Facsimile Finder

10/08/2023

Thrilled to share this captivating video created by our dear friend and talented colleague, the renowned art historian, Elizabeth C. Teviotdale ! Dive into the mesmerizing world of the Toulouse Apocalypse, a masterpiece that stands as a testament to art's ability to capture the zeitgeist of its time.

If you've ever been curious about the stories, intricacies, and historical context behind iconic art pieces, this is a must-watch. Liz brings her expertise and passion to the forefront, making history come alive. 🖼️✨

Watch, learn, and let's appreciate the beauty of art and history combined! 💡📜

For more info on Toulouse Apocalypse, https://www.facsimilefinder.com/facsimiles/toulouse-apocalypse-facsimileProduced in England—probably London—around 1330...

20/06/2023

Quaternio Verlag Luzern has announced the upcoming facsimile edition of the magnificent Golden Psalter of St. Gall (https://www.facsimilefinder.com/facsimiles/golden-psalter-saint-gall-facsimile)

04/11/2021

The Hours of Henry VIII is one of the most elegant Renaissance manuscripts from France. The codex, also known as Libro de Horas de Enrique VIII, was written and illuminated toward the beginning of the 16th century. With its 55 beautifully illustrated miniatures, the manuscript – bearing the name of one of the most intriguing and powerful rulers England ever had – is justly considered Jean Poyer’s masterpiece.

The Hours of Henry VIII: Jean Poyer's Masterpiece:

Written in Latin, the Hours of Henry VIII was created in Tours by an artist renowned for his mastering of coloring and perspective, Jean Poyer, active from 1483 to 1503, and one of the most important artists of his time.

Testament to his artistic abilities is the iconographic apparatus which, although not particularly innovative, is certainly very rich. The borders are executed in monochrome tones, highlighted with gold.

The compositions are monumental and his mastering of perspective is put on display in f. 30v, the Annunciation, which features a seamless movement from a defined interior into a neatly outlined garden, to a distant cityscape to a horizon filled with distant hills.

A Personalized Manuscript:

Although the contents of the Hours of Henry VIII seem to be quite standard – Calendar, Gospel Lessons, Hours of the Virgin, Hours of the Cross, Hours of the Holy Spirit, Penitential Psalms with Litany, Office of the Dead, and Suffrages – the codex features a selection of additional prayers which the scribes would add on request of the commissioners who wished to further personalize their manuscript.

An Outstanding Example of Gothic Bastarda:

The script of the Hours of Henry VIII is a beautiful Gothic bastarda mostly inclined towards the right and featuring pointed descenders, uncial d, and two forms of r and s.

Henry VIII – A Controversial Owner:

The life of the manuscript was certainly regal for, as its name suggests, it was owned by Henry VIII of England, second Tudor monarch and best known for his disagreements with his six wives and the pope; furthermore, there is proof that the manuscript belonged to George III (1738-1820).

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We have one antiquarian copy of this book available! --> http://facsi.ms/8h

20/10/2021

The Royal Psalter of Queen Mary was named after its later owner, Queen Mary I Tudor (1516-1558). Today, it is a showpiece in the British Library, kept under the "royal" signature Royal 2 B. VI. An impressive manuscript from the first quarter of the 14th century, this psalter contains more than 800 miniatures, historiated initials, and bas-de-page scenes.

A Psalter and a Picture Bible:

With its wealth of images, the Queen Mary Psalter is also a picture Bible and was certainly used as such. It likely offers the most detailed picture cycle of the Old Testament ever created in Psalter: 223 miniatures in the finest colored pen drawings tell the biblical events from the fall of the angels, creation, to the death of Solomon.

Four full-page miniatures of the ancestors of Christ, prophets, and Apostles, are accompanied by Anglo-Norman captions and explanatory text. In addition, an extensive cycle of miniatures on the life of Jesus and the saints adorns the psalms, canticles, and litany.

The Psalter also contains 23 historiated initials with scenes from the life of King David, who was considered throughout the Middle Ages as the author of the Psalms. Other scenes from the New Testament can also be found throughout the historiated initials.

The perpetual calendar is decorated with 24 page-wide framed miniatures illustrating signs of the Zodiac and labors of the month.

The Middle Ages in Book Format:

The blank space at the bottom of the page, known as the "bas-de-page," serves as another stage for the book's artist, known as the Queen Mary Master, to show off his creative and skilled hand.

In 464 small picture narratives, the viewer discovers the Middle Ages in all its diversity: the animal world of the bestiary, knights in tournaments and battles, hunting scenes with stags, hare, and falconry, courtly life with table delights, musicians, jugglers, and games, drolleries and mythological creatures such as unicorns and sirens, legends from the lives of the Virgin Mary and the saints, etc.

Are you an avid book collector? Contact us for details on how to own a copy of this stunning manuscript! --> http://facsi.ms/8g

20/10/2021

Wonderful live presentation of our friends Charlotte Kramer, Alexander Wilhelm, and Lucia Panini from the Frankfurter Buchmesse! On display, the BnF Ulugh Beg manuscript and the Aratea Vaticana from the Vatican Library.

Both facsimiles will be available to libraries and private customers around the world through Facsimile Finder 🙂

29/09/2021

The printing process has finally begun, and the bookbindery will soon receive all of the materials to compose the editions of La Divina Commedia – The New Manuscript! George Cochrane is in Italy right now to witness kicking off the press with Giovanni from Facsimile Finder. One very exciting piece of news is that we’ve decided to increase the number of colored pages, so our backers will receive extra colored pages in their books. We are very focused on quality and checking on such a complex project takes a TON of time...but we paused for a while and celebrated this goal with a glass of bubbly wine!

27/09/2021

Jacques Bruyant: The Way of Poverty or Riches

Although at first glance it appears to be a Book of Hours, "Jacques Bruyant: The Way of Poverty or Riches" is, in fact, a charming picture book of secular poetry. It is a guide to happiness for newly-wed noblemen, portraying in easily comprehensible pictures the age-old issues of living and working together congenially. As in a knightly adventure novel, the narrator sets out on a dangerous journey during which he is constantly confronted with the virtues and vices of the world.

Only One Single Illustrated Copy in the World:

The text was written around 1342 by Jacques Bruyant, a clergyman from Paris. A great number of copies bear testimony to the popularity of his work. However, only one single copy has been illustrated with countless colorful miniatures: the illuminated manuscript kept in the Free Library in Philadelphia under the shelfmark Widener 1.

46 Miniatures—An Exclusive Work of Art:

The exuberant decoration of The Way of Poverty or Riches immediately catches the eye: its 73 folios in the format of 20.7 x 14.4 cm are embellished with a total of 46 generous miniatures whose glowing colors are charmingly highlighted with gold leaf, brush-applied gold, and even silver in some parts.

In addition, each of the miniatures is framed with dense scrollwork consisting of gold-shimmering ivy leaves, interspersed with acanthus leaves, countless little flowers, and often fruit and animals. Seventy-four carefully painted initials on golden ground decorate not only the illustrated pages but also some text pages that are likewise often enhanced with a golden vine scroll.

Discovering Life and Work in Medieval Times:

The fascinating picture gallery of The Way of Poverty or Riches carries us off to the domiciles of medieval men, even to the seclusion of their sleeping chambers, past laboring peasants, blooming fields and green hills.

We gaze up at the walls of massive castles or wander along winding paths leading down to the narrow streets of cities in the distance. As unspectacular as these details may seem, it is precisely their ordinariness that proves captivating as an authentic document of reality, reaching us through the centuries.

The Distinctive Style of the Bedford Master Sets the Trend for Further Creations:

This priceless work is part of a small group of illuminated manuscripts made in the circle of the famous Bedford Master from Paris. Starting from c. 1410 the talented artist remained one of the most significant illuminators in Europe for more than a quarter of a century.

His art was inspired by the genius of the three Limbourg brothers, but he also introduced completely new creative elements. The well-balanced compositions from his prolific workshop are striking both for their refined coloring and for an unseen three-dimensionality of forms and faces.

His artistic influence is also visible in The Way of Poverty or Riches: the accomplished handling of perspective, the fresh coloring of the miniatures and the sumptuous borders impressively convey all the magic and splendor of the Bedford style.

Der Weiche Stil – The Crowning Style of the Late Gothic Period:

Talented artists such as the Bedford Master in Paris or artists from his immediate surroundings mutually inspired each other in the early 15th century, raising the Gothic style to outstanding heights. A new common language of the arts emerged that was understood in Paris and Prague, in Florence and Cologne alike: the so-called "Weicher Stil" ("Soft Style") of the International Gothic was born.

Stimulated by the outstanding art of the Bedford workshop, the artist endorsed the revolution in painting and created a lavishly decorated manuscript which perfectly reflected the harmonious, even poetic character of the Soft Style.

His images help us discover the medieval world largely through details: individual facial expressions and countless realistic elements, such as bedroom furniture, tools, and garments betray his exact sense of observation. Softly flowing drapery folds create a completely personal form of realistic rendering.
This Facsimile Could Be Yours!

We have one antiquarian copy of this facsimile available still! Those interested can inquire here --> http://facsi.ms/8f

22/09/2021

This manuscript of Dante's Divine Comedy, known as the Dante Estense, has established itself throughout the world as one of the most important existing and classified manuscripts of this great work. First because of the period in which it was produced (the 14th century, and most probably around 1380-90), which means it came out no more than 60-70 years after Dante's death, thus offering the sensation of being almost contemporaneous with his great poem. Secondly because of the completeness of the entire text which makes it an extremely important and integral document compared to the many fragments of the Divine Comedy, it is one of the few existing editions of this work offering philological novelties.

We have one antiquarian copy of this beautiful facsimile, please get in touch for a quote here --> http://facsi.ms/8e

15/09/2021

The Fitzwilliam Book of Hours, taking its name from its place of preservation, is one of the most unique examples of Flemish illumination. The codex was created in the first quarter of the 16h century, around 1510 in the town of Bruges – the place where Flemish art of illumination was born – and with its countless full-page miniatures and profusion of border decorations it is justly considered a beautiful example of Bruges superb production.

We have one antiquarian copy available of this stunning manuscript facsimile. You can learn more here --> http://facsi.ms/8d

02/09/2021

The Yates Thompson Apocalypse, named for its last owner, is a mysterious and lavishly decorated manuscript. Produced in the second half of the fourteenth century in Paris (ca. 1370–1390), this French translation of the Book of Revelations offers its readers a stunning visual and textual experience. 70 gorgeous illustrations occupy 40 folios that narrate John the Evangelist’s apocalypse in this de luxe codex: 1 historiated “S” accompanied by a full floriate border opens the text (fol. 1r), and 69 additional miniatures follow.

While little is known about this manuscript’s early history, its later provenance suggests that this French copy of Revelations was prized above all others, and for good reason. Nearly every folio is graced with images of angels and dragons in vibrant hues and gold.

The first known owner of this manuscript was Jean Philippe Eugène (b. 1674), count of Mérode and marquis of Waterloo, who sold the book in 1734 in Brussels, Belgium.

By the nineteenth century, August Frederick (b. 1801), Duke of Sussex, had possession of the manuscript and added his book-plate on the inside front cover. Frederick, however, sold the manuscript to John Fuller Russell in 1844, and Russell’s book-plate now appears over Frederick’s.

The codex was then purchased from Russell by the famed collector Bernard Quaritch in 1885. Henry Yates Thompson subsequently purchased the book from Quaritch in 1893 and inscribed his own book-plate with the label “MS 38” on an added sheet at the front of the book (fol. ii recto).

Yates sold the manuscript to Edgar Osborn in 1921, but he soon re-acquired the manuscript from Osborn in 1926. After Yates’ death in 1928, his wife Elizabeth Smith handled his collection and bequeathed the manuscript to the British Museum in 1941.

You can learn more about this stunning manuscript here --> http://facsi.ms/8c

31/08/2021

The Lorsch Gospels takes its name from Lorsch abbey, where it was housed in the Carolingian period. The codex contains the complete Latin text of the accounts of Christ’s life attributed to Saints Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, preceded by prefaces and canon tables presenting columns of numbers indicating the concordance of passages among the Gospels. At the end is a capitulary, specifying on which days particular passages from the Gospels were to be read at Mass.

30/08/2021

Produced in the early ninth century at the court scriptorium of either Charlemagne or his successor Louis the Pious, the Lorsch Gospels is a splendid example of Carolingian book manufacture. Also known as the Codex Aureus, this lavishly illuminated Gospel book is enhanced throughout with gold, silver, and purple, and it is particularly notable for the carved ivory panels on its covers. Described in 860 as an evangelium pictum cm auro scriptum habens tabulas eburneas (illustrated Gospel book, with writing in gold and having ivory panels), the book was always valued for its sumptuousness. The manuscript’s state of preservation is excellent, as it appears to have been used only on rare occasions.

You can learn more about this stunning manuscript here --> http://facsi.ms/8a

26/08/2021

The Pamplona Bible is an extraordinary example of the evolving characteristics of the Christian Bible. Completed around 1200, the Bible comprises three volumes with a large number of colored drawings in the Romanesque style.

The Pamplona Bible is an extraordinary example of the evolving characteristics of the Christian Bible. Completed around 1200, the Bible features a large number of colored drawings in the Romanesque style.

25/08/2021

The story of the Romance of the Rose has inspired many generations of lovers, poets and artists. In 1280, Jean de Meun, or Meung (1250-1305) completed the poem by adding another 18,000 lines. The style is quite different from Lorris's, who began writing the poem in 1230 in octosyllabic couplets, but stopped writing after around 4,000 verses, apparently because the poet died prematurely.

The story of the quest for the rose is continuously interrupted by digressions in which Reason (personified by a lady) discourses with the Lover about nature, marriage, wealth, freedom, and other matters discussed in those days.

In this veritable encyclopedia of medieval knowledge, de Meun does not hesitate to take issue with the negative aspects of life and love. He lambastes women, mocks men, questions power, clergymen, and monks, and praises nature, which for him prevails over any convention. It's very clear that he enjoys bawdiness and double entendres.

Shortly after 1400, a fierce debate about the Romance broke out in the literary world. This was the first great literary dispute in the western world about what was the most famous erotic book of the time.

You can learn more about this fascinating manuscript here --> http://facsi.ms/89

23/08/2021

The Roman de la Rose (Romance of the Rose) is a thirteenth-century allegorical poem in Old French about the art of love. Written in octosyllabic couplets, the Roman was begun by Guillaume de Lorris around 1230 but broke off after around 4,000 verses, apparently because the poet died prematurely.

The poem is narrated in the first person. The Lover recounts a dream he had about entering a walled garden and falling in love with a rose that grew there. In the garden, he meets many allegorical characters who represent feelings, virtues and vices: some try to help him attain his desire, others to stop him.

Eventually, with the help of the God of Love and Venus, he prevails over the rose's guardians and kisses the flower, only to see it imprisoned by Jealousy in a tower.

You can learn more about this fascinating manuscript here --> http://facsi.ms/89

20/08/2021

The Moscow Akathistos was restored in Italy in the second half of the fifteenth century by John Rhosos, a Greek copyist active in Venice and Rome. While working in the latter, he copied Greek manuscripts for none other than Cardinal Bessarion, along with Alessandro Farnese and Cardinal Francesco Gonzaga.

At this time, the book may have already been in Italian hands. It could have also been in the possession of recent Greek emigrants and would have thus reminded them of the holiest places in the recently captured city.

From Italy, the manuscript appears to have made its way back to Greece. The manuscript was sent from Mount Athos to the Czar Alexis Mikhailovič in the seventeenth century as a gift.

You can learn more about this beautiful manuscript here --> http://facsi.ms/87

18/08/2021

✨ The Moscow Akathistos ✨

The Moscow Akathistos was written by the leading patriarch of the Hodegon Scriptorium, the Hieromonk Joasaph. The τῶν Ὁδηγῶν in Costantinople was the premier monastery for anyone who wanted a luxury illuminated liturgical manuscript and became the center and namesake of the calligraphic archaizing script Hodegonstil in which all the illuminated manuscripts from the last century of the empire were copied. The script is very legible and clear and, to that end, is also characterized by its prevailing absence of abbreviations.

The first preserved work of Hieromonk Joasaph dates from 1360 and his prolific output is well-documented. Although the Moscow Akathistos bears no date, experts argue that the book was from the last phase of his work before his death in 1406, thus dating the codex to the very end of the fourteenth century.

You can learn more about this beautiful manuscript here -->http://facsi.ms/87

Interested in starting your own facsimile collection? Grab our free guide on 10 essential details you should know before you start collecting --> http://facsi.ms/88

17/08/2021

The Akathistos to the Theotokos is a hymn of thanksgiving of particular historical importance. In addition to its variable position in the liturgical rite, the hymn was associated with the celebration of military victories, many of which were attributed to the miraculous intervention of the Virgin Mary.

You can learn more about this beautiful manuscript here -->http://facsi.ms/87

11/08/2021

Today, the Speculum Humanae Salvationis is considered an amazing record of 14th-15th century fashion. There is a clear interest in the study of the characters, which translates into a delicate drawing very noticeable in the faces, always with fine features, in the careful study of the nudes, and in the reproduction of contemporary clothes, as is usual in the International court style.

Only the figures of God the Father, Christ, the Virgin, angels, apostles, and prophets remain outside of that adaptation to the fashion of the time: this is a common feature in the tradition of Christian iconography.

There is an extraordinary knowledge of the handling of color, with a predominance of very light tones that allow the creation of a rich scale of shades, to which contributes the interest in the study of light.

The greater importance is given to the human figure, which always contrasts with the ivory background of the parchment, resulting in a scarce representation of architectural backgrounds, even repeating the same buildings in several miniatures.

The scenes representing passages from the Old and New Testament are richly illuminated with gold, and a courtly atmosphere is present in all of the banqueting scenes. Undoubtedly its production was intended for a wealthy patron.

You can learn more about this amazing manuscript here --> http://facsi.ms/86

10/08/2021

Leafing Through the Speculum Humanae Salvationis

09/08/2021

The Speculum Humanae Salvationis, or “Mirror of the Salvation of Mankind”, was one of the most successful texts of the late Middle Ages. This anonymous illustrated work dealt with popular theology like its direct competitor, the Biblia Pauperum. This genre of literature focused on the medieval theory of Typology, according to which the events of the Old Testament foreshadowed the events of the New Testament.

You can learn more about this amazing manuscript here --> http://facsi.ms/86

06/08/2021

Diving into the weekend like this fine fellow Sparkles ✨

05/08/2021

Impressive Evidence of Spiritual and Religious Thinking

The splendid artistic decoration in the Gradual of St. Katherinenthal is the work of at least six, if not seven, different hands. However, it is very difficult to ascribe certain pieces of decoration to a certain artist.

This is possible only in a few cases, while others leave room for diverse interpretations and disputes which to this day have not been fully decided. However, one clear statement can be made: the decoration of the Gradual of St. Katharinenthal evolves from two main artists.

Both show a preference for monumental design and are characterized by a high degree of technical perfection. In all, the miniatures of the Gradual count among the top achievements of Gothic art.

Their resplendent lucidity, their emotional power and discrete charm as well as their sense for the essential form and their serene clarity in composition make them, more than any other work of art of the Lake Constance area, a highlight of European pictorial language.

You can learn more about this magnificent manuscript here --> http://facsi.ms/85

04/08/2021

The Gradual of St. Katharinenthal: A Sumptuous Testimony to Medieval Liturgy

A hand-written inscription on the inside front cover informs us about the origin of the manuscript, St. Katharinenthal Abbey near Diessenhofen in Switzerland, as well as on its date of completion around 1312.

The codex opens with a calendar leaf, followed by 626 pages of Latin chants according to the rite of the Dominican Order, written in Gothic script. The notes are transcribed according to the Gregorian four line system whereby each page comprises nine text lines and nine note lines.

The texts, written in a common script of the time called Littera textualis, betray the hand of an experienced scribe. The decorative apparatus of the work consists of 71 finely painted, colourful, highly ornate miniatures decorated with gold leaf as well as of 13 ornamental de luxe initials and of countless finely embellished calligraphic initial letters.

You can learn more about this beautiful manuscript on our website!

02/08/2021

✨ Gradual of St. Katharinenthal ✨

The Gradual of St. Katharinenthal is one of the most eminent works of Gothic art in Switzerland and of utmost importance for the intellectual, liturgical, cultural and art history of the Late Middle Ages. A Gradual is a liturgical book containing chants and notations which were sung in Latin during High Mass in alternating order, according to the calendar.

Rather large books were required by choirs who had to read notes and sing together from books propped at a great distance. This explains the impressive size of the codex: the 628 pages (314 leaves) have a format of 48 x 35 cm.

You can learn more about this magnificent manuscript here --> http://facsi.ms/85

29/07/2021

Folio 94r of the Offiziolo Alfonsino introduces the Office of the Dead with a large initial letter with the figure of Death, depicted as a skeleton in female attire, looking in a mirror that reflects the image of Man's inescapable fate.

You can learn more about this beautiful manuscript here --> http://facsi.ms/84

28/07/2021

Our favorite thing about the Offiziolo Alfonsino? The monsters and curiosities in the margins! These little guys are reminiscent of Hieronymus Bosch and his Garden of Earthly Delights, which was painted around the same time.

You can learn more about this beautiful manuscript here --> http://facsi.ms/84

27/07/2021

A beautiful bird and flower detail from the Offiziolo Alfonsino.

You can learn more about this beautiful manuscript here --> http://facsi.ms/84

26/07/2021

✨ Offiziolo Alfonsino ✨

This codex, known as the last extraordinary creation of the Ferrarese illuminators, was commissioned by Duke Alfonso I for Matteo da Milano. It belonged to the Biblioteca Estense in Modena since 1859, when it was relocated by the Estensi — along with the Bible of Borso and the Breviary of Ercole d’Este, which together made up a trilogy of illuminated masterpieces of the highest excellence — and were conserved as a patrimony of the House of Austria-Este in exile in Vienna. The body of the manuscript, without the 14 detached illuminations of Zagreb, was bought by the Armenian collector Gulbenkian for his Foundation and is now housed in Lisbon.

You can learn more about this beautiful manuscript here --> http://facsi.ms/84

22/07/2021

✨A Map, a Spy, and a Secret Trip ✨

At the beginning of the sixteenth century, Lisbon was one of the most important economic centers in Southern Europe. The city was visited by the delegates of some of the greatest European courts and duchies. One of them was Alberto Cantino, agent for Ercole d’Este, Duke of Ferrara. Cantino was his commercial and political representative. But he didn’t have only those commitments: he also worked for him as a spy.

In December 1501, Cantino paid 12 Venetian gold ducats, a very large sum of money at the time, to a Portuguese cartographer for a map showing the latest geographical discoveries. Some time after the map was completed, he left Lisbon secretly with it and went to Genoa, where he gave it to the Genoese ambassador to Aragon and France.

Finally, the map arrived to Ferrara, and was entrusted to the House of Este, where it stayed until 1592, when it was transferred to Modena. Nowadays, the Cantino Map, one of the most fascinating cartographic works ever made, is held at the Biblioteca Estense Universitaria in Modena.

You can learn more about this map here --> http://facsi.ms/81