Pages from the Bible and Reprints

Traditional manufacturing

When producing his famous Bible Johannes Gutenberg only printed in black. One page of text contained two columns with 42 lines apiece, hence the designation "B42" or 42-line Bible. All headings, display type (rubrication), red text, initials and ornaments were later added by hand, as was then customary. Two-colour printing was not yet possible in the mid-15 th century. This explains the great differences in ornamentation and artistic embellishment of the original Gutenberg Bibles which have survived to the present day.

These traditional techniques are used in the production of our pages from the Gutenberg Bible. The ornamentation and rubrication are based on the various copies of the Bible which still exist, with the copy at the state library in Berlin acting as the main model with its particularly lavish and artistic illumination.

As in Gutenberg's day the pages from the 42-line Bible sold here are printed by letterpress technique and reproduced in their original size. Artists add the illumination by hand and in some editions apply gold leaf in accordance with ancient practices.

We offer three motifs apiece from both the Old and New Testaments which are available in various finishes:

Detail: uncoloured	Uncoloured - for lovers of authenticity. This page from the Bible is printed by letterpress technique on mechanically-produced deckle-edged paper; it is simple and contains just the outlines of the ornamentation. Ordered in large quantities, this item makes a particularly interesting present or useful teaching aid. (42 x 30 cm)
Detail: coloured	Coloured) – printed on mechanically-produced deckle-edged paper by letterpress technique. Illuminated according to the Berlin copy of the 42-line Bible, this comes flat in an art folder or rolled in a practical presentation box. (42 x 30 cm)
Detail: gold leaf	In gold leaf (45 x 32 cm; the size may vary slightly with handmade paper) – exceptional quality of print and materials. This individual single proof is printed on the press using the traditional Gutenberg technique on the finest handmade linen paper and illuminated by hand with genuine 24-carate gold leaf in accordance with ancient traditions. The gilt decoration is of particularly high quality, with the base material carefully applied layer by layer until it forms the perfect platform for the fine gold leaf. This is a skill which very few artists still master.
Detail: frame	Coloured and framed (48 x 36 cm) – all six motifs are also available in a simple, hand-finished gold frame. The passages are quoted in three languages (German, English and French) on the reverse.
Detail: frame	In gold leaf and framed (54 x 43 cm ; the size may vary slightly with handmade paper) – this is particularly well protected in a hand-finished airtight and dustproof gold frame with the glass raised from the surface of the print. The print is placed on top of the passe-partout, leaving the deckle edge visible and protecting the valuable illumination and gilding.