Kurt Staub - Echternach Sacramentary and Antiphonary - 1982

Kurt H. Staub – The Echternach Sacramentary and Antiphonary
Academic Printing and Publishing Company, Graz, 1982
Limited Edition Facsimile – Copy No. 60 of Only 500 Numbered Copies

A magnificent full-size facsimile edition of one of the most celebrated illuminated liturgical manuscripts of the High Middle Ages. Published in 1982 by the Academic Printing and Publishing Company in Graz, this rare edition is limited to just 500 individually numbered copies, of which this is Copy No. 60.

The set comprises two volumes:

- Facsimile Volume: 278 leaves, reproduced in full color with gold, faithfully replicating every page of the original manuscript.
- Commentary Volume: (8), 234, (3) pages with 22 illustrations, containing scholarly commentary in German by Kurt H. Staub, Paul Ulveling, and Franz Unterkircher.

Bound in original full calf leather, decorated with scraper lines and blind tooling closely following the medieval binding, and housed in the original publisher's slipcase. Measuring 24 × 17 cm, the facsimile is produced at the original size, with page dimensions and trimming carefully matching the historic manuscript to recreate its physical appearance as faithfully as possible.

Historical Significance

The Echternach Sacramentary and Antiphonary is one of the most important liturgical manuscripts produced by the renowned Abbey of Echternach around 1030 AD. Created during the flourishing of Ottonian manuscript illumination, it is regarded as one of the finest surviving examples of Romanesque book art.

Distinguished by its remarkable illuminations, lavish use of gold, and its striking purple-dyed parchment pages, the manuscript represents a masterpiece of medieval craftsmanship and devotional art.

Beyond its artistic importance, the codex is of exceptional significance for the history of Western music. It preserves one of the earliest and most accomplished examples of Gregorian chant notation using neumes, documenting a distinctive Echternach tradition that differs from the better-known St. Gallen notation. As such, it is an invaluable source for the study of medieval liturgy, musicology, and manuscript culture.

Condition

As New. Both volumes are in exceptional, virtually unused condition, complete with the original publisher's slipcase.

A superb collector's edition and an outstanding facsimile of one of Europe's most important medieval illuminated manuscripts, highly desirable for collectors of manuscripts, medieval art, liturgy, and music history.