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Gospel Book with Evangelist Portraits

c. 1480

Part of a set. See all set records

Hausbuch Master

(German)

miniatures by

Germany, Middle Rhine, 15th century

Ink, tempera, and gold on vellum; original blind stamped leather binding

Codex: 23.7 x 18.4 x 5.4 cm (9 5/16 x 7 1/4 x 2 1/8 in.)

Mr. and Mrs. William H. Marlatt Fund 1952.465

Location

not on view

Fun Fact

The Hausbuch Master, also a printmaker, is thought to be the first artist to use a form of engraving known as drypoint.

Description

The four gospels are preceded by a full-page portrait miniature of the appropriate evangelist. Per tradition, they are represented as contemporary scribes surrounded by all the tools of their trade—ink pots, quill pens, and penknives. The anonymous illuminator of these miniatures, called the Hausbuch Master, is known primarily for an album of lively drawings as well as some 90 copper engravings now in Amsterdam. He was also apparently a panel painter of some distinction. The skillful pen work, tracery, and vine scrolls, as well as the large initials, are the work of other artists. The binding is original.

Provenance

-1952

Heinrich Eisemann, London, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art

1952-

The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Oh

Citations

Stange, Alfred. Deutsche Malerei der Gotik. Berlin: Deutscher Kunst, 1955. Mentioned: p. 120, 105; Reproduced: pl. 286

William M. Milliken, "An Illuminated Manuscript by the Master of the Hausbuch" The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art (June 1953) 121, 122, repr. 116 and 117

Art Digest. New York: Art Digest Inc, July 1953. Reproduced: p. 14, pl. 3

The Connoisseur. London: National Magazine Co., December 1953. 211

Milliken, William Mathewson. The Cleveland Museum of Art. 1958.

The Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art Handbook. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1958. Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. 192 archive.org

William D. Wixom, "Twelve Masterpieces of Medieval and Renaissance Book Illumination" The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art LI, no. 3 (March 1964) p. 58-60, no. 11

The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966. Reproduced: p. 68 archive.org

Cleveland Museum of Art, and Merald Ernest Wrolstad. Selected Works. 1966. no. 108

The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969. Reproduced: p. 68 archive.org

The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 77 archive.org

Filedt Kok, J. P. Livelier Than Life: The Master of the Amsterdam Cabinet or the Master of the Housebook, Ca. 1470-1500. Amsterdam: Rijksprentenkabinet in association with Gary Schwartz, 1985. p. 246, no. 119, pl. 6

Rijksmuseum (Netherlands), and Städtische Galerie im Städelschen Kunstinstitut Frankfurt am Main. Vom Leben im späten Mittelalter: der Hausbuchmeister oder Meister des Amsterdamer Kabinetts : Rijksmuseum Amsterdam 14. März-9. Juni 1985 ; Städtische Galerie im Städelschen Kunstinstitut Frankfurt am Main, 5. September-3. November 1985. Amsterdam: Rijksmuseum, 1985. Mentioned: p. 222, cat. no. 119; Reproduced: p. 223

Hindman, Sandra. The Robert Lehman Collection: IV. illuminations. New York [NY]: Metropolitan Museum of Art [etc.], 1997. 19, fig. 2.6

Husband, Timothy. The Medieval Housebook & the Art of Illustration. New York: Frick Collection, 1999. Mentioned: p. 266; Reproduced: p. 267, no. 100

Cleveland Museum of Art, and Holger A. Klein. Sacred Gifts and Worldly Treasures: Medieval Masterworks from the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, Ohio: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2007. cat. no. 94, p. 250

Fliegel, Stephen N. Resplendent Faith: Liturgical Treasuries of the Middle Ages. Kent, Ohio: Kent State University Press, 2009. 80, fig. 67

Exhibition history

Twelve Masterpieces of Medieval and Renaissance Book Illuminations, The Cleveland Museum of Art, (March 17 - May 17, 1965); no.11.

The Master of the Masterdam Print Cabinet, Rijksmusuem, Amsterdam, (March 14-June 9, 1985); cat. 119, p. 246, repr. p. 230.

The Master of the Masterdam Print Cabinet, Stagelaches Kunstinstitut, Frankfurt, (September 3 - November 3, 1985); cat. 119, p. 246, repr. p. 230.

Twelve Masterpieces of Medieval and Renaissance Book Illumination. The Cleveland Museum of Art (March 16-May 17, 1964).

The Scholar in Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art (April 19-28, 1968).

Scriptorium: The Illuminated Book in Medieval Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 5, 1991-February 2, 1992).

The Medieval Housebook: The Real and the Ideal--A Fifteenth-Century View of Life. Frick Collection (organizer) (May 17-July 11, 1999).

Sacred Gifts and Worldly Treasures: Medieval Masterworks from the Cleveland Museum of Art. National Museum of Bavaria, Munich, Germany (May 10-September 16, 2007); J. Paul Getty Museum (October 30, 2007-January 20, 2008); Frist Center for the Visual Arts (February 13-June 7, 2009).

The Glory of the Painted Page: Manuscript Illuminations from the Permanent Collection. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (November 6, 2010-April 17, 2011).

Cite this page

{{cite web|title=Gospel Book with Evangelist Portraits|url=https://clevelandart.org/art/1952.465|author=Hausbuch Master|year=c. 1480|access-date=18 September 2019|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

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Gospel Book with Evangelist Portraits

Gospel Book with Evangelist Portraits

Hausbuch Master

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