Reserved in most cases for luxury commissions, such pictures were meant to make the books text more easily understandable and to emphasize its importance. The Seven Last Words of Christ (detail), from a book of hours, Master of Sir John Fastolf, about 1430–40Īpart from portraits of their authors, Gospel books were often illustrated with scenes from the life of Christ. This portrait once graced a volume of the Gospels that was copied in Greek by the famous scribe George Galesiotes in Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire. Other instruments of the scribe's trade, including an inkpot, a compass, and a bottle of ink, are seen on the desk in front of Mark. The Evangelist Mark is shown here in the act of sharpening his pen as he prepares to write the text of his Gospel. In each example, however, subtle variations are clear, revealing distinct regional inflections and hints of the artistic cultures that produced them. Gospels typically contained a portrait of each of the four evangelists as well as decorated canon tables. In spite of this incredible chronological and geographical breadth, the main aspects of the program of illumination remained relatively uniform. The manuscripts in this section were produced between the ninth century through the seventeenth century and in Western Europe, Ethiopia, Byzantium, and Armenia. Spreading the teachings of the Gospels was an important feature of early Christianity, and as a result, these texts were quickly translated from Greek into the many spoken languages of the world. Saint Mark (detail), leaf from a gospel book, Constantinople, about 1325–45 The logos, or word of God, is vividly represented by the radiating lines that connect John's mouth with the heavens.These delicate white lines painted on blue indicate not simply his speech to the scribe seated before him, but also the heavenly source of inspiration that enables him to dictate his account of the life and teachings of Christ. In this detail, the Evangelist John turns his head upward as he dictates his Gospel to the scribe seated before him. With examples from Western Europe, Ethiopia, Byzantium, and Armenia, this exhibition traces the tradition of Gospel illumination in Christian art and worship. The word Gospel comes from the Old English word god-spell, meaning "good news." This was in turn a translation of the Greek word for this collection of texts: evangelion. As the physical manifestation of the Word of God, Gospels were considered the most important books of the Middle Ages. The four Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John offered powerful accounts of the life of Jesus Christ and formed the basis of the religion founded by his disciples. Saint John (detail), from a gospel book, Mesrop of Khizan Isfahan, 1615
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