Oxford, Bodleian Library, MS Ashmole 1511

Ashmole Bestiary Facsimile Edition

Our price

More Buying Choices

Request Info

Extremely widespread during the late twelfth century, bestiaries were illustrated animal books whose depictions related to the Biblical text in allegorical ways. The Ashmole Bestiary is possibly one of the best examples among books of this kind from the central middle ages. 

The Ashmole Bestiary: An Opulent Work of Art

With its lavish gold-leaf inserts, this manuscript is exceptional for both its depictions of animals in matte though brilliant colors, but also for the illustrations depicting plants, trees, and human characters. The artist's sense of symmetry, the sophisticated decorations and diaper-pattern backgrounds suggest that he truly was a master in his art. 

A Universe in Miniature

The 130 animal miniatures in the Ashmole Bestiary are really incredible: their depictions of birds, snakes, worms, and fish are often fantastic and marvelous. One can often find a crocodile with a snake's head and bird paws, an eccentrically colored panther, and so on. These allegorical depictions were certainly based on the artist's free interpretation of what he could find in other treatises and books.     

We have 2 facsimiles of the manuscript "Ashmole Bestiary":

Request Info / Price
Manuscript book description compiled by the publisher.
Please Read
International social justice movements and the debates that ensued prompted us to start considering the contents of our website from a critical point of view. This has led us to acknowledge that most of the texts in our database are Western-centered. We have asked the authors of our content to be aware of the underlying racial and cultural bias in many scholarly sources, and to try to keep in mind multiple points of view while describing the manuscripts. We also recognize that this is yet a small, first step towards fighting inequality.

If you notice any trace of racist or unjust narratives in our communications, please help us be part of the change by letting us know.

#1 BESTIARIUM. Fac-similé du manuscrit du Bestiaire Ashmole 1511, conservé à la Bodleian Library d'Oxford

Paris: Club du Livre, 1984

+ 5

Oxford Bestiary, Oxford, Bodleian Library, MS Ashmole 1511, Facsimile edition by Club du Livre
Facsimile edition by Club du Livre

+ 5

Oxford Bestiary, Oxford, Bodleian Library, MS Ashmole 1511, Facsimile edition by Club du Livre
Facsimile edition by Club du Livre

+ 5

Oxford Bestiary, Oxford, Bodleian Library, MS Ashmole 1511, Facsimile edition by Club du Livre
Facsimile edition by Club du Livre

+ 5

Oxford Bestiary, Oxford, Bodleian Library, MS Ashmole 1511, Facsimile edition by Club du Livre
Facsimile edition by Club du Livre

+ 5

Oxford Bestiary, Oxford, Bodleian Library, MS Ashmole 1511, Facsimile edition by Club du Livre
Facsimile edition by Club du Livre

+ 5

Oxford Bestiary, Oxford, Bodleian Library, MS Ashmole 1511, Facsimile edition by Club du Livre
Facsimile edition by Club du Livre
  • Commentary (French) by Muratova, Xénia; Poirion, Daniel; Dupuis, Marie-France; Louis, Sylvain
  • Limited Edition: 2900 copies
  • Full-size color reproduction of the entire original document, Ashmole Bestiary: the facsimile attempts to replicate the look-and-feel and physical features of the original document; pages are trimmed according to the original format; the binding might not be consistent with the current document binding.

The commentary volume accompanying the facsimile includes a French translation of the original manuscript.

Binding

Full leather binding with blind embossing, with the design of a griffin on the front cover. Commentary binding in half leather.

Our Price

More Buying Choices

Request Info

#2 Das Bestiarium

Graz: Akademische Druck- u. Verlagsanstalt (ADEVA), 1982

+ 2

Das Bestiarium, Oxford, Bodleian Library, Ms. Ashmole 1511, Facsimile edition by ADEVA
Facsimile edition by ADEVA

+ 2

Das Bestiarium, Oxford, Bodleian Library, Ms. Ashmole 1511, Facsimile edition by ADEVA
Facsimile edition by ADEVA

+ 2

Das Bestiarium, Oxford, Bodleian Library, Ms. Ashmole 1511, Facsimile edition by ADEVA
Facsimile edition by ADEVA
  • Commentary (German) by Unterkircher, Franz
  • Limited Edition: 4500 copies
  • Full-size color reproduction of the entire original document, Ashmole Bestiary: the facsimile attempts to replicate the look-and-feel and physical features of the original document; pages are trimmed according to the original format; the binding might not be consistent with the current document binding.

The commentary volume features a transcription and translation of the text into German.

980 copies of this facsimile edition are reserved for the not French and Spanish speaking areas.

Binding

The full leather binding is a faithful replica of a Romanic binding, presently in the possession of Austrian National Library in Vienna.

Our Price

More Buying Choices

Request Info