St. Mark from a Gospel book produced at Corbie Abbey

Date Early 12th century

Movement Mature Romanesque

Medium Tempera on vellum

Dimensions 10.75 x 7.875″

Provenance Corbie Abbey, France

Housed at Bibliothèque Municipale, Amiens, France

The illumination here in many ways resembles Romanesque architecture; for example, the criss-crossed legs of St. Mark liken to the zig-zagging lions on the Moissac trumeau. Swirling features, such as the flowing drapery around the arch and the lion’s mane, hearken back to the works produced at Reims; however, that sections are filled with only solid colors implies two-dimensionality.