Penn Libraries Manuscripts

Sooo I was out of town last week and neglected to queue up social media posts before I left, so in apology for the lack of content I share with you our most recent acquisition: an artist's facsimile of Rosenbach MS 1004/29, a 15th century medical almanac. The original manuscript includes several pages of moon phase charts, a urine wheel, and a bloodletting guide - everything a 15th century medical practitioner would need! The facsimile was made by Bryn Michelson-Ziegler, an artist local to Philadelphia who also works at the Rosenbach Museum and Library. Check out Bryn's website here and her Insta here!

A "bat book" is a specific kind of book, where the pages fold out into full sheets. Bryn played with the term, by creating a leather binding in the outline of a bat with outstretched wings (the binding of the original only partially survives, but it was definitely not in the shape of a bat). We are thrilled to be adding this book to our collection!

If you want to learn more about the original, you can see digital images and read the catalog record here, or you can watch the recording of the Coffee With A Codex that I did with Rosenbach Librarian Elizabeth Fuller.

A couple of weird little guys are chilling out in the bottom margin of Ms. Codex 724 f. 326v, a 13th century illuminated Bible.

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Coffee With A Codex is an informal lunch or coffee time to meet virtually with Kislak curators and talk about one of the manuscripts from Penn's collections. Each week we'll feature a different manuscript and the expertise of one of our curators. Everyone is welcome to attend.

On June 4, curator Dot Porter will bring out Ms. Codex 2141, a 16th century collection of approximately 20 prayers with calligraphic ornamentation, including prayers for the morning, forgiveness of sins, comfort and help, the sermon, receiving the Eucharist, and the evening meal; and to the Holy Trinity. Probably written in Nuremberg, Germany, no later than 1579.

Register here:

Coffee With A Codex is an informal lunch or coffee time to meet virtually with Kislak curators and talk about one of the manuscripts from Penn's collections. Each week we'll feature a different manuscript and the expertise of one of our curators. Everyone is welcome to attend.

On May 28 curator Dot Porter will bring out Ms. Codex 869, a collection of treatises, bullae, and regulations of Franciscan interest, including works of Saint Augustine, Saint Bonaventure, and Saint Bernard and bullae of Eugene IV and Nicholas IV. Written in Italy between 1460 and 1510. We looked at this one on April 30 and only scratched the surface, so we are going in again for a deeper dive.

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If you want to watch our first visit with this manuscript, you can see it here:

Although this page has several illuminations identified as Saint John, the animal in the top margin appears to be a ram. It's definitely not an eagle (which is the animal that John is associated with). The book is Ms. Codex 724 f. 326v, a 13th century illuminated Bible.

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By popular demand (it's us, we're demanding!), here is the inside view of LJS 361, a 14th century manuscript in its original binding, written in Italy. The manuscript contains the opening and closing sections of astronomical and astrological tables on either side of a remnant of commentaries on gospel and epistle readings.

🔗:

Coffee With A Codex is an informal lunch or coffee time to meet virtually with Kislak curators and talk about one of the manuscripts from Penn's collections. Each week we'll feature a different manuscript and the expertise of one of our curators. Everyone is welcome to attend.

On May 21, curator Dot Porter will bring out Ms. Codex 1531, a book of hours, use of Rome, printed ca. 1507 in Paris by Guillaume Anabat for Gilles and Germain Hardouyn, followed by a few manuscript pages containing alternate and additional prayers. Illuminated initials have been added by hand.

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Next in our #SIMSseries on LJS 26, a 13th century astronomical and mathematical manuscript written in Italy: At some point somebody added a new bifolium. It’s clearly different from the rest of the manuscript, written in a later hand, and the parchment sheet is smaller.

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Next in our #SIMSseries on LJS 26, a 13th century astronomical and mathematical manuscript written in Italy: How do scribes deal with a hole in the parchment? This 13th century scribe outlined the hole in red on one side, and simply wrote around it.

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Next in our #SIMSseries on LJS 26, a 13th c. astronomical and mathematical manuscript, what we’ve all been waiting for: diagrams! There are several, a couple illustrating eclipses, and diagrams of an astrolabe and a quadrant. Written in Italy.

🔗:

Coffee With A Codex is an informal lunch or coffee time to meet virtually with Kislak curators and talk about one of the manuscripts from Penn's collections. Each week we'll feature a different manuscript and the expertise of one of our curators. Everyone is welcome to attend.

On May 14, curator Dot Porter will be joined by Schoenberg Curator of Manuscripts Nicholas Herman to show you a very special and exciting new acquisition! What is it? We can't tell you, but we can promise that no matter what kind of manuscripts you're interested in, you will want to see this! One clue? ZODIAC MAN. See you there!

Register here:

GUYS I AM SERIOUS, IF YOU HAVE EVER THOUGHT ABOUT ATTENDING COFFEE WITH A CODEX BUT HAVEN'T, THIS IS THE ONE YOU WANT TO SEE.