This immaculately preserved Italian 13th century massoretic Bible was employed as a study manual for learning the cantillation notes for the Torah readings. The significance of this massoretic bible lies however within its provenance, where it must have been acquired sometime in the mid-15th century by Solomon Finzi, a famous Jewish banker from Mantua, who owned a large library of Hebrew manuscripts. Lastly, a letter inserted at the beginning of the manuscript testifies to the use of this bible as one of the 615 biblical manuscripts collated for Benjamin Kennicott's Vetus Testamentum hebraicum variis lectionibus (1776-1780).
Online Since: 12/12/2019
This portolan by Andrea Benincasa is signed and dated 1476 on the last chart, which is glued to the inside back cover. The five nautical charts, each occupying a double page of the atlas, describe the Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea (chart 1), the coasts between Sicily and the Aegean Sea (chart 2), the Mediterranean Sea from Gibraltar to Rome with Corsica and Sardinia (chart 3), the coasts of the Atlantic between England and Ireland to the Strait of Gibraltar (chart 4), and finally the coasts between Gibraltar and Cape Bojador, including the Canary Islands and other islands (chart 5). The star-shaped rhumb lines with wind roses indicate the compass directions, while the scales, here marked in the corners of the leaves, make it possible to estimate distances. The precise course of the coasts highlighted with color and the elegant script of the toponyms are characteristic of maps from the Benincasa studio, which were intended as objects for book lovers, but not for navigation. Among the numerous inscriptions on these maps, those on the Atlantic islands are the most surprising, as they seem to anticipate the discovery of the American archipelago like “Antilia,” or the island of “Brazil”; these names were adopted by Christopher Columbus and his successors to name certain territories in the New World.
Online Since: 12/12/2019
At the behest of King Philip III the Bold, the Dominican Laurent d'Orléans wrote a book on religious instruction for lay people. He was inspired by the Miroir du monde in the 3rd and 4th tract (f. 6r-33r) compiling two treatises about this 13th century work, that was widely read throughout the realm. The fifth treatise on the virtues (f. 33r-99r) is the only part originally by Brother Laurent. The illuminator who created the 8 miniatures is not identified, but probably was active in Northern France.
Online Since: 10/10/2019
In 1511, the Benedictine Jean d'Auton (around 1466-1528), chronicler at the court of Louis XII, initiated a contest to write fictional letters to the king. For this contest, he wrote the Epistre d'Hector au roy, which was answered, among others, by Jean Lemaire de Belges with his Epistre du roy Loys à Hector. This Geneva manuscript begins with a full-page illustration, executed by an artist named Maître des Entrées, active in Lyon. It depicts Hector presenting a book to a satyr in front of an army of soldiers in armor, some of whom are crowned with the poets' laurel wreath. The numerous references to antiquity, textual as well as visual, are typical for the humanist milieu of Lyon, which included the owner of this manuscript, Jean Sala, half-brother of the famous author and antiquities enthusiast Pierre Sala.
Online Since: 10/10/2019
The Livre de bonnes meurs, dedicated to the Duke of Berry, draws its inspiration from the Sophilogium by the same author. In essence this is a moral and religious work. As part of the “mirror for princes”, it broaches the topic of the virtues and moral qualities that an ideal prince should possess. This Geneva manuscript represents the first version, dated 1404. It was illuminated by the master of Philippe de Commynes' Froissart and contains a single beautiful illumination for the frontispiece.
Online Since: 10/10/2019
“Lives of philosophers” constitute a subcategory of the ancient literary genre of “lives of illustrious men” that was considered anew beginning in the 12th century. The Latin text of this manuscript, the Liber de vita et moribus philosophorum veterum, attributed to Gautier Burley (actually an anonymous Italian author from the early 14th century), consists of a collection of moral maxims from various philosophers, whose names are indexed at the end of the work (f. 93r-94r). This copy, dated 1452, may be from the Abbey of Saint-Denis and later was the property of Paul and Alexandre Petau, before becoming part of the holdings of the Bibliothèque de Genève as part of the bequest of Ami Lullin.
Online Since: 10/10/2019
This manuscript contains several texts copied between the 13th and the 16th century. The oldest one is the Solemn Evangelistary of St. Pierre Cathedral of Geneva (ff. 5-28v), which, according to its illuminations (esp. f. 5r), was probably created in Paris, even though the pericopes correspond to the feast days particular to Geneva. This is followed by excerpts from the sung Gospels (with staff notation) from the 14th and 15th century, one of which is an interesting late 15th century liturgical witness for the feast of the Epiphany (ff. 37v-40r).
Online Since: 06/13/2019
This composite manuscript consists of three volumes and seven different codicological units. It transmits more than 30 works, Athanasian as well as pseudo-Athanasian, often in several copies. The texts were written in the 16th century in Northern Italy, in Switzerland or in Germany, perhaps on the initiative of Theodore Beza, in order for Peter Felckmann to prepare the first edition of the works of Athanasius in Greek, which was published in 1600-1601 by Commelin in Heidelberg. The manuscript preserves only late texts, but it is of great historical importance due to its status as the model for the editio princeps of Athanasius' works. It is the source of all the textual variants identified by Felckmann, that were then taken up by Montfaucon in 1686 and passed on by Migne.
Online Since: 06/13/2019
This composite manuscript consists of three volumes and seven different codicological units. It transmits more than 30 works, Athanasian as well as pseudo-Athanasian, often in several copies. The texts were written in the 16th century in Northern Italy, in Switzerland or in Germany, perhaps on the initiative of Theodore Beza, in order for Peter Felckmann to prepare the first edition of the works of Athanasius in Greek, which was published in 1600-1601 by Commelin in Heidelberg. The manuscript preserves only late texts, but it is of great historical importance due to its status as the model for the editio princeps of Athanasius' works. It is the source of all the textual variants identified by Felckmann, that were then taken up by Montfaucon in 1686 and passed on by Migne.
Online Since: 06/13/2019
This composite manuscript consists of three volumes and seven different codicological units. It transmits more than 30 works, Athanasian as well as pseudo-Athanasian, often in several copies. The texts were written in the 16th century in Northern Italy, in Switzerland or in Germany, perhaps on the initiative of Theodore Beza, in order for Peter Felckmann to prepare the first edition of the works of Athanasius in Greek, which was published in 1600-1601 by Commelin in Heidelberg. The manuscript preserves only late texts, but it is of great historical importance due to its status as the model for the editio princeps of Athanasius' works. It is the source of all the textual variants identified by Felckmann, that were then taken up by Montfaucon in 1686 and passed on by Migne.
Online Since: 06/13/2019
In addition to the usual services, this small-format book of hours following the practice of Paris contains several texts in French (a prayer to St. Roch, Les quinze joies de Notre-Dame and Les sept requêtes à Notre Seigneur). It is richly illuminated with full-page as well as smaller miniatures attributed (Gagnebin, 1976) to the workshop of the Coëtivy Master (now identified as Colin d'Amiens). Although some illuminations are slightly damaged, they attest to the high quality of their execution, especially in the intercession of the saints (ff. 201r-220v). This book of hours was meant for a man (the prayers are addressed in the masculine, f. 21r and 25v), perhaps for a certain Jean Novelli, whose name, together with the date 1460, is mentioned on the 18th century binding.
Online Since: 06/13/2019
This is a 16th century paper manuscript with a watermark. The medical text contains the eleven books of Galen's De simplicium medicamentorum [temperamentis ac] facultatibus. The narrow and «pointue» (pointed) script is reminiscent of that of Demetrius Moschus, a Greek humanist who was active in Venice and Ferrara (middle of the 15th century – after 1519). This copy is incomplete, as attested by several blank spaces intended to hold illuminated initials. The codex was purchased by Aleandre Petau in 1655. It was passed on to the pastor and theologian Ami Lullin and, after his death, it was bequeathed to the Bibliothèque de Genève.
Online Since: 03/29/2019
The De Divina Proportione is a mathematical treatise by the Franciscan friar Luca Pacioli (1445-1517). The Italian text is followed by sixty polyhedra, drawn filled or empty, and influenced by Leonardo da Vinci. Of the three copies written during the author's lifetime, only two remain. This copy, held by the Bibliothèque de Genève, is the presentation copy of the Duke of Milan, Ludovico Sforza, whose coat of arms and motto adorn the manuscript (fol. Ir and LXIIv).
Online Since: 02/27/2019
This elegant pocket-size book of hours was illuminated in Tours around 1480 by the Maître des camaïeux d'or Le Bigot, who was active in the circle of the painter Jean Bourdichon. The sixteen tiny historiated initials in camaïeu d'or that are contained in the manuscript succeed the usual repertoire with an original cycle dedicated to the seven days of Creation. The artist demonstrates his exceptional technical mastery by lending the body of the initials an especially attractive evanescent character. The subtle arrangement of the surrounding letters should invite the anonymous patron to appreciate the meticulous combination of gold and colors in detail.
Online Since: 12/14/2018
According to the calendar and the sanctoral, this missal was meant for the use of St. Pierre Cathedral in Geneva. Produced in the 14th century, the manuscript was restored in the 15th century and increased by several leaves, a sign that it was still in use at this time. An old miniature showing, among others, a crucifixion and a historiated initial depicting Pentecost – both original – was painted over with an image of angels bearing the coat of arms of Geneva (f. 95r). After the Reformation, this missal, together with other books from the Cathedral Chapter, was stored at the city hall (Hôtel de Ville), before it was finally transferred to the Bibliothèque de Genève in 1714.
Online Since: 12/14/2018
The incipit of the temporal (f. 1r: Incipit missale secundum usum maioris ecclesie gebennensis) indicates that this missal was meant for the use of St. Pierre Cathedral in Geneva. This very neat volume, containing no calendar, no Sanctorale and no Commune Sanctorum – with the exception of one erased column of text (f. 145v) – was probably produced in Geneva in the 15th century. According to Huot, this is the oldest liturgical manuscript to have entered the collection of the Bibliothèque de Genève at the end of the 17th century.
Online Since: 12/14/2018
This medium format bible from northern France arrived at the Bibliothèque de Genève between 1667 and 1701 and is one of the oldest donations to this library, once called the Académie de Genève. Furthermore, this bible was also used as one of the 615 biblical manuscripts collated for Benjamin Kennicott's Vetus Testamentum hebraicum variis lectionibus (1776-1780).
Online Since: 12/14/2018
The calendar of this book of hours for use in Rome contains prayers to Saint Clarus (2 January) and for the dedication of the Church of St. Peter in Geneva (8 October), which are particular to the diocese of this city. At an unspecified time, the manuscript suffered substantial damage: pages were torn out or torn apart, and illuminated initials were cut out. Only two of the original five illuminations have survived, placed at the beginning of the Hours of the Cross (fol. 15r) and the Penitential Psalms (fol. 74v), respectively. They were probably created mid-15th century in Geneva or the immediate surroundings.
Online Since: 10/04/2018
In 1389, the Franciscan monk Jean de Souabe translated into French the Horologium sapientiae by the mystic Henry Suso (1295-1366) of the Rhineland. In this moral treatise, wisdom conducts a dialog with a student regarding the spiritual path to be followed, as inspired by the passion of Christ, and invites him to meditate on the passing of time. More than fifty copies of this work are known. This manuscript from the Bibliothèque de Genève, dated 1417, was probably written in the episcopal city.
Online Since: 10/04/2018
Hugh of Amiens, archbishop of Rouen (1130-1164), is the author of the two theological treatises, Sur la foi catholique and Sur l'oraison dominicale, copied in this manuscript. According to the inscription on the front flyleaf, the manuscript was donated to the Cathedral of Rouen by Archbishop Rotrou of Warwick, immediate successor of Hugh of Amiens as the head of the archdiocese (1165-1183). An entry on the first page (f. 1r) attests that the manuscript belonged to Alexandre Petau before it became part of the collection of the Bibliothèque de Genève.
Online Since: 10/04/2018