Accession number
MS M.23
Object title
Golden Gospels of Henry VIII (MS M.23).
Display Date
Between 977 and 993.
Created
Between 977 and 993.
Binding
Red morocco gilt, English 18th century, with elaborate wide dentelle border comprised of small stylized acorns, thistles, and daisies; the design reflects the influence of Roger Payne; comb marbled end papers; around the edges in large gold Roman capitals is the inscription: INTVS/ORNATIOR QUAM/FORIS; in maroon slip case.
Credit line
Purchased by J. Pierpont Morgan (1837-1913) in 1900.
Description
144 leaves (2 columns, 30 lines), bound : purple vellum, ill. ; 365 x 270 mm
Provenance
Perhaps made for the coronation of Otto III in 983; King Henry VIII (No. 957 in the 1542 inventory of Henry VIII's Upper Library at Winchester Palace; according to one tradition, presented to Henry by Pope Leo X in 1521, when he conferred upon him the title of "Defender of the Faith"); in 1747 in the Bibliotheca Palmeriana, the library of Ralph Palmer of Little Chelsea, grandfather of the first Earl Verney(erased inscription reads Bibliotheca Palmeriana 1747); bought in 1800 for the Duke of Hamilton; Duke of Hamilton Collection, inv. no. 167; (Hamilton Palace Library, Hamilton, Lanarkshire, Scotland); sold privately in 1883 with the Hamilton Collection to the Royal Museum of Berlin (The Hamilton Palace Libraries, Catalogue of the Hamilton Collection of Manuscripts, 1882, no. 25); resold with a portion of the Hamilton Collection returned from Berlin (London, Sotheby's, May 23, 1889, lot 1) to Quaritch); sold (May 26, 1890) by Quaritch (catalogue 99, Sept. 1889, p. 37-39, no. 359, (Hand-list, 1890, no. 1) to Theodore Irwin of Oswego; purchased by J. Pierpont Morgan (1837-1913) with the Irwin Collection in 1900; J.P. Morgan (1867-1943).
Notes
Ms. Gospel book; written and decorated in the Benedictine Abbey of St. Maximin at Trier during the abbacy of Archbishop Egbert (977-993).
Scribes: written by at least sixteen scribes.
Decoration: purple parchment surface-dyed with orchil, identified by instrumental analysis in 2017; selected folios show a secondary coloring with indigo; gold letters; small gold trilobe fleurons used as line fillers on fol. 38, 110v, and 135v; coat of arms of England added on fol. 1v in the 16th century.
Scribes: written by at least sixteen scribes.
Decoration: purple parchment surface-dyed with orchil, identified by instrumental analysis in 2017; selected folios show a secondary coloring with indigo; gold letters; small gold trilobe fleurons used as line fillers on fol. 38, 110v, and 135v; coat of arms of England added on fol. 1v in the 16th century.
Script
uncial
Language
Latin
Resources
Century
Catalog link
Classification
Department