PotamianosHomem_ImageAnnotation7

The iconography of the St. Gall Gospels parallels that of both the Rabbula Gospels and the Durham Gospels. This comparison is noteworthy, as the Syriac Rabbula Gospels were produced in 586 at “the monastery of Saint John in Beth Zagba” in contain the earliest extant illumination of the Crucifixion (Weitzmann, 495). In all three, “he is flanked by the lance bearer and the sponge-bearer”, although the lance bearer is not identified as Longinus in this image, unlike the Rabbula Gospels (Farr, O’Reilley, and Mullins, 170). This iconography of Christ simultaneously being stabbed by the lance and offered the sponge is noteworthy, as it departs from the biblical account of the crucifixion (John 19:32) in favour of making a “theological statement” (Farr, O’Reilley, and Mullins, 170). Therefore, Farr, O’Reilley, and Mullins assert that “the visual symmetry of sponge and spear…[symbolise] the unity in Christ’s person of his humanity” (Farr, O’Reilley, and Mullins, 171). The Durham Gospels, produced in the late seventh century, appear to have been a particularly rich source of influence for the St Gall Gospels, as “the two heavenly beings above the cross, the two earthly figures below with spear and sponge, and the distinctive cup-shape of the sponge[,] do not appear in combination elsewhere in pre-Romanesqye Northumbria. (Farr, O’Reilley, and Mullins, 186).Martin MacNamara, focusing more specifically on the content of the St Gall Gospels, noted its use of “an ancient tradition transmitted in Latin gospel texts…of interpolating” John 19:34, “the spearing of Christ’s side into Matthew’s…description of how one of those who stood at the cross proffered Christ a sponge” (Farr, O’Reilley, and Mullins, 187). This assertion is supported by the interpolation on page 75 of the manuscript, which states, “another, however, having taken a lance, pierced his side and water and blood came out” (Farr, O’Reilley, and Mullins, 187).Therefore, both texts can be considered “visual responses to a shared inheritance of ancient interpretative traditions about the Gospel faith and the mysterium Christi, on which Insular Latin writers also drew” (Farr, O’Reilley, and Mullins, 202).

The Crucifixion in the St Gall Gospels

The Durham Gospels

The Rabbula Gospels

The first Insular scriptorium was established by the Bishop of Hexam, located in Northumbria, in 634. Geographically, Northumbria was significant as this was where Æthelberht of Kent converted to Christianity, becoming the first Anglo-Saxon king to do so. While Christianity lapsed in the area after his death, it was revived by King Oswald of Northumbria, during whose reign the first scriptoria were established, indicating that conversion was a very top-down process in the British Isles. The image of the Crucifixion appears on the penultimate page 266 of the St Gall Gospels, opposite “the vision of Christ coming again in glory” (Farr, O’Reilley, and Mullins, 194). Farr, O’Reilley, and Mullins have noted that “visually the scene is strongly linked to that of the crucifixion” and therefore prompt the viewer to reflect “on what else connects these two scenes” (Farr, O’Reilley and Mullins, 194). As such, “the Saint Gall Gospels more closely approximates the parousia, the appearance of Christ at the end of time” (Farr, O’Reilley, and Mullins, 195).

Insular Manuscripts

Parousia, folio 267

Lack of titulus

This depiction of the crucifixion lacks a titulus on the cross. The titulus is described in John 19:19: “Pilate wrote a title, and put it on the cross. And the writing was Jesus of Nazareth the King of the Jews”, often abbreviated as INRI.

Pair of angels

Farr, O’Reilley, and Mullins note that these figures are not “cherubim or seraphim but angels holding books” (Farr, O’Reilley, and Mullins, 187).

The Lancebearer

This lancebearer, identified as Longinus in other manuscripts, is unnamed in the St Gall Gospels. Significantly, “a stream of blood from Christ’s wounded left side” hits his eye, referencing an “apocryphal story that blood from the wound healed Longinus of blindness” (Farr, O’Reilley, and Mullins, 187). Moreover, “this narrative detail [draws the reader] to follow Longinus’s gaze” towards the body of Christ, making a “play on physical sight and spiritual seeing” (Farr, O’Reilley, and Mullins, 187).

Questions

Why are Christ's hands and feet blue and red?How was the iconography of the simultaneous lance and sponge bearer transmitted to these artists?When and how did this manuscript, presumably written by Irish monks, come to be in Switzerland?

Insular manuscripts are characterised by syncretism, both textually and visually, as these manuscripts were primarily used for conversion, requiring them to be canonical, preserving the gospels’ integrity. As such, while imagery had to stay somewhat consistent, there was room for innovation, such as depicting Jesus with blond hair as done here. Visually, illuminators drew from German, Celtic, and Antique precedents to create a novel “Insular” style. The complicated knots of Jesus’s robes are drawn from German tradition, an inheritance from Hallstatt culture. The Hallstatt culture (1200-500 BCE) arose as a result of the great migration of Indo-Europeans from the steppes of Russia and was important in defining the character of Celtic culture. Hallstatt culture was succeeded by La Tène culture (500-550), which covered an equally broad geographic range. While there was no definitive break between the two, artistically, La Tène produced objects with a clearer Classical influence, as well as patterning and animal work. Metalwork was a crucial part of La Tène, and thus Celtic art, because of the apparent emphasis on skill and technique. Celtic metalwork is often defined by its symbolic naturalism, geometric patterning, and interlacing, all of which are represented in this manuscript folio. The abstract, curvilinear designs of the border are primarily associated with Celtic metalwork precedents. The knots of figure robes are also reminiscent of the vine motif often employed by Insular artists working from Mediterranean antique models, as are the human figures.

An Insular Style?

The imagery of the Gundestrup Cauldron demonstrates an interest in symbolic naturalism and anthropomorphic qualities that one might more closely associate with “Celtic” art. However, it also possesses pseudo-classicising elements.

Interlacing

The complicated knotwork of Christ’s robe is reminiscent of the interlacing seen on the Sutton Hoo belt buckle.