The Four Evangelists

This ivory plaque, made in Germany (Lower Rhine, Cologne) in the mid 11th century depcits the four evangelists – Matthew, Mark, Luke and John – who held a special position among the saints as the authors of the Gospels. They often appeared on the covers of Gospel books. These small plaques would have been placed either in the corners or around a central plaque to form a cross.

The four plaques show the long-standing influence of the Carolingian style up until the middle of the eleventh century. The evangelist figures are clearly related in style to those found in manuscripts produced in Cologne and its environs in the mid-eleventh century.