#2 Student Paper examples
The Jewel cover of the Lindau Gospels (front and back respectively) circa 780-880 CE.
Created under the commission of Charlemagne and Charles the Bald
The Jewel cover of the Lindau Gospels is very symbolic and intricate work of art itself, apart from the illuminated manuscript. It has a very intriguing historical background that includes a vast variety of different cultures. The cultural context of the Jewelled cover has a great deal to do with the actual creation of it, and the art that is depicted on it. The cover also implements many of the principles and elements of design.
There are vast historical and cultural backgrounds behind this Jewel cover of the Lindau Gospels. The cover was created in different parts, in different regions, and at different times. The back cover was the first part to be made. It was created in the late 700’s, most likely around 784 during Bishop Virgilius’ time, in the area of the Austrian city of Salzburg. The front cover was most probable to have been made one hundred years later, in Eastern France, around 870 to 880. During this time period Charlemagne was trying to reestablish the Roman Empire back to what it had been under the rule of Constantine. In order to do this, there was political and church reform going on during this time. The cover is considered Carolingian in design, which means that it comes from the workshop of Charlemagne. It is one of the only goldsmith creations to survive from the court school of Charles the Bald (or Charles the Bold), who was Charlemagne’s grandson, and the cover was probably created for him. The illuminated manuscript of which is in the cover, the Lindau Gospels, was made about ten years after the cover was completed. This was written in Switzerland, at the St. Gall monastery. It contains the writing of the Four Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Also on the Jewel cover, Byzantine and Middle East silks were added to the insides of the covers at an unknown time. On the back, there are also four Evangelist medallions that were the latest addition added in 1594. These medallions simply picture Christian missionaries who sought to convert others to the word of Christ (“The Lindau”). The complexity of the cultural context is made apparent through its actual creation.
The creation of the Jewel Cover of the Lindau Gospels is extremely intricate. The more classical style and less medieval style was inspired probably through the access of older manuscripts with pagan illustrations that were examples for the art on the covers (“Lindau Gospels”). It is made of gold. The front cover contains a repoussé crucifix. This means that it was hammered into relief from the other side. Christ and the mourning figures are also hammered from the inside to form the positive image. There are emeralds, pearls, and rubies implanted on the front cover as well. On the back cover, the central stone is a topaz, with garnets scattered throughout the rest of the cover. There are four champlevé images of Christ. Champlevé is a form of enameling when hollows in metal are filled with colored enamel. There are four silver gilt sections, meaning that the silver is covered thinly with gold leaf or gold paint. The silver gilt sections are also covered with designs of animals intricately interwoven among each other (“The Lindua”). The creations and design have significant symbolism to them.
The Jewelled cover of the Lindau Gospels is very symbolic and has a conceptual significance behind it. The first noticeable symbolic representation is Christ on the cross. He is not weighed down by gravity like typical later depictions of the crucifixion, and his body’s texture is extremely smooth. Both of these traits represent how pure, perfect, and divine Christ is and how he is a proud God. The Hellenistic and classical style of detailed drapery is made apparent in Christ’s clothes and the details of the mourners. This is symbolic of how Charlemagne was trying to go back to Constantine’s more classical ways and reform the system. The sides of the cross are also made of arches which symbolizes the architecture and growth of their new empire. Later, churches were also made out of the shape of the cross with the nave where the congregation sat and the transept which intersected perpendicularly. The heavy jeweling and the vast amount of gold are symbolic of the heavenly Jerusalemreferenced in the Bible and how the city was gold with pearls. The pearls are specifically symbolic of the twelve apostles. The cover has the symbolism of how to get to heaven, before you even read the manuscript, through the depiction of worshipping and mourning Christ (“Lindau Gospels”). The symbolism is enhanced through the principles and elements of design used to make up the art of the cover.
There are many principles and elements of design used throughout the Jewel Cover. Line and balance are just two of these. Both the back and front covers are extremely balanced, and the use of line contributes to this. They are very symmetrical. On the front, the cover has vertical bilateral symmetry, meaning it is the same on both sides when you cut it down the middle from top to bottom. The straight rigid lines of the outline of the crucifix, or the depiction of Christ on the cross,and the borders make it more apparent just how balanced the cover is. The lines separate each section so the viewer’s eye can focus better and notice the balance between each rectangular section. Christ and the ten mourners are all symmetrical as well. The four panels, each with two mourners, creates a very balanced image around the cross. The mourners are almost identical across from each other, just emphasizing the balance.All of the jewels are also placed symmetrically and evenly around the border, the cross, and in the clusters in the center of the four separate panels. The cross on the back cover is also bilaterally symmetrical, but it is both vertical and horizontal. It is very balanced because each of the four panels has a stone in the center and the four medallions in each corner, with a full even border all around. There is also the relief of Christ on every side of the central square that creates a balanced focal point. The line and balance on the Jewel Cover are emphasized by the use of repetition and pattern.
Repetition and pattern are also used to make the cover more artistically appealing. There is the repetition on the front cover of the ten mourning figures. The top figure in each rectangular section is very similar, while the bottom figure of each panel is repeated as well. Their body position and posture of mourning is being repeated throughout them. There is clearly a pattern of the jewels on the cover as well. The pattern is very repetitive through the order of the color and the type of stone, and is continued throughout the whole border. The four main clusters are also another pattern with the same repetitive central stone and the same order of the same stones surrounding it. There isthe pattern of the lines like little droplets of gold. The repetitive pattern creates the illusion of movement and speed, and also adds to the texture. The back cover uses the pattern of intricately interwoven animals, mostly serpentine and Celtic in shape and kind, to also create movement and unity within the whole cover. The jewels on the back are also in a pattern around the border, and continue to be repeated throughout each panel and leg of the cross in a pattern. The pattern is specifically used to accent the corners and points of the few geometric shapes among the naturalistic shapes. The champlevé image of Christ is also repeated. Through the repetition and pattern, space and scale is made apparent.
Space and scale are used in the Jewel Cover as well. The front cover has the clear use of hierarchical scale. Christ and his crucifixion is the largest depiction because that is the most important part. The mourners are smaller figures. The cover is very busy but there is concept of space portrayed by the blank smooth gold parts between each of the figures and the jewels. Most of the jewels are also scaled around the same size as the smaller figures. On the back, the illusion of space is created by the scale of the intertwined organic swirls and their overlapping.The ones in the front are larger than those in the background. The Christ images are also larger than those of the Evangelists in the corners, which shows hierarchical scale and creates space, while the cross across the whole back is the largest in size among all of the other depictions. All of the elements of design further the cultural and symbolic context of this work of art.
The Jewel Cover of the Lindau Gospels is a very unique and symbolic work of art with a historical background that includes the cultural context of the time. The art that is depicted on it implements many of the principles and elements of design.The Jewel Cover is of great value and is a rare piece to still be around and we are lucky to have it.
Works Cited
“The Lindau Gospels in Brilliant Light – Medieval Histories.” Medieval Histories, 2 Mar. 2016,
world/carolingian1/v/lindau-gospels-cover.
--------------------------------------------------------
The Lindau Gospels
The Lindau Gospels is an illuminated manuscript encased in a metal container encrusted with semi-precious stones. The metal box both the front and back cover that was fitted together to protect the manuscripts within. The border of jewels that decorates the container is protecting the contents that include the old and new testaments of the Bible and a way to keep the word of God inside.
The jewels are just stunning – pearls in abundance, amethysts, jade, beryl, and what could be moonstones amongst other semi-precious stones from far off places. The distance in which certain stones are found indicates that the people in this area traded with others. The back cover is not quite so lavish, but wonderful in its own way. Semi-precious metals were used to show the content of the book. The Bible is held to a very high standard and the Monks lavishly decorated such an important text. Gold on the inside and the outside illuminated the manuscript. “At some unknown point in time, precious silks from Byzantium and the Middle East were attached to the inside covers of the manuscript, thus adding yet another layer of complexity to this fascinating object.” (The Lindau Gospels).
The purple ink included came from ox gall, which is gall obtained usually from a cow’s liver that is mixed with alcohol and used in water coloring and other techniques. Since Emperor Justinian and his wife Empress Theodora ruled the Byzantium during the 5th and 6th century. “Purple makes a fine shroud” was said by Empress Theodora meaning she would rather stay and defend her country and people than flee to protect herself. From then on purple was seen as an imperial color and it represented royalty and the wait for Christ to be resurrected.
The glorious front cover of the Lindau Gospels was made much earlier than the contents inside of it, each from a different region. The front cover is dated to be made in ca. 870-880 CE in what is believed to be Eastern France today. The cover is 12 x 10.8 inches may have been made in the Basilica of St. Denis, which is a large Medieval Abbey in the city of Saint-Denis. The creation of the front cover was thought to be done in repoussé or chasing, which is a metalwork technique where a malleable metal is shaped by hammering on the back of it to create an embossed image. It is common to then draw on top of the cover with a sharp stylus to create a clearer more defined image.
The cover is mostly gold with alloyed metals that are mixed making the gold stronger. It is then covered with gold. The images and symbols on the cover are significant to Christ and his story. A large gold crucifixion is the center of attention on this encrusted cover and bifurcates the cover into four cells. Since the crucifix is present and there is a border of jewels, four distinct sections are created on the cover. Below the arms on the left of the cross is John the Evangelist. Evangelists were considered messengers of good news and they spread the word of God in the new testament. Next to him was the Virgin. On the other side was Mary Magdalene and Mary, the wife of Cleopas is thought to be present. Also, on the front of the four panels are mourning figures, some with wings thus depicting angels. Four sections are around Christ and he is highlighted to the viewer because he comes out further and is the overall target. He is central visually and as well as conventionally. Christ’s story of his life, death, and resurrection are central to Christianity.
In this way, it is similar to the way Egyptians used a hierarchical scale to represent the most important aspect of a relief or artwork. One thing that was pointed out with the front cover was the symmetry of the sections. There are two mourners in each section divided by the crucifix and between the mourners, there are jewels and pearls placed exactly the same way in each area. The lines that are created by the jewels form concise cells that tell a story. This symmetry was thought to be related to the creators wanting to keep forms in balance also centralized and grounded in Christianity and not to disrupt God.
Within the manuscript, the four Gospels are contained and the four sections on the front cover are symbolic to the Gospels. With the quality of the front cover, many experts thought the cover wasn’t meant for manuscripts inside. Though it wasn’t that special these Gospels are important to the history of Christ. It contained “the text of the four Gospels along with standard supplementary.” (Norman). The four Gospels retell the story of Jesus Christ’ life, death, and resurrection from four distinct perspectives. Each story highlights themes and reveals how the God Israel came to live with his people in the form of Jesus Christ. The four Gospels or Evangelists were Matthew, John, Mark, and Luke. Mark was one of the earliest accounts of Christ and his life events, he addressed the suspicion of Christ being the Messiah. Luke tells more about the earlier parts of the life of Christ, his birth and how the financial status of his life impacted his life. In all these accounts were “the first five books of the New Testament that collectively form the Gospel of Jesus.” (The Gospels).
Folchard, a scribe and possibly the artist was thought to have written the manuscripts. It contained four title and incipit pages in gold on vellum, a fine parchment made originally from the skin of a calf, stained purple. Material that created the colors on the paper came from as far as Afghanistan. There were also twelve canon tables, which showed if passages were in multiple Gospels. While this piece is very important during this time Monks were making manuscripts for their personal and spiritual needs. In the monasteries where these monks lived, they focused on art production and learning. They engaged in metalwork, weaving, pottery, woodwork. They were fishermen, hunters, shepherds, and farmers living inside the monasteries to keep away from their enemies and study their devout religion, Christianity. These fortresses were the center of early Christian work. Monks spent much of their time working on their manuscripts but never put their names on it. Being as these manuscripts were for God and not for their personal advancements in their field they didn’t need to be acknowledged for their work and thus both manuscript pages, as well as the gold cover, cannot be attributed to anyone in particular.
The Lindau Gospel itself is a codex book. Codex is a book constructed of a number of sheets of paper, vellum, papyrus, or similar materials. The term is now usually only used in manuscript books, with hand-written content but can be referred to with books in the western world. It binds its leaves on the left side with a spine. The codex's gradual replacement of the scroll has been called the most important advance in bookmaking before the invention of printing. It completely replaced the scroll throughout what was by then a Christianized Greco-Roman world by the 6th century. The Romans developed the form from wooden writing tablets. The spread of the codex is often associated with the rise of Christianity, which adopted the format for use with the Bible early on.
With the parts of this particular book being made in different areas of the world during different times, it showed the trust people had in each other. The back cover in this particular piece was made first but held for almost 100 years before the front cover was made, much after that the manuscript that went inside was completed. Each part traveled and with them, Christianity was spread. The presence of Christ on the front cover without pain portrays his strength and his royalty into the kingdom of God. With the sections that are shown on the front cover, it represents that the more you read the manuscripts the further you go into Christian knowledge.
Now you can find the entire manuscript in New York City. It I one of three major pieces ascribed to a Court School of Charles the Bald. He reigned from 840-877 CE and was the grandson of Charlemagne. It was recently put on display in the east room of the Morgan’s original building on Madison Avenue. It was one of Pierpont Morgan’s first jeweled binding. It is put in a display case with a special lighting. “The brightness of the light is above standard so that visually impaired can view it” without the light damaging the manuscript’s pages (The Lindau Gospels). The display of the cover is also angled which allows the light to display the jewels.
Works Cited
Norman, Jeremy. “The Magnificent Upper Cover of the Lindau Gospels (Circa 875).” The Magnificent Upper Cover of the Lindau Gospels (Circa 875) : HistoryofInformation.com, Gore Creative, 2005
“The Gospels.” The Bible Project, Aeron, 2018, thebibleproject.com/explore/gospel-series/.
“The Lindau Gospels in Brilliant Light – Medieval Histories.” Medieval Histories, Medieval Histories Inc., 2 Mar. 2016
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jeweled cover of The Lindau Gospels, France, workshop of Charles the Bald
circa 870-880 CE. Housed in the J. P. Morgan Library in NYC
In the ninth century the front cover of the Lindau Gospels was created by Folchar, one of St. Gall’s preeminent French artists. It was made around 870-880 CE in Eastern France. On the front metal cover you can see Jesus Christ in the forefront. He is centralized in the composition because he symbolizes the central theme of Christianity due to his crucifixion and what occurred following. It also shows Christ being the largest as compared to the other human forms. He divides the codex book cover into symmetrical parts. Additionally, the composition symbolizes balance, both visually and spiritually. The material gold shows how important Christ is to Christianity. The makers of the metal book cover used only the finest of materials. The jewels and materials symbolize extreme value and richness which act also as Christ’s importance. Religion was a big part in medieval society, especially monks. Monasteries through Western civilization were great centers for creating liturgical and religious artifacts. Early Christians took religion extremely seriously and followed all the rules that the priest practiced and taught. The Lindau Gospels was produced to have the four gospels contained within it. The four writers of the Gospels who are Evangelists (meaning “they are the messenger of good news”), their names were: Luke, Matthew, Mark and John. Each Gospel had a different painting that represented their story and symbol.
The interesting thing about the book that caught my attention is that the front, back and manuscript pages were made in different parts of the world. The metal cover that held the illuminated Gospels was made in France by Charles the Bald’s workshop, the back was made in Salzburg, Austria and the manuscript pages were made in Switzerland. I found this so interesting because it makes me wonder how the book was passed from one artist to another and traveled around to different countries and was never broken nor stolen. Keeping the Gospels intact shows incredible devotion in itself illustrating how devoted medieval people were, especially guilds and monasteries. Another important factor was the spreading of Christianity through The Word of God. As Gospels traveled, so did the Christian message and many people valued the words contained and respected it. This may be one reason why the Gospels were never ruined because they believed so fully in Christianity and knew Christ was watching.
The Lindau Gospels contains the four Gospels with supplementary materials like: the prologue of Jerome, prefaces for the gospels that were in the manuscript, chapter listings and twelve richly illuminated tables on a purple background. The purple background may have possibly been made from Ox Gall ink which is made from the liver of a cow mixed with alcohol. Also, seven different scribes were engaged in the copying of the words in the manuscript. The letters are in gold and silver illuminating “The Word of God” both physically and spiritually . In each different ‘book’ there are different paintings and different colored backgrounds that make each book unique and special. The importance of the gospels was that monks understood the gospels as an act of mediation and only wanted to show their devotion through the making of religious objects. The monks respected the manuscripts because of their importance of what the contents stood for, The Word of God. The metal cover of the manuscript is repousse which means to “push up” or chased to shape the ten small figures as well as Christ who is in the center of the front cover. In a way it’s a type of metal relief.
The front of the metal cover has different colored jewels that catch your attention and make you wonder how it was created. The gold is the background of the cover and the jewels are encrusted in the gold. Some of the colors of semi-precious stones both are primary and secondary colors that are shown such as: green, silver, baby blue, red, black, brown. The jewels on the outside of the cover seem almost fruitful meaning rich, colorful and vibrant, as they protect a fruitful scripture on the inside. Both inside and outside match the lavishness and show how rich the early medieval culture was. This also illustrates how the monks were devoted and appreciative of their culture and wanted it to be symbolized in the book of Gospels. Because of the scripture’s significance, the artists wanted the book to be remembered for its beauty and luxury.
The book inside and out has a lot of meaning spiritually and physically. The crucifix is in the center because Christ is the center of Christianity. The symbolism that Jesus Christ is showing the viewer is that he is strong and confident and is always there for his followers. That is why he is hanging brave and almost fearless it seems. There is no suffering in his face, the only suffering that viewers are able to see is the blood dripping from his hands that have nails in them. Jesus is chased from a metal sheet covered in gold because of his status and the level that other individuals cannot reach him. Compositionally, Christ hangs symmetrically from the centralized crucifix. He is also the largest human figure on the cover. The ten smaller figures around him are also gold are very important as well because they also reach that richness due to their relationship with Christ. The significance of how their representational forms are being used, is that they have historical value. Each smaller unit or “cell” tells a special story in Christ's life like rectangles we have seen in other sequential art pieces. For example, this same story is still being used today to teach me about Christianity background and its meaning to the Christian faith in general.
The cover is fully symmetrical and a balanced design. The lines in the front of the cover separate the jewels from the smaller figures and those figures from Jesus Christ so everything appears to have a visual boundary. Some of the figures surround the crucifixion are: Virgin and John and Mary Magdalene and Mary, the wife of Cleopas. The back of the book has a lot of small designs which make it extraordinary as well. Each design is very eye catching and different from the front. Both covers of the book are symmetrical and everything is divided into balanced sections. Jesus Christ is central to Christianity as well as being central in the balanced composition. Christ being in the center with his arms stretched outwards divides the cover in each of the four corners. Each corner may represent the four Gospels. There are six rectangles in total on the front cover. Firstly, there is a big rectangle of the container itself, more rectangles appear inside that rectangle. This book shows a lot of repetition and pattern. For example, in the front of the book the cover has jewels on four sides. The figures are in the four rectangles. The back of the cover has the same pattern around the middle of the red jewel. Around all four sides of the container is surrounded by jewels. There are four ancient Roman arches with human figures dressed in Hellenistic clothing with crossing arms. The leaf shaped design that is on the back has swirls as well. The four corners of the rectangle that are at the edge of the back cover have human figures chased in them too. Everything is filled up with some type of design. In the front of the book the only space that is available is around Christ who hangs on the cross. When it comes to scale, Christ is bigger than the other figures around him because he is the most important. The jewels that are in the middle of the rectangle with the figures are advancing outward making it a three dimensional form as well. When it comes to the back of the book the scale is smaller than the front because of how much greater detail it has. The figures are also small and the same size, no figure is bigger than the other, all seem visually equal to the next. The Lindau Gospels show how important the Gospels are with the beauty of the designs that created it. It is full of rich beauty and symbolism due to the subject matter the manuscript scriptures it contains inside the book. During this time period it shows how religion was significant and recognized by others around the world who are grateful for the Christian faith, that remains so powerful today.
Works Cited
Norman, Jeremy. The Magnificent Upper Cover of the Lindau Gospels (Circa 875). History of
Information.com. 10, April 2018. www.historyofinformation.com/expanded.php?id=2217.
Accessed 21, April 2018.
The Lindau Gospels in Bright. Medieval Histories: News About the Middle Ages. 2 March 2016.
The LindisFarne Gospels Tour: The Lindisfarne Gospels. The British Library (2003).
http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/features/lindisfarne/evangelists.html Accedded 21, April, 2018.
Ross, Nancy Ph. D and Dr. Steve Zucker. “ Lindau Gospels Cover.” YouTube, 9 April 2013,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=269&v=u5vM4rtUSQg. Accessed 21, April 2018
The book cover of the Lindau Gospels serves as a protective cover of the illuminated manuscript that is contained inside of it. On it is a centralized image, in relief, of Jesus Christ crucified. This image is the largest of all the human figures on the front cover. This is symbolic to the fact that Christ is the central figure to the religion of Christianity. It almost could be said, that the Gospel cover is similar to sequential art, and the central image of Christ in the composition is the main idea of the visual narration. It was produced from the court school of Charles the Bald, who was a king of western France, as well as in Italy and Holy roman emperor. The front cover, dates nearly hundred years after the back cover and was made in eastern France in circa 870-880 CE. Inside the Lindau Gospels there are many manuscript pages that contains the four texts including; Jerome, Mathew, Luke and John with twelve handprinted illuminated manuscripts. It is lavishly decorated with semi-precious stones and repoussé. Repousse is chased metal where the crafts person hammers the design in the back of a sheet of metal causing it to be ‘punched’ out into relief on the reverse side. Most of the people that lived during this time, couldn’t read, and worked of arts, such as the book cover would function as symbol for the story that’s being expressed.
It was created to give advice to the reader on how to get to heaven by leading them to salvation. The manuscripts where the voice of Christ written down. It provided guidance on how to live one’s life through following Christ teachings. The Lindau was named after an abbey of Lindau in Germany where it once housed it. This piece is one of the great masterpieces from the collection of the Morgan Library and Museum in Manhattan, NY (Graham). The Lindau Gospels was created with a dramatic pattern of semi-precious stones and intricate metal bezels that keep the jewels in place on the metal cover.
The illuminated stories are from many places around the world that have been placed upon it. No material was too expensive due to the very important story the Gospels told; The Word of God. Many artist made this lavish piece by using a technique named repousse which is hammering from the reverse side of the metal to create the image in relief of the front. REMOVE THIS, already said. Including pearls, gold, silver, ruby’s, and ivory, all of these elements came from different continents, bringing all of them into one incredible piece. In the inside cover the manuscripts is written on vellum which is the skin of a calf, and it’s soft and easy to write on (Madison).
The central crucifix in the middle of the composition is where Christ is hanging from. The crucifix compositionally divides the cover symmetrically into equal quarters. There are four squares, and four angels. There are also four Evangelists and Christ is the central figure. This may also symbolically speak to the four gospels guide, including John, Luke, Matthew and Mark. The cover visually is balanced, and may be symbolic to those who follow Christ’s teachings, are spiritually balanced as well. Line is the starting place for most artistic creations whether one is starting a fine drawing or painting or even sketching ideas for sculpture. In this piece, line is present as a strong vertical and strong horizontal of the cross itself. If we take a closer look we see that Christ is the center of attention making the center look the crucified figure very much like the aerial composition of a Christian church architecture.
The aerial shapes include the naos, the altar, the transcripts, and the aisles. Repetition is reusing of the same elements thought out the piece. This brings a clear sense of unity, and consistency. We can see the Lindau Gospel shows a good balance with the jewels and the different element within it. The border on the cover are equally spread out, making the eye movement smooth by using repetition. For example, similar shapes colors that are being used more than once, and they are either directly across from each other or next to another, and that makes the work easy to view.
The angels are curved in a way that makes the image flow. This gives the piece movement, motion, and emotion. Christ who is the center of attention is not in pain. Christ does not suffer as said on the Morgan Library and Museum video. It shows a little bit of blood, which looks to me like bunches of grapes, which is the symbol of love, fertility and virility. This may show the eternal love that Christ has for his followers. The four areas on each corner of the book have human figures chased into the cover. These figures include Mary and Joseph and other angels. There are also winged figures or angles under archways. The arch ways we recall, are inventions from ancient Rome, like the bridges and the domes they also uniquely enginered.
Pattern often occurs in nature, and artist use similar repeated motif to create pattern in their wok. Pattern increases the visual excitement by enriching vial interest. The cover has texture, pattern ad character. This is a handmade piece, everything is well organized, and you can see every detail within it celebrating the Word of God. The Lindau Gospels is large, it is approximately “13 by 9”in and is almost as thick as a shoe box. By the cover being this large, it shows the importance of it. The book would have rested on the pedestal on the altar. It may have been carried in procession by the highest clergy men.
Space in this case is referring to the depth of field. There is no other object in the background. Our attention is drawn to Christ and the stories being narrated visually in the four quadrants. We see the thick and bold object that represent the symbols of the religion which are repeated throughout Christianity even to this day. Every detail shows the smoothness, and that balance that are being distributed to each illustration. The jewels are spread equally, their colors sit are across from another, similar to the make up of a color wheel’s complimentary colors that are situated across from their primary or secondary color. The natural shapes and Christ’s body on the cover make it more human like. This shows excellent balance that is being used within the Lindau cover.
The Lindau Gospels is and will always remain one of the most beautiful pieces that protects The Word of God. This a great way of showing respect and love for Christ, and the word that he wanted his people to know and follow. His voice are written in the manuscript by the Evangelists to show and give his followers a life guidance, to live a better life. These words will encourage and protect anyone that believes in Christ, by strengthening their purity and beliefs, and also their spirituality. It’s amazing to see such an amazing object that has details and precious elements from all over the world come into one beautifully created object. The cover serves as a shield of one of the most precious illuminated manuscripts of our era.
Works Cited
Haber, Graham S. “The Lindau Gospels in Brilliant Light – Medieval Histories.” Medieval
Histories, 2 Mar. 2016, www.medievalhistories.com/the-lindau-gospels-on-show/.
History, Smart. “Lindau Gospels.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 10 Apr. 2018,
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lindau Gospels.
Coveroverlay=node/937/zoomify&overlay-context=collection/lindau-gospels/front-cover
Street, Madison. “Lindau Gospels.” The Morgan Library & Museum, 19 Sept. 2017,
www.themorgan.org/collection/lindau-gospels.
