The Benedictional of St. Æthelwold
Produced in England, Winchester, Old Minster, 971–84
London, British Library, Additional MS 49598
This manuscript contains blessings for use at mass on different days of the ecclesiastical year. It was made for St. Æthelwold, Bishop of Winchester (963–84) and written by the scribe Godeman. A poem at the beginning of the manuscript tells us that Bishop Æthelwold commissioned it for his own use, and was personally involved in planning its ornamentation. It is one of the most extensively decorated surviving manuscripts from the Anglo-Saxon period.
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Open at fols. 24v–25r, depicting at left the Adoration of the Magi, and at right the Baptism of Christ.
Detail of fol. 24v, depicting the Adoration of the Magi.
Detail of fol. 25r, depicting the Baptism of Christ.
Image of fol. 67v, depicting the Holy Spirit descending on the Apostles on Pentecost.
Detail of fol. 68r, depicting the design across the top of the page.
Facsimile: The Benedictional of St. Æthelwold: A Masterpiece of Anglo-Saxon Art (London: The British Library, 2002)
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