c. 1000
Gold, jewels and ivory, 334 x 242 mm
Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, Munich
The Gospel Book of Otto III (emperor 983-1002) is one of the most spectacular and luxurious of all imperial manuscripts. It survives in its original treasure binding set with jewels and classical intaglios around a tenth-century Byzantine ivory of the Dormition of the Virgin.
