Among the most active patrons of the arts were the Ottonian kings themselves. In
a Gospel book made for Otto III—a work fit for royal consumption—the full
achievement of Ottonian culture is made clear. Plate 4.4 shows one of 29 full-page
miniatures in this manuscript, whose binding alone—set with countless gems around
a Byzantine carved ivory—was worth a fortune. The figure of the evangelist Luke
emerges from a pure gold-leaf background, while the purple of his dress and the
columns that frame him recall imperial majesty. At the same time, Luke is clearly of
another world, and his Gospels have here become a theological vision.
