Print Me a Manuscript! Facsimiles from the Institute of European Art History Posters in Lieu of Pomp? Facsimiles Beyond Books

Since the sixteenth century, facsimile technologies have been used to reproduce not only complete manuscripts and books but also fragments of such codices, as well as single-sheet prints and drawings. A prime example of the latter is seen in a portrait of the scholar Franz Christoph von Scheyb (1704–1777), editor of an early scroll-type facsimile of an ancient Roman road map, the Tabula Peutingeriana. In the image, the partially unfurled map becomes a central attribute and underlines the importance von Scheyb attached to his edition.

This section highlights the sheer thematic and visual diversity of facsimiled materials, encompassing a variety of single-sheet formats. We find here many of the same techniques that are employed in the reproduction of entire manuscripts and books. But the more economical single-sheet facsimile has a unique role to play in revealing the original’s aesthetic qualities as well as historical and contextual significance. Indeed, publishers might advertise such facsimiles for use in research and teaching, as well as museum exhibitions in instances where the originals are too fragile for transport and installation.