Gospel of John. Berlin Gutenberg Bible
Gutenberg Bible II/235: Gospel of John (1,1-15): »In principio erat verbum...«
This page from the world's first printed book is based on the Berlin Gutenberg Bible and is adorned with two initials: in the left-hand column, the four-line prologue initial »H« shows the eagle of St John on a black background, in the claws a scroll with the inscription »John« . Arcanthus tendrils in purple, pink and blue with golden spheres grow upwards and downwards from the initial. The 11-line initial »I« of »In principio« adorns the centre bar as a punched gold stripe, with featherwork radiating up and down the length of the page.
The manufacture of our deluxe page
Our deluxe pages from the Gutenberg Bible are exact reproductions of the historical originals. It takes days or weeks to produce them, depending on the richness of the ornamentation, and demands great concentration by the artist – just like in the 15th century.
The paper for our deluxe pages is handmade with a watermark and is printed on historical machines owned by the Gutenberg Museum (Korrex Hannover). As at Gutenberg's workshop, only the text in black is printed, with everything else added by hand. The beginnings of sentences are accentuated in red with a quill or brush as upstrokes, with headings also written in by hand (rubrication). The initials and miniatures are sketched into the empty spaces left by Gutenberg for this purpose and in the margins. The base substance for the gold leaf is then applied and the gold laid on top of this. The pages are illuminated in many layers of ink with fine heightening and shading. Finally, the last line ornaments are added and the gold polished.
Bible original format: ca. 45 x 33 cm
Storage
Our deluxe Bible prints are supplied in a handmade presentation folder (51 x 39 cm) that perfectly protects the gold leaf. An informative brochure in English and German on the Gutenberg Bible and its manufacture is also included.
Our deluxe pages are also available in a dustproof and
airtight frame (57,5-44 cm), which protects the precious gilding with a spacer
strip between the glass and the passe-partout.
Please note: Framing extends the delivery time by one to two
weeks.
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