Access to the Middle Ages:
Medieval Manuscripts in Facsimile
Based on an exhibit prepared by Dr. Marina Smyth, Librarian of the Medieval Institute
with the assistance of
Catherine Kavanagh and Kathleen Tonry, graduate students in the Medieval Institute
In the Exhibit Room of the Department of Special Collections,
on the ground floor of the Hesburgh Library at the University of Notre Dame
Summer & Fall 1997
Introduction
Medieval Manuscripts
Up until the end of the Middle Ages, when the art of printing first
allowed a measure of mass production, books were made by hand one at a
time. Every manuscript is therefore unique: even when the scribes and
artists copied a model text or image, the result is marked by their own
taste and training, not to mention the wishes of their patron. The
medieval manuscripts that survive are also precious because of the mere
fact of being old; they are witnesses to a culture which prevailed a
long time ago (from about AD 500 to AD 1500) and strongly influenced
the world in which we now live. In addition to transmitting the texts
which interested people at that time, many of these manuscripts still
provide much aesthetic pleasure, due to their fine layout and script,
and of course, the illuminations.
Not all manuscripts were as beautiful as those represented in this
exhibit. Most of them were simply functional, and quite plain; they are
sometimes so full of abbreviations as to be unintelligible except to
those familiar with the handwriting
and the conventions of the particular scribe. With the exception of
reproductions
intended strictly for specialized scholarly use -- which are also
represented here -- facsimile copies of medieval materials have
concentrated on the illuminated manuscripts, so that the visual
impressions created by this exhibit will, of necessity, largely reflect
the wealthy classes during the Middle Ages.
Manuscripts in Facsimile
Art history, as well as interest in the Middle Ages, blossomed
during the nineteenth
century. There was a demand for reproductions of medieval art, and also
for samples of the various scripts. While the standards and
expectations for manuscript reproductions -- or facsimiles -- have
certainly risen since the nineteenth century, the central goal has
remained the same: to facilitate access to manuscripts that are unique
in their visual and historical characteristics and are dispersed in
libraries throughout the world.
By focusing on facsimiles instead of the manuscripts
themselves, this exhibit hopes to highlight the historical development
of facsimile technology, as well as the central place of facsimiles in
the study of the Middle Ages. Manuscripts need to be carefully
preserved, and libraries must be quite restrictive in allowing scholars
to consult the originals. Much of the work that needs to be done --
studying the layout, comparing scripts, etc. -- can be done with an
accurate facsimile without the risk of damage to the original.
Moreover, the publication of a facsimile usually involves the
simultaneous publication of a companion volume bringing together and
updating the scholarship on various aspects of the original. And, of
course, facsimiles also appeal to those who love beautiful books for
their own sake.
Facsimile Technology
Lithography (first developed around 1800) soon became the
preferred process in the production of facsimiles. A drawing is first
made of the desired image, which is then traced in reverse onto a
smooth stone slab ("lithos" means stone in Greek); in order to
accomodate cylindrical rotary presses, the stone was eventually
replaced by
plates of more flexible metal alloys. The chemicals used in this
process ensure that the areas to be printed are completely
ink-repellent. After the plate is inked, the image is printed on paper.
Chromolithography,
the adaptation of this process to the production of color facsimiles,
was first used in the 1830s, and yielded some lovely images when it was
perfected. It still depended, however, on the care and accuracy of the
artist reproducing the original image, so that it did not always
satisfy the rising expectations for realistic reproduction fanned by
the birth of photography in the late nineteenth century. It took a long
time to develop the techniques and chemical processes which allowed the
transfer of the photographed image onto the printer's plate. Collotype and heliogravure were among the earlier processes, expensive, but with very pleasing results. In some form or other, photolithography
is now the most commonly used method for high-quality reproduction, and
even though computers are often called upon to assist in the task, the
human element remains of paramount importance for obtaining good
results, not least the care of the photographer who first records the
image.
The Golden Book of the Pfäfers
The Life of Mathilda of Canossa
The Sea Map of Andrea Benincasa
Chronik des Constanzer Concils
Palaeographia sacra pictoria
The Book of Kells (1951 facsimile)
Descriptive Remarks on Illuminations in Certain
Ancient Irish Manuscripts
The Book of Kells (1990 facsimile)
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