Gospel Lectionary of Würzburg

The Prince-Bishop Evangeliary

This incredible evangeliary commissioned by Lorenz von Bibra (1459–1519), Duke in Franconia and Prince-Bishop of Würzburg, is an outstanding testimony to the German Renaissance when it was still in its infancy. Although still strongly influenced by forms and conventions from the Gothic style, the masterfully executed miniatures possess the realism of the Italian Renaissance and the individualistic depictions of the figures is indicative of the humanist influence.
Made with only the finest pigments and illuminated with gleaming gold, this work, one would assume that, like most illuminated manuscripts of the period, it was most likely the product of a lay workshop of professional artists and scribes who specialized in the production of sumptuously furnished codices. However, this work appears to have been made by a monk named Georg Lester in the Benedictine Abbey of Würzburg ca. 1507, which makes the quality of its materials and the excellence of its execution all the more remarkable.

Lorenz von Bibra

Descended from the aristocratic Franconian von Bibra family, which had served the Bishopric of Würzburg for generations, the life of Lorenz von Bibra mirrored that of Emperor Maximilian I, whom he served as an advisor: both were born in 1459 and died in 1519. Lorenz was a dedicated humanist who attended university in Heidelberg, Erfurt, Bologna, and Paris and had the reputation for being a just, respected, and popular ruler who regularly arbitrated disputes. Würzburg enjoyed an extended period of prosperity under his rule, which began in 1495, He also had a relationship with Martin Luther (1483–1546), had Protestant sympathies, and it is speculated by many that had he lived longer that he would have embraced the Reformation in Würzburg.
Aside from his liberality, Lorenz was known as a patron of the arts and, aside from commissions elaborately illuminated manuscripts like the evangeliary at hand, had a personal relationship with the famous sculptor Tilman Riemenschneider (ca. 1460–1531). Riemenschneider completed several commissions for the Prince-Bishop, including his elaborate tomb in Würzburg Cathedral, which was only completed in 1522, three years after his death. In comparison with the neighboring Gothic tomb of his predecessor Rudolf II von Scherenberg, Lorenz’s tomb was executed in the new Renaissance style.

History of the Manuscript

The history of the manuscript stored today in the Laurentian Library is intertwined with the events of the tumultuous years at the turn of 19th century, in which Napoleon Bonaparte (1769–1821) was either the protagonist or antagonist depending upon one’s perspective. It is believed to have remained in the abbey’s library in Würzburg until it was suppressed during Secularization in 1802. The fate of the manuscript for the next few years remains unknown, but the precious codex was eventually acquired by Grand Duke Ferdinand III of Tuscany (1769–1824). This probably occurred sometime after 1805, when he was made the Prince Elector of Würzburg and then the first Grand Duke of Würzburg over the territories of the now-defunct bishopric. What is certain is that Ferdinand III donated the precious work of German Renaissance book art to the Laurentian Library in Florence on the 11th of May 1823 with an accompanying letter indicating it had been purchased with the intention of donating it to the library.