Astor 1-an early Saxon manuscript in the New York Public Library

The intention of this study is to examine the text and the decoration of Astor 1 with a three-fold purpose: to extend our knowledge of this early Ottonian Gospel Lectionary which up to now has not been given a monographic study; to trace the sources of the figural cycle and the ornament; and to explain why the manuscript should be separated from the group of Saxon manuscripts localized to Corvey with which it is usually associated.;Chapter II contains a description of the manuscript itself with special attention to the gatherings, the condition of the manuscript, the page layout, and a discussion of the contents of the missing pages.;In Chapter III the lections for the various feasts of the annual cycle and their arrangement are discussed in relation to two established types of Gospel lists.;In Chapter IV the figural cycle is described in detail and then analysed in order to trace the sources of the Evangelist types, the ornamented grounds, the Four-Symbol page and the representation of Christ enthroned. Our research has revealed an integration of late Carolingian influences from both the Court School of Charles the Bald and Franco-Saxon centres of manuscript production resulting in figural representations which differ from those found in the group of Saxon manuscripts from Corvey.;Chapter I presents a history of the manuscript in modern times as well as a review of earlier research in order to assess the state of the question regarding the date of the manuscript, its location, and the sources of the figural cycle and the ornament.;Chapter V contains a catalogue of the ornament. We have described the initials, initial pages and title pages, and the numerous framed text pages.;In Chapter VI we have attempted to establish the sources of the ornament. Influences from both Franco-Saxon centres of manuscript production and other late Carolingian schools are revealed. We have attempted to show that though a similar vocabulary of motifs also appears in the group of Saxon manuscripts located to Corvey, suggesting models from the same sources, these motifs are used differently in the New York Lectionary. (Abstract shortened with permission of author.).