Key works of are those Illuminated manuscripts of the Carolingian period which are recognised in art historical scholarship as works of particular artistic significance (especially those included in general overviews).
The first work to be considered Carolingian is the Godescalc Evangelistary, which was created for Charlemagne between 781 and 783. Until this point, Merovingian and Insular illumination had continued without a breach. The developers of Carolingian illumination were the so-called "court school of Charlemagne" at the Palace of Aachen, which created the manuscripts of the "." Contemporary was the "Palace School" which was probably based in the same place, but whose artists were from Byzantium or Byzantine Italy. The codices of this school are also known as the "group of the Vienna Coronation Gospels" after their most outstanding examples. After the death of Charlemagne, the centre of illumination shifted to Rheims, Tours and Metz. Since the Court School dominated in the time of Charlemagne, it was more influential in later times than the works of the Palace School. The high point of Carolingian illumination came to an end in the late ninth century. In late Carolingian times a developed which incorporated forms from insular illumination, before a new epoch began at the end of the tenth century with the development of
| Image | Name | Date | Location, School | Contents | Inventory # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Godescalc Evangelistary | between 781 and 783 | Aachen (?) | Evangeliary
| Paris, Bibliothèque nationale, Ms. nouv. acq. lat. 1203 | |
| Montpellier Psalter | before 788 | Mondsee | Psalter
| Montpellier, Bibliothèque Interuniversitaire, Section Médicine, Ms. 409 | |
| Ada Gospels | c.790, second part at the beginning of the 9th century | Aachen, (Court School of Charlemagne) | Evangeliary | Trier,, Cod. 22 | |
| Saint-Martin-des-Champs Gospels or Paris Arsenal-Gospels | c. 790 | Aachen, Ada School (Court School of Charlemagne) | Evangeliary | Paris, Bibliothèque de l'Arsenal, Ms. 599 | |
| Dagulf Psalter | before 795 | Aachen, Ada School (Court School of Charlemagne) | Psalter | Vienna, Austrian National Library, Ms. 1861 | |
| St. Riquier Gospels, or Centula Gospels, or Abbeville Gospels | End of the eight century | Aachen, Ada School (Court School of Charlemagne) | Evangeliary | Abbeville, Bibliothèque municipale, Ms. 4 | |
| Vienna Coronation Gospels or Reich Gospels | shortly before 800 | Aachen (?), Vienna Coronation Gospels Group ("Palace School of Charlemagne") | Evangeliary; four full-page images of the Evangelists, 16 Canon tables; written with gold and silver letter on purple-dyed parchment | Vienna, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Schatzkammer Inv. XIII 18 | |
| c.800 | Saint-Amand Abbey (?) | Evangeliary; 18 Canon tables, two images of the Evangelists (originally four); Incipit and initial pages | Ghent, Sint-Baafskapittel, Ms. 13 | ||
| Charlemagne Gospels[1] | c.800 | Aachen, around the Court School of Charlemagne | Evangeliary | Munich,, Cim. 1 (= 2° Cod. ms. 29)[2] | |
| Hiltfred Gospels[3] | 801/825 | France | Evangeliary | Cologne,, Dom Hs. 13[4] | |
| Aachen Gospels or Schatzkammer Gospels or Carolingian Gospels | Beginning of the 9th century | Aachen (?), Vienna Coronation Gospels Group ("Palace School of Charlemagne") | Evangeliary | Aachen, Cathedral Treasury, Inv.-Nr. 4 | |
| Xanten Gospels | Beginning of the 9th century | Aachen (?), Vienna Coronation Gospels Group ("Palace School of Charlemagne") | Evangeliary | Brussels, Royal Library of Belgium, Ms. 18732 | |
| Gospels of Aachen | Anfang des 9. Jahrhunderts | Aachen (?), Vienna Coronation Gospels Group ("Palace School of Charlemagne") | Evangeliary | Brescia, Biblioteca Queriniana, Ms. E. II.9 | |
| London Gospel fragment | Anfang 9. Jahrhundert | Aachen, Ada School (Court School of Charlemagne) | A single miniature depicting Luke 1.8-13 | London, British Library, Cotton Clausius B.V. | |
| first quarter of the 9th century | West Francia | Apokalypse; 74 illustrations | Trier, Stadtbibliothek, Cod. 31 | ||
| Codex Aureus of Lorsch | c.810 | Aachen, Ada School (Court School of Charlemagne) | Evangeliary; six full-page miniatures, 12 Canon tables; written in gold and silver letters on purple-dyed parchment | Bucharest, National Library of Romania; Vatican City, Vatican Library, Pal. lat. 50 | |
| Harley Golden Gospels | c.800 | Aachen, Ada School (Court School of Charlemagne) | Evangeliary | London, British Library, Harley Ms. 2788 | |
| Ebbo Gospels | between 816 and 835 | Rheims | Evangeliary | Épernay, Bibliothèque Municipale, Ms. 1 | |
| Stuttgart Psalter | between 820 and 830 | Saint-Germain-des-Prés | Psalter | Stuttgart, Württembergische Landesbibliothek, Cod. bibl. fol. 23 | |
| Utrecht Psalter | c. 825 | Rheims | Psalter; 166 line drawings | Utrecht,, Ms. 484 | |
| Vatican Agrimensorum codex | c.825 | Aachen (?) | Text on surveying | Vatican City, Vatican Library, Pal. lat. 1564 | |
| Vatican Terence | c.825 | Aachen (?) | Terence Comedies; over 130 illustrations | Vatican City, Vatican Library, Vat. lat. 3868 | |
| Bern Physiologus | between 825 and 850 | Rheims | Physiologus
| Bern, Burgerbibliothek, Codex Bongarsianus 318 | |
| Fleury Gospels | between 825 and 850 | Fleury | Evangeliary | Bern, Burgerbibliothek, Codex 348 | |
| Psalter of Louis the German | second quarter of the 9th century | Saint-Omer | Psalter | Berlin, State Library, Ms. theol. lat. fol. 58 | |
| Gospels of St. Medard de Soissons | before 827 | Aachen, Ada School (Court School of Charlemagne) | Evangeliary; Six full-page miniatures and 12 canon tables; written with gold and silver letters on purple-dyed parchment | Paris, Bibliothèque nationale, Ms. lat. 8850 | |
| Leiden Aratea | between 830 and 840 | Lotharingia (Aachen or Metz) | Latin verse translation of Aratus' Phainomena by Germanicus with additions from Avienius' translation; 35 full-page miniatures (four images missing) | Leiden, Leiden University Library, Voss. lat. Q 79 | |
| Bamberg Bible | between 834 and 843 | Tours | Bible | Bamberg, State Library, Msc.Bibl.1 | |
| c.840 | Tours | Bible; four full-page miniatures | London, British Library, Add. Ms. 10546 | ||
| Codex Vaticanus Reginensis latinus 124 | c. 840 | Fulda | Rabanus Maurus
| Vatican, Vatican Library, Reg. lat. 124 | |
| Fuldaer Evangeliar | c.840 | Fulda | Evangeliary | Würzburg, Universitätsbibliothek Würzburg, Mp. theol. fol. 66 | |
| Madrid Handbook of 809 | c.840 | Metz | Handbook of 809
| Madrid, Biblioteca Nacional de España, Cod. 3307 | |
| Drogo Sacramentary | 842 | Metz | Sacramentary
| Paris, Bibliothèque nationale, Ms. lat. 9428 | |
| Bamberger Boethius | c.845 | Tours | Boethius De institutione arithmetica libri II | Bamberg, State Library, Msc.Class.5 | |
| First Bible of Charles the Bald or Vivian Bible | 845/846 | Tours | Bible; eight full-page miniatures, four canon tables, 87 initials | Paris, Bibliothèque nationale, Ms. lat. 1 | |
| between 846 and 869 | Court School of Charles the Bald | Oldest royal prayer book; two full-page miniatures, one full-page decorative initial | Munich, Treasury of the Residenz, ResMü. Schk0004-WL | ||
| Lothaire Gospels | between 849 and 851 | Tours | Evangeliary; six miniatures, nine framed incipit pages, twelve canon tables, 18 framed chapter indices, and five initials. | Paris, Bibliothèque nationale, Ms. lat. 266 | |
| Prüm Gospels | c.850 | Tours | Evangeliary; five miniature, initials, canon tables, frames | Berlin, State Library, Ms. theol. lat. fol. 733 | |
| or Emperor Lothair's Gospels | before 852 | Aachen, Court School of Emperor Lothair | Evangeliar | Berlin, State Library, Ms. theol. Lat. folio 260 | |
| Paris Terence | second half of the ninth century | Rheims | Terence Comodies; 148 illustrations | Paris, Bibliothèque nationale, Ms. lat. 7899 | |
| Gospels of Francis II | second half of the ninth century | Saint-Amand | Evangeliary | Paris, Bibliothèque nationale, Ms. lat. 257 | |
| Gospels of St. Denis[5] | second half of the ninth century | north or north east France | Evangeliary | Paris, Bibliothèque nationale, Ms. lat. 9387 | |
| Golden Psalter of St. Gallen | begun c. 860 and continued from 870 to 900 | St. Denis (?) (Court School of Charles the Bald), later continued at St. Gall | Psalter; two full-page miniatures, 15 full or half page illustrations on the Psalm titles | St. Gall, Abbey Library, Cod. Sang. 22 | |
| Düsseldorf, Universitäts- und Landesbibliothek, B. 113 | second third of the 9th century | Rheims | Evangeliary | Düsseldorf, University and State Library, B. 113 | |
| Bern Prudentius | last third of the 9th century | Reichenau (?) | Prudentius Poetry | Bern, Burgerbibliothek, Codex Bongarsianus 264 | |
| Psalter of Charles the Bald | after 869 | St. Denis (?) (Court School of Charles the Bald) | Psalter | Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale, Ms. lat. 1152 | |
| or Metz Sacramentary | c. 870 | Metz or St. Denis (?) (Court School of Charles the Bald) | Sakramentary (Fragment, 10 leaves); five full-page miniatures and two initial pages | Paris, Bibliothèque nationale, Ms. lat. 1141 | |
| Codex Aureus of St. Emmeram | c. 870 | St. Denis (?) (Court School of Charles the Bald) | Sacramentary; seven full-page miniatures, 12 canon tables, 10 ornamental pages | Munich, Bavarian State Library, Clm 14000 | |
| Bible of San Paolo fuori le Mura or Bible of Charles the Bald | c. 870 | St. Denis (?) (Court School of Charles the Bald) | Bible; 24 (originally 25) title miniatures, four canon tables, 35 decorative pages, 91 initials; written in gold and silver letters on purple-dyed parchment | Rome, San Paolo fuori le mura, Cod. Membra. Saeculi IX. | |
| Folchard Psalter | c.870 | St. Gall | Psalter | St. Gall, Abbey Library, Cod. Sang. 23 | |
| Second Bible of Charles the Bald | between 871 and 873 | St. Amand | Bible | Paris, Bibliothèque nationale, Ms. lat. 2 | |
| Prague Gospels | late 9th century | St. Vaast | Evangeliar; 15 canon tables, eight miniatures, framed incipit and initial pages | Prague, Kapitulni Knihovna, Cim. 2 | |