The Bishops’ Bible – Exodus XXVI-XXVII – The Tabernacle and Altar of Burnt Offering – Original Illustrated English Bible Leaf – London – 1568-1572

Description

An original sixteenth-century English Bible leaf from the Bishops’ Bible, containing portions of Exodus Chapters XXVI and XXVII and illustrated with two important explanatory woodcut diagrams: “The Tabernacle. North.” and “The Altar of Byrnt Offering.” The leaf measures approximately 17.4 x 25.7 cm and is printed in English in Roman type with extensive marginal annotations and cross-references.

The Bishops’ Bible was first published in 1568 under the authority of the established Church of England and was substantially revised in 1572. The University of Iowa identifies the 1572 folio as the second folio edition and notes that, as far as the Old Testament is concerned, it is essentially a reprint of the 1568 Bible. The present leaf therefore belongs securely to the early Bishops’ Bible tradition of 1568–1572, although, without a definitive collation against the exact signature sequence of the surviving copies, we prefer not to assign it to one of those two editions more narrowly.

One side, numbered 34, contains the continuation of Exodus XXVI and the detailed instructions for constructing the Tabernacle. Within the text is a small architectural woodcut headed “THE TABERNACLE. NORTH.”, showing the structure schematically with lettered reference points keyed to the accompanying explanatory notes. The reverse continues into Chapter XXVII, with the instructions for constructing the sacrificial altar and the court of the Tabernacle. A larger, two-part woodcut headed “THE ALTAR OF BYRNT OFFERING” depicts the altar externally and structurally, again with lettered references explaining its constituent parts.

These diagrams are considerably more than decorative embellishments. They form part of the interpretative and didactic apparatus of the Bishops’ Bible, translating the detailed architectural instructions of Exodus into visual form for the reader. The result is a particularly attractive and intellectually interesting example of Reformation-era English biblical printing.

The Bishops’ Bible occupies an important position in the history of the English Bible. It was produced in 1568 by bishops of the Church of England under the authority of Archbishop Matthew Parker, partly as an ecclesiastically acceptable alternative to the increasingly popular Geneva Bible. It underwent major revision in 1572, and the later Bishops’ Bible tradition ultimately provided the base text prescribed for the translators who produced the King James or Authorised Version of 1611.

The present leaf is especially desirable because it contains two substantial woodcut illustrations, rather than being an ordinary text-only leaf. Its subject matter — the Tabernacle, altar, court and ritual architecture described in Exodus — also gives it considerable visual and theological appeal.

Condition

Good overall condition for an original sixteenth-century Bible leaf. General age-toning and some marginal browning and staining, with scattered spotting and handling marks. The margins are irregular in places with small losses, short tears and edge wear, particularly along the outer and lower edges. There is a noticeable reddish stain towards the upper outer margin on one side and an old crease/short tear at the lower edge.

Importantly, however, the principal printed text and both woodcut diagrams remain substantially complete and clearly legible, with no major loss affecting either “The Tabernacle. North.” or “The Altar of Byrnt Offering.” The impressions remain strong and the leaf displays very effectively.

Please study the photographs carefully, as they form an important part of the condition description.

Work: The Bishops’ Bible

Book: Exodus

Chapters: XXVI–XXVII

Date: 1568–1572

Place of Publication: London

Language: English

Size: 17.4 x 25.7 cm

Technique: Original letterpress printing with woodcut diagrams on laid paper.

Illustrations

“The Tabernacle. North.”
“The Altar of Byrnt Offering.”

Historical Context

The Bishops’ Bible was first issued in 1568 as an officially sponsored English Bible for use within the Church of England. The 1572 folio edition retained the 1568 Old Testament setting to a substantial degree, making the period 1568–1572 the appropriate cautious attribution for this leaf.

Authentication

The leaf has been handled, inspected and catalogued in-house at our Ripon gallery. Its biblical text, page layout, marginal apparatus, illustrations and historical context have been compared with digitised and institutional records of the early Bishops’ Bible tradition, including surviving 1568 and 1572 editions. A complete digitised 1568 Bishops’ Bible is publicly available for comparison.

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