From the original to the faithful fine art facsimile edition: publishing and printing challenges
Protecting the eight-hundred-year-old original manuscript was the biggest priority during the entire process of reproducing the book. Using instruments developed strictly for the purpose of photographing medieval manuscripts, the Munich Golden Psalter was photographed over a period of several days at the Bavarian State Library. The digital data were computer-processed in preparation for printing, before any proofs were pulled. Then the lithographer compared each page to its original in the library, in order to find and correct even the smallest of differences in the colours, gold, and silver.
»Das Buch der reichen Dame – Wie ein Faksimile entsteht.«Der Münchner Merkur hat ausführlich über den aufwendigen Herstellungsprozess des Goldenen Münchner Psalters berichtet und dabei den Spezialisten des Quaternio Verlags Luzern über die Schulter geschaut.
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Brilliant gold and nuanced silver
A manuscript like the Munich Golden Psalter, which is so lavishly decorated with both gold and silver on almost every page, presents special challenges when it comes to making replicas. First, the sections of gold and silver have to be turned into computer data and processed. The various kinds of gold and silver—some of them more burnished than others—are layered on in multiple printing processes. Great emphasis is also laid upon the patination, which is done in order to faithfully reproduce the manuscript’s traces of use throughout the centuries, thus giving the gold a vibrant sheen.
The bookbinder—perfect craftsmanship
The bookbinder folds the printed sheets, assembles them into quires, and then sews the quires together on a sewing press to make a book block. Then he applies gilt edging to all three sides of the block. A steady hand and a great deal of experience are required in order to sew the head-band of the book by hand. A sure sense is also needed in selecting the right leather, which has to be specially dyed to match the colour of the centuries-old original. Finally, tiny nails are used to affix two patinated brass clasps, modelled on the originals, to the cover of the book.
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