It
is a veritable miracle that the Lindau Gospels have survived almost entirely
intact since the time the cover was assembled. Like so many Medieval masterpieces,
it is a composite artwork featuring elements that were crafted in different
historical periods and in different parts of the Holy Roman Empire. The
manuscript housed within was completed in the Abbey of St. Gall and eventually
found home in the Abbey roughly 50 miles away where canonesses of Lindau had it
in their possession until the early 17th century. Later, the binding
was in possession of private individuals and bibliophiles until it found its
way into the hands of J.P. Morgan – an astute collector and wonderful patron of
the arts.
The
most ancient part of the book is the low cover dating to the 7th
century, Hiberno-Saxon in origin (most likely from a workshop in what these
days is Austrian territory) and wrought in Insular style – an aesthetic that
propelled the early Medieval craftsmen to new heights of technical and creative
inventiveness. The back cover is very rarely on view as the book is often laid
on its back for display. This current exhibition offers a rare and very valuable
opportunity to look at the Lindau Gospels from the front and the back at one
visit.
On
an immediate, sensory level, the low cover is a beautifully executed plate,
pleasing to the eyes and stimulating to the intellect. The design is organized
around a central cruciform shape with flared arms, embellished with enamel and
precious stones. Around this stable cruciform center oscillate interlaced
organic shapes, fantastical animal forms, and colorful gems that motivate the
eye to move in wonder around the cover and then rest on the heart of the cross
wherein was originally housed an important relic and where now is mounted a large
precious stone. Around the center are engraved words in Latin, translated: Jesus
Christ Our Lord. The cover extensions that enlarge the plate to house a bigger
manuscript are colorful but more abstract than the Insular shapes that dominate
the quadrants around the Cross. Small reliefs with the Four Evangelists are enriching
the corners. In the cross the half figure of Christ is repeated 4 times, one
for each arm of the cross. That it is Christ is made evident by the nimbus
around the head of each figure and is a wonderful testament to the fact that
the Medievals understood re-iteration of images as a positive value.
The
cross that frames the Crucified on the front cover is studded with colorful
stones. The cross, an instrument of torture and death, is here transfigured into
a nimbus-like frame where not only the head but the entire body of Christ is surrounded
with the soft glow of golden and jeweled splendor. Another important feature of
the front cover are the raised clusters of jewels, each with a large sapphire
in the center. While clearly alluding to the breathtaking description of the
Heavenly Jerusalem, these clusters also served to protect the relief of
Christ’s body from any damage while the book was open for reading. If you are
going to be practical, be practical like the Carolingian goldsmiths.
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