The Parma Gospel Book is one of the well-known Tetraevangelia in Byzantine manuscripts, believed to have been compiled in the latter half of the eleventh century in Constantinople. This paper studied the Maiestas domini (f.5r) of the Parma Gospel Book, and explored why Mark, as opposed to Mathew, was positioned in the upper left of the illustration, the place usually accorded to the first among the four Evangelists.

The paper concludes that Mark was positioned in the upper left corner because he was the author of the Gospel that was ‘dictated by Peter’. It also concludes that Mark was positioned in the upper left corner so that Peter could be placed first among the four characters positioned below. Accompanying figures were incorporated in the Maiestas domini simply so that Peter could be painted on the frontispiece. The emphasis placed on Peter is a characteristic also noted in the illustrations of Christ’s life (ff.91v-92v). In fact, Peter appears in nine out of thirteen scenes, and plays a primary role in all the sections, except for the four scenes concerned with the Death and Resurrection of Christ. Furthermore, these three pages of Christological illustrations have been inserted before of the text of Mark’s Gospel, which was ‘dictated by Peter’, as if they form the headpiece of the Gospel.

It is believed that under the request to position Mark in the upper left corner with the aim of emphasising Peter, the two Evangelists in the top area were switched from left to right and vice versa. As a result, the miniature ended up with the combinations of Mark-man and Matthew-ox, which do not comply with any order.

I had previously pointed out that the Parma Gospel Book may possibly have been a manuscript donated to a church or monastery associated with Peter, or may have been sponsored by someone by the name of Peter. The fact that there is an emphasis on Peter in this miniature seems to complement the conclusion of my previous article.