Bibles & sacred texts - facsimiles - Omi

OMI - Old Manuscripts & Incunabula • tel 212/ 758-1946 • fax 593-6186 • www.omifacsimiles.com • immels@earthlink.net Biblical texts, p.34
15th c. La bibbia di Borso d’Este.
[Modena, Bibl. Estense Univ., lat. 422 & 423]
Modena, 1998. 28 x 40 cm. 2 vols, 1212 pp; 2 vols, 851 pp (commentary).
The Bible made for Borso d'Este, duke of Ferrara, between 1455 and 1461 is a masterpiece
of Italian renaissance miniaturist work. For the first time in this codex book illustration
reflects the new language of the Renaissance, giving a more rational interpretation to the
fantastic elaborations of late-gothic art. The most celebrated artists of the period worked on
the bible, to create a work of enduring beauty, ensuring the legacy of the splendid Este
court and the munificence of Duke Borso. The miniaturists, the most noted being Taddeo
Crivelli and Franco dei Russi, painted each page both recto and verso, illustrating episodes
from the Old and New Testaments. Biblical events are reinterpreted in the elegant spirit of
the Este court reflected in the costume, refined style and aristocratic bearing of the figures.
The formal language bears witness to the advances in perspective which originated in
Tuscany combined with the meticulous realistic attention to detail typical of Flemish
painting. The Bible is also rich in both colored and gold decorative elements, with friezes
inhabited by mythological and zoomorphic creatures, painted white sculptures and Este
emblems. These combine to create an extraordinary gallery of renaissance art, alone of all
its kind. Commentary by Vincenzo Cappelletti, Ernesto Milano, Gianni Venturi,
Gianfranco Ravasi, Federica Toniolo, & Mariani Canova. Limited edition 750 copies,
bound in crimson velvet over wood, with silver-gilt medallions on the front plate, two
silver-gilt straps and clasps.
15th c. Die Ottheinrich Bibel.
[Munich, Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, cgm 8010/1.2]
Luzern, 2002. 37.2 x 53.2 cm, 156 pp + commentary.
Around the year 1425 an anonymous member of the Court commissioned one the finest
German Bible manuscripts in Regensburg. From the 10th century the illuminators’
workshops in Regensburg inspired the schools in the Danube region, where monasteries
specialized in illustrated luxury mss. Thanks to Ottheinrich, the bibliophile Elector Palatine
(1502-1559) who bought the manuscript c.1530 as a showpiece for his prestigious
Biblioteca Palatina, this magnificient work of art and monument to the German language
has been saved. Ottheinrich hired the Renaissance master Matthias Gerung to continue the
decoration of the manuscript and the artist made it into the sumptuous and unequaled
edition of the New Testament that we know today. In total 8 volumes containing the new
Testament in German comes down to us. MS cgm 8010/1.2 reproduced here (the first 2
volumes of the Ottheinrich Bible), encompasses the Gospels of St. Matthew and St. Mark
as well as portions of the Gospel of St. Luke. Its importance among the masterpieces of
German art cannot be overstated; the Bible is also of the greatest interest in the history of
the German language since it was written at a time when Luther’s translation of the New
Testament was still 100 years in the future. The Bible is lavishly illustrated with sparkling
gold and precious colors. The two principal masters are from the school of the leading
Regensburgian artist of this period—”Master of the Carrying of the Cross of
Worcester”—and are named “Master of St. Matthew” and “Master of St. Mark”. The
miniatures of the Master of St. Matthew recall the style of Giotto; his color palette
comprises violet and grey tones to underline the modelling of the figures. The Master of St.
Mark also follows the Italian models; a talented storyteller he tries to animate the scenes
depicted by enlargement and imaginative drama. Although sharing a common stylistic
background both artists developed an individual painting technique to utmost perfection.
Commentary by Robert Suckale, Jeffrey Hamburger, Brigitte Gullath & Karin Schneider.
Limited edition of 980 copies, with binding featuring gold and blind tooling, 8 bosses and 4
clasps; front cover shows Ottheinrich's in gold tooling, the back cover his coat of arms.