The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of April 18, 2024
Gospel Book with Evangelist Portraits: Saint John
c. 1480
miniatures by
(German)
Codex: 23 x 17 cm (9 1/16 x 6 11/16 in.)
Mr. and Mrs. William H. Marlatt Fund 1952.465.144.b
Location: not on view
Description
Each of the four gospels, here in Latin, are preceded by a full-page miniature of the appropriate Evangelist. As is conventional, the Evangelists are represented as contemporary scribes seated at a lectern surrounded by all the accouterments of the trade---inkpots, quill pens, penknives, etc. The miniatures' style is characteristically German late Gothic in its expressive use of angular drapery and realistic detail. Each miniature, however, bears the marks of The Hausbuch Master's hand: notice the terrace space for each figure and the emphasis on realistically rendered details, such as the furniture construction and the tools of the scribe as well as the facial types, with their heavy-lidded, downcast eyes. This artist was occasionally noted for his humor, as here in the portrait of the Evangelist John in which he depicted the saint erasing an error in his text with a pen knife in his left hand and a quill pen in his right. The skillful penwork, tracery, vine scrolls, and the large initials are the work of the other artists. The binding is original. The Hausbuch Master is known primarily for an album of lively drawings as well as some ninety copper engravings. He was also a panel painter of some distinction.- 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.orgPelgen, Franz L., and Nikolaus Nievergalt. Nikolaus Nievergalt aus Speyer und seine spätgotischen Altartafeln. Speyer : Pilgerverlag GmbH, 2021. Mentioned: pp. 182; reproduced: p. 186 abb 163
- 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: Saint John|url=false|author=Hausbuch Master|year=c. 1480|access-date=18 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1952.465.144.b