Chapter 11 / Four Evangelists

Carolingian art / c. 820

Education was a very important part of Charlemagne's Roman revival, so manuscripts played a significant role in his goals of restoring the culture of antiquity. The fact that manuscripts were portable made them a very practical form of artistic and educational communication.

The Four Evangelists, shown above, are from a Carolingian Gospel book. The manuscript depicts the four saints (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) with their respective symbols. Matthew is shown with a an angel, Mark with a lion, Luke with an ox and John with an eagle. All symbols are shown with wings. The background to the painting is rolling hells, but the focus is clearly on the four evangelists. The fact that each man is shown with just a hint of red really draws the observer's attention towards them. The background colors are pretty muted grey and blue, save for the hint of a sunset in the background. Each gospel writer is shown facing away from the others, indicating a unity (because of the symmetry) but also a separation since they don't seem to be working together.

The artist's choices of symbols for each of the gospel writers is very intentional. Matthew's is an angel since he typically focuses on Jesus in the human form. Mark speaks of Jesus in a very courageous light, so it would make sense that a lion, which is often seen as an animal symbolizing courage, is used. Luke's symbol is an ox which represents that he sees and writes about Jesus in a way of strength and sacrifice, since he gives a lot of attention to Jesus' sacrifice on the cross. Finally, John's symbol is a an eagle, which is a pretty magical creature that holds a lot of grace and can fly. This manuscript is full of iconography and meaning behind every brush stroke.