Existing comment:
Nationale and the British Library. For nearly five centuries the Bible was in the possession of the Benedictine Order in their monasteries of St. Blasius and St. Paul in Austria. Along with other fifteenth-century books, it was purchased from Dr. Otto Vollbehr by an act of Congress in 1930.
Printed in three volumes, the Gutenberg Bible is a recognized masterpiece of world culture. To protect against light damage and to preserve this important work, the volume on exhibition is exchanged with another every six months. The damaging effects of exposure to light are cumulative; therefore this case is illuminated with low intensity and low ultraviolet light that falls in he least damaging portion of the spectrum. The Bible rests on an inert, cast acrylic cradle that minimizes stress to its binding by uniformly supporting the covers and pages while the volume is open.
This case is designed to provide temperature and relative humidity levels that significantly slow chemical deterioration and prevent moisture content fluctuations that place stress on the volume. These preservation measures ensure that this significant volume will be available to visitors for generations to come. |