Materializing the word: Ottonian treasury bindings and viewer reception

Ornately bound gospel books served as the centerpieces of liturgical and imperial ceremonies throughout early eleventh-century Germany. This project is the first examination of Ottonian treasury bindings as a discrete type and explores the ways in which these covers negotiated the complex relationships between viewers and the Word of God. A cross-disciplinary approach that draws on reception theory, aesthetics, history, liturgical studies, cognitive psychology, and neuroscience is used to provide a new model for working with liturgical objects once dismissed as primarily decorative. Chapter 1 introduces the six case studies of the project: the Codex Aureus of Echternach (Nuremberg, Germanisches Nationalmuseum); the Reichenau Gospels (Munich, Clm 4454); the Pericopes of Henry II (Munich, Clm 4452); the Uta Codex (Munich, Clm 13601); the Theophanu Gospels (Essen, Münsterschatz); and the Aachen Covers (Domschatz). The second chapter explores the traditions of early medieval cover design, which Ottonian creators copied and adapted. I propose that the patrons and artists of the treasury bindings utilized visual formulae in order to efficiently communicate with audiences. Chapter 3 begins with a reconstruction of the Easter liturgy of Bamberg Cathedral, and then examines the other ceremonies in which treasury bindings were used to establish the original viewing contexts of the covers. Further situating the covers, the chapter ends with an exploration of the role of luxury bindings in the collections of religious institutions and elite patrons. The final chapter explores the Ottonians’ relationship to the written word, and offers an innovative analysis of how treasury bindings captured viewer attention and functioned in a performative context. To highlight how precious materials shaped viewer reception, the chapter reconciles a variety of medieval statements about the function and meaning of such materials with the findings of modern neuroscientists and cognitive psychologists. I demonstrate that Ottonian artists exploited innate and learned responses to different visual elements, such as reflective materials, centralized compositions, and the human face, in order to attract viewer attention. These visually captivating covers then reflected and amplified the spoken words of the liturgy and provided visual exegesis about the contained scripture.Ph.D.Includes bibliographical referencesby Susannah D. Fishe