Decorated with almost 1,000 miniatures but irrevocably exposed to decay: one of the most beautiful picture Bibles of the Middle Ages, created for the King of Navarre
Pamplona Bible
Navarra (Spain) — Around 1200

Pamplona Bible
Navarra (Spain) — Around 1200
One of the greatest pre-13th century biblical image cycles originated in Spanish Navarre ca. 1200
976 mostly half-page and some full-page miniatures literally put a face on the Bible
With just a few lines of text per image, the focus is clearly on the pictorial retelling of biblical stories

Pamplona Bible
Moses Parting the Red Sea
After the Israelites fled from the oppression of Pharaoh, they found themselves crowded on the banks of the Red Sea and surrounded. “Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea into dry land, and the waters were divided. So the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea on the dry ground, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.” (Ex. 14:21-22)
Pamplona Bible
- Pamplona Bilderbibel
- Pamplona Bibel
- Biblia Mirada
- Bibbia di Pamplona
- Biblia del Rey Sancho
- Biblia primera de Pamplona
Short Description
One of the greatest pre–13th century biblical image cycles originated in the Spanish province of Navarra ca. 1200 with the Pamplona Bible. An unbelievable 976 predominantly half-page miniatures and some full-page miniatures portray the texts of the Old and New Testaments as well as the Apocrypha and saints’ legends on 542 pages. King Sancho VII of Navarra (1154–1234) commissioned the parchment manuscript, which he probably used himself as a moralistic handbook, under the direction of the cleric Petrus Ferrandus in the royal chancellery in Pamplona. Aside from the exceptional wealth of imagery, the Bible distinguished itself through its unusual format. There are only two other Bibles worldwide that are known to require clarifications of no more than two or three lines.
Pamplona Bible
A parchment manuscript originated ca. 1200 in the Spanish province of Navarra with an impressive wealth of imagery. The Pamplona Bible is enriched by 542 pages with 976 mostly half-page and sometimes full-page miniatures of the text of the New and Old Testaments as well as the Apocrypha and saints’ legends. 61 of them are additionally adorned with gold. King Sancho VII of Navarra (1154–1234), given the epithet “the Strong” because of his unusual height of 2.2 meters (7 feet 3 inches), commissioned the picture Bible and presumably used it personally as a moralizing handbook. The precious manuscript was probably manufactured in the royal chancellery in Pamplona under the direction of the cleric Petrus Ferrandus.
An Exceptionally Large Picture Cycle
The Pamplona Bible represents a very special manuscript, because it contains, along with another Bible from Amiens, the largest pre–13th century biblical picture cycle ranging from Creation to Judgement Day. Additionally, the drawings are exceptionally finely outlined with black ink and painted with watercolors. The scenes themselves are highly compressed and dispense with unnecessary details, which explains the invariably limited number of figures. What makes these reduced compositions interesting are the elaborate gestures as well as the dramatic poses of the persons depicted. Thus, they bow, extend their hands to one another, or let their shoulders hang dispiritedly.
Rare Format
The great richness of imagery comes along with the format of the Bible. In order to have enough space for the half-page miniatures, each of them has only a two- or three-line explanation at their disposal, which are found on the top and bottom of the page. Only three manuscripts of this kind are known to exist in the entire world. The Pamplona Bible from the collection of the Princes of Oettingen-Wallenstein is a manuscript from the Amiens State Library and the New York Public Library. Since the pictures of the Bibles in Amiens and Pamplona are so similar, researchers hypothesize that both of them were potentially furnished by the same illustrators.
Codicology
- Alternative Titles
- Pamplona Bilderbibel
Pamplona Bibel
Biblia Mirada
Bibbia di Pamplona
Biblia del Rey Sancho
Biblia primera de Pamplona - Size / Format
- 542 pages / 20.5 × 14.7 cm
- Origin
- Navarra (Spain)
- Date
- Around 1200
- Epochs
- Style
- Genre
- Language
- Illustrations
- 976 full- and half-page miniatures (61 with gold decotation), illustrating the Old and New Testament
- Content
- Contains the Old and New Testaments as well as representations of numerous saints, plus an appendix of apocryphal texts
- Previous Owners
- Charles Philippe Campion de Tersan (1736–1819)
Louis, Prince of Oettingen-Wallerstein (1791–1870)

Pamplona Bible
The Creation of the Sun, Moon, and Stars
“Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also. God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth, and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. ” (Gen: 1:16–18)
This is a miniature of the fourth day of Creation, which conceives of the heavens as a great circle filled with stars possessing between five and eight points. The sun and moon are both red, the large star inside the crescent moon may be the North Star. Whoever created this miniature was even kind enough to label these celestial bodies “sol”, “stelle”, and “luna” in addition to including the biblical text above.
2 available facsimile edition(s) of „Pamplona Bible“
Pamplona Bibel
- Publisher
- Coron Verlag – Gütersloh, 2005
- Limited Edition
- 980 copies (in cooperation with Eikon Editors)
- Binding
- Bound in leather with silver clasps Black clamshell case with sterling medallion
- Commentary
-
1 volume (336 pages) by Gabriele Bartz, Günter Hägele, Luise Karl and Ulrich Hohoff
Languages: German - 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.
Pamplona Bibel
- Publisher
- Eikon Editores – Madrid, 2005
- Limited Edition
- 980 copies (in cooperation with Coron Verlag)
- Binding
- Bound in leather with silver clasps Black clamshell case with sterling medallion
- Commentary
-
1 volume (336 pages) by Gabriele Bartz, Günter Hägele, Luise Karl and Ulrich Hohoff
Languages: German - 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.
Matching Works
Bible of Borso d'Este
Each one of the 1,200 pages has been masterfully illuminated with incredible attention to detail: the grandiose climax of the Renaissance
Experience MoreNew Testament
A Gothic picture Bible from the Vatican Library: almost 100 miniatures in gold and silver from the life and works of Christ
Experience MoreMatching Background Articles
Bibles
You would assume that Bibles were the most commonly produced medieval manuscript, right? Wrong. The sheer size of the...Experience moreGothic
Gothic illumination is some of the most spectacular and iconic imagery of medieval art and first emerged in Northern...Experience more12th Century
Are you ready for an age of epic events and flourishing art? The Crusades and Reconquista rage at either end of the...Experience moreGospel Books
Who were the original Fab Four? Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Luxury Gospel books are among the most precious...Experience more
- Treatises / Secular Books
- Apocalypses / Beatus
- Astronomy / Astrology
- Bestiaries
- Bibles / Gospels
- Chronicles / History / Law
- Geography / Maps
- Saints' Lives
- Islam / Oriental
- Judaism / Hebrew
- Single Leaf Collections
- Leonardo da Vinci
- Literature / Poetry
- Liturgical Manuscripts
- Medicine / Botany / Alchemy
- Music
- Mythology / Prophecies
- Psalters
- Other Religious Books
- Games / Hunting
- Private Devotion Books
- Other Genres
- Aboca Museum
- Akademische Druck- u. Verlagsanstalt (ADEVA)
- Aldo Ausilio Editore - Bottega d’Erasmo
- Alecto Historical Editions
- Ars Magna
- ArtCodex
- AyN Ediciones
- Bärenreiter-Verlag
- Belser Verlag
- Belser Verlag / WK Wertkontor
- Bernardinum Wydawnictwo
- BiblioGemma
- Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana (Vaticanstadt, Vaticanstadt)
- Bibliotheca Palatina Faksimile Verlag
- Bibliotheca Rara
- CAPSA, Ars Scriptoria
- Circulo Cientifico
- Club Bibliófilo Versol
- CM Editores
- Collezione Apocrifa Da Vinci
- Comissão Nacional para as Comemorações dos Descobrimentos Portugueses
- Coron Verlag
- De Agostini/UTET
- DIAMM
- E. Schreiber Graphische Kunstanstalten
- Ediciones Boreal
- Ediciones Grial
- Edilan
- Editalia
- Edition Leipzig
- Edition Libri Illustri
- Editiones Reales Sitios S. L.
- Editions Medicina Rara
- Editorial Mintzoa
- Egeria, S.L.
- Extraordinary Editions
- Facsimile Editions Ltd.
- Facsimilia Art & Edition Ebert KG
- Faksimile Verlag
- Franco Cosimo Panini Editore
- Fundación Hullera Vasco-Leonesa
- Giunti Editore
- Graffiti
- Grafica European Center of Fine Arts
- Helikon
- Herder Verlag
- Hes & De Graaf Publishers
- Hugo Schmidt Verlag
- Idion Verlag
- Il Bulino, edizioni d'arte
- Imago
- Insel Verlag
- Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana - Treccani
- Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato
- Kaydeda Ediciones
- La Meta Editore
- Leo S. Olschki
- Libreria Musicale Italiana
- Lumen Artis
- M. Moleiro Editor
- Manuscriptum
- Millennium Liber
- Nova Charta
- Orbis Mediaevalis
- Orbis Pictus
- Österreichische Staatsdruckerei
- Patrimonio Ediciones
- PIAF
- Prestel Verlag
- Priuli & Verlucca, editori
- Pro Sport Verlag
- Pytheas Books
- Quaternio Verlag Luzern
- Reales Sitios
- Reichert Verlag
- Roberto Vattori Editore
- Salerno Editrice
- Schöck ArtPrint Kft.
- Scrinium
- Scripta Maneant
- Scriptorium
- Siloé, arte y bibliofilia
- Styria Verlag
- Tempus Libri
- Testimonio Compañía Editorial
- The Clear Vue Publishing Partnership Limited
- The Facsimile Codex
- The Folio Society
- Tip.Le.Co
- TouchArt
- Trident Editore
- Vallecchi
- Van Wijnen
- Vicent Garcia Editores
- Wiener Mechitharisten-Congregation (Wien, Österreich)