Gospel Harmony of Eusebius

Gospel Harmony of Eusebius

Among the irreplaceable masterpieces of the school of Reichenau is the manuscript Queriniana in Brescia, composed almost exclusively of full-page miniatures, initials and elaborate canon tables. The codex is introduced by 19 leaves, portraying 19 architectural, artfully executed canon arches that frame the Gospel Harmony created by Eusebius in the 4th century. For centuries, this late antique work served as a quick and systematic tool for finding corresponding biblical passages. The canon tables of this Splendid manuscript are ornate with a variety of luxurious decorations and none of the many colorful columns are identical; architectural gables and arches, inspired by the classical style, alternate to form a perfectly harmonious composition. Little is known about the origins of the manuscript. By the 14th century at the latest, the codex was in the possession of the upper Italian Lamberti Family, whose coat of arms adorns the very first page of the manuscript. The question today is whether its current contents were assembled from two manuscripts, and might be answered by future research.

Gorgeous Ottonian Illumination

This first section is followed by the Gospel Pericopes and includes eleven full-page miniatures as well as twelve luxury initials facing each other and introducing the readings for the different feast days. The solemn character of the book is further underlined by a number of initials set on purple ground and preceding the individual readings. The vivid orange fillings further enhance the colorfulness so typical of Ottonian illumination from Reichenau. This unique manuscript is rarely mentioned in the expert literature, perhaps because of its remote repository, but whoever does so, describes it with the greatest esteem. Its 42 miniatures and initials, all executed in glittering gold, are among the finest examples ever created by artists of the Ottonian period. The monumental feast day Gospels document the beauty and quality of Reichenau book illumination in its heyday.