WOVEN WORDS IN THE LINDISFARNE GOSPELS by Chiara Valle A dissertation submitted to Johns Hopkins University in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Baltimore, Maryland July, 2015 Abstract This dissertation investigates the meanings and function of the five ornamental pages that decorate the Lindisfarne Gospels (London, British Library, Cotton Nero D.IV), a Gospel book produced in the British Isles, most likely in the Isle of Lindisfarne, around 720 CE. Along with the ornament, the manuscript is embellished with portraits of the Evangelists and display scripts. Since the publication of a facsimile edition in 1960, the manuscript has been widely studied. A vast bibliography has explored the meanings of the miniatures, analyzing the ornament within the early medieval pictorial tradition of the Mediterranean basin. The present research relies on these studies, and takes a slightly different perspective by examining the ways that the ornamental pages work within the book itself. Interpreting each carpet page in light of the preceding portrait and the following text, it explores the ways in which the written and figurative languages share means of construction with the ornamental pages and enhance their metamorphic nature. The carpet pages transform the geometric shapes into crosses, they blur the positive and the negative spaces, they reveal and hide crosses and geometric shapes. This dissertation interprets the ornament not so much as a static image, but rather as a composition in motion that exists in tension between figurative and abstract, between mimicked materials and pure signs. The fluid and transformative character of the carpet pages prompts the beholder to assume an interpretative role, discerning new patterns and shapes each time he looks at the ornament. As a whole, the dissertation demonstrates that ornament is a progressive element. The carpet pages activate the beholder’s senses and the paradoxes of perception: they mimic textiles and enamels that cannot be touched; they show crosses and forms that disappear in the background; the intricacy of the carpet pages makes the viewer’s eyes wander within the pictorial composition and act on its ii meanings each time the viewer looks at it. The obscurity of the carpet pages provides an obstacle even to the most educated eyes, and by hiding more than revealing the Word, it enegages with the nature of an invisible divine. iii Acknowledgements This dissertation would not have been possible without the kind assistance and wise guidance of many people. I owe the greatest thanks to Professor Herbert L. Kessler. Through his challenging questions, creative suggestions, and precise and critical examinations of my ideas, Professor Kessler consistently inspired me to work harder and think more thoroughly than I ever had. At the Johns Hopkins University, I was constantly encouraged by Professor Nino Zchomelidse and Professor Felipe Pereda, and at the Walters Art Museum by Dr. Martina Bagnoli. This dissertation has been improved immensely by who, having no obligations to me, nonetheless offered their time and their thoughts. I look forward thanking them each in a more direct and enjoyable manner. The graduate students in the Department of the History of Art have accompanied the writing and developing of this dissertation providing feedback and comments especially those who participated the ABD group. Many people made my graduate studies richer and much more fun, Cecilia Benaglia, Katherine Bonil Gómez, Önder Çelik, Guillermo Garcia Montufar, Yonatan Glazer-Eytan, Misha Mintz-Roth, Michele Moscaritolo, Emma McGlennen, Daniella Coderre Porras, Martin Schaffhauser, Chitra Venkataramani, Alberto Virdis, and many others that it is impossible to list here. A special thank to those friends who offered their time to listen and read my text, sharing thoughts and questions: Lauren Bucca, Stephanie Joyal, Christopher Mergen, Meredith Raucher, and Kimber Wiegand. Over the past three years I have had the opportunity and pleasure to serve as the Zanvyl Krieger Curatorial Fellow in the Department of Manuscripts and Rare Books at the Walters Art Museum, now joined to the Department of Medieval Art iv under the head of Dr. Martina Bagnoli. I thank Dr. Bagnoli for her bright presence, her teachings and her wise advice. I thank Charles Dibble for editing the text and improving my English with accuracy and patience. I offer this dissertation to Giovanni. v Table of Contents Abstract ......................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgements ..................................................................................................... iv Table of Contents ........................................................................................................ vi List of Figures ........................................................................................................... viii Introduction The Ornament’s Fluidity .................................................................................................. xix The Structure of the Study ................................................................................................ xxi The Manuscript’s Original Setting .................................................................................. xxv Chapter 1. Behind the Curtain: The Paradox of a Face We Cannot See Introduction: The Evangelist Portraits Make the Word Visible .......................................... 1 The Matthew Portrait ........................................................................................................... 2 The Mark Portrait .............................................................................................................. 24 The Luke Portrait............................................................................................................... 27 The John Portrait ............................................................................................................... 30 The Veil as a Metaphor of Painting ................................................................................... 34 Chapter 2. The Geometric Construction of the Evangelist Portraits A Mistaken Perspective ..................................................................................................... 37 The Geometric Shapes in the Evangelist Portraits ............................................................ 39 Scriba Velox in Lege Moysi: Ezra and the Spiritual Interpretation of Scripture ............... 47 The Geometric shapes in the Matthew and John Portraits ................................................ 60 Chapter 3. Visual Ambiguities in the Carpet Pages Introduction: The Carpet Pages and the Origin of Their Name ........................................ 70 The Layout of the Carpet Pages ........................................................................................ 74 The Jerome Carpet Page .................................................................................................... 75 vi The Matthew Carpet Page ................................................................................................. 85 The Mark Carpet Page ....................................................................................................... 92 The Luke Carpet Page ....................................................................................................... 95 The John Carpet Page ...................................................................................................... 100 Chapter 4. Versus Intexti: Weaving Words and Images Textiles as Metaphor of the Obscurity of Christ’s Dual Nature ...................................... 106 Painting as Living Writing .............................................................................................. 112 Constructing the Veil in the Beholder’s Mind ................................................................ 120 Woven Words .................................................................................................................. 124 Weaving Images .............................................................................................................. 134 Conclusion The Ornament as a Process ............................................................................................. 140 Ornamental Language as an Act...................................................................................... 144 Bibliography ............................................................................................................. 148 Figures ....................................................................................................................... 190 vii List of Figures 1. Folio 25v, The Evangelist Matthew, Lindisfarne Gospels, ca. 700-720, Lindisfarne. Cotton Nero D.IV, British Library, London. 2. Folio 93v, The Evangelist Mark, Lindisfarne Gospels, ca. 700-720, Lindisfarne. Cotton Nero D.IV, British Library, London. 3. Folio 137v, The Evangelist Luke, Lindisfarne Gospels, ca. 700-720, Lindisfarne. Cotton Nero D.IV, British Library, London. 4. Folio 209v, The Evangelist John, Lindisfarne Gospels, ca. 700-720, Lindisfarne. Cotton Nero D.IV, British Library, London. 5. Folio 2v, Jerome Carpet Page, Lindisfarne Gospels, ca. 700-720, Lindisfarne. Cotton Nero D.IV, British Library, London. 6. Folio 26v, Matthew Carpet Page, Lindisfarne Gospels, ca. 700-720, Lindisfarne. Cotton Nero D.IV, British Library,