Description
Extraordinary facsimile limited edition of the Codex Egberti by Faksimile Verlag (2005) featuring:
- Edition details: Egbert-Codex – Lucerne: Faksimile Verlag, 2005
- Commentary: German by Franz Gunther, Ronig Franz J., Dornheim Dagmar, Oltrogge Doris and Fuchs Robert (historical and codicological research with transcription of all the texts)
- Binding: the green silk binding is a replica of a typical book binding from the Ottonian period. The front plate is decorated with an elaborate silver-plated and patinated metal plate. It is modelled on an illustration of Egbert, seen on the reliquary of the true cross in Mettlach, Germany, which is the only portrait of the bishop ever done on metal.
- Case: for better protection, the facsimile comes in a slip-case made of acrylic glass.
About the original manuscript: Stadtbibliothek Weberbach, Ms. 24
The Codex Egberti – taking its name from its commissioner, the Archbishop Egbert of Trier – features one of the most elaborate picture cycle on the Life of Christ in the history of book painting. Produced in the 10th Century on the island of Reichenau, the work’s enormous narrative appeal continues to fascinate readers even today.
Oldest Picture Cycle on the Life of Christ
The Codex Egberti stands out even amidst the richly illuminated manuscripts from the prolific period of the arts under the Ottonian kings.
Right from the very first leaves, this precious volume bears testimony to the bibliophile penchant of its commissioner, Archbishop Egbert of Trier: it opens with a dedication and a portrait of the Bishop on a double page in gold and purple.
Two monks at Egbert’s feet, Kerald and Heribert of Reichenau, present the volume to the donor. This is followed by four impressive full-page illustrations of the Evangelists.
The ensuing 51 narrative pictures on the Life of Christ fascinate the viewer with their delicately shining grounds and carefully composed groups of figures in each miniature. Although the Codex Egberti is not the earliest picture cycle on the Life of Christ, it is certainly – with its 51 paintings – one of the most elaborate.
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