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Book/Printed Material Pericopes (Sections) Book of Henry II.

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About this Item

Title

  • Pericopes (Sections) Book of Henry II.

Summary

  • This Gospel manuscript, probably the most impressive work of the Reichenau school of illumination, was commissioned by Henry II (973--1024) for Bamberg Cathedral, which he founded in 1007 and dedicated in 1012. A dedicatory poem and a full-page miniature, in which Henry and his wife Cunegunda (also seen as Kunigunde) are crowned by Christ, commemorate the royal donor, who was crowned Holy Roman Emperor in 1014 and later was canonized. The generously proportioned manuscript, with its wide margins, combines great care in execution with extraordinary artistic power. In the boldly expressive figures with their imperious gestures, Reichenau illumination attains the sublime. For the binding, precious materials were provided by the emperor, who is again named in an inscription. The Crucifixion ivory from the time of Charles the Bald may possibly have come from the back cover of the Codex aureus, a ninth century Gospel written for Charles the Bald and preserved in the monastery of Saint Emmeram. The Byzantine enamels of Christ and the Apostles are pieces of a woman's or votive crown, which may well have come from the heritage of Holy Roman Emperor Otto III (980--1002), as was the case with many a precious codex. The delicate cloisonné enamels with Evangelists' symbols in the corners were, like the rest of the gold work, made specifically for the cover. This cover was produced in Regensburg or Bamberg, and not in Reichenau. In 2003 the manuscript was inscribed on the UNESCO Memory of the World Register.

Names

  • Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor, 973-1024 Associated Name.

Created / Published

  • [place of publication not identified] : [publisher not identified], [1007 to 1012]

Headings

  • -  Germany--Baden-Württemberg--Reichenau
  • -  1007 to 1012
  • -  Bible. New Testament
  • -  Illuminations
  • -  Liturgies
  • -  Memory of the World

Notes

  • -  Title devised, in English, by Library staff.
  • -  "BSB shelfmark: Clm 4452|This description of the work was written by Béatrice Hernad of the Bavarian State Library."--Note extracted from World Digital Library.
  • -  Original resource extent: I + 206 folios : parchment ; 42.5 x 32 centimeters.
  • -  Original resource at: Bavarian State Library.
  • -  Content in Latin.
  • -  Description based on data extracted from World Digital Library, which may be extracted from partner institutions.

Medium

  • 1 online resource.

Source Collection

  • Illuminated Manuscripts from Europe

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 2021668102

Online Format

  • compressed data
  • pdf
  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

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Credit Line: [Original Source citation], World Digital Library

More about Copyright and other Restrictions

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Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Henry Ii, Holy Roman Emperor, 973-1024 Associated Name. Pericopes Sections Book of Henry II. [Place of Publication Not Identified: Publisher Not Identified, to 1012, 1007] Pdf. https://www.loc.gov/item/2021668102/.

APA citation style:

Henry Ii, H. R. E. (1007) Pericopes Sections Book of Henry II. [Place of Publication Not Identified: Publisher Not Identified, to 1012] [Pdf] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2021668102/.

MLA citation style:

Henry Ii, Holy Roman Emperor, 973-1024 Associated Name. Pericopes Sections Book of Henry II. [Place of Publication Not Identified: Publisher Not Identified, to 1012, 1007] Pdf. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2021668102/>.