Abbot Otmar Kunz's (1564−1577) small format prayer book, with several pages of rich decoration (flowers, vines, animals), was written and illustrated in 1574 by unknown artists. Especially noteworthy are two full page miniatures. On p. 4, Abbot Otmar Kunz, dressed in ceremonial regalia, kneels in a landscape with a city, hills and trees, above him is God with the terrestrial globe and with his hand raised in blessing. On p. 10, the St. Gall abbot, dressed in a simple monk's habit, kneels with Mary and John beneath the Cross of Christ. The prayer book contains (from p. 11 on) the so-called 5 Passion Psalms (Ps 22, 31, 55, 69, 109). These are followed by the 15 Gradual Psalms, the vigil for the deceased, as well as the 7 Penitential Psalms with the Litany of the Saints. After the death of Abbot Otmar, a scribe with the initials FVF added a prayer (pp. 105−109); probably this was Brother Ulpianus Fischer from Überlingen, who joined the Abbey of St. Gall in 1583. In 1594, the former abbot's prayer book belonged to St. Gall monk Georg Spengler († 1609), who was born in Wil. In 1599 the manuscript received its current binding with blind stamp decoration.
Online Since: 06/22/2017
Collected Fragments Volume II from the Abbey Library of St. Gall ("Veterum Fragmentorum manuscriptis codicibus detractorum collectio tomus II"). Among other texts, this volume contains 110 smaller and larger single leaves from the oldest Vulgate version of the Gospels, produced in northern Italy (Verona?) in about 410/420, fragments of Psalm manuscripts in Latin and in Greek from the 7th and the 10th centuries respectively, and a large number of Irish fragments from the Abbey Library dating from the 7th through the 9th century, including a picture portraying Matthew the Evangelist with his emblems (p. 418), a full-page decorated cross (p. 422) and a "Peccavimus" decorative initial (p. 426).
Online Since: 07/31/2009
The paper manuscript contains the chronicles of the librarian of St. Gall, Jodocus Metzler (1574-1639); the longest of them is dedicated to the history of the abbey of St. Gall (pp. 11-750), followed by the chronicles of Engelberg (pp. 813-825) and of St. John in the Thur valley (pp. 829-840), and finally by a catalogue of the abbots of St. Magnus of Füssen (pp. 845-848). This copy was made by the St. Gall monk Marianus Buzlin in 1613, while the marginal notes are in Metzler's hand. The manuscript opens with a full-page illumination on parchment (p. 13); in its side margins appear St. Gall (left) and St. Otmar (right), the bottom of the page features the coat of arms of the abbot Bernhard Müller (1594-1630), while the blue-painted background, which probably would have had the title, is left empty with the exception of gold ornaments in the corners.
Online Since: 09/22/2022
This Festschrift for Fr. Aegidius Hartmann (1691–1776), dean of St. Gall, is titled Corona gloriae et sertum exultationis. The monastery community dedicated it to the dean on the occasion of the golden jubilee of his ordination to the priesthood on 16 October 1766. Three poems, odes and eulogies each praise Fr. Aegidius Hartmann as minister of the sacraments, as pastor and as priest celebrating this jubilee. Each poem is preceded by an emblem of a flower in a garden; the three sections each begin with a wreath of three flowers. The Festschrift was drawn and probably also written by Fr. Dominikus Feustlin (who also wrote the four-volume antiphonary Cod. Sang. 1762, 1763, 1764 and 1795). At the end of the manuscript, two small-format booklets contain texts honoring Abbot Beda Angehrn. He received the first of these, titled Duplicis piique voti unanimis consensio, in 1778 from students in Kreuzlingen. The second, titled Alte und neue Dichtkunst. Ein Tafelgesang, was also presented in 1778 by the Imperial Abbey Petershausen in Constance. Both texts were probably meant for a musical performance since they contain arias and a choral piece each, but they lack any musical notation.
Online Since: 10/04/2018
This Festschrift for St. Gall Abbott Joseph von Rudolphi (1666-1740, Abbot 1717-1740) is titled Novus Hercules in divi Galli requie exsuscitatus. It was presented to the abbott in 1739 on the occasion of his name day by the students of the monastery school (Musae Sangallenses). Based on the twelve labors of Hercules, the text praises twelve extraordinary achievements of the monastery in the twelve centuries of its existence. For each century, a two-page Historia presents background, followed by an emblematic representation and a two-page Elogium that refers to the emblem. Three poems praising the abbot in Latin, Greek and Hebrew conclude the work.
Online Since: 10/04/2018
The manuscript was copied in 1775 by Fr. Romano (Romanus) Fromenwiller for the Prince-Abott Beda Angehrn of Saint Gall most probably at the Abbey of Saint Gall. It is a shortened copy of the two parts from the book Theasaurus linguæ Armenicæ (Արամեան լեզուին գանձ), published by Joachim Schröder in 1711 in Amsterdam. The main content of the manuscript is the Ecclesiæ armenicæ confessio (Part 3 of the Theasaurus linguæ Armenicæ), which is followed by an alphabetical table, accompanied by a transliteration of the Armenian letters into Latin characters, copied from Part 2 of the Theasaurus linguæ Armenicæ.
Online Since: 09/26/2017
Volume 1 so-called Sacrarium Sancti Galli in six volumes (which could not be found at the time of Gustav Scherrer's cataloguing of manuscripts before 1875). Volumes 2 to 6 of the Sacrarium have the shelfmarks Cod. Sang. 1719−1723. This volume lists the cult objects such as chalices, statues, monstrances, candle holders, small altars, patens, censers, reliquaries, etc. that made up the church treasure of the Monastery of St. Gall in the year 1693. This overview, compiled and written by Father Gregor Schnyder (1642-1708) and dedicated to the Prince-Abbot of St. Gall Cölestin Sfondrati (1687−1696), includes historical information about the individual cult objects and illustrates these objects with 60 realistic images in opaque colors. This register is of great importance today since many of the objects were lost, were seized or were melted down during the military invasions by troops from Zurich and Bern in 1712, by the French in May 1789, through the secularization of the monastery in 1805 and the following liquidation of a great part of the abbey's property. Various works by renowned gold- and silversmiths of the early modern period (including Hans Jacob Bayr, Augsburg; Heinrich Domeisen, Rapperswil; Fidel Ramsperg, Appenzell; Johannes Renner, Wil) can be reconstructed only through this Hierogazophylacium (German: Heiligschatzbehälter, ‘container of holy treasure). Other cult objects are still part of the cathedral treasure of St. Gall today, such as the Spoon of St. Gall (p. 170b), which remains in liturgical use today, or the small reliquary monstrance containing parts of the sackcloth belt and robe of St. Gall (p. 168b). In his compilation Fr. Gregor Schnyder paid special attention to the relics contained in the various objects; he noted their origin and copied certificates about their authenticity. This volume is introduced by a frontispiece in shades of brown (fol. IIIr), which shows the founding legend of the Monastery of St. Gall with the Church of St. Gall as it appeared around 1693 in the background.
Online Since: 03/17/2016
This volume, written almost exclusively in Latin, contains a compilation of texts taken from numerous older sources about transfers of saints in the territory of the Princely Abbey of Saint Gall. The St. Gall monk and custos Gregor Schnyder (1642−1708) compiled and wrote the text, mostly in chronological order, and presented it to Abbot Leodegar Bürgisser (abbot 1696−1717) on 19 April 1699, his name day. The illustrations in opaque colors were done by Father Gabriel Hecht (1664−1745). At the beginning there are descriptions of the various transfers of the relics of Saint Gall between about 640 and 1484 (fol. IXv – p. 20) and those of Saint Othmar between 759 and 1692 (pp. 24b−99). This is followed by reports about the transfers of the relics of Notker Balbulus as well as of his beatification in 1513 (pp. 104b−163) and about the dislocation of the relics of Othmar and Notker that was necessitated by the new construction of the church of Othmar (pp. 169−286). Next are reports of donations of relics of various saints from and of the Abbey of St. Gall (pp. 287−354), among them reports about the arrival of the relics of the saints Magnus (898), Constantius of Perugia (904), Remaclus of Stavelot (1035), Faith of Agen (1084), Charles Borromeo (1611), Sigisbert and Placidus from Disentis Abbey (1624) and Bishop Landolo of Treviso (1631), which were particularly revered in the Abbey of St. Gall. The back part of the manuscript contains compilations of documents and reports about the 17th century transfers of Roman catacomb saints to the territory of the Princely Abbey of Saint Gall: there are descriptions (including the respective background and festivities) of the transfer of Honoratus to the Abbey Church of St. Gall in 1643 (pp. 367b−453), of Antoninus and Theodorus to the Abbey Church of St. Gall in 1654 and to Neu St. Johann Abbey in 1685 and of Antonius to the Abbey Church of St. Gall in 1654 (pp. 458−507), of Leander to the Capuchin Convent Maria der Engel near Wattwil in 1652 (pp. 508−513), of Marinus to Lichtensteig in 1657 (pp. 518−530), of Theodora to the Cistercian Convent Magdenau in 1662 (pp. 533−539), of Pancratius to Wil in 1672 (pp. 541−571), of Constantius to Rorschach in 1672 (pp. 573−644), of Laureatus to Wildhaus in 1676 (pp. 647−682), and of Sergius, Bacchus, Hyacinthus and Erasmus to the Abbey Church of St. Gall in 1680 (pp. 687–747).
Online Since: 09/26/2017
This volume is written primarily in Latin; in the first part (pp. 1-480) it contains information about the consecration of churches, chapels, altars and bells at St. Gall Abbey and in the territory of the “Alte Landschaft” (a subject territory of St. Gall Abbey) (pp. 1-187), in the Thurgau (pp. 188-263), in the Rhine Valley (pp. 264-309), and in the Toggenburg (pp. 310-457); furthermore about the churches in the urban area of St. Gall, St. Lawrence, St. Mangen and St. Leonard (pp. 475-480). This part was written around 1706 by the St. Gall monk and custos Fr. Gregor Schnyder (1642–1708) and contains numerous additions from the period up to 1788. On an unnumbered leaf before p. 57, there is a pen and wash drawing of the monastery's tower clock that was completed in 1661. The second part (p. 487-556) is written by the St. Gall monk Chrysostomus Stipplin (1609–1672). It contains a calendar of the feast days of saints for St. Gall Abbey, indicating for each one where the respective celebration is held (pp. 487-501), a list of chapels and altars with the dates of their consecration (pp. 501-502), two lists of altar patronages (pp. 503-506 and 507-509) arranged according to the calendar, an overview of all the altars together with the relics they contained (pp. 509-515), as well as a list of all relics in the monastery and its chapels (pp. 519-556). The first part concludes with a site index (from the time period of the last additions).
Online Since: 12/14/2018
In this volume, written primarily in German, the St. Gall custos Fr. Kolumban Brändle (1720−1780) as author and compiler and Brother Gall Beerle (1734−1816) as scribe tell of the festivities that occurred on the occasion of the transfer of catacomb saints to the territory of the Princely Abbey of Saint Gall in the 18th century. The general introduction (fol. Vr – fol. VIIIr) is followed by sometimes extensive documentation about the transfers of Benedict to the Capuchin Convent of St. Scholastica in Rorschach in 1732 (fol. IXv−2v), of Justin to Gossau in 1743 (fol. 63v−68v), of Julian to the Capuchin Convent Notkersegg in 1748 (fol. 69v−77v), of Valentine to Goldach in 1761 (fol. 78v−129v), of Celestine to Waldkirch in 1763 (fol. 130v−167r), of Clementia to the Benedictine Convent of St. Wiborada in St. Georgen in 1769 (fol. 168v−226v), of Theodorus to Neu St. Johann in 1685 (fol. 228v−237r), of Placidus, Felicissimus, Victor, Prosper and Redempta to Neu St. Johann in 1689 (fol. 238v−246r), about the centenary of the transfer of Theodorus to Neu St. Johann in 1755 (fol. 247r−265r) and the centenary of the transfer of Marinus to Lichtensteig in 1757 (fol. 266v−291r), as well as about the transfer of Theodorus to Berneck in 1766 (fol. 292v−352v). These descriptions are accompanied by watercolor paintings of the catacomb saints dressed in festive garb. In addition the volume contains records, documents and reports about the authorization obtained from Rome to venerate Eusebius of Viktorsberg as a saint in the territory of the Princely Abbey of Saint Gall (fol. 3v−54v) as well as about the order of the Pancratius-procession in Wil in 1738 (fol. 55r−62v). The volume also contains a little-know ink sketch of Iberg Castle near Wattwil (fol. 238v).
Online Since: 09/26/2017
This collection of papers was compiled in 1785 by the custos of St. Gall Abbey, P. Ambrosius Epp (1572–1817). In several parts, it contains drawings, descriptions and inventories of part of the treasury of St. Gall Abbey (the so-called sacred liturgical objects), as well as documents related to them. Part 1 (pp. 1–157) includes pen and ink drawings of chalices, cruets, platters, coats of arms, candlesticks etc., also drawings of 4 altars. Part 2 (fol. 1–240, with an index on p. 161-166 of part 1) contains inventories of church treasure from the 17th and 18th century. Several inventories are undated, others are dated (to 1665, 1691, 1712, 1720, 1723, 1739 and 1781). Part 3 (fol. 1–104, with an index on fol. 242–244 of part 2) is a collection of documents regarding the earlier-mentioned objects — invoices, letters, diary entries, etc., mostly in chronological order. Part 4 (pp. 1–67 and fol. 68–95, with an index on fol. 107–110 of part 3) are handwritten and printed privileges and indulgences.
Online Since: 03/22/2018
Verbatim copy of Books I-III of the Alchemy Compendium Aureum Vellus oder Guldin Schatz und Kunstkammer printed in 1598/99 by Georg Straub in Rorschach. The woodcuts in the third part (Splendor Solis, pp. 219–270) are executed as colored watercolors and, except for a small number of differences, are copied exactly from the print version. A pen and wash drawing on p. 116 depicts Paracelsus.
Online Since: 12/14/2018
Winter part of an antiphonary that was originally set up in two volumes and later, when it was bound, was divided into four volumes. The antiphonary, whose other volumes are preserved in Cod. Sang. 1763, 1764 and 1795, was written and probably also decorated by Fr. Dominikus Feustlin (1713–1782). His style is characterized by vividly colored frames made up of thousands of small rods surrounding initials and title cartouches. Title page with the coat-of-arms of St. Gall, St. John, the Toggenburg and Abbot Cölestin Gugger von Staudach (1740–1767) on p. III. More decorated title cartouches on p. 1, 45, 48, 53, 101, 104, 162, 178, 202 and 214. The winter part includes the Proprium de tempore for the first of Advent until Ash Wednesday (pp. 1–161), the Proprium de Sanctis for November until February (pp. 162–213), the Commune Sanctorum (pp. 214–251), votive Masses (pp. 252–272) and Antiphonae feriales (pp. 272–297).
Online Since: 03/22/2018
Winter part of a large-format antiphonary, written and decorated by Fr. David Schaller (1581–1636). The summer part is contained in Cod. Sang. 1769. In the beginning there is a calendar for January to April and for December (pp. 4-8), followed by the Proprium de tempore (pp. 9–285), the Proprium de sanctis (pp. 291–377) and the Commune sanctorum (pp. 387–451). The title page consists of a full-page miniature, which represents the Lactatio sancti Bernardi in the upper third, and in the lower third it shows Gallus and Otmar flanking the coat-of-arms of the Princely Abbey of St. Gall under Abbot Bernhard Müller (1594–1630). There are several large initials in gold leaf on colorful backgrounds decorated with vine scrolls and with borders in the margins (p. 9, 63, 109, 244, 291, 345 and 387). The melodies are written in German plainsong notation (“Hufnagelnotation”) on five lines.
Online Since: 12/12/2019
This vesperal in a distinguished binding was commissioned by Prince-Abbot Beda Angehrn (1767−1796); it was written in 1774 by Joseph Adam Bürke (chronogram with the name of the scribe on p. 92), an alumnus of the Gymnasium (preparatory school) of Neu St. Johann that was led by St. Gall monks, and richly illustrated by Father Notker Grögle (1740−1816). The volume contains the incipits of the chants for Vespers (antiphons and hymns), written in German plainsong notation (“Hufnagelnotation”) on five lines, for the feasts of Jesus Christ and of the saints for the entire liturgical year. It is divided into the parts Proprium de tempore (pp. 1−36), Proprium sanctorum (pp. 37−80) and Commune sanctorum (pp. 81−92). This manuscript was held in the choir library of St. Gallen Cathedral until 1989. Then it was transferred to the archives of the cathedral parish of St. Gall, and in 2014 it came to the Abbey Library of St. Gall. The volume, which consisted of 96 pages in 1774, was certainly used for the liturgy in the Cathedral of St. Gall until the 1930s. The mostly handwritten additions and supplements (after p. 97) date from the 19th century. Also glued and bound into the volume are texts from unspecified printed liturgical publications of the 19th and early 20th century. Noteworthy among the illustrations is the oldest pictorial depiction to date of the newly built “Gallusmünster”, today the Cathedral of St. Gall (p. 72). On the flyleaf is the finely drawn coat of arms of Prince-Abbot Beda Angehrn.
Online Since: 09/26/2017
This martirologio-inventario (an annal followed by an inventory of property) of the Church of S. Stefano in Torre in the Blenio Valley in Ticino, was written in 1568 at the request of the vicini (the original members of the municipal corporate body) of Torre and Grumo, in order to replace the older version. It contains the list of annuali, i.e., of the annual celebrations for the death days of deceased members of the Church, the inventory of movable and immovable property, of the monacharia and of the luminaria, that is, the requisites for illuminating the church. At the beginning of the manuscript there is a watercolor drawing of the church patron St. Stephen.
Online Since: 12/13/2013
This martirologio-inventario (an annal followed by an inventory of property) of the Church of S. Stefano in Torre in the Blenio Valley inTicino, was written in 1639 at the request of the vicini (the original members of the municipal corporate body) of Torre and Grumo, in order to replace the 1569 copy, which was not up to date. It contains a description of the old church of S. Stefano before its reconstruction during the baroque period; the list of furnishings, of liturgical vestments, and of gold items in the church treasury; the list of annuali, i.e., of the annual celebrations for the death days of deceased members of the Church; and the church revenues. At the beginning of the manuscript there is a partially gilded drawing of the church patron St. Stephen.
Online Since: 12/13/2013
The layperson who commissioned this book of hours is not known by name, but left definite personal traces on the book: he had a full page portrait miniature of himself painted on Fol. 11v, kneeling and accompanied by a coat of arms. The presence of such a prominent portrait of the benefactor indicates considerable ambition on the part of the book's commissioner, who was probably a member of the merchant class. In addition, the portrait was painted by a more talented artist than the other miniatures in the manuscript, which are made in the style of woodcuts. The book of hours could have been intended for use in eastern France. Stylistically, the work displays a provincial character.
Online Since: 05/20/2009
The origin of this manuscript in the northern French-Flemish border region can be determined from its liturgical features, its leather binding with stamped designs and the inscription Robiers Plovrins as well as by a comparison with stylistically similar manuscripts. Another book of hours illustrated by the same artist is held at Claremont near Berkeley, California (USA). This exemplar is a somewhat cruder imitation of the style of scribe and book illustrator Jean Markant, who was quite popular around 1500 in Lille. The commissioner of this volume is unknown.
Online Since: 06/08/2009
This book of hours with a tall, narrow format is a true pocket book, and the framing of the miniatures with architectural elements, crowned volutes, putti, and garlands displays a definite Renaissance influence. The book is illustrated with 16 full-page illuminations and 21 smaller, simpler miniatures by a different artist. One of the full-page illustrations shows the coat of arms of the person who commissioned the book: he was a certain Michel de Champrond (d. August 1, 1539), Lord of Ollé, Advisor and Paymaster of the King. This would indicate that a well-to-do personage, not of noble birth, but part of the court circle, had an elaborate, richly decorated and partially customized prayer book made by a middle quality manuscript workshop as late as the 1530s, when printed Books of hours were already widely available.
Online Since: 06/08/2009
This highly unusual textual object contains three pastiches of cut-out colored initials and twelve Flemish miniatures from the second half of the 16th century, glued to newer parchment pages and outlined during the 19th century, such that the composite images are presented as if they were painted on a single, matted page. The miniatures were taken from a personal prayer book that belonged to Anne of Cleves (1515-1557).
Online Since: 07/31/2007
This paper manuscript – a Liber Amicorum for Ladislaus von Törring – contains 49 deptictions of costumes and four of coats-of-arms: all are high quality watercolors and probably all are by the same hand. The costumes mostly show high-ranking persons, mainly from France (Paris), Spain and Veneto. Means of transport, such as ships and carriages, from the same time period are also depicted. Some of the people pictured are identified by captions in French and Italian. Aphorisms and dedications, mostly in Latin, are added on seven pages. The dedicatee is Ladislaus von Törring (1566-1638), Baron in Stein and Pertenstein, Rector of the University of Ingolstadt, a relative of the Bavarian royal family.
Online Since: 03/19/2020
Album with depictions of members of the Zellweger family of textile merchants from Trogen, with biographical texts on the male representatives of the family. From the early modern era until the middle of the 19th century, the Zellwegers shaped the economy and politics of Appenzell Ausserrhoden. Victor Eugen Zellweger, the author of these texts, saw to the reproduction of family-owned paintings, drawings and prints, making use of the most modern techniques of photography. For the calligraphic design and illustration of the 3-volume work, he engaged the illustrator Salomon Schlatter from St. Gall.
Online Since: 03/29/2019
Album with depictions of members of the Zellweger family of textile merchants from Trogen, with biographical texts on the male representatives of the family. From the early modern era until the middle of the 19th century, the Zellwegers shaped the economy and politics of Appenzell Ausserrhoden. Victor Eugen Zellweger, the author of these texts, saw to the reproduction of family-owned paintings, drawings and prints, making use of the most modern techniques of photography. For the calligraphic design and illustration of the 3-volume work, he engaged the illustrator Salomon Schlatter from St. Gall.
Online Since: 03/29/2019
Album with depictions of members of the Zellweger family of textile merchants from Trogen, with biographical texts on the male representatives of the family. From the early modern era until the middle of the 19th century, the Zellwegers shaped the economy and politics of Appenzell Ausserrhoden. Victor Eugen Zellweger, the author of these texts, saw to the reproduction of family-owned paintings, drawings and prints, making use of the most modern techniques of photography. For the calligraphic design and illustration of the 3-volume work, he engaged the illustrator Salomon Schlatter from St. Gall.
Online Since: 03/29/2019
Chronicle of Appenzell by Bartholomäus Anhorn (1566-1640, 1623-1626 priest in Speicher, 1626-1640 parish priest in Gais both in Appenzell Ausserrhoden). The manuscript describes events from the history of the undivided canton of Appenzell and the canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden (Outer Rhodes), created in 1597, with special emphasis on the Reformation and the Counter-Reformation.
Online Since: 12/20/2012
Collection of drawings of flags captured as booty, as well as Appenzell stained glas heraldic panels, landscapes and buildings from the 17th and 18th centuries, created by the illustrator Johann Ulrich Fitzi, with commentary by the historiographer and commissioner of the work, Johann Caspar Zellweger.
Online Since: 12/13/2013
Three volumes of scientific treatises by Johann Georg Schläpfer on historical, biological, geological, medical and philosophical topics as well as several drawings and watercolors of landscapes, plants, animals and anatomical specimens, made by Johann Ulrich Fitzi.
Online Since: 04/09/2014
Three volumes of scientific treatises by Johann Georg Schläpfer on historical, biological, geological, medical and philosophical topics as well as several drawings and watercolors of landscapes, plants, animals and anatomical specimens, made by Johann Ulrich Fitzi.
Online Since: 04/09/2014
Three volumes of scientific treatises by Johann Georg Schläpfer on historical, biological, geological, medical and philosophical topics as well as several drawings and watercolors of landscapes, plants, animals and anatomical specimens, made by Johann Ulrich Fitzi.
Online Since: 04/09/2014
According to the colophon at the end of the Gospel of John, this copy was completed by Ibrāhīm ibn Būluṣ ibn Dāwūd al-Ḥalabī in Cairo. It is written in a clear nasḫī script; the illustrations, provided by the Aleppo illustrator and icon-painter Ğirğis bin Ḥanāniyā, portray the four Evangelists, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, as well as 43 scenes from the life of Jesus. The Arabic title, "This book is the holy, pure Gospel and the illuminating, shining light", is given at the end of the Gospel of John. This codex is currently on long-term loan from the Pandeli family to the library of St. Gall Abbey.
Online Since: 11/03/2009
Liturgical manuscript (Sharaknots), written by the copyist Awetis in Khizan in the province Van in the year 1647 (1096 according to the Armenian calendar). It contains 11 large miniatures and 28 miniatures in the margins, executed and signed by the painter Yovanes Gharietsi. He was one of the most fascinating artists of the late School of Vaspurakan. The manuscript is part of certain hymnals, created for private customers in the region of Lake Van and characterized by bright colors and interlace ornamentation. The manuscript features the Armenian Khaz-notation. The text contains the collection of hymns in use in the Armenian Church, in the same order as in a Hymnarium printed as a first edition in Amsterdam in the year 1664. Three more hymnals of this type, also the result of the collaboration of these two artists, are known: two in Jerusalem and one in Jerewan. Attached in the beginning and at the end are two sheets of parchment containing a part of the Proprium de Sanctis from a Latin breviary from the 13th/14th century.
Online Since: 04/23/2013
A book of hours following the liturgical custom of Rome in Latin, with a calendar in French and a selection of saints venerated in Paris. It contains 17 miniatures created in Paris around 1408/10 in the artistic circle of the Master of Boucicaut, one of the most influential illuminators of the early 15th century. The Master of the Mazarine contributed to the ornamentation, as did pseudo-Jacquemart, who belongs to an older generation of artists and whose contribution can be recognized in the famous Books of Hours of the Duke of Berry. The image of David was painted on an inserted double leaf; it can be attributed to a follower of the artist who illuminated the Breviary of John the Fearless.
Online Since: 12/20/2012
A book of hours in Latin and French, written in the second quarter of the 15th century in Paris, but not illuminated until 1490 in Paris or perhaps in Tours by various artists who shared the work. Two miniatures as well as the decoration of the calendar and of the Office of the Dead are the work of an artist from the circle of the Maître François, a close collaborator of the Master of Jacques of Besançon, who honors Notre-Dame in a veduta of the city of Paris (f. 93r). The luminous colors and the monumental forms of the other miniatures attest to the influence of Jean Bourdichon of Tours. This artist can probably be considered responsible for the Master of the Chronique Scandaleuse, who, during the creation of this manuscript, was still working under the guidance of Jean Bourdichon.
Online Since: 12/20/2012
A book of hours following the liturgical custom of Rome, with a calendar in French. The miniatures are framed by borders decorated with plants that were executed with great botanical precision. This examplar from the late period of the French Book of hours, preserved in its entirety, was illuminated by an important master from this late phase of French book illumination. He was influenced by the Master of Claude de France und was recently identified as the Master of the Lallemant-Boethius. In the small pictures on the borders, he tries to compete with Jean Bourdichon, who introduced realistic flower borders in the marginal decoration of Anne of Brittany's Grandes Heures and in other major works. The Master of the Lallemant-Boethius is also guided by Flemish book illumination of his time. On f. 1r one can read the name of Agnès le Dieu, the owner of the codex in the year 1605.
Online Since: 12/20/2012
A book of hours following the liturgical custom of Rome, with a calendar containing a selection of saints for Langres. The manuscript was illuminated and dated in 1524 by a Master of Bénigne Serre, who was known by the name of his client, a highly-ranked official of the King of Burgundy. The artist was a hitherto unknown illuminator from the circle of the “1520s The Hours Workshop,” which framed the miniatures with Renaissance architecture or added naturalistic flowers and animals to borders. This manuscript contains a number of unusual images, e.g., for the Lauds of the Office of the Virgin, the meeting of Joachim and Anna at the city gate of Jerusalem replaces the usual image of the Visitation. In the 18th century, the manuscript was owned by the family Bretagne of Dijon, whose family members wrote a „Livre de raison“ on several appended pages.
Online Since: 12/20/2012
Two artists, active around 1440/50, contributed to the decorations of this book of hours: the older one, who created only the three miniatures on f. 13v, 105v and 140v, is part of the “Goldrankenstil,” while the younger one is characterized by greater physicality and more vibrant coloring because he was influenced by the innovations of the contemporary painting of the van Eyck brothers. This second artist is responsible for the completion of the Turin-Milan Hours in the year 1440 and also contributed to the Llangattock Book of hours. In 1813 the manuscript was given to the prioress of the Cloister of the Bernardine Sisters of Oudenaarde by the Prince of Broglie.
Online Since: 12/20/2012
A book of hours following the liturgical custom of Rome, with a calendar for the use in Poitiers. All main miniatures are by the Master of Poitiers 30, whose name is derived from two of the miniatures he created in a missal for use in Poitiers, which is kept in the local city library. Earlier he was known by the name Master of Adelaide of Savoy, for whom he created the book of hours Ms. 76 in the Condé Museum in Chantilly. He belonged to the circle of the Master of Jouvenel des Ursins, but was most active in Poitiers, where he influenced later local book illumination.
Online Since: 12/20/2012
A latin book of hours with calendar, containing a selection of saints for Paris as well as several French prayers. At the end of the book, there are tables for the changing holidays beginning with the year 1640; thus it can be assumed that the manuscript was completet around this time. The majority of the miniatures are by the Master of Coëtivy, who presumably also created all compositions and thus also the preliminary drawings. The hand of a second illuminator, who can be identified as the Master of Dreux Budé, is found in the faces of Mary in the image of the birth of Jesus (f. 83v), the Adoration of the Magi (f. 92v) and the Coronation of the Virgin (f. 107r).
Online Since: 12/20/2012
Various artists contributed to the illumination of this book of hours. Some simple miniatures are the work of an artist who trained in the circle of the Master of John the Fearless. Many faces of Mary were created by the Master of Marguerite of Orléans, an important book illuminator around 1430. In the 15th century, the manuscript belonged to Guillaume Prevost, as attested by the baptismal entries written in the “Livre de raison” (f. 186v).
Online Since: 12/20/2012
In addition to the unusual book for King Charles VIII described in Utopia Cod. 111, there is another book of hours that was painted by the same artist. Its border decoration remained incomplete, and all the large images follow not the usual canon of images for books of hours, but instead depict unconventional motifs. What strikes the eye in both manuscripts is the motif of the family tree of Adam, which creates an optical link between the volumes and which is not found in other of the book decorator's manuscripts. The almost identical mass of foliage also suggests that the two volumes could belong together, produced for the king at a certain time interval from one another. The premature and unexpected death of Charles VIII after his accident at the Château d'Amboise may explain why the second manuscript was never completed.
Online Since: 10/13/2016
This book of hours was a present from the Parisian publisher Anthoine Vérard to the French King Charles VIII (1470-1498). The monarch was one of the most important figures for the French book trade from 1480 on. His collecting is inextricably linked with the luxurious printed materials of the bookseller and publisher Anthoine Vérard. Especially remarkable are the borders: the margins of all pages are decorated with a pictorial narrative of eight consecutive images showing events from the Old and New Testament. Also noteworthy is the didactic value of this book of hours, since each pair of images has a commentary of several explanatory verses in Middle French. Stylistically this book is closely related to Cod. 110, which was probably also created for the king and was by the same artist.
Online Since: 10/13/2016
The "Counting of the Omer" is the ritual counting of the 49 days between Passover and Shavuot, the Feast of Weeks. In this manuscript, these days and their corresponding numbers, are inscribed in 49 quatrefoils. F. 18r shows a menorah with the seven verses of Psalm 67 inscribed in microscript on the seven arms of the candelabrum. The scribe Baruch ben Shemaria from Brest-Litovsk (Belarus) created this manuscript in Amsterdam in 1795 for Aaron ben Abraham Prinz, of Alkmaar in the Netherlands, as noted on the title page. The drawing on f. 1r, a page of calligraphic decoration, depicts the giant Samson as Atlas, since, according to rabbinical tradition, he was endowed with superhuman strength.
Online Since: 12/18/2014
The Roman rite, generally known as Nussah Roma, is the oldest order of prayer outside the ancient lands of Israel and Babylonia, retaining many old Palestinian traditions. The ornamentation of this manuscript includes many attractive initial word panels, decorated with geometric designs and floral pen work, usually in red and blue ink. The illuminated opening page contains the initial word Ribbon (Master [of all Worlds]), which is set within a rectangular panel with red and blue filigree pen work and gold-leaf letters. In the bottom border there is an unidentified family emblem depicting a rampant lion. The manuscript was copied by Samson ben Eljah Halfan, a member of the Halfan family of scribes and scholars, whose ancestors were among a group of Jews who were expelled from France in 1394 and found refuge in Piedmont, in northern Italy.
Online Since: 10/13/2016
This codex contains prayers, blessings and poems for a wedding ceremony, following the custom of the Jews of the island of Corfu. Additional poems are by a variety of poets, some by writers of the Hebrew Golden Age in medieval Spain, others by local authors, such as Elieser de Mordo. This manuscript is of great significance due to a cycle of sixty full-page illustrations from the Book of Genesis, executed in gouache. The illustrations are accompanied by Hebrew inscriptions, usually biblical verses identifying the scenes. They are the work of an artist, probably trained in Venice, who added his monogram in different variants (MC or M.C. MF.) to almost all of the illustrations. The left to right sequence of the pages suggests that a Christian artist must have first created the illustrations, and that the Hebrew texts were added afterwards. This manuscript from the first half of the 18th century, created on the island of Corfu, may have been a bridal gift from a member of the de Mordo family, a family which played an important role on the island at a time when the Venetian rule had to be defended against Ottoman attacks.
Online Since: 12/18/2014
The titel of this mohel book (circumcision book) from 1716 is Book of the Lord's Mystery with the [commentary] "Golden Scepter"; based on the style and script of the scribe (Sofer), it can be attributed to Aryeh ben Judah Leib of Trebitsch (Moravia), who was active in Vienna. The manuscript contains several illustrations of various scenes: among others on the title page there is a depiction of a group of people in a synagog engaged in a discussion. It is noteworthy that not only men, but also women are present. The second folio shows the archangel Raphael with the young Tobias, who is carrying home a fish to cure his father's blindness. The archangel Raphael as guardian angel of children is a motif that usually occurs only in Christian art. Aryeh ben Judah Leib might have used an unknown Catholic model in order to better illustrate the protective function of circumcision for Jewish boys. In his writing, Aryeh ben Judah was guided by Amsterdam letters and thus initiated the fashion of be-otijjot Amsterdam ("with Amsterdam letters"), producing manuscripts with Amsterdam (print) fonts.
Online Since: 03/19/2015
In addition to the Seder Birkat ha-Mazon ("Grace after Meals"), this mid-18th century manuscript contains the Birkhot ha-Nehenin ("Blessings over Enjoyments"), the Shalosh Mitzvot Nashim ("Three Commandments for Women") and the Seder Keri'at Shema al ha-Mittah ("Reading of the Shema before retiring at night"). The passages relating to the three commandments imposed on women indicate that the book was meant as a bridal gift. Besides the image on the front page, the book contains 22 smaller colored illustrations. A Hebrew phrase on the the title page refers to the place of origin, Deutschkreutz in Burgenland (Austria). Based on stylistic characteristics of the script and decoration, the manuscript can be attributed to the scribe and illustrator Aaron Wolf Herlingen.
Online Since: 12/18/2014
The psalms in this manuscript are subdivided according to the days of the week on which they are to be read and, with exception of the psalms for Friday, these daily sections have decorated monochrome or multicolored initial word panels. The manuscript has an architectural title page representing Moses and Aaron standing in arches. Particularly impressive is the picture at the beginning of the first Psalm where, following the initial word ashre, on folio 6v is a depiction of King David sitting outside on the terrace of a palace, playing the harp while looking at an open volume, which most probably represents his psalms. This Braginsky manuscript has been copied and decorated by Moses Judah Leib ben Wolf Broda of Trebitsch, who is also responsible for perhaps the most famous decorated Hebrew manuscript of the eighteenth century – the Von Geldern Haggadah of 1723. Including this Braginsky psalter, a total of seven manuscripts by Moses Judah Leib are known, produced between 1713-1723. The brown mottled calf binding carries the emblem of the De Pinto family of Amsterdam tooled in gold on both the front and the back covers.
Online Since: 10/13/2016
The fast day Yom Kippur Katan has its origin in the holiday of Rosh Hodesh, which in biblical times marked the first day in the lunar calendar on which the crescent moon was visible after a new moon. This day, when work originally was not allowed, later, through the compilation of the Talmud, developed into a minor festival. The mystics of Safed in Upper Galilee turned Rosh Hodesh into a fast day and developed a liturgy based on penitential prayers for Yom Kippur ("Day of Atonement"). This gave rise to the name Yom Kippur Katan ("Minor Day of Atonement"). The new custom spread to Italy and finally on to Northern Europe. Similar collections of prayers were particularly popular in the 18th century. In contrast to many others, this exemplar is decorated with an illustrated title page. If Judah Leib ben Meir of Glogau had not identified himself as scribe on this title page, it would probably be assumed to be the work of Aaron Wolf Herlingen of Gewitsch, since the style and the script correspond to his. For the time being, one can only speculate about the connection between Herlingen and the actual scribe Meir.
Online Since: 03/19/2015
This manuscript contains an Evronot ("Rules for Calculation of the Calendar"). Many so-called Sifre evoronot ("Books of calculation") emerged in the 17th and 18th centuries. They can be taken as a reaction to the Gregorian calendar, introduced in 1582. Such manuscripts often depict the biblical Issachar, one of Jacob's sons, on or near a ladder; as an attribute, he holds an hourglass in his hand. This manuscript has two such miniatures; above the first of which there is also an illustration of a waning and a waxing moon with a human face and stars. The title page depicts an ornamental architectural arch. At the end of the book, there is the familiar motif of Moses seated at a table holding the Tablets of the Law.
Online Since: 03/19/2015
The anonymous hymn of praise to the Creator Perek schira has been preserved in hundreds of manuscripts. Most of the important 18th-century Hebrew book illustrators illustrated the hymn. This manuscript was written for Hertz ben Leib Darmstadt of Frankfurt am Main and contains pen drawings by Meshulam Zimmel ben Moses from Polna/Bohemia; however, he probably produced this manuscript in Vienna.
Online Since: 12/18/2014
This Miscellany for Life Cycle Events from the last third of the 15th century was probably a wedding gift. It was copied by Leon ben Joshua de Rossi of Cesena. It contains: prayers for circumcision; a formula for a marriage contract from Correggio 1452 (without names); texts for marriage rituals, including a hymn with the acrostic El'azar; a marriage contract, concluded in Parma in 1420 between Judah, son of Elhanan of Ascoli Piceno, and Stella, daughter of Solomon of Mantua; prayers recited at the cemetery with a Grace after Meals for mourners; a ritual for avoiding bad dreams; Ka'arat kesef, an ethical poem by the 13th-century Provençal poet Jehoseph ben Hanan ben Nathan Ezobi; finally, added in a different hand, a personal prayer by Moses Latif for Joab Immanuel Finzi. Immediately following the contract, there is a depiction of a bridal couple (f. 10v). The bride's headdress, clothing and veil correspond to the contemporary fashion of Ferrara, which confirms that the manuscript is of Italian origin, perhaps even from Ferrara.
Online Since: 12/18/2014
This Passover Haggadah with a Yiddish translation of the hymn Had Gadya (f. 23r) was copied and illustrated by Nathan ben Simson of Mezeritsch (now Velke Mezirici, Tschechische Republik). It contains, among others, a decorated title page, a cycle depicting ceremonies performed during the Jewish Passover seder, nine text illustrations, and a cycle for the concluding hymn Had Gadya (f. 23r).
Online Since: 12/18/2014
The Massekhet Purim contained in this manuscript is a Purim parody by the Provençal author and translator Kalonymus ben Kalonymus (Arles 1286- after 1328), who wrote this work in Rome in the early 1320s. The text is about eating, drinking and drunkenness during Purim. The author humorously imitated the text and style of the Talmud. The illustrations include depictions of harlequins, of a street musician and of seven playing cards represented as trompe l'œil, which is rarely found in Hebrew manuscripts. The codex was copied in Amsterdam in 1752, at a time when this work was very popular in the Ashkenazic Jewish community.
Online Since: 12/18/2014
This manuscript is a masterpiece of Jewish book art by Aaron Wolf Herlingen, an artist born around 1700 in Gewitsch, Moravia, who worked in Pressburg (now Bratislava), Vienna, and perhaps elsewhere. About 40 manuscripts signed by him are extant today. This manuscript is ornamented with 60 painted illustrations and three word panels with decorated initials. The title page depicts Moses and Aaron on either side of the title. The area below the title shows the Israelites wandering through the desert and manna falling from heaven, alongside Moses, Aaron and their sister Miriam. Such a very unusual depiction of Miriam suggests that this Haggadah was produced for a woman of that name. At the end of the text there are two songs - one in Hebrew, the other in Aramaic - Echad mi-yodea and Had Gadya, with their respective Yiddish translations.
Online Since: 12/18/2014
The Hijman Binger Haggadah is a typical example of Hebrew manuscript decoration in Central and Northern Europe at the end of the 18th and the beginning of the 19th centuries. Picture cycles accompany the written content. The illustrations show similarities to later Haggadot by Joseph ben David of Leipnik, such as the Haggadah from 1739 (Braginsky Collection B317) and suggest that a Haggadah by this artist served as Hijman Binger's model. Another rare feature of this manuscript is a map of the Holy Land, which was added at the very end (f. 52).
Online Since: 03/19/2015
This book of prayers for the Mohel, who performs circumcisions, consists of only a few leaves; according to a note on the title page, it was a gift from Mendel Rosenbaum to his brother-in-law Joseph Elsas of Nitra (now in Slovakia, but formerly in Hungary). The manuscript is signed by Leib Zahr Sofer (scribe); the work of this unknown artist shows a close formal relationship to that of the most important calligrapher and illustrator working in Nitra in the early 19th century, Mordecai ben Josl (alias Marcus Donath). The final page has a calligram with the figure of Moses, holding the Tablets of the Law in one hand and pointing to the Pentateuch with the other hand.
Online Since: 12/18/2014
This codex was copied by Eliezer Sussman Mezeritsch and illustrated by Charlotte Rothschild (1807-1859); in addition to the Hebrew text, it contains a German translation. The Haggadah was created by the artist for her uncle Amschel Mayer Rothschild on the occasion of his 70th birthday. This is the only Hebrew manuscript known to have been illuminated by a woman. Charlotte Rothschild was inspired by Christian and Jewish works, e.g., medieval manuscripts, the biblical cycle painted in the Vatican loggias by the workshop of Raphael and the copperplate engravings of the printed Amsterdam Haggadah of 1695. Charlotte Rothschild left her initials in only a single picture, the seder scene of the Passover celebration, on the back of a chair in the foreground of the picture (p. 42). This manuscript presumably served as model for the famous artist Moritz Daniel Oppenheim (1800-1882). In his memoirs he recalls that as a student he created sketches for Charlotte Rothschild.
Online Since: 03/19/2015
Until the Braginsky Leipnik Haggadah was acquired for the Braginsky Collection in 2007, this Haggadah was not known in scholarly literature. It was illustrated by Joseph ben David of Leipnik in 1739. Like most of the Haggadot at that time, this exemplar is largely dependent on the copper engravings of the printed Amsterdam Haggadot of 1695 and 1712. The characteristics of Joseph ben David's illustrations, whose work is well-known, are rendered here in an exemplary manner. The color palette is dominated by subtle gradations of color and shades of pastel. Frequently recurring motifs in his Haggadot, based on older models, are the illustrations of the Paschal lamb, the matzah and the bitter herbs. Eating these is part of the feast of Passover, during which it is tradition to read the Haggadah together.
Online Since: 03/19/2015
This thin little book with a gilt embossed leather binding contains the prayers for the celebration on the evening before the new moon; it was commissioned by Elieser (Lazarus) von Geldern in Vienna. Following convention, the title page shows Moses and Aaron. The writer and illustrator Nathan ben Simson from Meseritsch (Velké Meziříčí) in Moravia was among the most prominent artists of illustrated Hebrew manuscripts in the first half of the 18th century. Between 1723 and 1739, he created at least 23 such works.
Online Since: 12/20/2016
The "Counting of the Omer" is a blessing that takes place during the 49 days from the second day of Passover until the beginning of Shavuot. Omer denotes the first sheaf of the harvest that is offered as a sacrifice in the Temple in Jerusalem on the second day of Passover. Omer calendars were especially popular in the 18th century and were available in many different designs. This booklet is part of a group of a total of six similar Omer books in miniature format that can be dated to the late 18th and early 19th century. The silver binding has a monogram on the front cover and on the back cover it has an engraving of a stork-like bird with a stalk of wheat in its beak. The manuscript contains 50 illustrations that accompany almost every day of the calendar.
Online Since: 03/19/2015
This miniature book contains the Grace after Meals with the usual supplements for Hanukkah and Purim, as well as various blessings, such as the Shema prayer before retiring at night or for the enjoyment of certain things. The book has an illustrated title page, 19 individual illustrations, five decorated boxes containing individual letters or initial words and a decorated text passage. On the title page the artist did not record his name, but did note that the manuscript was created in Nikolsburg (Czechia) in 1725 during the reign of Emperor Charles VI. Like other Birkat ha-mason, this one, too, was written for a woman: a fly-leaf, added later, contains an elaborate ornament with a dedication to Fradche, wife of Moses Gundersheim. A comparison with the writing and illustrations in a similar work from 1728 in the Kongelige Bibliotek in Copenhagen (Cod. Hebr. XXXII) shows that both Birkat ha-mason manuscripts were created by the same artist, namely Samuel ben Zewi Hirsch Drenitz, who was active in Nikolsburg.
Online Since: 12/20/2016
This small-format manuscript from the 17th century contains hymnal prayers, poems and blessings for the circumcision ceremony. Two sections of the book contain illustrated pages. In addition to the title page, which is decorated with a Renaissance portal, there are eleven illustrations with biblical themes and four contemporary scenes regarding birth and circumcision. Several of these illustrations are influenced by Frederico Zuccaro (around 1540-1609) and Raphael.
Online Since: 12/20/2016
Until 1800, the University of Padua was the most important center for Jewish students, whereas the University of Bologna's registers list no Jews. Doctoral diplomas served as an entrance ticket for Jewish doctors into the modern society of nobles and bourgeois. The University of Padua issued its graduates hand-written and decorated diplomas in Latin. The initial page of the diploma for Israel Baruch Olmo shows the emblem of the Olmo family: an elm, flanked by a bubbling fountain and a stalk of grain.
Online Since: 12/20/2016
This miniature prayer book is the result of a unique collaboration of two of the most eminent Viennese representatives of 18th century Jewish book art. Aaron Wolf Herlingen wrote and illustrated the title page, Meschullam Simmel ben Moses from Polná created the other drawings and probably also wrote the prayer texts. Evidently this little book was a wedding present. The miniature prayer book contains a total of nine illustrations of the text as well as four richly decorated initial words. The prayer book belonged to the “respectable and wise maid Hindl”. The manuscript also contains entries regarding the birth of her children between 1719 and 1741.
Online Since: 12/20/2016
Over the more than 650 years that have passed since this manuscript of the Mishneh Torah was created, it has passed through many hands. Various annotations and citations indicate that important Ashkenazic rabbis hat access to the manuscript, for example Jakob Weil, a well-known 15th century scholar and rabbi in Nürnberg, Augsburg, Bamberg and Erfurt. Later notes of ownership make clear that the manuscript reached such distant places as the Ottoman Empire, England, Kurdistan and Jerusalem. The page 1021 of the Mischne Tora-manuscript presents a full-page illustration with decorated portal architecture in Gothic style. Two thin pillars, lengthened in Mannerist style, support a heavy tympanum, decorated with floral scrollwork on a blue background, in which gold letters spell out the chapter title Sefer schoftim (“Book of Judges”). There are five medallions, two of which show the silhouette of an attacking bird of prey.
Online Since: 03/22/2017
The writer of this Haggadah was none other than Elieser Sussman Meseritsch, named after his place of origin in Moravia, who later also copied the text of the Charlotte Rotschild Haggadah. By using three different types of writing, he clearly distinguishes three types of texts: the Hebrew text of the Haggadah, the classical Hebrew commentary by Simeon ben Zemach Duran (1361-1444), and a German translation in Hebrew letters by Wolf Heidenheim (1757-1832). The iconographic program of the Elieser Sussmann Meseritsch Haggadah is very unusual. The title page presents an architectural design of triumphal arches, where various ornamental motifs in classicist style are creatively joined together. The first four (5v-7r) of seven illustrated scenes show the four sons mentioned in the Haggadah, with one illustration dedicated to each of them; the one for the son who does not know to ask is particularly original. The next two illustrations – the crossing of the Red Sea (12r) and King David with the harp (15v) – are rather conventional. The last scene with the reconstruction of the Temple in Jerusalem as usual accompanies the text of the Adir hu (“Almighty God, rebuild your Temple soon!”).
Online Since: 12/20/2016
Until it was acquired by the Braginsky Collection, this little book with the Birkat ha-mason from 1741 had not been known to research. Clearly it had originally been meant for a woman, probably as a wedding present. In addition to the title page with an architectural frame and the figures of Moses and Aaron, there are six more illustrations in the text, among them a very rare depiction of a woman only partially immersed in a ritual bath (12v) and also a rather conventional depiction of a woman reading the Shema prayer before retiring at night (17r). This little book was copied and illustrated by Jakob ben Juda Leib Schammasch from Berlin. He is known as one of the most productive Jewish manuscript artists in Northern Germany.
Online Since: 12/20/2016
At the time this ketubah was produced, most of the Gibraltar's retail trade was conducted by the local Sephardic community; many of its members came from the adjacent parts of North Africa. The present Gibraltar contract belongs to an early period of local ketubah decoration, although some of its features foretell later developments. The upper section depicts a pair of lions crouched back-to-back, overlaid with circles containing the abbreviated Ten Commandments. The composition is reminiscent of the top of Torah arks, and indeed it is topped with a crown, intended as a Torah Crown. The crouching lions are flanked by vases of flowers. In the side borders, beneath theatrical drapery and trumpets suspended from ribbons, fanciful column bases are surmounted by urns. Several elements in the marriage contract are characteristic of Gibraltar ketubot. The initial word of the wedding day, Wednesday, as was common, is enlarged and ornamented. Also typical of Gibraltar is the ornamental Latin monogram at bottom center. Comprising the letters SJB, it refers to the bridal couple's first (Solomon, Judith) and last (Benoleil) initials.
Online Since: 03/22/2017
The concept of the written document for marriage, known as ketubah (pl. ketubot), lent itself to some popular Jewish customs, including the creation of allegorical marriage contracts for Shavuot. As the holiday marks the Giving of the Law, mystical traditions asserted that on this day Moses, as the matchmaker, brought the Jewish people (the bridegroom) to Mount Sinai (the wedding place) to marry God or the Torah (the bride). While several versions of ketubot for Shavuot are known, the most popular in Sephardic communities has been the poetic text composed by the renowned mystic of Safed, Rabbi Israel Najara (1555?–1625?). Divided into three sections, the special text of this Braginsky Collection ketubah appears within an imposing wooden architectural setting, comprising three arches and a broken pediment, within which is a crowned Decalogue. The upper story employs a dynamic rhythm of decorative architectural elements. The entire structure resembles a typical Sephardic Torah ark (ehal) from the synagogues in Gibraltar. Indeed, the name of one of these synagogues, Nefuzot Yehudah, founded 1799, appears at the top.
Online Since: 10/13/2016
This marriage contract was made in one of the most important Jewish communities of Italy, the Adriatic seaport of Ancona, which also was a leading center of ketubbah illustrations. The main episode at top center, depicts the prophet Elijah ascending to heaven, riding in his fiery horse-drawn chariot, while his amazed disciple, Elisha, watches below. This scene thus refers to the first name of the bridegroom, Elijah Mordecai, son of the late Judah mi-Cerrata. The other two biblical episodes appear in the cartouches at the center of each of the side borders. At right, the scene of the Triumph of Mordecai, refers to the second name of the bridegroom, Mordecai. Depicted at left is the scene of David holding the head of Goliath; it is to be understood as a reference to David Camerino, father of the bride Tova, daughter of David, son of Abraham Obedai Camerino of Senigallia.
Online Since: 03/22/2017
This decorated ketubah, as well as Braginsky Collection K29 produced just six years earlier, represent the height of ketubah illustration in Ancona. The text of this ketubah is centered under the arch supported by a pair of ornamental columns. While arches were commonly used as framing devices in ketubah decorations since the earliest known ketubot from the Cairo Genizah, the gold letters inscribed here against the blue spandrels provide an additional meaning. The six square Hebrew letters, an acronym for Psalms 118:20: “This is the gate of the Lord, through which the righteous may enter”, signify that the bridal couple is symbolically passing through the heavenly gate into a sanctified stage in their life. A depiction of the sacrifice of Isaac, an allusion to the bridegroom whose second name is Isaac, is located in a cartouche at the top center. This scene, a symbol of faithfulness and messianic promise that appears on many italian ketubot, has been the most popular biblical story in Jewish art over the ages. The female figure beneath has not been identified so far.
Online Since: 03/22/2017
The ornamentation of this ketubah, which commemorates a wedding between two important families of the Roman ghetto, Toscano and Di Segni, reflects the golden age of ketubah decoration in Rome. The decorative frame is divided into inner and outer borders. Panels adorned with flowers on painted gold fields flank the sides of the text. In the outer frames, crisscrossed micrographic inscriptions form diamond-shaped spaces, each of which contains a large flower. The design in the inner and the outer frames are surrounded by minuscule square Hebrew letters, presenting the entire four chapters of the book of Ruth.
Online Since: 03/22/2017
The Roman ketubot (sing. ketubah), the Jewish marriage contracts, in general are distinguished by their elegant Hebrew calligraphy, decorative designs, and attractive appearance. The most popular decorative themes include biblical episodes, allegorical representations, and delicate micrographic designs. The contractual text of this Braginsky Collection ketubah is surrounded by an architectural frame featuring a pair of marble columns entwined by gold leaves and topped with Corinthian capitals. A large cartouche rests on the arch supported by the columns. In it is a pastoral landscape in which stand a man wearing a long robe and a bare-breasted woman, joined around their neck by a long chain of pearls with a heart-shaped pendant. Enhancing the allusion of matrimonial harmony are family emblems of the bridal couple that appear next to each other in a cartouche above the central allegorical image. The emblem at the right, above the central allegorical image, depicting a rampant lion climbing a palm tree, is that of the groom's family, Caiatte, whereas the emblem at the left, portraying a rampant lion touching a white column, belongs to the family of the bride, De Castro. Finally, the influence of Italian culture is demonstrated in the cartouche at the bottom, with the depiction of Cupid lying next to his bow and quiver.
Online Since: 10/13/2016
The Karaite ketubah, unlike the traditional Rabbinite contract, is written entirely in Hebrew and invariably comprises of two parts: shetar nissu'in and shetar ketubah. The Karaite wedding recorded in this ketubah was celebrated in the important community of Qirq-Yer in the Crimean Peninsula (West Ukraine). The two sections of the text are set inside frames painted with gold and surrounded by flowers. In the tradition of many Sephardic, Italian, and Eastern ketubot, initial words are decorated and appropriate biblical passages are included in the inner frame. The dowry list in this ketubah is longer than the marriage deed text in the first section. In accordance with the Karaite custom, many respected witnesses (here 12) were invited to sign the contract.
Online Since: 12/20/2016
The marriage of Joshua, son of Isaac Hayyim Recanati, and Dona Esther Sarah, daughter of Raphael Recanati, established a union within this widely ramified, wealthy and influential Sephardic family. Written on a document that is painted with illusionistic effect, the actual text of the ketubbah is in the right column and the conditions are in the left column. These are surrounded by rococo architecture in central perspective, with the family emblem at the top flanked by two cupids. The name of the groom is honored with a medallion that depicts Joshua commanding the sun to stand still (Joshua 10:12–13). Two female figures hold the ends of a gold ribbon with the inscription “Be fruitful and multiply!”
Online Since: 10/10/2019
This ketubbah for the bridal couple Joseph Baruch, son of R. Schabettai Moses Salman and Rachel, daughter of R. Jom Tov Sanguinetti, is evidence of the Piedmontese communities' high achievements in the field of Jewish art. The designs are executed in green and gold. In the central part, a massive triumphal arch supported by twin columns frames the text of the contract. Two trumpet-blowing putti on mobile supports, the twelve signs of the zodiac, and the depictions of birds in the ornamental field at the top were cut from copper engravings, glued onto the ketubbah and then enhanced with a bit of color. The architrave of the triumphal arch holds a silhouette of the rebuilt Jerusalem, formed entirely from micrographic script.
Online Since: 10/10/2019
Small book of hours in Latin, very much cut, containing the Seven Psalms, the Cursus beate virginis Marie, the Office of the Dead, the Cursus de passione Domini and various prayers. The decoration consists of various initials with wine scroll ornamentation and one full page miniature (5v) - unfortunately partially damaged - which depicts an Ecce homo with the donor kneeling in front of it with his coat of arms to his right. Mention of the indulgence of Popes Gregory and Callixtus III (1455-1458) (f. 139) makes it possible to narrow the date to the second half of the 15th century, while the style of the book decoration suggests an origin in Southern Germany, perhaps in Augsburg, in the circle of the book illustrator Johannes Bämler.
Online Since: 06/23/2014
Breviary in two volumes, created in 1493 for Jost von Silenen († 1498), the Bischop of Sion from 1482 until his dismissal in 1497. Richly decorated, the miniatures are the work of an itinerant artist active in Fribourg, Bern and Sion during the final decades of the 15th century and known by the name Master of the breviary of Jost von Silenen. At the beginning of the 16th century, he continued his work in Aosta and Ivrea, where he took the name Master of George of Challant.
Online Since: 12/20/2016
Breviary in two volumes, created in 1493 for Jost von Silenen († 1498), the Bischop of Sion from 1482 until his dismissal in 1497. Richly decorated, the miniatures are the work of an itinerant artist active in Fribourg, Bern and Sion during the final decades of the 15th century and known by the name Master of the breviary of Jost von Silenen. At the beginning of the 16th century, he continued his work in Aosta and Ivrea, where he took the name Master of George of Challant.
Online Since: 12/20/2016
The first part (1-XX) of this illuminated manuscript on paper contains images of members of the House of Habsburg, kneeling in pious posture, represented with their respective coats of arms. These images reproduce those of the stained glass windows (1325-1340), now partially lost, of the church of Königsfelden Monastery (AG), donated in honor of Albert I of Habsburg (murdered in 1308) by his widow Elizabeth. The prototype of this dynastic cycle of pictures is the Ehrenspiegel des Hauses Österreich, which was commissioned between 1555 and 1559 by Johann Jakob Fugger in Augsburg. Several other copies thereof exist in Vienna (ÖNB, Cod. 8614), Munich (BSB, Cgm 895 and Cod. icon. 330) and Lucerne (ZHB Ms. 124 fol.). The second part (XXI-203) contains portraits of knights in armor with their respective coats of arms, who, along with Leopold III, died in the Battle of Sempach (1386).
Online Since: 04/09/2014
Fragment of an official document from the Republic of Venice; it contains an illuminated page and a part of the index of the “commissione” of Cristoforo Duodo, procurator of San Marco de ultra from 1491 until 1496. After the doge, the procurators held the highest office in the Serenissima; upon their election, they had capitularies drawn up, usually illuminated, containing their oath and the list of their “commissione,” i.e., of the specific tasks to which they committed themselves by their oath. This fragment follows 21 commissions of Venetian procurators from the 15th century; it is distinguished from the others by its illumination, which is attributed to a high-level Venetian master trained in the circle of Leonardo Bellini, and also by the rare depiction of the patron saint of not only the procurator, but also his wife.
Online Since: 12/20/2016
The Housebook of the Lords of Hallwil, also known as Turnierbuch, is a combination of family chronicle, tournament book and book of heraldry. This paper manuscript from the second half of the 16th century probably replaces an older copy. On the inside of the cover are found the large coats of arms of Burkhart von Hallwil and his two wives Judith von Anwil and Margaretha von Löwenberg. Pp. 4-10 contain a late version of the poem Ring von Hallwil, a saga about the endangerment and saving of the inheritance of the Hallwils. On pp. 11-17 there follow texts about family history and then a second, older version of the poem Ring von Hallwil (pp. 19-21). After a number of empty pages, there are six empty crests (pp. 48-50), meant for the three brothers Thüring I von Hallwil († 1386) und Katharina von Wolfurt, Walter V († after 1370) and Herzlaude von Tengen, “Hemann” (Johannes IV, † 1386) and Anna vom Hus. On p. 51 there is a view of the ancestral home of the Hallwil family. It is followed by pictures of Caspar (p. 54) and Burkhart von Hallwil (p. 55), scenes from tournaments (pp. 56-59), and images relating to the Ring von Hallwil (pp. 60-66). At the end of the manuscript, there are more coats of arms of the Lords of Hallwil and their wives (pp. 68-96), the last ones only sketched out but not completed (pp. 97-118). The manuscript was donated to the Swiss National Museum in 1907 by Count Walther von Hallwil, the last occupant of the castle, and his wife Wilhelmine. A second version is held by the Basel University Library (Ms. H I 10).
Online Since: 04/09/2014
This richly illustrated “Historienbibel” (history Bible) from the workshop of Diebold Lauber belongs to edition IIa of the text (following Vollmer). For the Old Testament, it contains a prose version of the Weltchronik by Rudolf von Ems; for the New Testament, it contains a prose version of the Marienleben by Bruder Philipp. The cycle of illustrations, richer in comparison to sister-manuscripts, can be attributed to the illuminators of Group A, active in the Lauber workshop during the 1430s.
Online Since: 04/09/2014
The so-called "Zürcher Psalter" (Zurich Psalter) or "St. Galler Psalter" (St. Gallen Psalter), written and decorated in the scriptorum of the monastery of St. Gall, with numerous initial capitals as well as with the oldest extant artistically sophisticated miniature found in the St. Gallen manuscripts, from about 820/830. Includes appended All Saints Litany and computational tables and diagrams. Used daily by the monks in the liturgy of the hours.
Online Since: 04/26/2007
A facsimile has been published with the title Vom Einfluß der Gestirne auf die Gesundheit und den Charakter des Menschen, emphasizing the most important, astrological aspect of the work. Human beings and the cosmos are closely connected, and the seven planets – Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, the sun, Venus, Mercury and the moon – have an immediate effect on people. The manuscript, richly decorated with pictures, was commissioned by Erasmus and Dorothea Schurstab from Nuremberg (1v donation picture with coat of arms and depiction of the Crucifixion on a gold background). In 1774 Johann Jakob Zoller from Baden donated the manuscript to the City Library of Zürich, which was founded in 1629.
Online Since: 06/09/2011
Manuscript compilation containing texts from the 9th through 13th centuries from the monastery of St. Gall. Among them are important copies of works from Alcuin of York († 804; including De dialectica and De rhetorica et virtutibus). Between the two named texts by Alcuin is a full page pen and ink sketch representing the Maiestas Domini, interpreted by art historian Anton von Euw as a reproduction of the now lost cupola mosaic of the Aachen cathedral. The opening text is a copy of 13th century canonical texts by Bishop Sicardus of Cremona (about 1150-1215; Super decreta).
Online Since: 12/20/2007
Illuminated biblical and ethical miscellany produced in Italy in 1322. This small format manuscript, with an exquisite 16th-century white leather binding blindstamped with the coat of arms of the city of Zurich, is divided into two groups of texts. The first section is made up of the biblical texts of the Five Megillot, accompanied by three commentaries on them, composed by the great medieval scholars, Solomon ben Isaac (Rashi), Avraham ibn Ezra and Joseph Qara. The second section is of ethical nature and consists in the Mishna tractate of the Pirqei Avot or Ethics of the Fathers and its commentaries. The first is an anonymous one ; the second is entitled Shemonah Peraqim by Maimonides, as translated by Samuel ibn Tibbon, and the third is a commentary by Rashi placed in the margins of the latter. In addition, this handbook is interspersed with aggadic, midrashic, mystical and philosophical material.
Online Since: 12/10/2020
This richly illustrated manuscript of Rudolf von Ems' Chronicle of the world was written in the 1340s, probably in Zurich (in the same writing workshop as the 1346 book of statutes of the Zurich Grossmünster). Its iconographic program is closely related to that of the Chronicle of the World currently held in St. Gall (Vadian Collection Ms. 302). Ms. Rh. 15 came to Zurich in 1863 from the library of the dissolved Rheinau Abbey.
Online Since: 03/29/2019
The Rheinau Psalter, Ms. Rh. 167, is among the preeminent treasures of the Zurich Central Library. Its miniatures are a product of the highest level of artistry of the High Gothic painting of this period around 1260, which is also true for the sophisticated color and painting techniques that were used. In contrast, the script, while of quite good quality, cannot be counted among the highest examples of the art of writing. The commissioner of the manuscript must be sought in the area of Lake Constance, probably in the city of Constance, which was very important in the politics and church politics at the time of the interregnum. In 1817, Father Blasius Hauntinger purchased the manuscript from Melchior Kirchhofer in Schaffhausen for the Benedictine Rheinau Abbey; in 1863, the manuscript, along with the Rheinau Abbey Library, became part of the Cantonal Library (today Central Library) in Zurich.
Online Since: 12/20/2012
In its first part, the parchment manuscript contains the text that has been named, on the basis of its outstanding cycle of illustrations, the Aurora consurgens. The manuscript also contains numerous other alchemical treatises, for ex. Albertus Magnus on Secreta Hermetis philosophi, Johannes de Garlandia (John of Garland), excerpts from Geber (Jabir ibn Hayyan), the Thesaurus philosophiae and the Visio Arislei. Nine other Aurora-manuscripts are currently known to exist: Berlin Die uffgehnde Morgenrödte, Bologna, Glasgow, Leiden, Vienna, Paris, Prague and Venice. The Berlin manuscript, dating from the early sixteenth century and containing the illustrations as well as the texts in German translation, is closely related to the Zürich Codex.
Online Since: 06/09/2011
This codex contains a rare illuminated manuscript constituted entirely by illuminated pages, for each of which only a succinct caption is given, most often only a line of text, and which therefore provides exceptional historical image-sources for numerous domains. The pictures presented here of military technology were perhaps originally part of a medieval house book. A typical collector's item, this illuminated manuscript underscores the collection character of the Rheinau conventual library, whose librarians and abbots were expressly on the lookout for rare books.
Online Since: 06/09/2011