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Bible of Moutier-Grandval

Bible of Moutier-Grandval

Tours (France) — Between 820 and 840

A masterpiece of Carolingian scholarship and artistry, incredibly forgotten for centuries in the monastery attic: one of the oldest, completely preserved illuminated Bible manuscripts in the world

  1. Contains a complete version of the Vulgate revised by Alcuin, as well as prefaces by St. Jerome and poems by Alcuin

  2. Alcuin was one of the most influential scholars of the Early Middle Ages, teacher and advisor to Charlemagne, and abbot of the monastery of Saint-Martin in Tours

  3. With its outstanding scriptorium, the monastery was one of the most important cultural centers of the Carolingian Renaissance

Bible of Moutier-Grandval

Add.10546 British Library (London, United Kingdom)
Die Bibel von Moutier-Grandval : British Museum ADD. MS. 10546
Die Bibel von Moutier-Grandval : British Museum ADD. MS. 10546 Copyright Photos: Ziereis Facsimiles
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  1. Description
  2. Facsimile Editions (1)
Description
Bible of Moutier-Grandval

Few biblical manuscripts from antiquity and the Early Middle Ages have survived in their entirety to this day. Surprisingly, the impressive Carolingian Bible of Moutier-Grandval has been largely unaffected by the ravages of time, despite its turbulent history of ownership. It was created almost 1,200 years ago in the Abbey of Saint Martin in Tours – one of the most important cultural centers of the Carolingian reform movement, known as the Carolingian Renaissance. Established in the 8th century under Charlemagne and his influential advisor Alcuin, this movement continued into the 9th century. In the Bible of Moutier-Grandval, it is evident in the calligraphic precision with which the texts of the Old and New Testaments, including several prefaces by Jerome and poems attributed to Alcuin, were realized in Carolingian minuscule and a half uncial script, developed in Tours, by probably more than 20 scribes. The manuscript also contains a version of St. Jerome's Latin translation of the Bible, the Vulgate, revised by Alcuin. Together with its magnificent illumination, it is a rare masterpiece of Carolingian scholarship and artistry.

Codicology

Alternative Titles
Bibel von Moutier-Grandval
Grandval-Bibel
Moutier-Grandval-Bibel
Bible de Moutier-Grandval
Size / Format
898 pages / 51.0 × 37.5 cm
Origin
France
Date
Between 820 and 840
Language
Latin
Script
Carolingian minuscule Half uncial
Illustrations
Four full-page miniatures, one splendid incipit page and numerous large historiated and ornamental initials
Content
Old and New Testament in Alcuin's revised version of the Vulgate with prefaces by St. Jerome; poems by Alcuin
Previous Owners
Moutier-Grandval Abbey
Available facsimile editions:
Die Bibel von Moutier-Grandval : British Museum ADD. MS. 10546
#1 Die Bibel von Moutier-Grandval : British Museum ADD. MS. 10546
Limited Edition: 1020 copies
Facsimile Editions

#1 Die Bibel von Moutier-Grandval : British Museum ADD. MS. 10546

Die Bibel von Moutier-Grandval : British Museum ADD. MS. 10546
Die Bibel von Moutier-Grandval : British Museum ADD. MS. 10546 Copyright Photos: Ziereis Facsimiles

Limited Edition: 1020 copies
Binding: Brown half-linen binding
Commentary: 1 volume (207 pp.) by Johannes Duft, Bonifatius Fisher, Albert Bruckner, Ellen J. Beer, Alfred A. Schmid, Eva Irblich, and Hermann J. Frede
Language: German
1 volume: This facsimile is not complete. Reproduction of 42 pages of the entire original document as detailed as possible (scope, format, colors). The binding may not correspond to the original or current document binding.
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