Bibliorum Sacrorum Vulgatae versionis 1785

This is a bible, made by François Ambroise Didot in France. With its green leather binding and gilded decoration, it embodies luxury. But it also speaks to a tension between handcraft and industrial production. Didot was a pioneer of printing. His family ran a successful firm, and he perfected a new typeface that is still in use today. He also advanced the mechanization of printing. This bible, then, is a product of both old and new methods. The text itself reflects Didot's industrial approach, with its clean lines and standardized forms. The binding, however, is more traditional, requiring the skills of a hand-craftsperson to execute the gold tooling. This combination of approaches is typical of the period, as new modes of production transformed European society. Even a sacred object like this one was caught up in the shift, a testament to how deeply intertwined craft, design, and industry had become.