A sumptuous collection of images awaits readers of this volume, a revised version of Susan Marti's University of Zurich dissertation: following the table of contents are 32 full-page color plates, mostly miniatures from five manuscripts long associated with the Engelberg community. Whereas the title suggests a wide-ranging examination of manuscript production in the double monastery, founded in 1124 near Lucerne in central Switzerland, the author's focus is five psalter manuscripts. Two are housed in Engelberg: Cod. 60 and Cod. 62; the other three are in England: London Ms. Add. 22279, London Ms. Add. 22280, and Manchester Ms. lat. 95. All date from the first half of the fourteenth century, contain a "Psalterium non feriatum"--the 150 Psalms in biblical order without antiphons and responsories--and are similar in format, layout, content, and style. Previous scholarship identified all five with Engelberg; however, the relationship of each manuscript to the Benedictine community and in particular to the women's house of St. Andreas is re-evaluated here. A sixth codex, the Engelberg Psalter (Cod. 61), occasionally is discussed as well, especially for comparative purposes.
The volume is arranged so that chapters of text alternate with sections consisting solely of images. As noted above, the first set of images are in color; the rest are in black and white. Following a brief introduction, in which scholarship to date regarding the manuscripts is summarized, the author characterizes the illuminated psalter as a book type. Whereas in the thirteenth century richly decorated psalters were produced for religious and laity, by the fourteenth century there was a preference for unilluminated breviaries in the monastic milieu and for illuminated books of hours in private devotions, especially among the laity. For this reason, the five manuscripts under discussion here, with their extensive picture cycles and rich decoration, are all the more exceptional. Marti describes the picture cycle in each, cataloging distinctive features as well as commonalities, e.g., the prevalence of images of the childhood and Passion of Jesus in all manuscripts except Ms. Add. 22279.
In the second chapter the author turns her attention to the Engelberg community, unique in Europe due to the fact that its double monastery survived for 500 years: in 1615 the nuns moved to Sarnen, but Benedictine monks still live at Engelberg today. Evidence concerning the layout of the community, the holdings of the library, the relationship between the male and female religious residing there, and the daily monastic life is sparse. A fire in the women's community in 1449 accounts for the dearth of written records from the earliest years. Calendars in breviaries provide some names and dates unquestionably associated with the community that can serve as criteria for identifying the provenance of other manuscripts.
In the next chapter Marti undertakes an examination of the textual additions to the five psalter manuscripts: the calendars, litanies, and prayers. She is able to identify similarities with other manuscripts whose origins are undisputed; these are from Engelberg as well as other communities in the Constance diocese. Necrologies as well as annotations by and about previous owners (Besitzvermerke) that often provide evidence of manuscript provenance, prove to be of limited use. The commentaries do, however, offer evidence of a manuscript exchange between Engelberg and Sarnen, and in the case of the London and Manchester manuscripts, give indications how the volumes made there way across the English Channel.
The author delves into other aspects of the psalter manuscripts in the subsequent three chapters. First, she examines the production process based upon criteria such as types of decoration and handwriting style. In the case of Cod. 61 two hands can be identified: one was a literate individual who read well and understood the text she was copying, but the other made contributions to the manuscript that do not betray such abilities. In Ms. Add. 22280 features such as differences between initials and miniatures and the inclusion of a coat of arms suggest that the concept for the manuscript was changed after production had begun. The remaining four manuscripts reveal varying degrees of similarity; the relationships among them are summarized in a table (131). Whether nuns or monks served as scribes and painters cannot be ascertained. Noteworthy is the emergence of city ateliers and the probable involvement at the time of lay persons in the production of manuscripts, including those for monastic use. Marti posits various scenarios regarding production responsibilities in Engelberg: folios or entire quires might have been transported to another location--monastic or secular--decorated, and returned. A lay artist or one from another religious community might have visited Engelberg to assist in specialized decorating. In many cases the artist--lay or religious--would have needed or required guidance in order to represent the image or decoration with the desired nuances. The psalter manuscripts contain painting instructions (Malanweisungen), sometimes in Latin and sometimes in the vernacular. In at least one case, Ms. Add. 22279, the instructions may have served to edify the reader as well.
In the next chapter Marti identifies models and sources of images that may have influenced the decoration of the psalter manuscripts. As possibly the oldest manuscripts, Ms. Add. 22279 and Ms. lat. 95 could themselves have served as the models for the other three. Two scenes rare for any psalter--Christ as the good shepherd and Mary as intercessor--might be attributable to the influence of a manuscript of the Mirror of Salvation (Heilsspiegel). Similarities in decoration are found not only in manuscript sources but also on paraments. In the second decade of the fourteenth century Agnes of Hungary is said to have given fine material to the Engelberg community, from which ecclesiastical vestments were made; a cope known as the "Agnes-Mantel" ("Agnes-Coat") survives in Engelberg. Given that the production of the textiles and of the psalter manuscripts took place around the same time, Marti theorizes a reciprocal influence between the two forms of artistic expression. The originality of the psalter manuscripts is betrayed in the way in which they diverge from the models. In the penultimate chapter Marti characterizes the distinct program behind the illuminations in each manuscript. In her comparison of Cod. 60 and Cod. 62, the author demonstrates how the centrality of Mary in the miniatures of the former stands in contrast to the moralizing scenes of the latter, suggesting a dissimilar purpose for each psalter manuscript. Based on her analyses of content and style Marti concludes that the origins of Cod. 60 and Cod. 62 unquestionably and Ms. lat. 95 probably can be identified with the women's community of St. Andreas at Engelberg. The provenance of Ms. add. 22279 also is presumably Engelberg, although not necessarily St. Andreas, and Ms. add. 22280 can be localized only to the Upper Rhine region.
Broader issues concerning the nature of artistic works by and for the Engelberg nuns are the focus of the final chapter: what opportunities did nuns have to produce art, how did the aesthetics of religious women differ from those of religious men, and how do the picture cycles in the psalter manuscripts compare to those whose provenance is unquestionably a woman's community? Unfortunately, there are few definitive answers. In the final pages the author again examines why such striking and unusual manuscripts were produced in the area at the time. Traditionally referred to as choir psalters (Chorpsalter), the manuscripts were in fact inappropriate for such use based on their size as well as their content. Whereas contemporaries preferred illuminated prayer books, in Engelberg the choice was decorated psalters, popular half a century earlier. Some of the nuns were from the nobility and might have brought such manuscripts with them since it was not uncommon for women to inherit books. However, the impetus for the flourishing of this artistic tradition in a cloistered environment may lie in the spiritual atmosphere of the time. During the first half of the fourteenth century the mystical tradition reached its peak among religious women in the German-speaking territories, in particular among Dominican women in southern Germany and Switzerland. As a Benedictine institution, Engelberg was not part of the tradition, but it was influenced by it. The intense spirituality of the Dominicans manifested itself through the arts--in the revelations and vitae of the nuns as well as in sculptures and devotional objects--and Engelberg was part of the Upper Rhine artistic tradition. Thus, it is possible to view the psalter manuscripts as a reflex of prevailing religious zeal. Just as Dominican women represented mystical ideas and ideals in their artistic work, those of the Benedictine order portrayed in their work aspects of spirituality that resonated most deeply with them, e.g., devotion to the Jesus Child and imitation of Mary. Like the mystics--or like any talented artists--the Engelberg religious also included more personal and less common depictions: Mary as intercessor or "Anna Selbdritt" (Anna, the Virgin Mary, and Jesus).
The volume concludes with several appendices. The first consists of a catalogue description of each of the five manuscripts; the second inventories the calendars, the third the litanies of All Saints, and the fourth the picture labels (Beischriften). Following the appendices are an index of all illuminations in the psalter manuscripts, a bibliography, and a list of abbreviations.
A word should be said about the format of the book. The text is presented in a column that covers the outer two-thirds of each page. The space closest to the binding is reserved for the notes; this allows them to be positioned more centrally on each page and avoids overcrowding of the text. As has been stated, the images are presented in groups, which are separated by chapters of text. Thus, when readers encounter a description or interpretation of an image, they must leaf through the book to find the plate. Occasionally readers will be disappointed, when, after reading about the stunning colors in an illumination, they can find only a black and white representation. It cannot be expected that images be reprinted at every point in the text where they are mentioned, and the costs involved with color reproduction are prohibitive. However, one wonders whether today's technology might not offer a solution. It is becoming quite common to post ancillary materials on the internet and include the URL in the book. In fact, the website of the Stiftsbibliothek in Engelberg, http://www.kloster-engelberg.ch/stiftsbibliothek.htm, currently features 23 color miniatures from Cod. 60--as well as a reference to Marti's study. How useful and convenient it would be for all images from the five psalter manuscripts to be available on this site in their original vibrant state, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of Marti's presentation and presenting the illuminations to the widest possible audience.
Given the remarkable artistic production associated with Engelberg, it is frustrating how little can be stated with certainty about the community and its traditions; again and again the author raises provocative questions, but can only leave the reader dangling because there is no concrete evidence to buttress her ideas. Despite this obstacle, Marti presents the material in a clear, careful, and thorough manner, bringing to the fore a wealth of noteworthy details regarding the manuscript production and iconography. Her meticulous descriptions of the images may be of particular interest to art historians, but her contextualization of them, particularly in terms of contemporaneous spirituality, make her study valuable to a much broader audience.