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Dr. Jörn Günther Rare Books

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Dr. Jörn Günther Rare Books

Worldwide dealer with medieval manuscripts and miniatures. Here we can offer you expert advice in person (on site and by appointment). Gallen.

Dr. Jörn Günther Rare Books AG deals worldwide with manuscripts, miniatures and rare early printed books from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. From interesting text manuscripts to outstanding illuminated prayerbooks and through time to block books and the first incunable editions, we offer an excellent selection of museum-quality treasures. With their origins in western European traditions, ou

r books are both written and printed in several different languages. Thematically, books with sacred content, such as magnificently decorated bibles and other theological texts, figure prominently in our inventory. Furthermore, the gallery offers numerous illustrated manuscripts and early printed literary, philosophical, and historical works along with scientific treatises and early travel reports. As the book hunters of modern day, our work is fulfilled when we find ourselves playing a role in the reconstruction of humankind’s colourful past. Actively circulating our findings and participating in scholarly discourse is thus a central part of our mission. Our team of experts thoroughly investigates and documents every book and miniature for the benefit of our customers, collectors and other interested parties. Many of the discoveries of Dr. Jörn Günther Rare Books are published in our richly illustrated brochures and catalogues. In January 2012 Dr. Jörn Günther Antiquariat opened a gallery located in the heart of Basel’s medieval center on Spalenberg 55. Whether you are interested in buying, selling, or simply learning more, we are very happy to be at your service. Our annual participation in the fine art and book fairs at TEFAF in Maastricht, the New York Antiquarian Book Fair and the Salon International de Livre Ancien in Paris are highlights for our gallery. These give us the opportunity to exhibit our books to an international private and institutional audience and maintain our valued contacts. We regularly organize our own exhibitions for interested parties from near and far at Art Basel, Christmas, and other occasions in our premises in Basel. In the meantime there are periodically opportunities to show our books in a very special setting, such as in the renowned Abbey Library of St. We look forward to welcoming you in our gallery in Basel or our paths crossing somewhere along our travels soon.

29/05/2026

In just a few weeks, our city will be filled with visitors from all over the world, as it hosts Art Basel. To mark the occasion of this vibrant fair, we will present an exhibition, Living with Nature 🌱, with guided tours and a special themed event, diving into the role of nature in the medieval worldview and making connections to today’s conceptions of well-being.

Do not miss this opportunity to complement your fair experience with a visit of our gallery in the heart of Basel’s Old Town and sign up today!

❗The exhibition and the event are accessible only through prior registration ❗
✅ Secure your spot today by signing up via our website: https://www.guenther-rarebooks.com/exhibitions-fairs/ ✅

25/05/2026

Another striking miniature depicting the moment of the descent of the Holy Spirit is found in a French Book of Hours from the beginning of the 15th century, decorated by one of the foremost painters of his time, the Luçon Master, who collaborated in high-end projects with other virtuosi of French book illumination. With its stunning artistical quality, this manuscript is an epitome of the International Gothic style. The master paints tongues of coloured fire to represent, in an extremely literal manner, the sky at Pentecost.

🔵 Book of Hours, use of Paris. Manuscript in Latin and French on vellum, illuminated by the Master of Luçon. France, Paris, c. 1400-1410. Detail from f. 138v. Dimensions: 150 x 114 mm.

24/05/2026

Today marks the feast of Pentecost 🕊️

The Holy Spirit, embodied by the dove, descends upon the awe-struck Apostles, with Virgin Mary placed as the anchor at the center of the scene. This rendition of the moment of Pentecost stems from a Book of Hours illuminated by the Master of the Traités Théologiques and the Master of Charles VIII, two interesting but as yet not fully explored illuminators, that were active in the orbit Jean d'Ypres (Master of the Apocalypse Rose of the Sainte-Chapelle, or Master of the Très Petites Heures of Anne of Brittany).

🟦 Book of Hours for the use of Paris. Manuscript in Latin on vellum, illuminated by the Master of the Traités Théologiques, calendar and most small miniatures by the Master of Charles VIII.
France, Paris, c. 1490-1500. Detail from f. 76r. Dimensions: 128 x 85 mm.

20/05/2026

Medieval Menagerie - The Hedgehog and the Eagle

The Hedgehog 🦔
The hedgehog looks like a small pig but is covered in sharp spines for protection. At harvest time it climbs a vine, shakes down the grapes, then rolls over them so they stick to its quills and can be carried home for its young.

The Eagle 🦅
When an eagle is old, its eyesight dims and its feathers and wings become heavy. To rejuvenate itself, the eagle flies up to the region of the sun, which burns away the mist over its eyes and burns off its old feathers. The eagle has both favourable and unfavourable interpretations.

🟢 Arator, Historia Apostolica . Physiologus , in the Dicta Chrysostomi form. Williram von Ebersberg, Expositio in Cantica Canticorum. Decorated Manuscript in Latin on vellum. Germany, Erfurt, Saint-Peter’s Abbey, c. 1150-1180, c. 175 x 132 mm. Details from: ff. 73r, 74v.

18/05/2026

Medieval Menagerie - The Fox, the Castor and the Ants

The Fox 🦊
The Fox is deceitful, allegory of the devil. When it wants to catch a bird to eat, it pretends to be dead, rolling in red mud so it seems it is bleeding. Birds land on it and are immediately eaten.

The Castor 🦫
The beaver, hunted for its medicinally prized testicles, will bite them off and throw them to the pursuing hunter when escape is impossible, just as a person who wishes to live chastely must cut off their vices and throw them back at the devil.

The Ants 🐜
Ants are said to have these characteristics: they walk in order; they carry grains in their mouths, and an ant with no grain will not try to take the grain from one which has it. The ants teach that people should work together in harmony.

🟢 Arator, Historia Apostolica . Physiologus , in the Dicta Chrysostomi form. Williram von Ebersberg, Expositio in Cantica Canticorum. Decorated Manuscript in Latin on vellum. Germany, Erfurt, Saint-Peter’s Abbey, c. 1150-1180, c. 175 x 132 mm. Details from: ff. 71v, 72r.

14/05/2026

Today marks the Feast of the Ascension!

The moment of the ascension is captured in this beautiful miniature from our inventory: The colorful scene, encapsulating the initial V, stems from a rediscovered Gradual from the workshop of the most important Florentine illuminator of the early 14th century, Pacino da Bonaguida. In the upper part of the initial Christ has already ascended into heaven, and is shown as a half-length figure as he blesses the apostles. They are gesturing and looking up at him in wonder.

Next to the initial stand two young male observers dressed in long white robes under a canopy. The letter in pale pink and blue sits on a dark blue field, ornate with white tracery, surrounded by an orange frame.

🟦 Ascension of Christ. Leaf from a Gradual with a historiated initial V illuminated by Pacino da Bonaguida. Italy, Florence, c. 1310-1320. Leaf: 435 x 320 mm, initial: 70 x 95 mm.

11/05/2026

The Deer 🦌 and the Goat 🐐

The stag is the enemy of the snake and a symbol for Christ, who tramples and destroys the devil. Goats like to live on high mountains. The goat's love of high mountains represents Christ, who also loves high mountains, that is, the prophets, angels and patriarchs. Another characteristic of the wild goat is its keen eyesight, by which it can discern hunters or travelers from the tops of the highest mountains, just as Christ recognized Judas as a traitor.

🟢 Arator, Historia Apostolica . Physiologus , in the Dicta Chrysostomi form. Williram von Ebersberg, Expositio in Cantica Canticorum. Decorated Manuscript in Latin on vellum. Germany, Erfurt, Saint-Peter’s Abbey, c. 1150-1180, c. 175 x 132 mm. Details from: ff. 70v, 71r.

06/05/2026

Medieval Menagerie: The Aspis and the Lizard🦎
The asp is a serpent that blocks its ears to resist enchantments, but is sometimes shown with a human playing music or reading from a scroll to put it to sleep. The lizard is said to regain sight by facing the rising sun through an opening in a wall.

🟢 Arator, Historia Apostolica . Physiologus , in the Dicta Chrysostomi form. Williram von Ebersberg, Expositio in Cantica Canticorum. Decorated Manuscript in Latin on vellum. Germany, Erfurt, Saint-Peter’s Abbey, c. 1150-1180, c. 175 x 132 mm. Details from: f. 70r.

04/05/2026

Medieval Menagerie - Part 5️⃣

The Dragon 🐉
Is the greatest of all serpents and the enemy of the Elephant. Allegorically, the drag-on represents the Devil, who deceives like an angel of light and attacks people with sin.

The Viper 🐍
The viper is a deadly snake. The female kills the male by biting off his head to con-ceive, and the young are born by biting through their mother, who then dies.

The Sawfish
Is a sea monster with enormous wings that likes to race against ships.

🟢 Arator, Historia Apostolica . Physiologus , in the Dicta Chrysostomi form. Williram von Ebersberg, Expositio in Cantica Canticorum. Decorated Manuscript in Latin on vellum. Germany, Erfurt, Saint-Peter’s Abbey, c. 1150-1180, c. 175 x 132 mm. Details from: ff. 68v, 69r, 69v.

22/04/2026

🌍 Today is Earth Day! 🌱

The Earth Day initiative stands for a caring and considerate relationship with our environment and a reconnection with nature. While modern humans might often feel separated from nature due to their lifestyle, medieval Christians believed that the world surrounding them was created and populated by God. External factors, such as constellations of stars and planets or the seasons, were closely connected to the human body and even informed decisions about the timing of medical treatments.

These miniatures show the process of divine creation in the imagination of medieval illuminators: God designing the world with a compass, creating the sun and the moon, creating the fishes and fowl, blessing the animals, breathing life into Adam, and finally pulling Eve from Adam’s rib.

1️⃣ - 7️⃣ Details from Histoire ancienne jusqu’à César and Faits des Romains. Manuscript in French on vellum, copied by écrivain du roi (royal scribe) Raoulet d’Orléans, illuminated by the Master of the Coronation of Charles VI and a collaborator from his royal atelier. France, Paris, c. 1370-1380, f.

8️⃣ Detail from Guiart des Moulins, Bible historiale, Genesis – Etablissement de la bible – Vies des Saints –Giovanni Boccaccio, Patient Griselda. Manuscript in French and Latin on vellum, illuminated by the Master of the Berry Apocalypse. France, Paris, c. 1416, f. 8v.

Adresse

Antiquariat Located At Gemsberg 10
Basel
4051

Öffnungszeiten

Montag	09:00 - 18:00
Dienstag	09:00 - 18:00
Mittwoch	09:00 - 18:00
Donnerstag	09:00 - 18:00
Freitag	09:00 - 18:00

Telefon

+41612757575

Webseite

http://www.guenther-rarebooks.com/

Benachrichtigungen

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