Destination Special Collections: Facsimilies

Rare and valuable in their own right, facsimiles of medieval manuscripts are created by the most exacting techniques of modern printing to replicate the size and appearance. Scholars in art history, literature, music, and history study facsimiles to gain insight that cannot be collected from digital images. Facsimiles convey meaningful information about the content, artistic qualities, materials, size, colors, and binding techniques of the medieval codex.

The Winchester Psalter Miniature Cycle

This facsimile includes a cycle of miniatures depicting scenes from the Old Testament, the lives of Christ and the Virgin Mary, and the Second Coming and Last Judgment. The original psalter was created in the 12th century under the patronage of Henry of Blois in Winchester, England.

A psalter is a book of psalms. Psalms are a collection of religious verses that were recited or sung in Jewish and Christian worship and are included in Bibles. A psalter also contains other devotional material such as the liturgical calendar and the litany of the Saints.

Find the Winchester Psalter Miniature Cycle in the UNT Library Catalog.

A red book with gold lines on the cover formed into curled design. Along the frame the gold lines are filled with black.

Liber Bestiarum

This is a facsimile of the manuscript from the Bodleian Library in Oxford, England and has 135 illustrated depictions of animals, including birds, reptiles, and fish. Bestiaries are manuscripts about animals, including real and imaginary illustrated depictions revealing a moral lesson. Bestiaries originated in the Ancient world but reached their height of popularity during the Medieval Period.

Find the Liber Bestiarum in the UNT Library Catalog.

A red book with the title Liber Bestiarum on the front in bold letters. Above the title is a drawing of an animal in red in a box. Under the title is a drawing of a horse/eagle like creature the color red in a blue box. The spine of the book has the same drawing on the spine, just smaller.

Open book. The page on the left is of a painting. Under it is old script. The page on the right is completely filled with scripted writing.

Josua-Rolle

The original Josua-Rolle was crafted at the Imperial Court School of Byzantium in the 10th century, and is now preserved in the vaults of the Vatican Apostolic Library. It was created to celebrate the success of the Byzantine armies in the Holy Land, after a struggle to free Jerusalem. It contains the Old Testament book of the prophet Joshua with various additions, painted in one long strip to form a scroll.

Find the Josua-Rolle in the UNT Library Catalog.

A box is seen, opened up from the top. Inside of it is a scroll, with the paper extended out to show an ancient drawing in color.

Biblia pauperum: Apocalypsis

The text of Biblia pauperum consists of selections from the Book of Revelation. Stories of the Apocalypse often recount visions said to be revealed by a heavenly messenger or angel to an author concerning the end of the world.

Find the Biblia pauperum: Apocalypsis in the UNT Library Catalog.