
,
Harley MS 2788, is a
Carolingian
The Carolingian dynasty (; known variously as the Carlovingians, Carolingus, Carolings, Karolinger or Karlings) was a Frankish noble family named after Charlemagne, grandson of mayor Charles Martel and a descendant of the Arnulfing and Pippi ...
illuminated manuscript
An illuminated manuscript is a formally prepared document where the text is often supplemented with flourishes such as borders and miniature illustrations. Often used in the Roman Catholic Church for prayers, liturgical services and psalms, th ...
Gospel book
A Gospel Book, Evangelion, or Book of the Gospels (Greek: , ''Evangélion'') is a codex or bound volume containing one or more of the four Gospels of the Christian New Testament – normally all four – centering on the life of Jesus of Nazareth ...
produced in about 800–825, probably in
Aachen
Aachen ( ; ; Aachen dialect: ''Oche'' ; French and traditional English: Aix-la-Chapelle; or ''Aquisgranum''; nl, Aken ; Polish: Akwizgran) is, with around 249,000 inhabitants, the 13th-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia, and the 28th ...
, Germany. It is one of the manuscripts attributed to the "
Ada School
Carolingian art comes from the Frankish Empire in the period of roughly 120 years from about 780 to 900—during the reign of Charlemagne and his immediate heirs—popularly known as the Carolingian Renaissance. The art was produced by and for the ...
", which is named after the
Ada Gospels
The Ada Gospels (Trier, Stadtbibliothek, Codex 22) is a late eighth century or early ninth century Carolingian gospel book in the Stadtbibliothek, Trier, Germany. The manuscript contains a dedication to Charlemagne's sister Ada, from where it ge ...
. It has four pairs of full-page
Evangelist portraits and illuminated "Incipit" pages,
canon tables
Eusebian canons, Eusebian sections or Eusebian apparatus, also known as Ammonian sections, are the system of dividing the four Gospels used between late Antiquity and the Middle Ages. The divisions into chapters and verses used in modern texts d ...
, and other illuminations. As with other examples of the
Codex Aureus (i.e. golden books), the text is written in gold ink.
British Library catalogue entry
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See also
* Aachen Gospels
* Bible of San Paolo fuori le Mura
The Bible of San Paolo fuori le Mura is a 9th-century illuminated Bible. It is the most sumptuous surviving Carolingian Bible.
The manuscript was produced at Rheims under the patronage of Charles the Bald, and it was presented to Pope John VIII ...
* Codex Aureus (disambiguation) Codex Aureus is Latin for ''Golden Book''. Several Gospel Books from the 9th through 11th centuries were so heavily illuminated with gold leaf that they were referred to as the Codex Aureus. These manuscripts include:
*Codex Aureus of Lorsch
*Gold ...
References
{{Reflist
Gospel Books
Harleian Collection
Carolingian illuminated manuscripts
9th-century illuminated manuscripts