Antiphonary of St. Peter

Antiphonary of St. Peter – Akademische Druck- u. Verlagsanstalt (ADEVA) – Cod. Vindob. S. N. 2700 – Österreichische Nationalbibliothek (Vienna, Austria)

Monastery of St. Peter, Salzburg (Austria) — Around 1150

Neume notation of the St. Gall type richly decorated with pen and ink drawings: Romanesque illumination in perfection and probably the most valuable possession of the famous St. Peter's Abbey in Salzburg

  1. One of the finest manuscripts to survive the 12th century was used in Salzburg for 800 years

  2. Neume notation of the Saint Gall type is adorned with pen and ink drawings, floral marginalia, and 400+ initials

  3. The incredible Romanesque manuscript exhibits glimmering Byzantine backgrounds

Antiphonary of St. Peter

Facsimile Copy Available!
Price Category: €€€
(3,000€ - 7,000€)
  1. Description
  2. Detail Picture
  3. Single Page
  4. Facsimile Editions (1)
Description
Antiphonary of St. Peter

Used for special masses for almost 800 years in St. Peter's Abbey in Salzburg, the Antiphonary of Saint Peter is one of the finest manuscripts to survive the 12th century. Colorful miniatures on golden grounds as well as ornamental pages with luxurious golden initials on purple grounds illustrate the liturgical text. Twelve richly embellished calendar pages, two Easter tables, and pen drawings on green and blue grounds adorn the manuscript, much like the more than 400 decorated initials mostly containing motives of flora and fauna. The script of the text is written with surprising uniformity considering that it is the work of a team of artists. This Romanesque manuscript has clear stylistic influences from Byzantine illumination, especially with regard to its burnished gold and purple-dyed backgrounds.

Antiphonary of St. Peter

The Antiphonary of Saint Peter in Salzburg is a work of art of such high rank that only very few other liturgical books equal it. It was used for almost 800 years in Saint Peter’s Abbey for masses on solemn occasions, and kept in the library or the treasury of the monastery for the rest of the year. In addition, the Antiphonary constitutes one of the most impressive manuscripts of the 12th century, both in terms of size and volume, with a total of 846 pages and a format of 433 x 310 mm. As it was not soley destined for practical use, but also for dignified representation, its decorative apparatus outshines all other achievements of illumination from this period. Colorful miniatures on golden grounds as well as ornamental pages with luxurious golden initials on purple grounds illustrate the liturgical text. Twelve richly embellished calendar pages, two Easter tables, and pen drawings on green and blue grounds adorn the manuscript, much like the more than 400 decorated initials mostly containing motives of flora and fauna.

The Illumination

Six full-page and two half-page miniatures form the most luxurious and elaborate portion of the manuscript’s illumination. They are executed in opaque colors and framed with colorful ornamental borders. The figures are painted in warm colors on delicately shimmering golden backgrounds made from pulverised gold which, imitating the Byzantine method, was applied with a brush on a thin layer of glue. A further highlight are the eight ornamental pages showing elaborate luxurious full-length initials on purple grounds. The letters are frequently formed of gold and silver interlace and ornate with coloured flowers. They are occasionally enlivened with animals and human figures.

Pen Drawings on Colored grounds

The Antiphonary of St. Peter also deserves special attention for its well-balanced combination of opaque paintings and pen drawings. An essential technical feature of the 49 pen drawings is the use of two colored inks corresponding to the two inks mainly used for the written text. They all stand out against blue and green backgrounds, which gives the drawings their graphically coherent form.

Numerous Initials Enliven the Text

Over 400 decorated initials painted before green and blue grounds enrich the book with great variety and imagination. The modesty of the backgrounds enhance their delicateness and makes them fit into the overall impression of the written page. Vines, foliage and flowers adorn the letters and occasionally, naturalistically-drawn animals nesting in intertwined vines are to be observed.

The Calendar

The twelve calendar pages are also richly embellished, each showing two busts of saints and a zodiac. The texts on each page are introduced by two hexameters the contents of which appears just as enigmatic to the reader as the numbers and letters on the left margin of the page. In order to understand the meaning of these columns of numbers and letters, one would have to master the art of "computing" which even in the Middle Ages was not widespread, i.e. the calculation of the date of Easter based on the position of the moon. The two Easter tables following the calendar pages were included for this purpose.

The Script

The Antiphonary of Saint Peter is the work of several hands and is written in a very beautiful and even Romanesque book script. The diverse scribes all belong to the same school and show only little difference in some details. A major portion of the text is accompanied by Neumes of the Saint Gall type annotated above the lines.

Codicology

Alternative Titles
Antiphonar von St. Peter
Size / Format
848 pages / 43.2 × 31.0 cm
Origin
Austria
Date
Around 1150
Style
Language
Script
Protogothic and Carolingian minuscule
Illustrations
14 full-page and 2 half-page illustrations with initial letters in gold and colour, 13 richly ornamented calendar pages, 50 half-page pen drawings (purple lines with green and blue background), more than 400 richly ornamented initial letters

Available facsimile editions:
Antiphonary of St. Peter – Akademische Druck- u. Verlagsanstalt (ADEVA) – Cod. Vindob. S. N. 2700 – Österreichische Nationalbibliothek (Vienna, Austria)
Akademische Druck- u. Verlagsanstalt (ADEVA) – Graz, 1969–1973
Detail Picture

Antiphonary of St. Peter

Adoration of the Magi

Although one’s eyes are first drawn toward the classical architecture that suggests a palatial setting rather than the humble stable where Mary gave birth, the figures’ garments are what make this upper register particularly fine. While their ages and style of crowns vary, they are all similarly dressed in contemporary court fashions, which favored finely patterned satins and silks, usually worn in loose styles using an excess of fabric to demonstrate one’s wealth.

Antiphonary of St. Peter – Akademische Druck- u. Verlagsanstalt (ADEVA) – Cod. Vindob. S. N. 2700 – Österreichische Nationalbibliothek (Vienna, Austria)
Single Page

Antiphonary of St. Peter

Adoration of the Magi and Baptism of Christ

Two first-class Romanesque miniatures in register with burnished gold backgrounds and a floral frame. Above: the Adoration of the Magi with the Three Kings dressed in richly patterned robes and tights presenting their gifts. The Virgin Mary and Christ child are seated beneath an arched architecture – the artists, in their eagerness to display classical forms, have omitted Christ’s humble birthplace.

Below: the Baptism of Christ is pictured with the River Jordan, complete with fish, portrayed as a wavy, light blue cloak hanging from the shoulders of a naked, albeit modest Christ. John the Baptist wears a striped cloak and anoints him, as the Holy Spirit descends in the form of a dove. Onlookers flank the scene to the right and left, and one is even waiting with a towel.

Antiphonary of St. Peter – Akademische Druck- u. Verlagsanstalt (ADEVA) – Cod. Vindob. S. N. 2700 – Österreichische Nationalbibliothek (Vienna, Austria)
Facsimile Editions

#1 Antiphonar von St. Peter

Antiphonary of St. Peter – Akademische Druck- u. Verlagsanstalt (ADEVA) – Cod. Vindob. S. N. 2700 – Österreichische Nationalbibliothek (Vienna, Austria)
Antiphonary of St. Peter – Akademische Druck- u. Verlagsanstalt (ADEVA) – Cod. Vindob. S. N. 2700 – Österreichische Nationalbibliothek (Vienna, Austria) Copyright Photos: Ziereis Facsimiles

Publisher: Akademische Druck- u. Verlagsanstalt (ADEVA) – Graz, 1969–1973
Binding: Leather on wooden board according to contemporary pattern.
Commentary: 1 volume (304 pages) by F. Unterkircher and O. Demus
Language: German

Codicological and liturgical description by F. Unterkircher, Vienna. Art historical description by O. Demus, Vienna, 304 pp. text and 68 plates with 93 illustrations. Cloth.

The comprehensive and extensive commentary volume comprises an introduction to aspects of codicology and the history of liturgy by Franz Unterkircher who describes the outward form, the decorative apparatus, and the contents of the Antiphonary in all detail. Furthermore, Otto Demus provides an analysis of the manuscript from the history of art perspective, informing both the expert and the interested lay public. The commentary also explores questions on the workshop, the dating, and succession of the manuscript. An extensive bibliography and a total of 93 comparative figures on 68 plates complete the commentary.
1 volume: Exact reproduction of the original document (extent, color and size) Reproduction of the entire original document as detailed as possible (scope, format, colors). The binding may not correspond to the original or current document binding.
Facsimile Copy Available!
Price Category: €€€
(3,000€ - 7,000€)
You might also be interested in:
Echternach Sacramentary and Antiphonary – Akademische Druck- u. Verlagsanstalt (ADEVA) – Hs. 1946 – Hessische Landes- und Hochschulbibliothek (Darmstadt, Germany)
Echternach Sacramentary and Antiphonary
Echternach Abbey (Luxembourg) – Ca. 1030

Purple splendor, Ottonian book illumination, and medieval Neumes: one of the few surviving masterpieces from the famous Echternach monastery

Experience More
Salzburg Pericopes – Faksimile Verlag – Clm 15713 – Bayerische Staatsbibliothek (Munich, Germany)
Salzburg Pericopes
Monastery of St. Peter, Salzburg (Austria) – Around 1020

Equipped with 70 golden miniatures, dressed in 12 masterful ivory plates: a magnificent treasure of Ottonian illumination in every respect

Experience More
St. Peter Pericopes from St. Erentrud – Akademische Druck- u. Verlagsanstalt (ADEVA) – Clm 15903 – Bayerische Staatsbibliothek (Munich, Germany)
St. Peter Pericopes from St. Erentrud
Monastery of St. Peter, Salzburg (Austria) – Around 1150

The richest picture program of a high medieval Gospel manuscript: 55 masterful Romanesque miniatures on a shiny gold background

Experience More
Passau Evangeliary – Quaternio Verlag Luzern – Clm 16002 – Bayerische Staatsbibliothek (Munich, Germany)
Passau Evangeliary
Abbey of St. Nikola, Passau (Germany) – Ca. 1170–1180

Elements of the Romanesque and Byzantine styles wonderfully combined: a splendid Romanesque work from Passau with large animated initials and brilliant miniatures on luminous gold backgrounds

Experience More
Cistercian Westmalle Antiphonary – Brepols Publishers – 12A and 12B (m. 0, 2) – Abdij der Trappisten van Westmalle (Westmalle, Belgium)
Cistercian Westmalle Antiphonary
Probably Cherlieu (France) – 12th century

Mutilated, tattered, patched, erased, and scratched: signs of frequent use in a manuscript that brings to life the reforms in the early Cistercian Order

Experience More
Cistercian Antiphoners from Morimondo Abbey – CTHS – N. A. Lat. 1410-1412 – Bibliothèque nationale de France (Paris, France)
Cistercian Antiphoners from Morimondo Abbey
Cistercian Abbey of Sancte Marie de Morimondo, Milan (Italy) – Ca. 1175

One of the best and oldest witnesses of the medieval antiphonaries used by the Cistercian Order: this specimen was created in the Cistercian Abbey of Sancte Marie de Morimondo in the Diocese of Milan ca. 1175

Experience More
Blog articles worth reading
Filter selection
Publisher