The History of a Medieval Masterpiece

Join Joshua O'Driscoll, Assistant Curator of Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts, for a virtual exploration of a 1,200-year-old book that forms the cornerstone of the renowned collection of illuminated manuscripts at the Morgan Library & Museum. Known as the Lindau Gospels (MS M.1), this ninth-century gospel book is famous for its jewelled covers, which are in fact much older than the manuscript they now adorn. No less spectacular are the precious Byzantine and Near-Eastern textiles lining the inside of the covers, as well as the richly illuminated pages of the manuscript itself. Taking into account these various aspects, and more, this talk will consider the Lindau Gospels as a composite object, emphasizing the types of evidence scholars have used to construct its history and the many mysteries that still remain.

Held Wednesday, July 1, 2020.