The Golden Gospels of Henry III , also Codex Aureus of Speyer or Speyer Gospels (Speyerer Evangeliar), ( El Escorial , Real Biblioteca, Cod. Vitrinas 17) is an eleventh-century illuminated Gospel Book . The manuscript contains the Vulgate versions of the four gospels plus prefatory matter including the Eusebian canon tables . It was probably produced at the Abbey of Echternach under the patronage of Henry III, Holy Roman Emperor . In 1046, Henry donated the manuscript to Speyer Cathedral to commemorate the dedication of the cathedral's high altar .

The manuscript has 171 folios which measure 500 mm (20 in) by 335 mm (13.2 in) and is lavishly illuminated. It contains 13 full page miniatures , and 43 half-page miniatures, 12 decorated pages of canon tables, and over 40 other decorated pages half-page initials.

The manuscript was later owned by Maximilian I . It was later located in the Netherlands, where it was owned by Maximilian's daughter Margaret and granddaughter Mary . While in the Netherlands, the manuscript was used by Erasmus . It was subsequently acquired by Philip II, King of Spain , who donated it to the monastery at El Escorial.

Stylistically, it is related to the so-called Emperor's Bible , presently in Uppsala University Library , Sweden. ^[1]

See also [ edit ]

• Codex Aureus (disambiguation)

References [ edit ]

• Walther, Ingo F. and Norbert Wolf. Codices Illustres: The world's most famous illuminated manuscripts, 400 to 1600 . Koln, TASCHEN, 2005.

Further reading [ edit ]

• Dodwell, C. R. The Pictorial Arts of the West, 800-1200 . New Haven: Yale University Press, 1993.