Giulia is the Editor-in-Chief of Bookplate, the official magazine of Facsimile Finder. She keeps a keen eye on the latest news in the world of illuminated manuscript facsimiles.
Six centuries ago in the Netherlands, innovative manuscript art merged with Gothic style to create a lavish, gold-decorated codex comparing scenes from the Old and New testaments. It is called “Bible for the Poor”, but was it really destined for the common people?
The Lorsch Gospels, written with gold ink from beginning to end, is so well-preserved one would think it was made yesterday. Yet its full-page illustrations, glowing with real silver and held together by a carved ivory cover, reflect the height of artistic brilliance of Charlemagne’s court.
Made in Rome in the decades after 400, the Vergilius Vaticanus, an illustrated collection of Vergil’s main works, was so influential in Western art that it served as a model in the artistic circle of Raphael.
The Brandenburger Evangeliary, the most cherished treasure in the Brandenburg Cathedral archive, has been protected from damage for the last eight hundred years. A new facsimile edition by Quaternio Verlag Luzern allows art enthusiasts to finally enjoy its splendor.
Over one thousand illuminated medallions evocative of stained glass, golden decorations spanning 130 folios, and a dazzling image of God designing the universe with a compass. Imago publishing house reproduced all this and much more in its 2020 facsimile edition of the Bible Moralisée.
You don’t need to understand Anglo-French biblical verses to read this bible: written and illuminated in the 14th century, the codex features dozens of powerful illustrations.
Stilt walkers, acrobats, human-animal hybrids… This is not a fantasy novel: it is a world-famous Late Medieval manuscript made in Lincolnshire, England.
Ever wondered about Egyptian culture of the dead? Well, the Papyrus Ani sheds new light on the religion of Ancient Egypt, find out more!
The Codex Purpureus Rossanensis is one of the most ancient and marvelous extant codices purpurei. Recently restored, it is a monumental awe-inspiring masterpiece.
Check out this article on the Grimani Breviary, an outstanding work of Flemish tradition, that only a few lucky people got to see!