Bible, France, circa 1250 AD
Item
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Title
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Bible, France, circa 1250 AD
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Description
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This small Latin Bible, which was produced in France in about 1250 A.D., measures approximately 4 inches across. Click the image on the left to see an enlarged view next to a ruler in order to better see its actual size. This leaf is from the book of Acts, Chapter XXVII- Chapter XXVIII and a preface to the Pauline Epistles. This particular item features some basic decorative initials, which show the reader the major divisions of the text. Typically, there was a hierarchy for the initials--the more important the text break, the fancier the initial. We see then, the most elaborate initial opening the Epistles. While in the early years of book production, the initials were added by the book's scribe, beginning in the thirteenth century, specialists would fill in the initials in the spaces left blank by the scribe. Red and blue were common colors -- these initials are often called "rubrication". In the fifteenth century, a preference for purple ink emerged. Because of its size, and the level of decoration, this was most likely a relatively inexpensive Bible when it was produced. This particular leaf has some staining, possibly from water damage.
