100+ luminous miniatures: one of the most beautiful illuminated manuscripts of the French High Gothic
Missale Remense
Reims and Burgundy (France) — 1285–1297; 15th century

Missale Remense
Reims and Burgundy (France) — 1285–1297; 15th century
One of the most beautiful illuminated manuscripts of the French High Gothic style originated in Rheims
The outstanding specimen is adorned with over 100 full-page miniatures with intense colors and gold leaf
The liturgical work contains prayer texts for reading during the joint mass and served as a religious calendar
Missale Remense
- Misal de Reims
- Missel à l´usage de Saint-Nicaise de Reims
- Missale aus Reims
Short Description
One of the most beautiful illuminated manuscripts of the French High Gothic style was made in Rheims between 1285 and 1297. It is the missal, which was the basis for the celebration of the mass in the parish of St. Nacasio in Rheims. The gorgeous missal is richly illustrated with exceptionally designed, full-page miniatures in splendid colors and furnished with precious gold leaf.
Missale Remense
One of the most beautiful and splendid missals, which was created in the Middle Ages, can be found today in the Russian National Library in St. Petersburg. It is a missal that was made between 1285 and 1297 in the French city of Rheims. The liturgical work contains prayer texts for reading during the joint mass and served as a calendar for the feasts and holidays of the liturgical year. It is adorned with over 100 full-page miniatures in luminously intense colors and with the employment of noble gold leaf. The precious, meticulously-written illuminated prayer book counts among the absolute highpoints of Western European illumination at the end of the 13th century.
A Liturgical Rulebook
A missal is a liturgical work that describes the course of the holy mass for the celebration of the Eucharist on Sundays, feast days, and workdays. It contains prayers for the various church festivities, which would be sung or spoken by priests as well as the texts typical to any church service, such as the Kyrie eleison, the Gloria, and the Lord’s Prayer. The Missale Remense was made for the Church of St. Nacasio in Rheims. Here it was used and carefully handled over many years and could be read exclusively by priests of the church.
A Masterpiece of French Gothic
The splendid visual adornment of the missal is a unique example of the outstanding illumination of the French High Gothic style. Elegant, elongated figures with slim limbs and sublime facial features illustrate the ceremonial prayer texts of the manuscript. Differentiated color gradations as well as accents of precious gold leaf causes the miniature pages to shine. The calligraphic script of the codex was completed as painstakingly and splendidly as the images. Luminous, rich red and golden ornaments furnishing the historiated initials introduce the texts of the respective liturgical activities and as such, important passages are written in various color schemes.
Codicology
- Alternative Titles
- Misal de Reims
Missel à l´usage de Saint-Nicaise de Reims
Missale aus Reims - Size / Format
- 672 pages / 23.3 x 16.2 cm
- Origin
- Reims and Burgundy (France)
- Date
- 1285–1297; 15th century
- Style
- Genre
- Language
- Illustrations
- 105 miniatures, most of them full-page
- Previous Owners
- Peter Dubrovsky
1 available facsimile edition(s) of „Missale Remense“
Misal de Reims
- Publisher
- AyN Ediciones – Madrid, 2007
- Limited Edition
- 995 copies
- Binding
- Purple velvet binding with leather spine
- Commentary
-
1 volume (246 pages) by Gregorio Solera
Language: Spanish - More Information
- Reproduction 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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