March 2021 Auction Ends Thursday, March 25th, 5pm Pacific
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 3/25/2021
Scarce leaf from the Gutenberg Bible, one of the earliest major books printed from moveable metal type, the invention that ushered in the Age of Enlightenment by democratizing knowledge through mass production of literature. Printed by Johannes Gutenberg in Mainz, Germany from 1450-1455, less than 50 complete or near-complete copies of the Gutenberg Bible are now extant, with nearly all those housed in public institutions. Singular leaves are also scarce, with the leaf presented here having been acquired by bookseller Gabriel Wells, whose purchase of an incomplete Bible in 1920 gave way to selling the individual leaves alongside an essay by A. Edward Newton entitled ''A Noble Fragment''. Leaf is number 193 of the full Latin Bible, with the recto being the Prologue to 1 Chronicles of the Old Testament, and the verso the first part of Chapter 1 of 1 Chronicles. Each page features two columns of 42 lines in dark black Gothic type, accented by red and blue rubrication. Each copy of the Gutenberg Bible differs in its rubrication and illumination, with buyers at the time deciding upon these embellishments after the Bible was printed. The six-line rubricated letters of this leaf were likely added later, restored to match the original style. Leaf measures 11.125'' x 15.375'', bound on edge to portfolio measuring 11.75'' x 16''. Paper quality is still bright with very little foxing or discoloration compared to other examples. A stunning example from the book that changed the course of history.
Gutenberg Bible Leaf -- Scarce Leaf From the 15th Century Bible Made From Moveable Type That Ushered in the Age of Enlightenment
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