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Source 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.

Scholar Source Context

Document identity
localId
130060
label
Gospel Book with Evangelist Portraits: Saint Mark
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
130060
contentType
object
title
Gospel Book with Evangelist Portraits: Saint Mark
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.
date
c. 1480
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q79911689
creators
543568
genreSpecific
Bound Volume
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Codex: 23 x 17 cm (9 1/16 x 6 11/16 in.)
cul
Germany, Middle Rhine
accession
1952.465.51.b
Source extras
tec
ink, tempera, and gold on vellum; original blind stamped leather binding
tombstone
Gospel Book with Evangelist Portraits: Saint Mark, c. 1480. Master of the House-Book (German, c. 1470–1500). Ink, tempera, and gold on vellum; original blind stamped leather binding; codex: 23 x 17 cm (9 1/16 x 6 11/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Mr. and Mrs. William H. Marlatt Fund, 1952.465.51.b
collection
MED - Manuscript Illuminations
citations
citation
The Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>The Cleveland Museum of Art Handbook.</em> Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1958.
page_number
Mentioned: cat. no. 192
citation
Pelgen, Franz L., and Nikolaus Nievergalt. Nikolaus Nievergalt aus Speyer und seine spätgotischen Altartafeln. Speyer : Pilgerverlag GmbH, 2021.
page_number
Mentioned: pp. 182; reproduced: p. 184 abb 161
creditline
Mr. and Mrs. William H. Marlatt Fund
updatedAt
2026-05-29 06:42:47.127000
sourceId
130060
dept
Medieval Art
coll
MED - Manuscript Illuminations
med
ink, tempera, and gold on vellum; original blind stamped leather binding
creatorTags
male
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
4d69b547bcc8058b