Lecture Martine Meuwese: The Utrecht Pontifical Puzzle

In this lecture organised by the Utrecht University Centre for Medieval Studies (UUCMS), medieval art historian Martine Meuwese will address the puzzle of the medieval Pontifical of Saint Mary. She will discuss how we could solve the unresolved riddles surrounding the book by looking at the iconography of the manuscript images.

The pontifical of Saint Mary

The Utrecht Master of Catherine of Cleves is world-famous for his high-quality and inventive decoration of several books of hours. It is less well known that he also illuminated a pontifical, a book used by a bishop that contains texts about liturgies. The book is now kept in the Utrecht University Library and is dated to around 1450. 

This medieval manuscript is called the ‘Pontifical of Saint Mary’ because it was kept in Saint Mary’s Church in the sixteenth century. This is the only surviving medieval pontifical made in the Northern Netherlands.

A puzzle in progress

Pontificals can contain visual signs of power, show personal preferences, or highlight local events in the illustration. We are not certain for whom this pontifical was made due to the complex Utrecht Schism (a feud about the legitimate prince-bishop of Utrecht) and because seven leaves were removed from the manuscript at some point. 

Unlike the books of hours illuminated by the Master of Catherine of Cleves, the iconography of the Utrecht pontifical, especially the marginal decoration, has been less well researched. It is a puzzle in progress, with many complications, which nevertheless could shed some light on the commissioner and the historical situation through the eyes of the Master of Catherine of Cleves.