Alphonsus de Benavento, Treatise, Initial C with Alphonsus offering the book to a bishop, Walters Manuscript W.421, fol. 2r

Alphonsus de Benavento, Treatise, Initial C with Alphonsus offering the book to a bishop, Walters Manuscript W.421, fol. 2r, originally uploaded by Walters Art Museum Illuminated Manuscripts.

Alphonsus de Benavento wrote the treatise on penitential canons and acts of confession contained in this manuscript. The colophon informs us that Alphonsus was a professor of canon law at the university of Salmanca, Spain, and wrote this manuscript in 1456 in the nearby city of Tejares. At that time there was a pestilence in the city, for which Alphonsus asks for prayers. A historiated initial in which Alphonsus presents the treatise to a bishop begins the text, and the manuscript still retains its original stamped red leather binding.

Acts and Epistles, Preface to the First Epistle to the Thessalonians, Walters Manuscript W.533, fol. 254v

Acts and Epistles, Preface to the First Epistle to the Thessalonians, Walters Manuscript W.533, fol. 254v, originally uploaded by Walters Art Museum Illuminated Manuscripts.

This manuscript is one of the relatively few illustrated Byzantine copies of the Acts and Epistles of the Apostles. It consists of three parts produced at different dates: the New Testament text with its accompanying prefatory material (known as Euthalian apparatus, after the name of its supposed compiler Euthalius) was copied in the early twelfth century, then lists of readings were added at two stages, in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, to facilitate their use in church. Some of the Epistles have lost the miniature that once marked their beginning. A couple of lost leaves were replaced in the sixteenth century.

Gospel Book, Harrowing of Hell, Walters Manuscript W.540, fol. 12r

Gospel Book, Harrowing of Hell, Walters Manuscript W.540, fol. 12r, originally uploaded by Walters Art Museum Illuminated Manuscripts.

This manuscript was executed in 1475 by a scribe identified as Aristakes, for a priest named Hakob. It contains a series of 16 images on the life of Christ preceding the text of the gospels, as well as the traditional evangelist portraits, and there are marginal illustrations throughout. The style of the miniatures, which employ brilliant colors and emphasize decorative patterns, is characteristic of manuscript production in the region around Lake Van during the 15th century. The style of Lake Van has often been described in relation to schools of Islamic arts of the book. Numerous inscriptions (on fols. 258-60) spanning a few centuries attest to the manuscript's long history of use and revered preservation. The codex's later history included a re-binding with silver covers from Kayseri that date to approximately 1700. This jeweled and enameled silver binding bears a composition of the Adoration of the Magi on the front and the Ascension on the back.

T'oros Roslin Gospels, The feeding of the five thousand, Walters Manuscript W.539, fol. 67r

T'oros Roslin Gospels, The feeding of the five thousand, Walters Manuscript W.539, fol. 67r, originally uploaded by Walters Art Museum Illuminated Manuscripts.

This manuscript was made in 1262 by T’oros Roslin, an extremely prominent illuminator, who extended the range of manuscript illuminations by introducing a whole cycle of images into the gospels rather than, as was traditional, only including the portraits of the evangelists. This particular manuscript was created at the scriptorium of Hromkla, which became the leading artistic center of Armenian Cilicia under the rule of catholicos Constantine I (1221-1267). As an extensive colophon starting on fol. 406v explains, T’oros created this manuscript under commission from the nephew of Constantine, a priest also named T’oros. It is one of seven known manuscripts bearing T’oros Roslin’s signature, and it is the most sumptuous of them all, with 15 miniatures and 67 smaller illustrations. The style of the images suggests that T’oros had several assistants helping with the illustrations, though the overall quality remains extremely high. The manuscript was long cherished within the Armenian church. Even in the seventeenth century, its illumination served as a model for Armenian scribes, particularly Bargham and his son Mik’ayel; see Jersualem, Armenian Patriarchate, no. 3438 and Washington DC, Freer Gallery, ms. 36.15; in the latter manuscript, Mik’ayel explicitly refers to “the excellent scribe T’oros, surnamed Roslin.”

Gospels, Opening of Luke's Gospel, Walters Manuscript W.538, fol. 154r

Gospels, Opening of Luke's Gospel, Walters Manuscript W.538, fol. 154r, originally uploaded by Walters Art Museum Illuminated Manuscripts.

This manuscript was produced at the end of the katholicate of Grigor IV (Tłay) at the monastery of Pawłoskan in Cilicia. The principal colophon on fols. 311r-313v dates the manuscript to 1193 CE (642 AE), and the patron, Bishop Karapet, a resident at the court of Grigor at Hromkla, is recorded in the dedication on fol. 12v. The colophon also records the siege of Jerusalem by Saladin in 1187, the Third Crusade (1189-1192) and Frederick Barbarossa's attempt to reclaim Palestine, and Barbarossa's death in 1190. The Canon Tables and the Eusebian letter within quatrefoil frames are decorated with architectural elements, geometric designs, floral motifs, and birds. The codex is further illuminated with historiated and inhabited initials forming the incipits of the Gospels and marginal decoration.

Gospel Book, Jesus Christ; the Evangelist John, Walters Manuscript W.522, fol. 231r

Gospel Book, Jesus Christ; the Evangelist John, Walters Manuscript W.522, fol. 231r, originally uploaded by Walters Art Museum Illuminated Manuscripts.

This Gospel book was likely created in the capital of the Byzantine Empire, Constantinople, in the eleventh century. The manuscript is remarkable on account of its exceptionally small size, as well as the high quality of its script and miniatures. Its extensive image cycle includes six full-page miniatures, four half-page miniatures, four historiated initials, and marginalia.

The Gospel here is preceded by an image of Jesus Christ, the incarnate Word of God, thus illustrating John 1:1.

Fathers of the Solovetsky Monastery and their sufferings, Symbols of liturgical reform, Walters Manuscript W.916, fol. 17r

Fathers of the Solovetsky Monastery and their sufferings, Symbols of liturgical reform, Walters Manuscript W.916, fol. 17r, originally uploaded by Walters Art Museum Illuminated Manuscripts.

This manuscript was made around 1800 by an often persecuted group of Russian Christians, the “Old Believers.” Because this group frequently had its books confiscated and was denied the use of printing presses, its members continued to write important books such as this one by hand. This text chronicles and illustrates the story of a group of monks at the Solovetsky Monastery who opposed Nikon’s controversial reforms and endured a siege for eight years (1668-1676) before they were finally betrayed. Most of the monks were killed, though some escaped, and many went to the Vyg region, where the author of this book, Simeon Denisov (1682-1741), was a leader in the Old Believer community.

Single leaf from a short work on the Passion of Christ, Carrying the cross, Walters Manuscript W.731, fol. W.731r

Single leaf from a short work on the Passion of Christ, Carrying the cross, Walters Manuscript W.731, fol. W.731r, originally uploaded by Walters Art Museum Illuminated Manuscripts.

Leaf of a Missal with the Crucifixion and Canon of the Mass, Crucifixion, Walters Manuscript W.757, fol. W.757r

Leaf of a Missal with the Crucifixion and Canon of the Mass, Crucifixion, Walters Manuscript W.757, fol. W.757r, originally uploaded by Walters Art Museum Illuminated Manuscripts.

This leaf once belonged to a small Missal, and was created in the late eleventh or early twelfth century. The distinct style of its miniature suggests it was made in Southern Germany, or possibly in the Tyrol region of Austria, where line drawing in colored inks had developed into a regional style. The recto depicts the Crucifixion, and the later redrawing of Christ, especially apparent in his face and feet, suggests it had been worn down through pious touch. On the verso is found the opening text for the Canon of the Mass, introduced by a historiated initial "T" containing a standing man wearing a short skirt. That the manuscript was well-used is attested to both by the heavy wear to the parchment, and by the two original manuscript tabs that were created as page markers for this important text and image.

Single leaf from a Gradual with the Assumption of the Virgin, Initial G with the death and assumption of the Virgin, Walters Manuscript W.756

Single leaf from a Gradual with the Assumption of the Virgin, Initial G with the death and assumption of the Virgin, Walters Manuscript W.756, fol. W.756v, originally uploaded by Walters Art Museum Illuminated Manuscripts.

This leaf originally belonged to a mid-thirteenth-century gradual from southern Germany, or possibly the Seitenstetten region of Austria. The pages contain the fragmentary hymns for the feasts of St. Lawrence and the Assumption of the Virgin. The illumination introduces the latter, in the form of a large historiated initial "G," and depicts the death of the Virgin surrounded by apostles in the lower portion of the initial, while revealing her assumption into Heaven above. Christ appears within a rainbow mandorla and holds a small figure representing Mary's soul, an image that is based on Byzantine iconography. Originally the verso of the leaf, the image was fortuitously preserved due to the recto having been re-used as an account book cover in the early seventeenth century, the title of which is still visible.

Gondarine sensul, St. George slaying the dragon, Walters Manuscript 36.10, fol. 2v

Gondarine sensul, St. George slaying the dragon, Walters Manuscript 36.10, fol. 2v, originally uploaded by Walters Art Museum Illuminated Manuscripts.

This Ethopian sensul, or "chain" manuscript, was made in the seventeenth century in the Gondarine region. It was created out of a single folded strip of parchment attached to heavy hide "boards" at each end, creating a small book when folded. Comprised solely of inscribed images, this pocket-sized manuscript would have served a devotional function for its owner, who while unidentified, inscribed the first image with a note reminding people under the threat of excommunication not to steal or erase the manuscript. Narrative illuminations, which tell the story of the Virgin Mary, allow for private meditation. The book can also function as something of an icon, for when it is opened to the middle and stood on end, the facing figures of St. George and the Virgin and Child form a small diptych, resembling other icons of this era.

Ethiopian canon tables, Canon table, Walters Manuscript W.838, fol. 1v

Ethiopian canon tables, Canon table, Walters Manuscript W.838, fol. 1v, originally uploaded by Walters Art Museum Illuminated Manuscripts.

This fragmentary manuscript, comprised of four canon tables spread over one bifolium, would originally have been the introductory pages of a fourteenth- or early fifteenth-century Gospel Book. Written in the Lake Tana region of Ethiopia, the pages contain canons I-V, which relate the concordance of the Gospels through a chart in which each number corresponds to a Gospel passage, a system originally created by Eusebius of Caesarea in the early fourth century. The numbers here, in keeping with a long tradition, are placed within an arcade of brightly decorated columns and arches. Common within Ethiopian canon table decoration are the curtains, which hang from the sides of the columns, and the interlace-filled arches adorned with birds. These pages provide an excellent example of Ethiopian canon table illumination from the early Solomonic period.

Glossed copy of Eberhard of Bethune's Graecismus, Initial F, Walters Manuscript W.371, fol. 21v

Glossed copy of Eberhard of Bethune's Graecismus, Initial F, Walters Manuscript W.371, fol. 21v, originally uploaded by Walters Art Museum Illuminated Manuscripts.

This German manuscript, written on paper ca. 1440, is a copy of Eberhard of Béthune's thirteenth-century grammatical poem Graecismus. The poem is here accompanied by the extensive gloss by Jean-Vincent Metulin, a scholar from Southern France. Having functioned as a textbook, the manuscript's condition suggests it was well-used by students eager to memorize and comprehend Béthune's ideas on the grammatical usage of Greek words.

Vienna book of hours, Entombment, Walters Manuscript W.764, fol. 76v

Vienna book of hours, Entombment, Walters Manuscript W.764, fol. 76v, originally uploaded by Walters Art Museum Illuminated Manuscripts.

This book of hours was written in German in Vienna, Austria, ca. 1460-65. It is one of a series of manuscripts commissioned at the court of Emperor Frederick III of Austria (1415-1493), some of which were made for his son, Prince Maximilian (1459-1519). The name of the artist is unknown, but due to his connection with these commissions, he is known as the Master of the Maximilian Schoolbooks. Unfortunately, only three of the original sixteen full-page, richly painted miniatures remain in this manuscript, but ten of the missing folios have been identified. Nine cuttings are in the Musée Bonnat, Bayonne, France (inv. nr. 1244-1252), and one cutting is in the Cleveland Museum of Art (Dudley P. Allen Fund Accession 1959.40). Other related manuscripts include Vienna, Nationalbibliothek Codicies 2368, 2617, and 2289.

Gospel Lectionary, Readings from the Gospel of Matthew, Walters Manuscript W.520, fol. 50r

Gospel Lectionary, Readings from the Gospel of Matthew, Walters Manuscript W.520, fol. 50r, originally uploaded by Walters Art Museum Illuminated Manuscripts.

This is an example of a Gospel Lectionary written in the archaic, majuscule form of Greek letters. Liturgical books were inherently conservative and therefore apt to retain such antiquated writing. The scribe, a certain monk Theodore, has recorded his name in a verse at the end of the volume (fol. 179v). A leaf removed from this manuscript ca. 1900 is now in Sofia (National Library of Bulgaria, Greek MS 2).

Gospels, Portraits of Mark and Luke, Walters Manuscript W.537, fol. 114v

Gospels, Portraits of Mark and Luke, Walters Manuscript W.537, fol. 114v, originally uploaded by Walters Art Museum Illuminated Manuscripts.

Dated to the tenth century, this manuscript is the oldest Armenian codex in North America and the fifth oldest among documented Armenian Gospel Books. The principal colophon on 2v indicates that Sargis the Priest completed the text in 415 [966]. Within the framed area, the commission of the codex is described: a priest, whose name was replaced by the later owner T’oros, commissioned the work "as decoration and for the splendor of [the] holy church and for the pleasure of the congregation of Rznēr." As the codex was written and commissioned by priests, the manuscript is referred to as the “Gospels of the Priest.” It was formerly known as the “Gospels of the Translators,” as, following the date 415, someone erased the formula “of the Armenian era” and replaced it with “of our Lord,” suggesting an earlier date and that the text was based on the original translation of the Gospels into Armenian during the fifth century. The text is copied in large angular erkat‘agir script. The full page paintings and marginal ornaments bear stylistic characteristics of Armenian illumination of the tenth and eleventh century associated with non-royal patronage. The illustrations comprise the Canon Tables, with only the last two remaining; the Virgin and Child on a wheeled chariot; the framed colophon; ornamental cross with donor’s portrait; portraits of Mathew and Mark together (7sv, at the end of Matthew); and Mark with Luke (114v, at the end of Mark); two unknown saints (192a, at the end of Luke). Marginalia is found throughout the text. It has been suggested that the scribe was also responsible for the illumination.

Gospel Book, Evangelist Mark, Walters Manuscript W.527, fol. 1v

Gospel Book, Evangelist Mark, Walters Manuscript W.527, fol. 1v, originally uploaded by Walters Art Museum Illuminated Manuscripts.

The Gospel text in this manuscript is now fragmentary, and its folia are bound out of order. However, it provides a fine and quite early example of the so-called pearl script: a calligraphic form minuscule handwriting that was extremely popular in the Byzantine Empire. The single surviving miniature is interesting on account of the peculiar technique, similar to watercolor, in which it was painted. Another evangelist portrait from the same set survives on Mount Athos, Docheiarou Monastery, MS 56.y

Van Alphen Hours, Initial H with the Sudarium with the face of Christ, Walters Manuscript W.782, fol. 58r

Van Alphen Hours, Initial H with the Sudarium with the face of Christ, Walters Manuscript W.782, fol. 58r, originally uploaded by Walters Art Museum Illuminated Manuscripts.

his Dutch Book of Hours was made for a female patron, possibly pictured on fol. 109r, in the mid fifteenth century. Originally richly illuminated by the workshop of the Master of Catherine of Cleves, the manuscript now lacks all of its full-page miniatures, although the eight surviving historiated initials speak to its original grandeur. Its rebinding in the seventeenth century resulted in the loss of several folios and the reordering of many of the texts. While the catalog description here remains faithful to the order of the texts as they appear today, an attempt has been made within the individual parts to reconstruct the original layout of the manuscript.

The Evangelists Matthew and Mark from a Gospel Book, St. Matthew, Walters Manuscript W.530.D-E, fol. W.530.Er

The Evangelists Matthew and Mark from a Gospel Book, St. Matthew, Walters Manuscript W.530.D-E, fol. W.530.Er, a photo by Walters Art Museum Illuminated Manuscripts on Flickr.

These two author portraits once preceded the Gospels of Matthew and Mark in a Gospel book in Mount Athos, Mavra, MS A44. They are attributable to the leading book illuminator in Constantinople during the second quarter of the 12th century. His real name is unknown, and he has been conventionally called the "Kokkinobaphos Master".

The Four Evangelists and Two Apostles, The four evangelists and the two chief apostles, Walters Manuscript W.530.C, fol. 211r

The Four Evangelists and Two Apostles, The four evangelists and the two chief apostles, Walters Manuscript W.530.C, fol. 211r, a photo by Walters Art Museum Illuminated Manuscripts on Flickr.

This image originally faced the beginning of the Acts of the Apostles in a late eleventh-century Psalter and New Testament in Mount Athos, Vatopedi Monastery, MS 762. It seems likely that in this manuscript's scribe and illuminator were the same person.
The Evangelists and Apostles appear in the following order: Paul, Peter, John (above), Luke, Matthew, Mark (below).