Golden Books
The medieval manuscript is by its very nature a medium of reproduction. From the earliest book-making workshops (or scriptoria) of the Middle Ages to the specialty publishers that produce luxury replicas today, the process of copying has defined the art of the book. Whether painted by hand, printed from a press, or captured in photography, facsimiles bring manuscripts to wide audiences even when the originals are too fragile for regular handling. The relationship between copies and originals has taken on heightened importance in the contemporary moment, when travel to distant collections is often impossible and access to manuscripts restricted for all but the most highly trained professionals. Without reproductions, the books would be no more visible now than they were in the medieval world, reserved only for special occasions.
This student-curated exhibition displays illuminated manuscripts through print and digital copies, with a focus on the University of Pittsburgh’s outstanding facsimile collection. Rare and collectible in their own right, these lavish copies are designed to reproduce the look and feel of their inaccessible models as closely as possible. Unlike singular illustrations that only present a single page as a detached image, facsimiles show manuscripts as coherent books, contextualizing their illuminations within complete objects that preserve many traces of use and provenance that have accumulated within the books over the centuries. As organizers of the exhibition we have been mindful of preserving and promoting this quality of the facsimiles in an online format, using the filters of video, photographs, and digitization to see old books in fresh new ways.
Among the most stunning visual qualities of modern facsimiles is their ability to approximate the appearance of gold, a favored material for artists and patrons alike that enlivened the most prized manuscripts with glittering, sparkling surfaces. The use of gold to articulate sacred themes was a favored strategy among Christian, Jewish, and Muslim illuminators alike; indeed the term illumination most properly refers to the presence of gold in the medieval book. This show thus opens with books from the three monotheistic medieval religions in one space, each one outstanding in its use of the sparkling surface effects that allow modern facsimiles to convey some of the thrill of turning the sumptuous original pages.
