De la chasse aux manuscrits: une douce folie?

Du 14 février au 6 avril 2008, La galerie-librairie Les Enluminures (Paris, Louvre des Antiquaires) présentera son exposition de printemps sous le titre : De la chasse aux manuscrits : une douce folie? Cette exposition s’intéressera à la notion de « provenance » des manuscrits, groupés autour de quatre thèmes : des lieux, des hommes (et des femmes), des collectionneurs, des possesseurs.
Des lieux et des hommes : il s’agit ici des abbayes, églises et autres fondations, le plus souvent pieuses, qui ont possédé un ou plusieurs manuscrits sur lesquels on retrouve des marques d’appartenance; des hommes ou des femmes copistes qui ont transcrit et signé leur oeuvre. Comment se sont formées les bibliothèques médiévales ? Quelles traces laissèrent les copistes : signatures, dates, colophons … ?
La troisième partie de cette exposition sera consacrée aux collectionneurs et à leurs collections, maintenant dispersées, comme celles de Sir Thomas Phillipps, véritable « vello-maniaque », qui rassembla de son vivant une des plus importantes collections de manuscrits, de Sir Moses Montefiore, grand collectionneur de judaïca, de Giannalisa Feltrinelli, du duc d’Aremberg, de Earl of Ashburnham ou de Sir Thomas Brooke, possesseur de nombreux volumes de la bibliothèque Pillone. Seront présentés également les grands collectionneurs américains Coella Lindsay Rickettes, Cornelius Hauck et Charles Roseman.
La dernière partie montrera comment les possesseurs successifs ont personnalisé leurs manuscrits : ex-libris, armoiries et autres marques héraldiques, reliures, signatures, portraits, annotations (comme dans certaines Heures devenues « livre de raison » d’une famille), etc
La galerie-librairie Les Enluminures présentera ainsi 45 manuscrits, décorés ou non, composés dans diverses langues. L’exposition sera inaugurée par une soirée conférence-débat animée par trois types d’acquéreurs de manuscrits : un bibliothécaire responsable d’un fonds ancien, un collectionneur privé et un marchand.

From the 14th February to the 6th April 2008 the bookshop and gallery Les Enluminures (Paris, Louvre des Antiquaires) will host its spring exhibition entitled De la chasse aux manuscrits: une douce folie? (\ »Hunting manuscripts: a delicate madness?\ »). The exhibition is centred on the notion of manuscript provenance, and is grouped according to four themes: places, people, collectors, owners. The themes Places and People include abbeys, churches and other institutions, often religious, which had in their possession one of several manuscripts on which can be seen their personal markings, as well as those of the scribes (both male and female) who copied and signed the works. How were medieval libraries made up? What traces were left by the copyists: signatures, dates, colophons…?
The third part of this exhibition will be dedicated to collectors and their collections, now dispersed, such as that of Sir Thomas Philipps, a real vello-maniaque (\ »vellum-lover\ »), who in his lifetime amassed one of the largest known manuscript collections. Other examples are Sir Moses Montefiore who collected legal works, as well as Giannalisa Feltrinelli, the duc d’Aremberg, the Earl of Ashburnham and Sir Thomas Brooke who possessed many volumes in the Pillone library. Also represented in the exhibition are important American collectors such as Coella Lindsay Rickettes, Cornelius Hauck and Charles Roseman.
The last part of the exhibition will show how successive owners personalised their manuscripts: ex-libris, coats of arms and other heraldic markings, bindings, signatures, portraits, annotations (such as in certain Books of Hours which became a family’s \ »book of reason\ »), etc.
The gallery Les Enluminures will thus exhibit 45 manuscripts, some of which are illuminated, in many languages. The exhibition will open with an evening of conference and debate featuring three types of manuscript collectors: a librarian responsible for manuscript collections, a private collector and a seller.
Illustration: Master of Anna Sforza. Prophet with a Scroll [Italy, Lombardy (Milan), c. 1500] (c) Les Enluminures

Galerie Les Enluminures
Le Louvre des Antiquaires
2, place du Palais Royal
75001 Paris
33 1 42 60 15 58
info@lesenluminures.com
http://www.lesenluminures.com
http://www.textmanuscripts.com

Bridwell ms 35

See for description of Bridwell MS 35:
http://www.smu.edu/bridwell/specialcollections/bridwellwesternms/ms35.htm

Christopher De Hamel in his description of The Bible of Wouter Grauwert, in Latin, 1443-45, refers to MS 35 as below:
\ »The mixing of Old and New Testaments is quite unexpected at any period of biblical history, known to us as occurring only, although differently, in the so-called ‘Biblia Irregularis’ of the early thirteenth century [almost certain before 1230], now MS 35 in the Bridwell Library at Southern Methodist University, Dallas.\ »
In his description of the smaller illuminated initials in the Wouter Bible, he states that \ »In addition [to the 13 large historiated initials], there are many large initials which show animals and creatures which are not illustrative of the text as such but are certainly pictorial, such as a jester emerging from a flower and playing two pipes, a wing dragon with a human head, a young woman with the hind legs of a dog …\ » The BI is certainly filled with animals and creatures not illustrative of the text.
Christopher De Hamel looked at the manuscript when he lectured at Bridwell on his last visit and his comment after looking at it for some time, was that he had examined over 3,000 ms., and that he had never seen anything like it, probably not produced in France, evidently written/copied before 1230, and maybe even before 1220.
Several other renowned medieval scholars, including Dr. Larry Ness, are as puzzled about the text as Dr. De Hamel.
I have been worked on the manuscript for the last 5 years and am almost convinced that the BI is of an Alcuin exemplar of the late 10th cent., as many of the variants are from Consensus codicum secundum exemplar Alcuini scriptoriam; Legionessis, Leon, S. Isidoro, codex gothicus. 960 in Hispinia; Toletanus, Madrid, Bibl. Nac, Vitr. 13-1 (Tol. 2-1, s.x. in Hispinia).
Also, the Confessio Esdras, IV Ezra (II Esdras) chapter 8, v. 20-36, is included as a separate text following the end of Nehemiah, which appeared as a separate text for first time in the Codex Legionesis, ca. 960. Which later became a Christian confession of faith! The Gospels follow the Confessio as the last 4 books. The MS in not the result of faulty rebinding as each book follows the previous book on the same folio. The following inscription is of a perplexed 17th century reader: \ »the scribe originally copied them, for reasons yet to be determined, in this strange order.\ » Ownership inscription of the Celestines of Sens, 1681.
And, that the animal/beast images seen in the Eastern textiles hanging in the cathedrals served as the model for the 8 historiated and the 63 floriate initials with animal/beast, beads heads and birds, similar to Gautier Lebaube atelier (i.e., in Branner), smaller initials in red and blue within red and blue with complementary pen work extensions throughout. Illustrations include an Ass playing a harp, an Ass on his hind legs with bells in both front feet, a rabbit playing a harp, only 3 human type figures with weapons (sword, club with shield, and drawn bow), etc. Why else would they be seen in a 12th-13th century bible, with the mingling of the books, void of any Jewish/Christian symbols.
Any suggestions would be appreciated. I can send samples of text and images if interested. I am currently working on a power-point presentation.

Page A. Thomas
Retired, Special Collection
Birdwell Library
Southern Methodist University

L’Histoire romaine de Tite-Live : exemplaire de Guillaume de Sévigné

Texte publié dans : Jean-Luc Deuffic, Notes de bibliologie. Livres d’heures et manuscrits du Moyen Age identifiés, dans Pecia. Le livre et l’écrit, 7, 2009 [Lien]. 

CFP : Le sang dans la France médiévale ~ Blood in Medieval France

La Société Internationale des Médiévistes de Paris (IMS-Paris) sollicite l’envoi de propositions de communications et de thèmes de sessions complètes pour son colloque 2008 portant sur le sang dans la France médiévale.
Nous encourageons les propositions de communications provenant de disciplines variées, comme l’anthropologie, l’histoire de l’art, les études littéraires, les « gender studies », l’histoire, l’histoire de la médecine, l’histoire des sciences, la linguistique, la musicologie, la philosophie; les sciences religieuses, la théologie, l’histoire du développement urbain…
Les résumés de moins de 300 mots pour une communication de 20 minutes devront être adressés par courriel à contact[at]ims-paris.org au plus tard le 15 janvier 2008.
L’ IMS-Paris est une association interdisciplinaire et bilingue (français-anglais) créée pour servir de centre pour les médiévistes qui effectuent des recherches, travaillent, étudient ou voyagent en France.
The IMS-Paris is an interdisciplinary and bilingual (French/English) organization founded to serve as a centre for medievalists who research, work, study, or travel to France.
Pour plus d’informations sur l’IMS et le calendrier du colloque de l’an passé, merci de consulter notre site internet
[Lien]
Anna Russakoff, Ph.D.
France Director, International Medieval Society – Paris
Department of Art History and Fine Arts
American University of Paris
31, avenue Bosquet 75007 Paris (FRANCE)
arussakof[at]aup.fr