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Category: Illuminated Manuscript

Detail of the illuminations in the Giant Bible of Mainz.

A Little Note About A Giant Bible

Posted by: Marianna Stell

Happy Giant Bible Day! On April 4, 1952, philanthropist and bibliophile, Lessing J. Rosenwald (1891-1979) donated the Giant Bible of Mainz to the Library of Congress. He made this gift exactly five hundred years after the manuscript’s scribe first put quill to parchment. In keeping with Rosenwald's commitment to encouraging broad cultural engagement with the history of the illustrated book, the Library’s digitization allows book lovers near and far to encounter every page of this important and evocative manuscript.

Posted in: 15th Century, History of the Book, Illuminated Manuscript, Illustrated Book, Library History, Provenance

The scene of the Annunciation in the Edith Book of Hours surrounded by border illuminations and two frolicking rabbits below.

Immensity and Smallness in the Edith Book of Hours

Posted by: Marianna Stell

The Edith Book of Hours from the Lessing J. Rosenwald Collection is the smallest medieval manuscript at the Library of Congress. Created in Paris in the fourteenth century in the style of miniature painter and manuscript illuminator, Jean Pucelle, this tiny book offers researchers an experience like no other in the collection. Recently digitized, the Edith Book of Hours is now available for remote viewing for the first time. This blog post offers observations about the size of this manuscript in the hopes of providing remote researchers with a sense of its physical presence.

Posted in: 14th Century, Illuminated Manuscript, Manuscript and Letterpress (Hand Press)