Lindau Gospels

And so the cliché goes: don’t judge a book by it’s cover. While this highly popular saying is meant to encourage readers not to prejudge the worth or value of a book’s contents simply on its external appearance, the true functionality of a book’s cover is to frame or enclose the interior text, to act as an enticing ornament for the scripture found within. This is largely true in the examination of the historically significant Lindau Gospel covers of Medieval art, a religious volume that contains the four New Testament Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The Lindau Gospels are something of a rare, historical gem; this 9th-century Medieval manuscript is embellished with two exquisitely decorated covers, more accurately described as masterpieces
within themselves. Although these works of art are an exemplary archetype of early medieval tradition - the same basic elements can be identified within each cover - their appearances are strikingly distinctive. The front, or upper cover, of the gospels is made from gold, precious stones and pearl, dating back to the late 9th- century. This cover is remarkable for its sheer ornamental craftsmanship and richness of elements. The back, or lower cover, is striking solely because of its pure attention to detail and visual complexity, made from silver gilt, enamel cloisonné, as well as precious and semi-precious stones. The back cover can be dated all the way back to late the 8th-century, around 780-800 AD. While these two metal book covers have been noted that they are from different eras and stylistic traditions, they are now bound together by leather to form a superb example of sacred book covers from the Carolingian era, a time where the interest of Christianity in ancient Roman art made a revival by the “Holy Roman Emperor” Charlemagne. The differing characteristics suggest that they were each made specifically to entice a targeted assembly of people and be understood by those worshippers. As the two covers are compared side by side, each cover reveals the true motivation of the artists of their time. While the two covers apparently fulfill the same basic function to embellish and protect the holy works contained inside, even a fundamental visual analysis points to the fact that they are both part of distinctive Medieval stylistic approaches. Similar features that are prominent are the brilliance of the elements as well as the primary concentration to the cross. The cross is an obvious symbolic representation of Christianity to the common Medieval viewer and is shown in the central part of the cover’s layout. In the front cover, the eye is initially drawn to the regalness of the gold as well as the amount of embellished stones. The preciousness of the materials used is obvious and apparent and any believer would be in awe at a first glance. Textures of smooth gold and the three dimensionality of the raised stones brings an attention to the contrasting surface of the cover. Upon looking at the details, a cruciform is meant to be the main focus, as the familiar iconic shape is located at the center of the precious gems. In this illustration of the icon, the cross is completely rigid in form: strict lines and 90° angles promote a symmetrical design. This is not just an ordinary rigid cross, however. The cover is a detailed representation of the cross of crucifixion; the body of Christ is evidently distinguishable in the delicately crafted metalwork of the cover. Each of Christ’s arms are attached to a horizontal arm of the perpendicular structure and his body fills the lowest vertical arm. Crowning his head is a halo composed of a twisted, swirly design and three green stones. Christ and the cross are the center of the cover but are not the initial captivation because of the design’s complexity. The organization of space is marked by apparent contrasts in the make, seen by the structure, materials, and use of empty space. A clear example of this can be seen in the clusters of jewels in each of the quadrants formed by each arm of the cross in which they fill the negative space. The strict organization of space allows one to analyze and make note of each quadrant separately, rather than as a summation of the whole piece. There are, of course, gold embossed figures and depictions in each quadrant, all slight variations that mirror each other. The figures seem to be angels, their majestic forms and wings carefully surround the bright cluster of colored jewels. Finally, the entire work is surrounded by a sea of various sizes and types of stones, creating a beautiful color scheme by rows of 3. In the earlier Lindau cover, the cross dominates the center of the cover, as each arm of the cross is splayed outwards in a bell shape at the ends.
In the absolute center of the cross, there is a square with a large red precious jewel; both the square and arms of the cross share a border of enamel, with color interspersed throughout. Four identical frontal portrait busts of Christ emerge outwards from the center of the perpendicular bisector. Due to the radial nature of the holy symbol, only one portrait of Christ is facing upwards, encouraging the viewer to see Christ from multiple orientations, although the images of Christ do not draw much attention. The arms of the cross flow into the cover’s seemingly different rectangular border, dividing the remaining negative spaces between into symmetrical segments. Unlike the strict rigid angles of the front cover, there are significantly less right angles, which gives a sense of fluidity to the cross and contributes to the sense of movement at work in the cover as a whole. Additionally, the entire cover is unlike the front, as there are no sections of “pure” untouched materials; the segments carry a complex facade transformed by the intricate, swirly, meticulous material of the interweaving design, consistent among the entire cover. Amongst the precise metalwork, there is a large jewel in the middle of this irregularly-shaped segment. Finally, it is clear the artists of this time were fascinated with the idea of using small inset
gems to provide color to the piece. Colorful precious jewels and other materials create a specific stylistic approach, but also dominates the initial impression of the cover as it is almost everywhere one looks: in the center of the cross, border of the cover, even in the fine details amongst the metalwork. The intricacy of the cover is striking because there are no surfaces left blank; medievals cared for fine craftsmanship and metalworking. It seems as though this time period cared deeply about aesthetics as well as an impression of appreciation that would form from part of the viewer’s initial reaction. The popular viewer of Medieval art mostly likely viewed these covers with an eye that was primarily interested in an aesthetic experience.
The people that had the most access to these covers were probably the best able to analyze and take in the symbolism of the covers. This small viewing audience would, because of their familiarity of these specific objects or with Christianity, be better able to find more complex meanings embedded in the covers. These two ornamental styles (each with a dramatically different impression) stem from two different Medieval traditions: on the one hand, Nordic and Hiberno-Saxon traditions, on the other hand, from the Carolingian era. The lower cover is a clear example of the Nordic traditions of art, starting from the interlacing of the metalwork found in the segments crowning the cross. The interlacing is a clear example of Celtic traditional art as Christianity had flourished in Ireland since the mid-fifth century. The style of the native Celtic spirals and knotwork are especially evident in Christian manuscript paintings. Celtic decoration was known for its attention to detail on the outwards and inwards detail of a scripture, as the craftsman were concerned about looking at each gospel or religious text fairly closely. Here an emphasis was placed on highly intricate, abstract, flat and stylized designs, rarely with any narrative figurative imagery. This was most likely due to the fact that they thought of these works as high-status objects,
meant to mirror the amount of importance and angelic status of the contents themselves. While the objects were high status and had prestige because of their craftsmanship in a secular sense, this craftsmanship also proved their worth as a gift to God. The artist’s motivation were to bring those who were unfamiliar with Christianity to find a sense of relatability to the holy book. While the main decorative motif is a cross, the arms of which broaden at their ends are also a clear depiction of the style for this time. The upper cover, is a perfect example of the Roman Carolingian art during this time. During the early 9th-century, the “Holy Roman Emporer” Charlemagne became a huge influence to the artists and scribes of this time. Named after his crowning by Pope Leo III, he was known as a secular leader with religious responsibility. In the context of Christian book covers, preciousness was of vital importance. To Charlemagne, the use of gold in ancient books stems from his opinion on the importance of symbolizing imperial culture, which can explain the use of gold throughout the cover. In further interpreting the upper cover, an emotional transformation would occur in the viewer, from grief when looking at the figures to wonder and awe when focusing on the materiality. The gold, gems, and pearls allow the very materiality of the cover to symbolize sacredness and imperialism, as well as the tragedy of Christ’s death. In the upper cover, the ornamental play of materials in contrast to the emotive grief of the figures proclaims the triumph of Christ’s resurrection and the promise of everlasting life in paradise for the good Christian. The depiction of Christ’s crucifixion may represent part of the narrative of Christ’s Passion, the precious materiality throughout completes the Crucifixion story. Lost in both approaches is a sustained analysis of how the visual language of the cover itself works, how it might be read, and how a combination of form and active interpretation work to produce meaning for the viewer.
The role of a book cover, a frame meant to enclose some interior text, in its entirety functions as ornament for the text of the inner book. The union of the two covers that created an enclosure for these covers affirms to certain historical shifts. The later cover, known for being figurative, narrative, and legible, is made the front cover; the earlier cover, celebrated for being intricate, complex, and abstract, becomes the back cover. Whoever bound the two covers together by leather must have seen the connections between them like the emphasis on Christ and the cross, the repetition of the number four in each design, and the regalness conveyed by each. Studying the two Lindau covers in conjunction demonstrates how two drastically unique ornamental styles and historical influences can work, and how their specific designs carry meaning for a viewer on a range of collective levels. Each cover commands a different type of viewing, yet closely looking at the two points to how styles and historical tradition dictate how viewers interact with what they see when looking at artistic relics. The differing characteristics suggest that they were each made specifically to entice a targeted congregation of people and be understood by those worshippers. As the two covers are compared side by side, each cover reveals the true motivation of the artists of their time.