Image: Saint Luke from Irmengard Codex (detail), shortly after 1053, German. Tempera colors, gold, and ink on parchment. Getty Museum, Ms. 125 (2023.6), fol. 3v
The Getty has opened 'The Making of a Medieval Manuscript', an exhibition that examines how books were produced entirely by hand in pre-modern Europe. Running from August 4, 2026, through March 14, 2027, the display is installed at the Getty Center, in the Museum West Pavilion, Lower Level, and is presented in both English and Spanish.
According to the museum, the exhibition focuses on the four stages of manuscript production: preparing animal skin into parchment, then writing, painting, and binding. The show brings together a selection of manuscripts from the Getty Museum’s collection to illustrate the materials and techniques used in making books before the advent of modern printing.
The gallery presentation includes works that span several centuries and regions, underscoring the variety of artistic approaches used in manuscript culture. Among the selected objects listed by the Getty are 'Solomon Writing' from a Bible, 'Decorated Text Page' from the 'Prayer Book of Charles the Bold', 'Decorated Text Page from a Qu'ran', 'Front Cover from a Bible', 'The Rejection of Joachim and Anna's Offering' from a book of hours, 'Decorated Text Page from Rothschild Pentateuch', 'Saint Luke from Irmengard Codex', and a 'Full goatskin parchment, stretched on a wooden frame' by Henk de Groot.
The exhibition’s featured image is 'Saint Luke from Irmengard Codex' (shortly after 1053), described by the Getty as a German work in tempera colors, gold, and ink on parchment. Other works in the checklist include manuscripts from North African, French or German, Flemish, and German contexts, reflecting the Getty’s emphasis on the physical craft and visual variety of medieval books.
'The Making of a Medieval Manuscript' is included with free, timed-entry admission to the Getty. Reservations are available six weeks in advance, and the museum notes that parking carries a fee.
The Getty also provides an exhibition checklist on request and a short video titled 'Making Manuscripts' that explains why illuminated manuscripts were among the most precious objects produced in the Middle Ages.
