List of key works of Carolingian illumination

__NOTOC__ Key works of Carolingian illumination are those Illuminated manuscripts of the Carolingian period which are recognised in art historical scholarship as works of particular artistic significance (especially those included in general overviews).

The first work to be considered Carolingian is the Godescalc Evangelistary, which was created for Charlemagne between 781 and 783. Until this point, Merovingian and Insular illumination had continued without a breach. The developers of Carolingian illumination were the so-called "court school of Charlemagne" at the Palace of Aachen, which created the manuscripts of the "." Contemporary was the "Palace School" which was probably based in the same place, but whose artists were from Byzantium or Byzantine Italy. The codices of this school are also known as the "group of the Vienna Coronation Gospels" after their most outstanding examples. After the death of Charlemagne, the centre of illumination shifted to Rheims, Tours and Metz. Since the Court School dominated in the time of Charlemagne, it was more influential in later times than the works of the Palace School. The high point of Carolingian illumination came to an end in the late ninth century. In late Carolingian times a developed which incorporated forms from insular illumination, before a new epoch began at the end of the tenth century with the development of

List of manuscripts Image Name Date Location, School Contents Inventory #Godescalc Evangelistarybetween 781 and 783Aachen (?)Evangeliary; six full page miniatures, ornamental decorations, initials and borders; written in gold and silver letters on purple-dyed parchmentParis, Bibliothèque nationale, Ms. nouv. acq. lat. 1203Montpellier Psalterbefore 788MondseePsalter; two full page miniatures, 165 large and 2000 small initialsMontpellier, Bibliothèque Interuniversitaire, Section Médicine, Ms. 409Ada Gospelsc.790, second part at the beginning of the 9th centuryAachen, (Court School of Charlemagne)EvangeliaryTrier, , Cod. 22Saint-Martin-des-Champs Gospels or Paris Arsenal-Gospelsc. 790Aachen, Ada School (Court School of Charlemagne)EvangeliaryParis, Bibliothèque de l'Arsenal, Ms. 599Dagulf Psalterbefore 795Aachen, Ada School (Court School of Charlemagne)PsalterVienna, Austrian National Library, Ms. 1861St. Riquier Gospels, or Centula Gospels, or Abbeville GospelsEnd of the eight centuryAachen, Ada School (Court School of Charlemagne)EvangeliaryAbbeville, Bibliothèque municipale, Ms. 4Vienna Coronation Gospels or Reich Gospelsshortly before 800Aachen (?), Vienna Coronation Gospels Group ("Palace School of Charlemagne")Evangeliary; four full-page images of the Evangelists, 16 Canon tables; written with gold and silver letter on purple-dyed parchmentVienna, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Schatzkammer Inv. XIII 18c.800Saint-Amand Abbey (?)Evangeliary; 18 Canon tables, two images of the Evangelists (originally four); Incipit and initial pagesGhent, Sint-Baafskapittel, Ms. 13Charlemagne GospelsHarald Wolter-von dem Knesebeck: Evangeliar Karls des Großen. In: Peter van den Brink, Sarvenaz Ayooghi (Edd.): Karl der Große – Charlemagne. Karls Kunst. Dresden 2014, pp. 236–237 (with Biblio.).c.800Aachen, around the Court School of CharlemagneEvangeliaryMunich, , Cim. 1 (= 2° Cod. ms. 29)Charlemagne Gospels on the website of the Universitätsbibliothek München.Hiltfred GospelsHiltfred-Evangeliar in Kulturelles Erbe Köln.801/825FranceEvangeliaryCologne, , Dom Hs. 13Catalogie entry on the Codices Electronici Ecclesiae Coloniensis.Aachen Gospels or Schatzkammer Gospels or Carolingian GospelsBeginning of the 9th centuryAachen (?), Vienna Coronation Gospels Group ("Palace School of Charlemagne")EvangeliaryAachen, Cathedral Treasury, Inv.-Nr. 4Xanten GospelsBeginning of the 9th centuryAachen (?), Vienna Coronation Gospels Group ("Palace School of Charlemagne")EvangeliaryBrussels, Royal Library of Belgium, Ms. 18732Gospels of AachenAnfang des 9. JahrhundertsAachen (?), Vienna Coronation Gospels Group ("Palace School of Charlemagne")EvangeliaryBrescia, Biblioteca Queriniana, Ms. E. II.9London Gospel fragmentAnfang 9. JahrhundertAachen, Ada School (Court School of Charlemagne)A single miniature depicting Luke 1.8-13London, British Library, Cotton Clausius B.V.Trier Apocalypsefirst quarter of the 9th centuryWest FranciaApokalypse; 74 illustrationsTrier, Stadtbibliothek, Cod. 31Codex Aureus of Lorschc.810Aachen, Ada School (Court School of Charlemagne)Evangeliary; six full-page miniatures, 12 Canon tables; written in gold and silver letters on purple-dyed parchmentBucharest, National Library of Romania; Vatican City, Vatican Library, Pal. lat. 50Harley Golden Gospelsc.800Aachen, Ada School (Court School of Charlemagne)EvangeliaryLondon, British Library, Harley Ms. 2788Ebbo Gospelsbetween 816 and 835RheimsEvangeliaryÉpernay, Bibliothèque Municipale, Ms. 1Stuttgart Psalterbetween 820 and 830Saint-Germain-des-PrésPsalterStuttgart, Württembergische Landesbibliothek, Cod. bibl. fol. 23Utrecht Psalterc. 825RheimsPsalter; 166 line drawingsUtrecht, , Ms. 484Vatican Agrimensorum codexc.825Aachen (?)Text on surveyingVatican City, Vatican Library, Pal. lat. 1564Vatican Terencec.825Aachen (?)Terence: Comedies; over 130 illustrationsVatican City, Vatican Library, Vat. lat. 3868Bern Physiologusbetween 825 and 850RheimsPhysiologus; 25 framed and 10 unframed miniaturesBern, Burgerbibliothek, Codex Bongarsianus 318Fleury Gospelsbetween 825 and 850FleuryEvangeliaryBern, Burgerbibliothek, Codex 348Psalter of Louis the Germansecond quarter of the 9th centurySaint-OmerPsalterBerlin, State Library, Ms. theol. lat. fol. 58Gospels of St. Medard de Soissonsbefore 827Aachen, Ada School (Court School of Charlemagne)Evangeliary; Six full-page miniatures and 12 canon tables; written with gold and silver letters on purple-dyed parchmentParis, Bibliothèque nationale, Ms. lat. 8850Leiden Arateabetween 830 and 840Lotharingia (Aachen or Metz)Latin verse translation of Aratus' Phainomena by Germanicus with additions from Avienius' translation; 35 full-page miniatures (four images missing)Leiden, Leiden University Library, Voss. lat. Q 79Bamberg Biblebetween 834 and 843ToursBibleBamberg, State Library, Msc.Bibl.1c.840ToursBible; four full-page miniaturesLondon, British Library, Add. Ms. 10546Codex Vaticanus Reginensis latinus 124c. 840FuldaRabanus Maurus: Vatican, Vatican Library, Reg. lat. 124Fuldaer Evangeliarc.840FuldaEvangeliaryWürzburg, Universitätsbibliothek Würzburg, Mp. theol. fol. 66Madrid Handbook of 809c.840MetzHandbook of 809; 52 illustrations of the constellationsMadrid, Biblioteca Nacional de España, Cod. 3307Drogo Sacramentary842MetzSacramentary; 41 historicising initialsParis, Bibliothèque nationale, Ms. lat. 9428Lothar Psalter842–855Aachen?PsalterLondon, British Library, Add. MS 37768Bamberger Boethiusc.845ToursBoethius: De institutione arithmetica libri IIBamberg, State Library, Msc.Class.5First Bible of Charles the Bald or Vivian Bible845/846ToursBible; eight full-page miniatures, four canon tables, 87 initialsParis, Bibliothèque nationale, Ms. lat. 1between 846 and 869Court School of Charles the BaldOldest royal prayer book; two full-page miniatures, one full-page decorative initialMunich, Treasury of the Residenz, ResMü. Schk0004-WLLothaire Gospelsbetween 849 and 851ToursEvangeliary; six miniatures, nine framed incipit pages, twelve canon tables, 18 framed chapter indices, and five initials.Paris, Bibliothèque nationale, Ms. lat. 266Prüm Gospelsc.850ToursEvangeliary; five miniature, initials, canon tables, framesBerlin, State Library, Ms. theol. lat. fol. 733Cleves Evangeliarybefore 852Aachen, Court School of Emperor LothairEvangeliarBerlin, State Library, Ms. theol. Lat. folio 260Paris Terencesecond half of the ninth centuryRheimsTerence: Comodies; 148 illustrationsParis, Bibliothèque nationale, Ms. lat. 7899Gospels of Francis IIsecond half of the ninth centurySaint-AmandEvangeliaryParis, Bibliothèque nationale, Ms. lat. 257Gospels of St. DenisGospels of St. Denis in the Bildindex der Kunst und Architektur; Charlotte Denoël: Evangeliar aus Saint-Denis. In: Peter van den Brink, Sarvenaz Ayooghi (Ed.): Karl der Große – Charlemagne. Karls Kunst. Dresden 2014, pp. 192–194 (with Biblio.).second half of the ninth centurynorth or north east FranceEvangeliaryParis, Bibliothèque nationale, Ms. lat. 9387Golden Psalter of St. Gallenbegun c. 860 and continued from 870 to 900St. Denis (?) (Court School of Charles the Bald), later continued at St. GallPsalter; two full-page miniatures, 15 full or half page illustrations on the Psalm titlesSt. Gall, Abbey Library, Cod. Sang. 22 Düsseldorf, Universitäts- und Landesbibliothek, B. 113second third of the 9th centuryRheimsEvangeliaryDüsseldorf, University and State Library, B. 113Bern Prudentiuslast third of the 9th centuryReichenau (?)Prudentius: PoetryBern, Burgerbibliothek, Codex Bongarsianus 264Psalter of Charles the Baldafter 869St. Denis (?) (Court School of Charles the Bald)PsalterParis, Bibliothèque Nationale, Ms. lat. 1152 or Metz Sacramentaryc. 870Metz or St. Denis (?) (Court School of Charles the Bald)Sakramentary (Fragment, 10 leaves); five full-page miniatures and two initial pagesParis, Bibliothèque nationale, Ms. lat. 1141Codex Aureus of St. Emmeramc. 870St. Denis (?) (Court School of Charles the Bald)Sacramentary; seven full-page miniatures, 12 canon tables, 10 ornamental pagesMunich, Bavarian State Library, Clm 14000Bible of San Paolo fuori le Mura or Bible of Charles the Baldc. 870St. Denis (?) (Court School of Charles the Bald)Bible; 24 (originally 25) title miniatures, four canon tables, 35 decorative pages, 91 initials; written in gold and silver letters on purple-dyed parchmentRome, San Paolo fuori le mura, Cod. Membra. Saeculi IX.Folchard Psalterc.870St. GallPsalterSt. Gall, Abbey Library, Cod. Sang. 23Second Bible of Charles the Baldbetween 871 and 873St. AmandBibleParis, Bibliothèque nationale, Ms. lat. 2Prague Gospelslate 9th centurySt. VaastEvangeliar; 15 canon tables, eight miniatures, framed incipit and initial pagesPrague, Kapitulni Knihovna, Cim. 2

References

Bibliography

Florentine Mütherich, Joachim E. Gaehde: Karolingische Buchmalerei. Prestel, München 1979. Hermann Fillitz: "Propyläen–Kunstgeschichte," Vol 5: Das Mittelalter 1. Propyläen–Verlag, Berlin 1990. Hans Holländer: "Die Entstehung Europas," in: Belser Stilgeschichte, Studienausgabe, Vol 2, edited by Christoph Wetzel, pp. 153–384. Belser, Stuttgart 1993 [on illumination pp. 241–255] Christoph Stiegemann, Matthias Wemhoff: 799. Kunst und Kultur der Karolingerzeit. Katalog der Ausstellung Paderborn 1999, Verlag Philipp von Zabern, Mainz 1999. Kunibert Bering: Kunst des frühen Mittelalters (Kunst–Epochen, Vol. 2). Reclam, Stuttgart 2002. Ingo F. Walther, Norbert Wolf: Meisterwerke der Buchmalerei. Taschen, Köln. 2005, Peter van den Brink, Sarvenaz Ayooghi (Hrsg.): Karl der Große – Charlemagne. Karls Kunst. Katalog der Sonderausstellung Karls Kunst vom 20. Juni bis 21. September 2014 im Centre Charlemagne, Aachen. Sandstein, Dresden 2014, (on illumination passim).