The Stammheim Missal (Getty Museum Studies on Art) [Paperback]

Elizabeth Teviotdale (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 19, 2001 | ISBN-10: 089236615X | ISBN-13: 978-0892366156 | Edition: 1

The Stammheim Missal is one of the most visually dazzling and theologically ambitious works of German Romanesque art. Containing the text recited by the priest and the chants sung by the choir at mass, the manuscript was produced in Lower Saxony around 1160 at Saint Michael's Abbey at Hildesheim, a celebrated abbey in medieval Germany.
This informative volume features color illustrations of all the manuscript's major decorations. The author surveys the manuscript, its illuminations, and the circumstances surrounding its creation, then explores the tradition of the illumination of mass books and the representation of Jewish scriptures in Christian art. Teviotdale then considers the iconography of the manuscript's illuminations, identifies and translates many of its numerous Latin inscriptions, and finally considers the missal and its visually sophisticated and religiously complex miniatures as a whole.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Bishop Bernward of 12th-century Germany loved art and brought beauty to the monastery of Saint Michael at Hildesheim, as evidenced by the Stammheim Missal, an illuminated manuscript created by at least five monks there. A liturgical book containing rituals for Mass, songs, and scripture, it was kept in the treasury, which preserved its bright pigments and gleaming gold through the centuries. The J. Paul Getty Museum acquired the manuscript for an undisclosed sum in 1997. In his examination of the missal, Teviotdale, associate curator of manuscripts at the Getty and associate at the Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies at UCLA, discusses its history, art, and theological impact. Aimed at informed students, the text is light and understandable, with a useful glossary at the back. While an index would have been nice, the organization and size make this a useable volume. A respectable debut for the "Getty Museum Studies on Art" series, this book is recommended for larger public libraries and academic libraries. Karen Ellis, Nicholson Memorial Lib. Syst., Garland, TX
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Elizabeth Teviotdale is associate curator of manuscripts at the Getty Museum.

Product Details

• Paperback: 100 pages
• Publisher: J. Paul Getty Museum; 1 edition (April 19, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 089236615X
• ISBN-13: 978-0892366156
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.6 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,354,510 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #24 in Books > Arts & Photography > Schools, Periods & Styles > Romanesque

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A treasure of Romanesque art, July 30, 2005

By 

K. Maxwell "katmax1" (Sydney, Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Stammheim Missal (Getty Museum Studies on Art) (Paperback)

The Stammhein Missal was painted in the 12th century in northern Germany at the monastery of Saint Michael at Hildesheim and remained in the abbey till 1803 when the monastery was secularized. This is an outstanding work of Romanesque art with a variety of full page miniatures all enhanced with liberal amounts of gold and silver leaf.

The original book is in excellent condition and currently resides in the Getty Museum. This small book on the manuscript takes you through the history of the missal, and illustrates all the main carpet pages of the book with most of the images in colour. It is not a full reproduction of the manuscript but it is enough to let you know that you are looking at an extraordinary book that has survived in remarkable condition and this is probably the closest most of us will ever get to such a lovely early manuscript like this.

Recommended if you want to know more about Romanesque illuminated manuscripts (they are very different from the later medieval books) or to get an insight into a book which is rarely otherwise seen in art and illumination books.