Altre influenze della scuola di corte di Carlo Magno a Tours

The Weingarten Gospels (Stuttgart, Württembergische Landesbibliothek, HB II 40), produced around the third decade of the 9th century, is possibly the earliest decorated Gospel book survived from the scriptorium at the Abbey of St. Martin in Tours. It is decorated with a Maiestas Domini page and a set of Evangelists’ portraits, which eventually become the typical frontispieces of Touronian illustration in Gospel books. Wilhelm Koehler stated that the source of the miniatures was a Roman manuscript of the 7th century. However, the stylistic disparities among the miniatures suggest that the late antique model was probability incomplete and that some elements were added by Touronian artists. This paper aims to show that such elements came from the works of the court school of Charlemagne. Previously unobserved ornamental motifs in the Eusebian Canon tables offer some tangible evidence for this. The study highlights the significant role played by the court Gospel books during the early stages of manuscript illumination in Tours, questioning the idea of a prevailing influence of the Rheims school on this initial phase.