An important manuscript commissioned by a female patron almost a thousand years ago has been added to the collections of the J. Paul Getty Museum. Known as the Irmengard Codex, it contains 15 full-page illuminations.
The Irmengard Codex was created in Germany in the mid-11th century. Its patron, Irmengard of Nellenburg, was the niece of the Ottonian Emperor Henry II (973-1024). While the text of the manuscript was written between 1030 and 1050, the illuminations were added just after Irmengard’s husband and son were killed in 1053 at the Battle of Civitate.
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Saint Matthew, German, shortly after 1053 – Tempera colors, gold, and ink. Image courtesy of Dr. Guenther Rare Books AG, Basel – Getty Museum 2023.6.1v
The starkly beautiful illuminations, which are coloured with pinks, blues, and lavenders, include portraits of the four evangelists – Matthew, Mark, Luke and John – and images that highlight the most important feasts of the Christian calendar. Illuminations such as the Annunciation and the Three Marys at the Tomb are conceived as double-page spreads, with the scene spanning across both pages to form a single composition. This dramatic narrative device was also utilized in the final two-page spread featuring Irmengard and her husband offering the book itself to Christ and Saint Michael.
Saint Mark, German, shortly after 1053 – Tempera colors, gold, and ink. Image courtesy of Dr. Guenther Rare Books AG, Basel – Getty Museum 2023.6.2
“The Irmengard Codex represents the preeminent center of German illumination of the period, the Reichenau school, in which the powerful and theatrical figures underscore the stateliness of events they enact,” says Elizabeth Morrison, senior curator of manuscripts at the Getty Museum. “We have been unable to add any object from this remote era to the collection since the 1980s, so it is impossible to overstate the historic rarity of this acquisition.”
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Here are the remaining images:
Saint Luke, German, shortly after 1053 – Tempera colors, gold, and ink – Image courtesy of Dr. Guenther Rare Books AG, Basel – Getty Museum 2023.6.3vSaint John, German, shortly after 1053 – Tempera colors, gold, and ink – Image courtesy of Dr. Guenther Rare Books AG, Basel – Getty Museum 2023.6.4The Nativity, German, shortly after 1053 – Tempera colors, gold, and ink – Image courtesy of Dr. Guenther Rare Books AG, Basel – Getty Museum 2023.6.6vThe Annunciation to the Shephards, German, shortly after 1053 – Tempera colors, gold, and ink – Image courtesy of Dr. Guenther Rare Books AG, Basel – Getty Museum 2023.6.7The Women Approach the Empty Tomb of Christ, German, shortly after 1053 – Tempera colors, gold, and ink – Image courtesy of Dr. Guenther Rare Books AG, Basel – Getty Museum 2023.6.117vThe Angel at the Empty Tomb of Christ, German, shortly after 1053 Tempera colors, gold, and ink – Image courtesy of Dr. Guenther Rare Books AG, Basel – Getty Museum 2023.6.118The Ascension of Christ, German, shortly after 1053 – Tempera colors, gold, and ink – Image courtesy of Dr. Guenther Rare Books AG, Basel – Getty Museum 2023.6.142vPentacost, German, shortly after 1053 – Tempera colors, gold, and ink – Image courtesy of Dr. Guenther Rare Books AG, Basel – Getty Museum 2023.6.143The Miracle of Mount Gargano, German, shortly after 1053 – Tempera colors, gold, and ink – Image courtesy of Dr. Guenther Rare Books AG, Basel – Getty Museum 2023.6.210The Annunciation, Angel Gabriel, German, shortly after 1053 – Tempera colors, gold, and ink – Image courtesy of Dr. Guenther Rare Books AG, Basel – Getty Museum 2023.6.235vThe Annunciation, Virgin Mary, German, shortly after 1053 – Tempera colors, gold, and ink – Image courtesy of Dr. Guenther Rare Books AG, Basel – Getty Museum 2023.6.236Christ and Saint Michael, German, shortly after 1053 – Tempera colors, gold, and ink – Image courtesy of Dr. Guenther Rare Books AG, Basel – Getty Museum 2023.6.254Irmengard and Her Husband Werner, German, shortly after 1053 – Tempera colors, gold, and ink – Image courtesy of Dr. Guenther Rare Books AG, Basel – Getty Museum 2023.6.253v
Dr. Jörn Günther Rare Books announced that they had sold the Irmengard Codex to the museum, but no details on the price have been released. The manuscript will be showcased in an upcoming exhibition this fall. Please visit the Getty Museum website to learn more.
An important manuscript commissioned by a female patron almost a thousand years ago has been added to the collections of the J. Paul Getty Museum. Known as the Irmengard Codex, it contains 15 full-page illuminations.
The Irmengard Codex was created in Germany in the mid-11th century. Its patron, Irmengard of Nellenburg, was the niece of the Ottonian Emperor Henry II (973-1024). While the text of the manuscript was written between 1030 and 1050, the illuminations were added just after Irmengard’s husband and son were killed in 1053 at the Battle of Civitate.
The starkly beautiful illuminations, which are coloured with pinks, blues, and lavenders, include portraits of the four evangelists – Matthew, Mark, Luke and John – and images that highlight the most important feasts of the Christian calendar. Illuminations such as the Annunciation and the Three Marys at the Tomb are conceived as double-page spreads, with the scene spanning across both pages to form a single composition. This dramatic narrative device was also utilized in the final two-page spread featuring Irmengard and her husband offering the book itself to Christ and Saint Michael.
“The Irmengard Codex represents the preeminent center of German illumination of the period, the Reichenau school, in which the powerful and theatrical figures underscore the stateliness of events they enact,” says Elizabeth Morrison, senior curator of manuscripts at the Getty Museum. “We have been unable to add any object from this remote era to the collection since the 1980s, so it is impossible to overstate the historic rarity of this acquisition.”
Here are the remaining images:
Dr. Jörn Günther Rare Books announced that they had sold the Irmengard Codex to the museum, but no details on the price have been released. The manuscript will be showcased in an upcoming exhibition this fall. Please visit the Getty Museum website to learn more.
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