Mazarin Bible

Almost everyone knows it, the 42-lined Gutenberg Bible, which originated in Mainz between 1452 and 1454. The so-called Mazarin Bible comes from the library of Cardinal Mazarin (1605–1648) in Paris and is one of 49 surviving specimens worldwide of the Gutenberg Bible. With the help of a staff of around 20, Johannes Gutenberg (ca. 1400–1468) could print 180 each of the two-volume Bible in folio, whereby the first part contains the Old Testament and the second primarily has the prophets of the Old Testament and the New Testament. A manuscript of the Parisian standard text of the Latin Vulgate, which is the 4th century translation by St. Jerome, served as the foundation of the text. Even though there are no full-page miniatures in the Bible, the decorative tendrils and initials of this important book of the incunable period make it a luminous masterpiece.

Gutenberg as a Revolutionary

When Johannes Gutenberg began to print with moveable metal type and the book press in 1450, he probably did not think that his innovations would substantially influence book printing and unleash a true media revolution. The new method of book production spread quickly through Europe and the entire world and is considered today to be a key element of the Renaissance. Thanks to its high aesthetic and technical quality, the Bible is famous today as Gutenberg’s primary work.

Filigree Illumination

None of the known Gutenberg Bibles is furnished with full-page miniatures and thus the Mazarin Bible does not contain any pictures on single pages that illustrate the text. Having said this, inventive drawings and wonderful initials were individually added by hand after printing, making each specimen unique. For the most part, this décor consists of splendid flowering tendrils that amply fill the free spaces around the field of text. Enchanting animals like the majestic peacock are added here and there to these romantically floral motifs, which still gleam today in bold colors.