The Production of a Facsimile
Digitisation
The first step in the production of a Facsimile involves capturing the image data of every single leaf of the manuscript. Today, this is typically done using a digital camera specially calibrated for this purpose – both to protect the original and to ensure the highest possible fidelity in colour reproduction. Each page is photographed individually, and the resulting digital files are immediately checked on-site for colour accuracy.
The images are then separated into individual colour channels – red, blue, yellow, and depth. However, gold and silver elements cannot be accurately reproduced through digital means. As such, they must be painstakingly re-rendered by hand, much as they were in the medieval scriptoria.
Proof Comparison
To achieve the precise colour balance, initial test prints – known as proofs – are produced and meticulously compared with the original manuscript. This process of the production of a Facsimile is repeated as often as necessary until a perfect match is achieved. Only then does the actual printing commence.
The quality of a facsimile also depends significantly on the choice of paper and the screening technique. When selecting the paper, crucial factors include its weight, texture, and durability. Both the thickness and the feel of the paper should resemble the original as closely as possible – since, for technical reasons, printing on actual parchment is not feasible.
Screening refers to the division of colour into tiny dots that are layered over one another to create the final image. A facsimile is typically printed at a minimum of 80 lines per centimetre – meaning that for each colour, 80 x 80 dots are applied per square centimetre.
Printing Process
Today, facsimiles are produced using offset printing – an indirect printing method in which the individual colours are applied to the paper in successive layers. The previously prepared colour separations are transferred onto printing plates using the appropriate screen pattern. Each plate is then mounted into its respective inking unit.
The standard sequence of colour application is as follows: yellow, magenta, cyan, and black (depth).
Finishing and Gilding
Many medieval manuscripts are adorned with silver and gold – often in various forms, including both shell gold and gold leaf – and these precious details are faithfully reproduced in the facsimile. Depending on the type and sheen of the metal, different methods are employed: some are printed, while others require specialised application techniques.
The use of gold leaf in the facsimile closely mirrors that of medieval scriptoria: the leaf is laid onto a previously applied adhesive ground and then carefully burnished to achieve the desired finish.
To match the appearance of the original, the freshly applied gold must be patinated. This is done in an additional print run, during which the so-called patina is printed over the gold, lending it the authentic aged character. Only then can the leaves be trimmed to their final format, folded, and sewn – just as in the original codex.
Bookbinding
The completed book block is now set into its cover and securely fixed. The variety of historical bindings is virtually limitless: leather, velvet, parchment, textile – often richly adorned with blind tooling, gold embossing, and decorative elements made of enamel, gold, ivory, and more. Wherever the original binding has been preserved, it is reproduced with the utmost precision and care, entirely by hand.
The result is a newly created, self-contained work of art – one that bridges the spirit and allure of the Middle Ages with the craftsmanship and sensibilities of our own time.
The Commentary Volume
Every facsimile edition is typically accompanied by a scholarly commentary volume. This serves to decode the manuscript and to place it within its historical and art-historical context. In fact, many manuscripts have only undergone detailed academic examination as a result of their facsimile reproduction.
As such, these editions represent a vital contribution to the advancement of both historical and art-historical research.
