The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 20, 2024

Gospel Book with Evangelist Portraits

c. 1480

miniatures by

Hausbuch Master

(German)

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

Did You Know?

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.

-1952
Heinrich Eisemann, London, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art
1952-
The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Oh
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
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
Milliken, William Mathewson. The Cleveland Museum of Art. 1958.
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
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/1966. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966. Reproduced: p. 68 archive.org
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
Pelgen, Franz L., and Nikolaus Nievergalt. Nikolaus Nievergalt aus Speyer und seine spätgotischen Altartafeln. Speyer : Pilgerverlag GmbH, 2021. Mentioned and reproduced: pp. 182-186, abb 160-163
Imperial Splendor: The Art of the Book in the Holy Roman Empire, 800-1500. The Morgan Library & Museum, New York, NY (organizer) (October 15, 2021-January 23, 2022) https://www.themorgan.org/exhibitions/imperial-splendor.
The Glory of the Painted Page: Manuscript Illuminations from the Permanent Collection. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 6, 2010-April 17, 2011).
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, Los Angeles, CA (October 30, 2007-January 20, 2008); Frist Art Museum, Nashville, TN (February 13-June 7, 2009).
The Medieval Housebook: The Real and the Ideal--A Fifteenth-Century View of Life. Frick Collection, New York, NY (organizer) (May 17-July 11, 1999).
Scriptorium: The Illuminated Book in Medieval Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 5, 1991-February 2, 1992).
The Master of the Masterdam Print Cabinet, Stagelaches Kunstinstitut, Frankfurt, (September 3 - November 3, 1985); cat. 119, p. 246, repr. p. 230.
Livelier Than Life: The Master of the Amsterdam Print Cabinet. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, Netherlands (organizer) (March 14-June 9, 1985); Städelsches Kunstinstitut im Städtischen Kunstinstitut Frankfurt am Main, Franfurt am Main, Germany (September 4-November 3, 1985).
The Master of the Masterdam Print Cabinet, Rijksmusuem, Amsterdam, (March 14-June 9, 1985); cat. 119, p. 246, repr. p. 230.
The Scholar in Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art (April 19-28, 1968).
Twelve Masterpieces of Medieval and Renaissance Book Illuminations, The Cleveland Museum of Art, (March 17 - May 17, 1965); no.11.
Twelve Masterpieces of Medieval and Renaissance Book Illumination. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (March 17-April 19, 1964).
{{cite web|title=Gospel Book with Evangelist Portraits|url=false|author=Hausbuch Master|year=c. 1480|access-date=20 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1952.465