Giant Bible of Mainz
Encyclopedia
The Giant Bible of Mainz is a very large manuscript
Bible produced in 1452-3, probably in Mainz
or nearby. It is notable for its beauty, for being one of the last manuscript Bibles written before the invention of printing in the West, and for its possible connections with the Gutenberg Bible
.
records that the scribe began work on April 4 1452 and finished on July 9 1453. Around this time large Bibles, designed to be read from a lectern, were returning to popularity for the first time since the twelfth century. In the intervening period, small hand-held Bibles had been usual.
Although the place of production cannot be known with certainty, several pieces of evidence link it to Mainz, including the style of decoration. The style of the script also suggests an origin somewhere in the Middle or Lower Rhine region, and the Bible is known to have been owned by Mainz Cathedral
from at least 1566.
on parchment
of high quality. The pages measure 576 x 405mm and the text is arranged in 2 columns of 60 lines, with wide margins. There are decorations in a range of styles, by more than one artist. The decoration was never completed, for unknown reasons. Only a few pages in the first volume have the complex and finely drawn illuminated borders the Bible is known for.
The Bible is bound in 2 volumes, with 244 leaves in the first and 214 in the second. It is likely that one preliminary and two end leaves are missing. The binding is of plain pigskin over wooden boards and is more or less contemporary with the rest of the book.
The text of the Bible has been little-studied but is close to other Vulgate
Bibles of the period.
of the Bible is known from 1566 onwards. In that year Heinrich von Stockheim of Mainz Cathedral
deposited it in the cathedral library. It is unclear if he was donating it to the cathedral or simply transferring it to the library from the chantry. In 1631 the library was seized as a prize of war
by Gustavus Adolphus II
of Sweden
, who gave the Bible to one of his officers, Bernard of Saxe-Weimar. It remained in Bernard's family until sold to Lessing J. Rosenwald
, via the bookseller Hans P. Kraus
, in 1951. In 1952 Rosenwald donated it to the Library of Congress
, where one of the two volumes is always on display.
The Bible is in very good condition, suggesting that it was never regularly read. There are no thumb-marks and very little discoloration to the outer margins. It was foliated
in the nineteenth century.
is in the same textura style, but it does not seem that the hand of the Giant Bible's scribe was the model for it. The text of the Giant Bible is not especially close to the Gutenberg Bible.
Several animals, humans and flowers featured in the decorated borders added to some pages are closely related to figures in the Princeton University
copy of the Gutenberg Bible and also in the work of the Master of the Playing Cards
. It is assumed that the same model book was used in each case. There has been speculation that the Master of the Playing Cards worked on the Giant Bible, and may also have been an associate of Gutenberg, though there is no hard evidence for this. The Princeton copy of the Gutenberg Bible seems to have been decorated by a different artist to the Giant Bible.
Manuscript
A manuscript or handwrite is written information that has been manually created by someone or some people, such as a hand-written letter, as opposed to being printed or reproduced some other way...
Bible produced in 1452-3, probably in Mainz
Mainz
Mainz under the Holy Roman Empire, and previously was a Roman fort city which commanded the west bank of the Rhine and formed part of the northernmost frontier of the Roman Empire...
or nearby. It is notable for its beauty, for being one of the last manuscript Bibles written before the invention of printing in the West, and for its possible connections with the Gutenberg Bible
Gutenberg Bible
The Gutenberg Bible was the first major book printed with a movable type printing press, and marked the start of the "Gutenberg Revolution" and the age of the printed book. Widely praised for its high aesthetic and artistic qualities, the book has an iconic status...
.
Place and date of production
The Bible's colophonColophon (publishing)
In publishing, a colophon is either:* A brief description of publication or production notes relevant to the edition, in modern books usually located at the reverse of the title page, but can also sometimes be located at the end of the book, or...
records that the scribe began work on April 4 1452 and finished on July 9 1453. Around this time large Bibles, designed to be read from a lectern, were returning to popularity for the first time since the twelfth century. In the intervening period, small hand-held Bibles had been usual.
Although the place of production cannot be known with certainty, several pieces of evidence link it to Mainz, including the style of decoration. The style of the script also suggests an origin somewhere in the Middle or Lower Rhine region, and the Bible is known to have been owned by Mainz Cathedral
Mainz Cathedral
Mainz Cathedral or St. Martin's Cathedral is located near the historical center and pedestrianized market square of the city of Mainz, Germany...
from at least 1566.
Description
The Bible was written by a single scribeScribe
A scribe is a person who writes books or documents by hand as a profession and helps the city keep track of its records. The profession, previously found in all literate cultures in some form, lost most of its importance and status with the advent of printing...
on parchment
Parchment
Parchment is a thin material made from calfskin, sheepskin or goatskin, often split. Its most common use was as a material for writing on, for documents, notes, or the pages of a book, codex or manuscript. It is distinct from leather in that parchment is limed but not tanned; therefore, it is very...
of high quality. The pages measure 576 x 405mm and the text is arranged in 2 columns of 60 lines, with wide margins. There are decorations in a range of styles, by more than one artist. The decoration was never completed, for unknown reasons. Only a few pages in the first volume have the complex and finely drawn illuminated borders the Bible is known for.
The Bible is bound in 2 volumes, with 244 leaves in the first and 214 in the second. It is likely that one preliminary and two end leaves are missing. The binding is of plain pigskin over wooden boards and is more or less contemporary with the rest of the book.
The text of the Bible has been little-studied but is close to other Vulgate
Vulgate
The Vulgate is a late 4th-century Latin translation of the Bible. It was largely the work of St. Jerome, who was commissioned by Pope Damasus I in 382 to make a revision of the old Latin translations...
Bibles of the period.
Owners
The provenanceProvenance
Provenance, from the French provenir, "to come from", refers to the chronology of the ownership or location of an historical object. The term was originally mostly used for works of art, but is now used in similar senses in a wide range of fields, including science and computing...
of the Bible is known from 1566 onwards. In that year Heinrich von Stockheim of Mainz Cathedral
Mainz Cathedral
Mainz Cathedral or St. Martin's Cathedral is located near the historical center and pedestrianized market square of the city of Mainz, Germany...
deposited it in the cathedral library. It is unclear if he was donating it to the cathedral or simply transferring it to the library from the chantry. In 1631 the library was seized as a prize of war
Prize of war
A prize of war is a piece of military property seized by the victorious party after a war or battle, typically at sea. This term was used nearly exclusively in terms of a captured ship during the 18th and 19th centuries....
by Gustavus Adolphus II
Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden
Gustav II Adolf has been widely known in English by his Latinized name Gustavus Adolphus Magnus and variously in historical writings also as Gustavus, or Gustavus the Great, or Gustav Adolph the Great,...
of Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, who gave the Bible to one of his officers, Bernard of Saxe-Weimar. It remained in Bernard's family until sold to Lessing J. Rosenwald
Lessing J. Rosenwald
Lessing Julius Rosenwald was an American businessman, a collector of rare books and art, and a chess patron.-Biography:...
, via the bookseller Hans P. Kraus
Hans P. Kraus
Hans Peter Kraus , also known as H. P. Kraus or HPK, was an Austrian-born book dealer described as “without doubt the most successful and dominant rare book dealer in the world in the second half of the 20th century” and in a league with other rare book dealers such as Bernard Quaritch, Guillaume...
, in 1951. In 1952 Rosenwald donated it to the Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
, where one of the two volumes is always on display.
The Bible is in very good condition, suggesting that it was never regularly read. There are no thumb-marks and very little discoloration to the outer margins. It was foliated
Pagination
Pagination is the process of dividing information into discrete pages, either electronic pages or printed pages. Today the latter are usually simply instances of the former that have been outputted to a printing device, such as a desktop printer or a modern printing press...
in the nineteenth century.
Relationship to Gutenberg Bible
The Giant Bible was written at the same time as Johannes Gutenberg was printing his Bible, and possibly in the same town. The Gutenberg Bible was clearly modelled on the large-format manuscript Bibles being written at this time, for instance in its page size and its wide margins. There has been speculation that the Giant Bible was a particular influence on Gutenberg, but the evidence for this is limited. Gutenberg's typefaceTypeface
In typography, a typeface is the artistic representation or interpretation of characters; it is the way the type looks. Each type is designed and there are thousands of different typefaces in existence, with new ones being developed constantly....
is in the same textura style, but it does not seem that the hand of the Giant Bible's scribe was the model for it. The text of the Giant Bible is not especially close to the Gutenberg Bible.
Several animals, humans and flowers featured in the decorated borders added to some pages are closely related to figures in the Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
copy of the Gutenberg Bible and also in the work of the Master of the Playing Cards
Master of the Playing Cards
The Master of the Playing Cards was the first major master in the history of printmaking. He was a German engraver, and probably also a painter, active in southwestern Germany from the 1430s to the 1450s, who has been called "the first personality in the history of engraving." Various attempts...
. It is assumed that the same model book was used in each case. There has been speculation that the Master of the Playing Cards worked on the Giant Bible, and may also have been an associate of Gutenberg, though there is no hard evidence for this. The Princeton copy of the Gutenberg Bible seems to have been decorated by a different artist to the Giant Bible.
External links
- Giant Bible of Mainz Library of Congress webpage
- Giant Bible of Mainz webcast by Daniel P. De Simone