Weigel - Biblia Ectypa - 1695

FIRST EDITION - THE BIBLE IN 825 ENGRAVINGS: THE VISUAL MASTERPIECE OF GERMAN BAROQUE
IN FOLIO - An extraordinary illustrated Bible published in Augsburg in 1695, in which Christoph Weigel transforms the Sacred Writings into a vast cycle of images. A full 825 engravings recount the episodes of the Old and New Testaments, composing a grand visual narrative of sacred history. The theatrical intensity of the scenes, the iconographic richness, and the refinement of chiaroscuro testify to the engraving art of German Baroque. A monumental first edition, preserved in its elegant period leather binding.

First edition of Christoph Weigel's Biblia Ectypa, published in Augsburg in 1695. One of the most ambitious biblical iconographic collections of the late 17th century, comprising 825 copper engravings, generally arranged four per sheet, with captions in Latin and German. The work also includes a figurative title page and a large full-page engraving. The images illustrate episodes, personages, appearances, and visions from the Sacred Scriptures. An impression in a contemporary mottled calf binding, with a richly gold-decorated spine and unusually fresh impressions.

WHY TO BUY
First edition of 1695 of one of the great illustrated Bibles of German Baroque. An extraordinary cycle of 825 biblical engravings, a testament to the art of Christoph Weigel. An exemplar with a figurative title page, a full-page plate, and crisp, fresh impressions. Elegant contemporary leather binding, with a seven-nerved spine and rich gilded fes.

MARKET VALUE
Indicative commercial value: 3,000–5,000 euros. The number and quality of the plates, the first edition, the freshness of the impressions, and the preservation of the original binding constitute important elements of value.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION AND CONDITION
In-folio. Contemporary full calf binding, honey-colored marble, seven-nerved spine with rich golden floral ornaments in the compartments, red morocco title label, red-sprinkled edges. Collection of 825 copper engravings, generally four per sheet, sometimes three, printed on a single side, accompanied by short explanatory texts in Latin and German. Figurative title page and full-page engraving; title pages preserved. Impressions particularly fresh, with good definition of lines and chiaroscuro. Slight humidity halos that do not affect the engravings, sporadic foxing and modest signs of time. Binding with natural signs of use and surface abrasions. 432 pages in total; 6 preliminary leaves plus 210 illustrated plates. Ancient books may show imperfections, stains, foxing, irregularities, and signs of use compatible with age.
This listing contains AI views for illustrative purposes. The original photographs document the book’s real condition. The images form an integral part of the description.

FULL TITLE AND AUTHOR
Christoph Weigel (1654–1725). Biblia Ectypa. Bildnussen auß Heiliger Schrifft dess Alt- und Neuen Testaments, in welchen Alle Geschichte und Erscheinungen deutlich und schrifftmäßig zu Gottes Ehre und Andächtiger Seelen erbaulicher Beschauung vorgestellet werden. Augsburg, Christoph Weigel, 1695.

THE STORY
At the end of the 17th century, when Baroque culture had transformed imagery into one of the main tools of religious communication, Christoph Weigel conceived a Bible intended primarily for the eye. The Biblia Ectypa offered readers a vast figurative repertoire through which to retrace the events of the Sacred Scriptures without relying solely on textual reading. The biblical scenes, organized in sequences and accompanied by brief explanations, allowed a visual meditation on the fundamental episodes of sacred history. The work belongs to the great European tradition of illustrated Bibles, but it stands out for the scope of its iconographic program and for the artistic imprint of the engraving production from Augsburg and Nuremberg.

THE AUTHOR
Christoph Weigel the Elder (1654–1725) was a German engraver, publisher, and print dealer, active mainly in Nuremberg, one of Europe’s major centers of cartographic and copper-engraving production. His publishing activity encompassed religious works, atlases, illustrated collections, technical treatises, and repertoires of arts and crafts. Weigel helped spread a visual culture accessible to a growing public, combining technical precision, narrative capacity, and encyclopedic ambition. The Biblia Ectypa represents one of the most significant expressions of his religious production.

THE PRINTING
The first edition was published in Augsburg in 1695 under the name Christoph Weigel. The copper engraving process allowed an extremely detailed rendering of the compositions, with fine hatching, deep shadows, and complex perspective constructions. The arrangement of the engravings, predominantly four per sheet and printed only on the recto, gave the work the character of a grand atlas of sacred history. The integration of Latin and German captions enhanced its didactic and devotional function. The quality of the impressions of the described exemplar constitutes an important element for appreciating its preservation.

RARITY
The commercial rarity of the work depends mainly on the completeness of the vast engraved cycle and the quality of the impressions. The presence of hundreds of images, the title pages, and the large initial plate make an accurate collation particularly important. Exemplars preserved in original bindings and free of significant losses in the engravings are especially desirable on the antiquarian market. The monumentality of format and the richness of the iconographic program increase collector interest.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Graesse, Trésor de livres rares et précieux. Brunet, Manuel du libraire et de l'amateur de livres. VD17, repertory of German seventeenth-century editions. Bibliographical catalogs of illustrated Bibles and copper-engraved works by Christoph Weigel. Specific references to verify about the edition.

PERCHÉ ABBIAMO SCELTO QUESTO LIBRO
We chose this Biblia Ectypa because it represents one of the most spectacular testimonies of the figurative religious culture of the Seicento. The sequence of engravings transforms the volume into a true gallery of biblical art, in which every image becomes an episode of a monumental narrative. The 1695 first edition, the elegant contemporary binding, and the freshness of the impressions make this exemplar particularly interesting for collectors of illustrated Bibles, antique engravings, and Baroque books.