Parchment · 1 f. · 33 x 156 cm · Eastern Europe · around 1900
Megillah Esther (מגילת אסתר) / Esther scroll
By its style, the case of this megillah (h: 47cm) can be attributed to religious Jewish art of Eastern Europe. The silver is punched, chased, cast and partially gilded. The double-headed eagle is the heraldic animal of the Habsburgs and of the Russian Tsar. On the shield is a quote from Esther 8:16: “But unto the Jews there came a light and joy and gladness and glory”, and the flags flanking the shield are inscribed: “And the royal crown shall be set upon his head” (Esther 6:8). Numerous of flower, fruit and leaf ornaments, interspersed with representations of animals, cover the case. The scroll can be pulled out by a clasp in the shape of a small lion. (flu)
Parchment · 1 f. · 30.5 x 461 cm · Italy · around 1650
Megillah Esther (מגילת אסתר) / Esther scroll
The opening panel of this megillah (on 4 leaves with 34 columns of text) shows a rampant lion with a palm frond, surrounded by four birds and insects. Above it, an inscription gives the name “Salomon Marinozzi”, presumably the original owner. To its right, a cartouche containing the name of his son as owner, was probably added later: “This scroll belongs to Mordecai, son of Solomon Marinozzi of blessed memory, and it was bought by Solomon […] in the year 1652.” (flu)
Parchment · 1 f. · 17 x 216 cm · Morocco (Meknes?) · around 1800
Megillah Esther (מגילת אסתר) / Esther scroll
Influenced by the Islamic culture of North Africa, this megillah (on three sheets with 19 columns of text) dispenses with figurative representations and uses the formal language of Islamic art with its manifoldly varied ornaments. The text is adorned by an arcade that extends over the entire scroll. The decoration most closely resembles that of some ketubot from the city of Meknes in Morocco. (flu)
Parchment · 1 f. · h: 40.6 cm · Eastern Europe · 1913
Megillah Esther (מגילת אסתר) / Esther scroll
This megillah (on three sheets with 10 columns of text) is from Eastern Europe and was probably created at the beginning of the 20th century. The elaborate case was made by Ezekiel Joshua Maisels in 1913 in Dolyna in Galicia (today Western Ukraine). It is covered with carved images, ornaments and Hebrew inscriptions, and contains scenes from the Purim story at the bottom and from the hanging of Haman in the upper part. In the central part, the crown (keter malchut), symbol of royal rule, is held by two winged lions. The double-headed eagle refers to the Habsburg Empire. (flu)
Parchment · 1 f. · 7.9 x 301 cm · Italy · middle of the 18th century
Megillah Esther (מגילת אסתר) / Esther scroll
The text on this Esther scroll (on 5 sheets with 42 columns of text) is written in unusually narrow columns, set in golden frames on a greenish background. The hexagonal case made of cast, chased, engraved and granulated silver bears the silver hallmarks of the city of Rome and of the manufacturer Giovanni Battista Sabatini from 1778 to 1780. The initials alef, resh and samech refer to the patron and to the owner. What is unusual is that in this case, the complete original set of scroll, case and leather box has been preserved. (flu)
The calligrapher and artist Arje Leib ben Daniel, who created this megillah (on three sheets with 12 columns of text and a separate sheet with blessings), came from Goraj near Zamość in Lesser Poland. A total of 28 of his megillot have been preserved, eight of which are signed and dated by him. This so-called ha-melech scroll, where each individual column begins with ha-melech ("the king"), was created in Venice in 1748, with the sepia drawings typical of Leib ben Daniel. Influences of Salom Italia’s border designs as well as of Eastern European folk art can be discerned. The artist’s name in the inscription was later replaced by that of Judah Capsuto, who gave the scroll to Ephraim Isaac Capsuto as a Purim gift. (flu)
Parchment · 1 f. · 12.6 x 246.5 cm · Amsterdam · around 1641
Megillah Esther (מגילת אסתר) / Esther scroll
Salom Italia (about 1619, Mantua – 1655, Amsterdam) divided the text into 30 columns (on four sheets) and placed them in the openings of massive rustica portals. In the niches between these portals, representations of King Ahasuerus and Queen Esther alternate. On the pedestals there are 29 pictures telling the story of the Book of Esther. Salom Italia’s design of the Esther roles, of which a total of eleven works have survived, was of great influence. This megillah is one of three Esther scrolls decorated with pen drawings, which may have served as a model for the copper-engraved borders designed by the same artist. (flu)
This work is dated to the 3rd Adar of the year 5324 (15 February 1564) in Venice and is thus the earliest dated example of a fully decorated Esther scroll. It was made by Stellina and therefore contains the only early modern megillah that we know to have been created by a woman. The scroll begins with blessings. These are followed by the text, which is placed between arcades. The columns of text are flanked by caryatids carrying antique vases, urn vessels or oil lamps on their heads. In the seventh, thirteenth and nineteenth arcade, the caryatids are replaced by a satyr and a woman with animal paws. All illustrations include gold highlights. The style and motifs correspond to the visual language of contemporary mannerism. (flu)
Parchment · 1 f. · 12 x 400 cm · Area of Lake Constance · around 1330-1345
Zürich Armorial
The Zurich armorial on parchment is one of the most important and most unusual documents of medieval heraldry. Today it consists of four parts of various lengths, which can be combined into one four-meter-long roll. Painted on both sides of the parchment, it depicts 559 coats of arms, each shield decorated with a crest, of high and lower nobility from Northern Switzerland, Southern Germany and Western Austria. Names are given next to each shield. In addition there are 28 flags of German bishoprics and monasteries. The order of these four remaining parts, which consist of thirteen parchment leaves that were sewn together, is as follows: Part I (36.5 cm) contains the coats of arms of the bishoprics and monasteries on the verso side (Merz-Hegi numbering: I-XXVIII; the numbering in the original is from the 16th/17th century) and 22 noble coats of arms on the recto side (1-22). Parts 2 and 3 (255.5 cm) were still sewn together in 1930. Part 2, consisting of four parchment leaves, contains the coats of arms 23-104 and 108-114 on the recto side and the coats of arms 214-220, 224-308 on the verso side. Part 3, consisting of three parchment leaves sewn together, contains the coats of arms 105-107, 115-162 on the recto side and the coats of arms 163-213, 221-223 on the verso side. Part 4 (109 cm), consisting of five parchment leaves sewn together, contains the coats of arms 309-378 on the recto side and the coats of arms 379-450 on the verso side. The armorial is incomplete. The missing fourth part should have contained another 109 coats of arms, which are known from a late 18th century copy of the roll. The armorial was probably created in Zurich or in the area of Lake Constance. It can be dated to the period between 1330 and 1345. The style of the workmanship is reminiscent of the famous Codex Manesse, a collection of poems in German with 137 miniatures, also created in Zurich, but somewhat older. The Zurich armorial was owned by Zürich historian and naturalist Johann Jakob Scheuchzer (1672–1733); later it became part of the collection of the Antiquarian Society of Zurich and then of the Swiss National Museum. (ber)
Parchment · 228 ff. · 11 x 9 cm · Southern Germany (Augsburg?) · second half of the 15th century (1460/90)
Book of Hours
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. (ber)
Parchment · 74 ff. · 18.8 x 12.5 cm · Constance · 1487
Processional of Münsterlingen (TG)
This Rituale originated in the Monastery of Münsterlingen (Canton of Thurgovia); it contains a collection of sermons and chants sung by the nuns for processions in the monastery, followed by a long requiem (54v-72v). The latter is introduced by a miniature depicting St. Michael weighing the souls of the dead. The rubrics are written partly in German and partly in Latin. The style of the three initials in the text is associated with the area of Lake Constance. During a restoration around 1973, two sheets of parchment, which originally were glued to the inside cover of the binding, were removed; they come from an lectionary in pre-caroline minuscule, that can be dated to the beginning of the 9th century (Mohlberg: 11th. century). (ber)
Parchment · I + 373 + II ff. · 21.2-21.5 x 15-15.5 cm · 1493
Breviary of Jost von Silenen, pars hiemalis
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. (ber)
Parchment · I + 438 + II ff. · 21.6-22 x 15-15.3 cm · 1493
Breviary of Jost von Silenen, pars aestivalis
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. (ber)
Leaf from a calendar — the months January and February — from a liturgical manuscript (Psalter? breviary?). The calendar was inserted into a cornice resembling arcades. For the month of January, the figure of St. Peter with his keys is depicted at right, while a medallion at the top shows an activity typical for this month: a man warming himself by a fire. For February, there is St. Matthias and in the medallion at the top a man trimming a tree in order to obtain wood. Signs of a central fold reveal that the leaf had been used as a cover, probably for a book. (ber)
Portraits of the Habsburg family and of knights killed in the Battle of Sempach (1386)
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). (ber)
This parchment contains a rare example of a letter of protection. The numerous folds indicate that the sheet was folded into a very small format in order to be easily carried. The letter promises protection against enemies, assistance from friends and gratification of desires. Red crosses and initials structure the Latin and German text, which contains a mixture of Christian and magical content made up of complete sentences and single letters. This letter of protection was probably written for a certain Greta, named in line 54 of the text. This paper, archived as an “amulet” was found among the documents of the noble family Wellenberg in 1701. (ber)
Parchment and paper · 2 ff. · 26.8 x 18.3 cm · Venice · about 1491
Commission of Cristoforo Duodo, procurator of San Marco de ultra
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. (poz)
Parchment · 314 ff. · 49 x 34.5 cm · St. Katharinenthal and Hochrhein · around 1312
Gradual from St. Katharinental (Thurgau)
This gradual is from the Dominican Convent St. Katharinental and represents one of the most important artworks of the Gothic period in Switzerland. Created around 1312 in the convent itself, it was probably illuminated in the area around Lake Constance. It contains more than 80 pen-flourish initials, more than 60 historiated initials and 5 I-initials, which consist of several historiated medallions. Several pieces of the last two I-initials, whose medallions were cut out and sold separately, are known today; they are dispersed among various museums and libraries. In addition to the initials, in the floral friezes there are represented numerous kneeling and praying Dominican nuns as well as other secular donors (e.g., 3v, 18v, 90r, 159v, 161r etc.). Until the 19th century, the gradual was in use in the convent; around 1820 it was ceded to an antiquarian book dealer in Konstanz, Franz Joseph Aloys Castell (1796-1844). After 1860 it was owned by the English collectors Sir William Amherst of Hackney and Sir Charles Dyson Perrins (1864-1958). Upon the death of the latter, his library was offered for sale through Sotheby's, and the manuscript was purchased by the Swiss Confederation with the support of the Gottfried Keller-Foundation and the Canton of Thurgau. (ber)
Parchment · 1 f. · 14 x 16.7 cm · St. Katharinenthal and Hochrhein · around 1312
Fragment with Christ and John the Evangelist from the Gradual of St. Katharinental (Thurgau)
Fragment of page f. 158a verso from the gradual of St. Katharinental, which was removed in the 19th century, and the miniatures from which were sold separately. The initial A shows Christ bestowing a blessing with John the Evangelist, who is resting his head on Christ's knees; kneeling at their feet is a praying Dominican monk, in the frieze at the side, a Dominican nun. Below the initial there used to be a frame (today in Zürich, Swiss National Museum, LM 29329.2) with a painting of the Madonna of the Apocalypse accompanied by John the Evangelist, while two kneeling Dominicans pray under two arcades. Originally the same leaf also had an initial V (today in Vienna, Graphische Sammlung Albertina, Inv. Nr. 32434) with a very detailed representation of the Maiestas Domini and of the Last Judgement. The fragment belongs to the Swiss Confederation, the Gottfried Keller Foundation and the Canton of Thurgau. (ber)
Parchment · 1 f. · 11 x 8.5 cm · St. Katharinenthal and Hochrhein · around 1312
Fragment with Madonna of the Apocalypse and John the Evangelist from the Gradual of St. Katharinental (Thurgau)
Fragment of page f. 158a verso from the gradual of St. Katharinental, which was removed in the 19th century, and the miniatures from which were sold separately. It shows the Madonna of the Apocalypse, accompanied by John the Evangelist, while two kneeling Dominicans pray under two arcades. The frame was placed below an initial A (today in Zürich, Swiss National Museum, LM 29329.1), which shows Christ bestowing a blessing with John the Evangelist, who is resting his head on head on Christ's knees; kneeling at their feet is a praying Dominican monk, in the frieze at the side, a Dominican nun. Originally the same leaf also had an initial V (today in Vienna, Graphische Sammlung Albertina, Inv. Nr. 32434) with a very detailed representation of the Maiestas Domini and of the Last Judgement. The fragment belongs to the Swiss Confederation, the Gottfried Keller Foundation and the Canton of Thurgau. (ber)
Parchment · 1 f. · ∅ 7 cm · St. Katharinenthal and Hochrhein · around 1312
Fragment with the Crucifixion from the Gradual of St. Katharinental (Thurgau)
Fragment with a representation of the crucifixion, from an I-initial. This initial consisted of several medallions and decorated page f. 87a of the gradual of St. Katharinental. In the 19th century, this leaf was removed from the gradual, and the medallions were sold separately. Of the 9 or 10 medallions that originally made up the body of the letter I, there are known today, in addition to this one, medallions with the following scenes: the Last Supper (Zurich, Swiss National Museum, Inv. LM 71410), the Arrest of Christ (Nürnberg, Germanisches Nationalmuseum, Inv. Mm. 34 kl), Christ before Pilate (Zurich, Swiss National Museum, LM 55087), the Crowning with Thorns (Frankfurt am Main, Städelsches Kunstinstitut, Inv. Nr. 15932), the Bearing of the Cross (Frankfurt am Main, Städelsches Kunstinstitut, Inv. Nr. 14312) and the Descent from the Cross (Frankfurt am Main, Städelsches Kunstinstitut, Inv. Nr. 15933). The fragment belongs to the Swiss Confederation, the Gottfried Keller Foundation and the Canton of Thurgau. (ber)
Parchment · 1 f. · 17.5 x 11.5 cm · France · second half of the 15th century
Fragment from a Book of Hours
One of six parchment leaves from a book of hours, written in bastarda and datable to the second half of the 15th century. It contains illuminated initials, executed in gold on a background alternating between blue and pink; ornamental vine scrolls, sketched in pen and decorated with trifoliate leaves, extend from the initials to the margin. One of the fragments (no. 5) contains a part of the Litany of the Saints. (ber)
Parchment · 1 f. · 17.5 x 11.9 cm · France · second half of the 15th century
Fragment from a Book of Hours
One of six parchment leaves from a book of hours, written in bastarda and datable to the second half of the 15th century. It contains illuminated initials, executed in gold on a background alternating between blue and pink; ornamental vine scrolls, sketched in pen and decorated with trifoliate leaves, extend from the initials to the margin. One of the fragments (no. 5) contains a part of the Litany of the Saints. (ber)
Parchment · 1 f. · 16 x 12.2 cm · France · second half of the 15th century
Fragment from a Book of Hours
One of six parchment leaves from a book of hours, written in bastarda and datable to the second half of the 15th century. It contains illuminated initials, executed in gold on a background alternating between blue and pink; ornamental vine scrolls, sketched in pen and decorated with trifoliate leaves, extend from the initials to the margin. One of the fragments (no. 5) contains a part of the Litany of the Saints. (ber)
Parchment · 1 f. · 16.4 x 11.7 cm · France · second half of the 15th century
Fragment from a Book of Hours
One of six parchment leaves from a book of hours, written in bastarda and datable to the second half of the 15th century. It contains illuminated initials, executed in gold on a background alternating between blue and pink; ornamental vine scrolls, sketched in pen and decorated with trifoliate leaves, extend from the initials to the margin. One of the fragments (no. 5) contains a part of the Litany of the Saints. (ber)
Parchment · 1 f. · 17.5 x 12.2 cm · France · second half of the 15th century
Fragment from a Book of Hours
One of six parchment leaves from a book of hours, written in bastarda and datable to the second half of the 15th century. It contains illuminated initials, executed in gold on a background alternating between blue and pink; ornamental vine scrolls, sketched in pen and decorated with trifoliate leaves, extend from the initials to the margin. This fragment contains a part of the Litany of the Saints. (ber)
Parchment · 1 f. · 17.5 x 12.2 cm · France · second half of the 15th century
Fragment from a Book of Hours
One of six parchment leaves from a book of hours, written in bastarda and datable to the second half of the 15th century. It contains illuminated initials, executed in gold on a background alternating between blue and pink; ornamental vine scrolls, sketched in pen and decorated with trifoliate leaves, extend from the initials to the margin. One of the fragments (no. 5) contains a part of the Litany of the Saints. (ber)
Parchment · 1 f. · 11.4 x 8.4 cm · Cologne (?) · second half of the 15th century
Fragment of a calendar from a breviary (?)
Leaf from a calendar (the month of January, divided on two pages), from a small-format liturgical manuscript, probably a breviary. The calendar entry for January 11th for the feast day obitus Tercii regis. Duplex, which commemorates the Magi, suggests that the calendar was used in the diocese of Cologne. The book decoration draws on Italian illumination (from Padua and Ferrara) customary in the second half of the 15th century. (ber)
Parchment · 1 f. · 7 x 7.4 cm · St. Katharinenthal and Hochrhein · around 1312
Fragment with Christ before Pilate from the Gradual of St. Katharinental (Thurgau)
Fragment with a depiction of Christ before Pilate, from an I-Initial. This initial consisted of several medallions and decorated page f. 87a of the gradual of St. Katharinental. In the 19th century, this leaf was removed from the gradual, and the medallions were sold separately. Of the 9 or 10 medallions that originally made up the body of the letter I, there are known today, in addition to this one, medallions with the following scenes: the Last Supper (Zurich, Swiss National Museum, LM 71410), the Arrest of Christ (Nürnberg, Germanisches Nationalmuseum, Inv. Mm. 34 kl), the Crowning with Thorns (Frankfurt am Main, Städelsches Kunstinstitut, Inv. Nr. 15932), the Bearing of the Cross (Frankfurt am Main, Städelsches Kunstinstitut, Inv. Nr. 14312), the Crucifixion (Zurich, Swiss National Museum, LM 45751) and the Descent from the Cross (Frankfurt am Main, Städelsches Kunstinstitut, Inv. Nr. 15933). The fragment belongs to the Swiss Confederation, the Gottfried Keller Foundation and the Canton of Thurgau. (ber)
Parchment · 1 f. · 7 x 7.4 cm · St. Katharinenthal and Hochrhein · around 1312
Fragment with the Last Supper from the Gradual of St. Katharinental (Thurgau)
Fragment with a representation of the Last Supper, from an I-initial. This initial consisted of several medallions and decorated page f. 87a of the gradual of St. Katharinental. In the 19th century, this leaf was removed from the gradual, and the medallions were sold separately. Of the 9 or 10 medallions that originally made up the body of the letter I, there are known today, in addition to this one, medallions with the following scenes: the Arrest of Christ (Nürnberg, Germanisches Nationalmuseum, Inv. Mm. 34 kl), Christ before Pilate (Zurich, Swiss National Museum, LM 55087), the Crowning with Thorns (Frankfurt am Main, Städelsches Kunstinstitut, Inv. Nr. 15932), the Bearing of the Cross (Frankfurt am Main, Städelsches Kunstinstitut, Inv. Nr. 14312), the Crucifixion (Zurich, Swiss National Museum, LM 45751) and the Descent from the Cross (Frankfurt am Main, Städelsches Kunstinstitut, Inv. Nr. 15933). The fragment belongs to the Swiss Confederation, the Gottfried Keller Foundation and the Canton of Thurgau. (ber)
Paper · 74 ff. · 43.7 x 30.9 cm · second half of the 16th century
The Housebook of the Lords of Hallwil
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). (ber)
Zürich, Zentralbibliothek, Ms. A 135 (on long-term loan in the Abbey Library of St. Gall Abbey)
Paper · 75 ff. · 30.5 x 10.5 cm · St. Gall (area near St. Gall) · 15th century
Library catalog of Gallus Kemli; Alphabetarium; Petrus Pictaviensis
Autographic collected manuscripts from the collection of the traveling monk of St. Gall, Gallus Kemli († about 1481) containing numerous texts, some composed by Kemli himself, others transcriptions, among them the index of his private library. Kemli spent 30 years outside of his mother monastery at St. Gall, with the authorization of the abbot, sojourning in cities and towns of Switzerland and Germany. (smu)
Zürich, Zentralbibliothek, Ms. A 152 (on long-term loan in the Abbey Library of St. Gall Abbey)
Paper · 57 ff. · 21 x 14.6 cm · St. Gall · about 1460 / 15th century
Christian Kuchimeister: Nüwe Casus monasterii s. Galli (1226-1329)
One of the two oldest (fifteenth-century) extant copies of the Nüwe Casus Monasterii Sancti Galli, originally written by Christian Kuchimaister in about 1335. Kuchimaister, a citizen of the city of St. Gall, relates here the history of the abbey (and some history of the city) of St. Gall between 1228 and 1329. Kuchimaister's chronicle is one of the most important sources for the history of the Lake Constance area in the 13th and early 14th centuries. (smu)
Zürich, Zentralbibliothek, Ms. B 73 (on long-term loan in the Abbey Library of St. Gall Abbey)
Paper · 218 ff. · 32 x 21 cm · St. Gall · 15th–17th centuries
Record book of entries to the Cloister of St. Gall, 15th - 17th Centuries.
Categorically organized compilation of expenditures of the monastery of St. Gall under Abbot Otmar Kunz (1564-1577) as well as collections of notes about the monastery of St. Gall from the 15th century until 1630. (smu)
Zürich, Zentralbibliothek, Ms. B 96 (on long-term loan in the Abbey Library of St. Gall Abbey)
Paper · 442 ff. · 21 x 17 cm · St. Gall · 16th/17th centuries
Collection of doctrinal theology lessons; diatribe against the Zurich Catechism, from about 1598.
Collection of doctrinal theology lessons from the biography of Saint Gallus, which could be used to rebut protestant arguments. Author: a St. St. Gall monk of the 16th or 17th century. At the back: a diatribe against the Zurich Catechism, from about 1598. (smu)
Zürich, Zentralbibliothek, Ms. B 115 (on long-term loan in the Abbey Library of St. Gall Abbey)
Paper · 312 pp. · 22 x 16 cm · St. Gall · 18th century
Copies of works on Church history: Councils, Benedictine order
The St. St. Gall monk and cloister librarian P. Hermann Schenk (1653-1706) translated three works from French into Latin in or about the year 1700: the Historia omnium conciliorum generalium by Jean-Baptiste Truillotte and two texts of the famous French monk and scholar Jean Mabillon (1632-1707): Syllabus praecipuarum difficultatum quae in lectione conciliorum et sanctorum patrum occurrunt and Epitome historiae ordinis Sancti Benedicti. (smu)
Zürich, Zentralbibliothek, Ms. B 118 (on long-term loan in the Abbey Library of St. Gall Abbey)
Paper · 95 ff. · 20 x 16 cm · St. Gall · 17th century
Collection of the names of persons from the region near the baronial Abbey of St. Gallen who converted to Catholicism between 1640 and 1697
Collection of the names of persons from the region near the baronial Abbey of St. Gall who converted to Catholicism between 1640 and 1697 (List of Converts), organized by village (primarily those of the Toggenburg and the Rhein valley. (smu)
Zürich, Zentralbibliothek, Ms. B 124 (on long-term loan in the Abbey Library of St. Gall Abbey)
Paper · 436 pp. · 20 x 16 cm · St. Gall · 1655
Chrysostomus Stipplin (?), Introduction to ecclesiastical law
Introduction to ecclesiastical law, (most likely) composed and set into writing in the year 1655 by the St. St. Gall monk Chrysostomus Stipplin (1609-1672). (smu)
Zürich, Zentralbibliothek, Ms. B 131 (on long-term loan in the Abbey Library of St. Gall Abbey)
Paper · 31 ff. · 19 x 15 cm · Constance/St. Gall · around 1706
Register of expenditures, presumably recorded by a finance officer of St. Gall Abbey, ca. 1706.
Interleaved almanac from Constance, containing a register of expenditures by an official from the Abbey of St. Gall, (possibly Gall Anton of Thurn), with entries for specific expenditures for the organ in the Otmar Church of the monastery of St. Gall, for an altar in Goldach, etc., around 1706. (smu)
Zürich, Zentralbibliothek, Ms. B 134 (on long-term loan in the Abbey Library of St. Gall Abbey)
Paper · 247 ff. · 15 x 9.5 cm · St. Gall · 1608
Wunderzeichen, so Maria, die Můter Gottes, zu Sannt Gallen im Münster zur Zeith Abbt Ůlrichs deß VIII., Abbt Gottharts unnd Abbt Francißcen etc. gethon, uß dem alten Original unnd etlichen Zädelin, so ouch darinnen gelëgen, zusamen gebracht, anno 1608.
Catalog of the miracles on the altar of Saint "Maria in Gatter" (St. Mary at the Gate) in the St. Gallen cloister church, from between about 1470 and 1520. Transcription by the St. St. Gall monk P. Jodocus Metzler (1574-1639) from the year 1608. (smu)
Paper · 399 ff. · 38.2 x 27.5 cm · Hagenau · around 1431-1437
"Historienbibel" (IIa)
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. (wal)
Zürich, Zentralbibliothek, Ms. C 10i (on long-term loan in the Abbey Library of St. Gall Abbey)
Parchment · 274 ff. · 43.0 x 30.5 cm · St. Gall · 9th century
Passionarius maior
The St. Gallen Passionarius Maior, or Great Passion, a collection of 92 legends of the saints assembled by monks of St. Gall from the time around 900, supplemented with annotations and glosses by the St. St. Gall monks Notker Balbulus († 912) and Ekkehart IV. († about 1060). (smu)
Zürich, Zentralbibliothek, Ms. C 12 (on long-term loan in the Abbey Library of St. Gall Abbey)
Parchment · 169 ff. · 31.3 x 23 cm · St. Gall · around 820-830
Psalterium Gallicanum with Cantica
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. (smu)
Zürich, Zentralbibliothek, Ms. C 43 (on long-term loan in the Abbey Library of St. Gall Abbey)
Parchment · 316 ff. · 29.8 x 22.5 cm · St. Gall · 9th century
Sacramentarium triplex
The St. Gallen "Sacramentarium triplex" (three part sacramentarium: Sacramentarium Gregorianum, Sacramentarium Gelasianum, Sacramentarium Ambrosianum), which contains texts for the main prayers of the eucharistic liturgy, used by priests when saying Mass on various feast days and memorial days, not only for the Roman and the Roman-Gallic liturgies, but for the Milanese liturgy as well. A scholarly masterwork by the St. St. Gall monks from the tenure of Abbot-Bishop Salomon (890-920). (smu)
Parchment · 60 ff. · 28.5 x 20.5 cm · Nuremberg · around 1472
Schürstab Codex
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. (ste)
Zürich, Zentralbibliothek, Ms. C 60 (on long-term loan in the Abbey Library of St. Gall Abbey)
Parchment · 315 ff. · 26 x 20 cm · St. Gall · around 900-910
Lectionary (Epistles and Gospels)
(Fragmentary manuscript remnant) Elaborate lectionary with the Epistles and Gospel readings for the full church year, written and decorated with prominent initial capitals by contemporaries of Sintram in about 900/910 in the monastery of St. Gall. (smu)
Zürich, Zentralbibliothek, Ms. C 62 (on long-term loan in the Abbey Library of St. Gall Abbey)
Parchment · 236 ff. · 25.6 x 19.7 / 26.2 x 18 / 24 x 19.2 cm · St. Gall · 10th–12th centuries
Composite manuscript
Manuscript compilation containing, among other items, a copy of the epic Thebaïs (the Tales of Thebes) by the Roman poet Publius Papinius Statius († about 95 A.D.), written down and annotated with Scholien (commentaries) in the 11th century in the monastery of St. Gall. The volume also contains copies of two brief grammar texts from the 12th century, together with 10th century copies of computational tables and instructions as well as assorted excerpts from the works of the Venerable Bede († 735), set in writing in the 10th century. (smu)
Zürich, Zentralbibliothek, Ms. C 74a (on long-term loan in the Abbey Library of St. Gall Abbey)
Parchment · 304 ff. · 25 x 19.7 cm · St. Gall · 10th–11th centuries
Quintiliani Institutionis oratoriae Libri XII
One of the most important extant copies of the Institutiones oratoriae (The Art of Rhetoric) by the Roman rhetorician Quintilian († after 96 A.D.). This work, influential to the present day, depicts in twelve books the education of an orator from his earliest youth through to the completion of training; the goal is the development of an unimpeachably ethical orator who places speaking skills at the service of humanity. This St. Gall copy dates from the early 11th century, with glosses and annotations added by, and – in the case of the last few books – also written by the St. St. Gall monk Ekkehart IV († about 1060). (smu)
Zürich, Zentralbibliothek, Ms. C 77 (on long-term loan in the Abbey Library of St. Gall Abbey)
Parchment · 371 ff. · 25.8 x 18.5 cm · St. Gall · around 900-910
Lectionary (Epistles and Gospels)
Elaborate lectionary from the monastery of St. Gall, written and enhanced with numerous ornate initial capitals by a contemporary of the famous St. Gallen scribe Sintram about 900/910, the same scribe who wrote and illuminated Ms. C 60 held by the Central Library of Zurich. This work, also known as the "Liber Comitis", contains the cycle of liturgical Epistle and Gospel readings for the Church year. (smu)
Zürich, Zentralbibliothek, Ms. C 78 (on long-term loan in the Abbey Library of St. Gall Abbey)
Parchment · 162 ff. · 18.5 x 11.5 / 19.5 x 14.1 / 19.7 x 14.2 / 22.5 x 16.5 cm · St. Gall · 9th–15th centuries
Manuscript compilation: Alcuin; theological-canonical treatises; sermons from the 14th and 15th centuries
Manuscript compilation from the monastery of St. Gall containing a number of assorted brief texts from the 9th through 15th centuries. Among other items from the 9th century, this manuscript contains the sole exemplar of a document explaining the reasons for the meeting between King Charlemagne and Pope Leo III, the "Aachener Karlsepos " (Carolingean Epic of Aachen or Paderborn Epic) in 799 as well as another sole exemplar, the so called "Carmina Sangallensia", verses on the wall paintings in the former Gallusmünster (Church of St. Gallus) in the monastery of St. Gall. Further components of this manuscript include theological-canonical treatises as well as sermons from the 14th and 15th centuries. (smu)
Zürich, Zentralbibliothek, Ms. C 80 (on long-term loan in the Abbey Library of St. Gall Abbey)
Parchment · II + 116 ff. · 24 x 17.5 cm / 23.3 x 16.5 cm / 24 x 18 cm · St. Gall · 9th–13th centuries
Collection of works: Sicardus of Cremona; Alcuin et al.
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). (smu)
Zürich, Zentralbibliothek, Ms. C 98 (on long-term loan in the Abbey Library of St. Gall Abbey)
Parchment · 68 ff. · 18-19.4 x 14 cm · St. Gall · 11th century
Notker Labeo: Rhetorica.
Compilation of numerous Latin writings of the St. St. Gall monk Notker the German († 1022), among them the works Distributio (concerning the boundary between grammar and logic), De dialectica and De rhetorica. Produced in the monastery of St. Gall in the first half of the 11th century. (smu)
Zürich, Zentralbibliothek, Ms. C 100 (on long-term loan in the Abbey Library of St. Gall Abbey)
Parchment · 89 ff. · 21.2 x 12.2 cm · St. Gall · 14th century
Gualterus de Castellane: Alexandreis
Paleographically significant copy of the Alexandreis by Walter of Chatillon, produced in the 14th century in the monastery of St. Gall. This long but much-read work by the French theologian Gautier of Chatillon (1135-1201) depicts the life of Alexander the Great in Latin hexameter. The manuscript later served as the basis of an "Edition" by the St. St. Gall monk Athanasius Gugger (1608-1669), entitled "Gualterus de Castellione Phil. Alexandris sive gesta Alexandri magni libris X comprehens ex veteribus manuscriptis bibliothecarum S. Galli", printed in 1659 by the St. Gallen cloister press. (smu)
Zürich, Zentralbibliothek, Ms. C 101 (on long-term loan in the Abbey Library of St. Gall Abbey)
Paper · 178 ff. · 21.2 x 14.5 cm · St. Gall · 15th century
Gallus Kemli: Diversarius multarum materiarum (lateinische und deutsche Stücke)
Manuscript compilation by the wandering monk of St. Gallen, Gall Kemli († 1481) with a wide variety of copied texts and original compositions in Latin and German languages (Diversarius multarum materiarum), for instance: recipes for medicines, instructions in liturgical song, exorcism, scribal rules, indulgences, etc. Affixed into the manuscript are twelve colored single page prints from the 15th century, which are valuable–in some cases unique–exemplars in the history of European printing. (smu)
Zürich, Zentralbibliothek, Ms. C 106 (on long-term loan in the Abbey Library of St. Gall Abbey)
Paper · 279 ff. · 21 x 16 cm · St. Gall · 1523/24
Lectures of Vadian, taken down in writing by Fridolin Sicher
Lectures of the St. Gallen reformer Joachim Vadian from 1523/24: a) on the Lives of the Apostles and, b) on his geographic work Epitome trium terrae habitatae partium, taken down in writing by Fridolin Sicher (1490-1546) of Bischofszell, who worked at the Cloister of St. Gall as calligrapher and church organist. (smu)
Zürich, Zentralbibliothek, Ms. C 121 (on long-term loan in the Abbey Library of St. Gall Abbey)
Parchment · 206 ff. · 18.8 x 15.2 cm · St. Gall · 11th century
Collected Works: Isidore, Notker, Bede
Manuscript compilation from the 11th century containing some Latin-Old High German works by the St. St. Gall monk Notker the German († 1022). Also includes the works Quid sit syllogismus, De partibus logicae, and De materia artis rhetoricae. In the last section of the manuscript: a copy of the Commentaries of the Venerable Bede Super epistolas catholicas expositio (upon the seven catholic letters) from the 11th century. (smu)
Parchment · 88 ff. · 19 x 13 cm · southern German region · 13th century, first half
Petrus Alfonsi, Dialogus
The present Codex contains the complete text of the Dialogus (ca. 1110–1120) of Petrus Alfonsi, a converted Jew from Huesca (since 1096 Kingdom of Aragon). The Dialogus is a polemic and apologetic work, introducing (for the time) innovative, in view of the author «rational» argumentation against Jewish religion and Islam. The work spread quickly and had significant influence on Christian polemics especially in the 13th and 14th century. (sen)
Zürich, Zentralbibliothek, Ms. C 129 (on long-term loan in the Abbey Library of St. Gall Abbey)
Parchment · 106 ff. · 20 x 18.8 cm · St. Gall · 11th century
Copies of assorted works: Liber Hermeneumatum; genealogy of Charlemagne; Pseudo-Seneca etc.
Manuscript compilation from the 9th century from the monastery of St. Gall containing, among other items, the Liber Hermeneumatum (a biblical glossary organized after the order of the books of the bible), a genealogy from Charlemagne to Ludwig the German and to the year 867; includes one of the oldest copies of a fictional exchange of letters between the Roman philosopher Seneca and the Apostle Pau (the so-called Pseudo-Seneca-Briefwechsel) as well as a sample letter ascribed to the St. St. Gall monk Notker Balbulus († 912). (smu)
Zürich, Zentralbibliothek, Ms. C 150 (on long-term loan in the Abbey Library of St. Gall Abbey)
Paper · 157 ff. · 16 x 11.3 cm · St. Gall · 15th century
Gallus Kemly, monk of St. Gall: Collectanea
Manuscript of collected works (Collectanea) penned by and part of the personal collection of the wandering monk of St. Gall, Gall Kemli († 1481). It includes mainly texts with theological-philosophical, astronomical and medical content, but also, for example, recipes against lice, fleas, and worms, and a text about the fish and crustaceans inhabiting various bodies of water in Switzerland and southern Germany, together with advice on the best times to catch them and ways to prepare them. (smu)
Zürich, Zentralbibliothek, Ms. D 74 (on long-term loan in the Abbey Library of St. Gall Abbey)
Paper · 423 pp. · 20 x 16 cm · St. Gall, Abbey Library · 1633
Exhortationes et collationes sabbathinae cum fratribus junioribus habitae
Sermons and admonitions by the novice master of the monastery of St. Gall (P. Anton Widenmann?) to his Fratres juniores (monks in the period between their entry to the cloister/profession of vocation and their ordination to the priesthood) from the year 1633, probably taken down by Brother Chrysostomus Stipplin (1609-1672).. (smu)
Zürich, Zentralbibliothek, Ms. D 76 (on long-term loan in the Abbey Library of St. Gall Abbey)
Paper · 4 + 572 ff. · 22 x 16.5 cm · St. Gall · 1637-73
A collection of Latin poems, epigrams, etc. by St. St. Gall monks, compiled by P. Uodalrich Aichhaim, Vol. I
Volume 1 in a series originally consisting of eight volumes by the St. St. Gall monk P. Ulrich Aichhaim (1626-1675): collection of Carmina heroica seu epica from the year 1673 containing, among many other texts, descriptions of various countries of Europe in verse, poems about numerous saints and two printed poetic compositions by the Reformed St. Gallen rector David Wetter: Poemata for the St. Gallen City Physician Sebastian Schobinger (1579-1652) on the occasion of the new year, Sangallas, description of the city of St. Gall in Latin verse. (smu)
Zürich, Zentralbibliothek, Ms. D 76a (on long-term loan in the Abbey Library of St. Gall Abbey)
Paper · 352 ff. · 22 x 16.5 cm · St. Gall · 1637-73
Collection of Latin poetry, epigrams, etc. by St. St. Gall monks, compiled by P. Uodalrich Aichhaim, Vol. II
Volume 2 in a series originally consisting of eight volumes by the St. St. Gall monk P. Ulrich Aichhaim (1626-1675): including 1) Verses from St. Gall on the birth of Christ and the births of prominent historical figures in the realms of politics, the church, science and literature, 2) so-called Aggratulationes (congratulatory addresses) for individuals in responsible positions in the monastery of St. Gall (abbots, deacons, subpriors, officials, professors and teachers) with anagrams, chronograms from the time of Abbot Pius Reher (1630-1654) and Gallus Alt (1654-1687), compiled from previously collected single sheets in the year 1673, most of which are in Latin, but some of which are in Greek or Hebrew. (smu)
Zürich, Zentralbibliothek, Ms. D 76b (on long-term loan in the Abbey Library of St. Gall Abbey)
Paper · 491 ff. · 22 x 16.5 cm · St. Gall · 1637-73
Collecton of Latin poetry, epigrams, etc. by St. St. Gall monks, compiled by P. Uodalrich Aichhaim, Vol. III
Volume 3 in a series originally consisting of eight volumes by St. St. Gall monk P. Ulrich Aichhaim (1626-1675): the so-called Affixiones, a thematically ordered exposition of heraldic devices by a combination of words (verses) and illustrations (of heraldic devices, which are no longer present) assembled by students of the cloister school of St. Gall from the writings of St. Gallen Friars Constatinius Pfiffer, Johannes Geiger, Ahtnasius Gugger, Chrysosotmus Stipplin, Basilius Renner, Jacob bon Tschernemell and Simon von Freiburg, with, among other devices, those of St. Gallen's founding patron St. Gallus and of Otmar. (smu)
Zürich, Zentralbibliothek, Ms. D 76c (on long-term loan in the Abbey Library of St. Gall Abbey)
Paper · 456 ff. · 22 x 16.5 cm · St. Gall · 1637-73
Collecton of Latin poetry, epigrams, etc. by St. St. Gall monks, compiled by P. Uodalrich Aichhaim, Vol. IV
Volume 4 in a series originally consisting of eight volumes by St. St. Gall monk P. Ulrich Aichahaim (1626-1675): poems and epigrams for various high holy days, Marian feast days, and saints' days, composed by monks from the monastery of St. Gall, some during the last third of the 16th, but most during the 17th century. Examples also include elaborate New Year's Exhortations by abbots of St. Gall and printed verses by St. St. Gall monk Johannes Ruostaller, composed while he was studying in Dillingen in 1565, compiled in the year 1673. (smu)
Zürich, Zentralbibliothek, Ms. D 77 (on long-term loan in the Abbey Library of St. Gall Abbey)
Paper · 416 ff. · 22 x 16.5 cm · St. Gall · 1655
Collection of Latin poetry, epigrams, etc. by St. St. Gall monks, compiled by P. Uodalrich Aichhaim, Vol. VI
Volume 6 in a series originally consisting of eight volumes by St. St. Gall monk P. Ulrich Aichhaim (1626-1675): declamations and speeches, composed mainly by St. St. Gall monks during the late 16th and first half of the 17th century, some the product of rhetorical classes in the monastery of St. Gall, others produced for festive occasions, compiled in 1655. Contents of this volume include speeches, epitaphs, a fictional letter about Herod's the bloodbath of the holy innocents, verses about Gallus's exorcism of Fridiburga, daughter of the Duke Gunzo of the Allemans, and twelve extensive meditations on the life of Christ, composed by Mayor of Villingen Ferdinand von Freiburg, father of St. St. Gall monk Simon von Freiburg. (smu)
Zürich, Zentralbibliothek, Ms. D 77b (on long-term loan in the Abbey Library of St. Gall Abbey)
Paper · 391 ff. · 22 x 16.5 cm · St. Gall · 1637-73
Collection of Latin poetry, epigrams, etc. by St. St. Gall monks, compiled by P. Uodalrich Aichhaim, Vol. VIII
Volume 8 in a series originally consisting of eight volumes by St. St. Gall monk P. Ulrich Aichahaim (1626-1675): the major portion of this volume contains verses by St. St. Gall monks for, among other events, the translation festivities surrounding the transfer of the remains of Saints Anthony and St. Theodorus from the catacombs to St. Gall in 1654, poetry dedicated to the respective saints on their feast days, verses about the most important European rulers and nations during the Thirty Years War, and fictional grave inscriptions for St. Gallen abbots and monks, compiled in the year 1673. (smu)
Zürich, Zentralbibliothek, Ms. D 147 (on long-term loan in the Abbey Library of St. Gall Abbey)
Paper · 427 ff. · 20 x 16 cm · St. Gall · 1660
Collection of oratory practice pieces in Latin by novices at the monastery of St. Gall, 1660
Oratory practice pieces in Latin by novices at the monastery of St. Gall (fratres studiosi), dedicated as a "Festschrift" for the name day of St. Gallen Abbot-Bishop Gallus Alt, 1660/61. (smu)
Zürich, Zentralbibliothek, Ms. D 155 (on long-term loan in the Abbey Library of St. Gall Abbey)
Paper · 371 ff. · 21 x 16 cm · St. Gall · about 1677-91
Latin homilies on New Testament texts, preached by a monk from St. Gall
Latin homilies by a St. St. Gall monk, delivered in various churches in the territory of the Fürstabtei (Bishop's Abbey) of St. Gall between 1674 and 1691. (smu)
Zürich, Zentralbibliothek, Ms. D 199 (on long-term loan in the Abbey Library of St. Gall Abbey)
Paper · 181 pp. · 15 x 10 cm · Dillingen on the Danube · 1577
Latin Poems, composed at the Academy in Dillingen
Latin poems of praise honoring the Augsburg Bishop Marquard von Berg, written in 1577 by students from the monastery of St. Gall who were attending the Jesuit University of Dillingen on the Danube, where the Benedictine monks from St. Gall frequently studied during that period. (smu)
Zürich, Zentralbibliothek, Ms. D 219 (on long-term loan in the Abbey Library of St. Gall Abbey)
Paper · 371 ff. · 15 x 10 cm · St. Gall · 16th/17th centuries
Collection of works: Latin poetry from P. Chrysostomus Stipplin; Latin translation of Psalm 91
Composite volume from the monastery of St. Gall with bound printed texts from the 16th century: 1) Berhnard Legner, Septem psalmi poenitentiales, Mainz 1576, dedicated to St. Gallen Abbot Otmar Kunz (1564-1577); 2) Johannes Hartmann, De dulcissima sententia Davidis, o.J., dedicated to St. Gallen Abbot Joachim Opser (1577-1594); 3) Wolfgang Betulanus, Rudimenta doctrinae christianae, Konstanz 1592; 4) Portion in manuscript form: copy of Psalm 91, produced by Georg Balticus, the son of noble family of Ulm, dedicated in 1595 to St. Gallen Abbot Bernhard Müller (1594-1630); 5) Portion in manuscript: Latin verses by St. St. Gall monk P. Chrysostomus Stipplin (1609-1672) for all the saints' feast days of the year, in calendar order. Among them are also numerous verses about St. Gallen's patron saints and highly respected abbots and monks from the monastery of St. Gall. (smu)
Zürich, Zentralbibliothek, Ms. D 221 (on long-term loan in the Abbey Library of St. Gall Abbey)
Paper · 454 ff. · 16 x 10 cm · St. Gall · 17th century
Latin poetry composed by St. St. Gall monk P. Athanasius Gugger (1608-1669) on the occasion of the great translation festivities of 1628 etc.
Latin poetry composed by St. St. Gall monk P. Athanasius Gugger (1608-1669) on the occasion of the great translation festivities of 1628 (about, for example, the return of the remains of Saints Otmar and Notker Balbulut to the newly renovated Otmar Church in the year 1628) in addition to Latin hymns and verses on various themes from the monastery of St. Gall. (smu)
Zürich, Zentralbibliothek, Ms. D 227 (on long-term loan in the Abbey Library of St. Gall Abbey)
Paper · VI + 100 ff. · 12 x 8 cm · St. Gall · 17th century
Collected works volume: translations of religious texts (Benedictine Rule, prayers, etc.) into Greek
Greek translation of the Benedictine Rule and some additional devotional materials, made at the monastery of St. Gall by St. Gallen's Frater Gallus Schindler (1643-1710), a native of Lucerne, between 1660 and 1667. (smu)
Parchment · I +167 ff. · 23 x 17.8 cm · Sepharad (Catalonia ?) · 1292
Moses Maimonides, Sefer Moreh Nevukhim
This elegant illuminated copy of the Sefer Moreh Nevukhim (Guide to the Perplexed) by Moses Maimonides was produced in Christian Spain in 1292. It is a copy of the Hebrew translation of the work made in 1204 by Samuel ben Judah Ibn Tibbon (1150-1230). The manuscript arrived in Italy either after the Jewish persecutions of 1391 or the ensuing expulsion of the Jews from the Iberian peninsula in 1492. It was in the possession of the renowned Bolognese Sforno family before reappearing in the early 17th century in the hands of the Italian Jewish apostate and inquisitor Renato da Modena. After more than a century, the manuscript reappeared in the possession of Johann Caspar Ulrich (1705-1768) a Protestant theologian, who donated it in 1762 to the Bibliotheca Ecclesia Carolina, the chapter library of the reformed Grossmünster church of Zurich. In 1835, when the chapter was dissolved, the books and manuscripts of the chapter library became part of the new Cantonal Library in Zurich. Finally in 1917, the holdings of this library, among others, formed the new Zentralbibliothek, where the manuscript still remains today. (iss)
Parchment · V + 104 + V ff. · 30-30.4 x 22-22.6 cm · Byzantium · 14th century
R. David ben Joseph Kimhi, Sefer ha-Shorashim
The Sefer ha-Shorashim by R. David ben Joseph Kimhi (1160-1235) is extant in numerous medieval Hebrew manuscripts and fragments of diverse origins (Sephardi, Italian, Ashkenazi, Provençal), several printed editions and Latin translations, all testifying to the incomparable popularity of the work throughout the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. However, the great significance of the Sefer ha-Shorashim of the Zentralbibliothek, dated to the 14th century, lies within the fact that it is the only preserved copy of Byzantine origin known today. (iss)
Parchment · II + 89 + II ff. · 17-17.4 x 12.5 cm · Italy · end-13th to early 14th century
Manual on ritual slaughter and dietary laws (Hilkhot Shekhitah and Treifah)
This Italian manuscript is a manual containing the laws of ritual slaughter (Shekhitah) and forbidden foods (Treifah), taken from the Babylonian Talmud tractate Ḥulin. These laws have been commented on by two medieval rabbinical authorities, included in the manuscript. The first is Judah ben Benjamin ha-Rofe Anav of Rome (Rivevan, d. after 1280), whose commentary to the laws makes reference to customs practiced by the Jewish community of Rome, such as an important ruling taken by the elders of Rome in 1280 at the Bozzechi Synagogue, which has been edited in the description. The second author, whose work is partially copied in the manual, is the leading Talmud authority for the Jewish communities in 11th century North Africa and Spain, Isaac ben Jacob Alfasi (Rif, 1013-1103). The first three chapters of a commentary on the Babylonian Talmud tractate Ḥulin, taken from his magnum opus entitled the Sefer ha-Halakhot, have been copied into this manual. This latter work played a fundamental role in the development of halakha and is the most important legal code prior to the Mishneh Torah by Maimonides (Rambam, 1135-1204). (iss)
Parchment · III + 209 + III ff. · 23.6-24 x 16-16.5 cm; 21.3-21.4 x 14-14.4 cm · Ashkenaz · end-14th to mid-15th century
Halakhic and calendrical Miscellany
This 14th and 15th century Askhenazi miscellany is a vademecum for personal use, destined to a scholar and composed mainly of halakhic material on ritual slaughtering, reflecting the decisions of the most important rabbinical authorities from 13th to 15th century Ashkenaz. There are also numerous treatises and tables on the Jewish and Christian calendars scattered throughout the manuscript. In addition, there is a selection of liturgical and mystical commentaries, as well as excerpts of ethical, Midrashic and Talmudic literature. The margins of the manuscript are filled with small notes and texts on medical recipes and magical incantations for various occasions in Hebrew and in Old West Yiddish. (iss)
Parchment · III + 78 + IV ff. · 19.5-19.7 x 15-15.4 cm · Ashkenaz · 14th century
Sefer Mitsvot Qatan by Isaac ben Joseph of Corbeil with glosses by Perets ben Elijah of Corbeil
The Sefer Mitsvot Qatan or “Small Book of Precepts” is a halakhic compendium, which also includes ethical, aggadic and homiletical material, written ca. 1276-1277 by Isaac ben Joseph of Corbeil, one of the great codifiers and French Tosafists of the 13th century. The work is also called Sheva Ammudei ha-Golah or the “Seven Pillars of the Exile”, due to its division into seven sections, corresponding to the seven days a week, encouraging its daily study. This work is an abridged version of the Sefer Mitsvot Gadol (Semag), another halakhic compendium completed in 1247 by Moses ben Jacob of Coucy (1st half 13th c.). Consequently, with a much more accessible legal code, the Sefer Mitsvot Qatan achieved widespread popularity, receiving recognition from rabbinical authorities from Franco-Germany. This copy includes glosses by R. Isaac’s main disciple, namely Perets ben Elijah of Corbeil (died 1297). (iss)
Parchment and paper · I + 236 + I ff. · 22-22.2 x 14.5 cm · Italy · 14th -15th century
Sefer ha-Orah by Joseph b. Abraham Gikatilla
The kabbalistic work Sefer ha-Orah or "Gates of Light" is one of the major texts of Jewish mysticism written in thirteenth century Spain, where Kabbalah flourished. It is considered to be the most articulate work on kabbalistic symbolism and its content provides a comprehensive explanation of the Names of God and their designation within the ten sephirot or attributes/emanations, through which Eyn Sof (the Infinite) reveals Itself and continuously creates both the physical and metaphysical realms. The work is organized into ten chapters, one for each sephirah. (iss)
Parchment · I + 304 + I ff. · 12.8-12.9 x 9.2-9.3 cm · Italy · 15th century
Siddur according to the Roman rite
This well-preserved pocket-sized Siddur, enclosing the statutory prayers of the Jewish liturgical year (daily, sabbath and new month prayers, Ḥanukkah,Purim, Pessaḥ, Shavuot, Rosh ha-Shanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Shemini Atzeret), is a precious witness of the production of these small prayer books for personal use in 15th- century Italy. (iss)
Parchment · I + 142 + I ff. · 14.9-15 x 10.8-11.1 cm · Sepharad · 14th century
Siddur according to the Sephardic rite
This 14th century Sephardic Siddur for personal use is composed of the daily and sabbath prayers, as well as a text on the interpretation of dreams. Moreover, there are additions for the prayers of the new month and the festivals of Hanukkah, Purim and Pessah, the latter of which has been followed by the Haggadah, read at the Seder itself. However, the importance of this Siddur lies within the presence of some instructions on the structure of the Seder in Judeo-Spanish, or more precisely, medieval Castilian. (iss)
Parchment · I + 94 + I ff. · 23-23.1 x 16.5 cm · Poland · 14th century
Mahzor according to the Ashkenazi rite
Beautifully illuminated Maḥzor for Rosh ha-Shanah and Yom Kippur according to the Ashkenazi rite. It is however possible to surmise that this manuscript was produced in Poland during the 14th century, as its script resembles that of contemporary Hebrew manuscript fragments of maḥzorim produced in Poland. This manuscript of middle-sized format, enclosing several ornate initial words and illuminated frames, contains the liturgy for the High Holidays of Rosh ha-Shana and Yom Kippur, including many liturgical poems (piyyutim) displayed in several columns, and was destined for public use by the precentor (ḥazan) at the synagogue. However, the particularity of this maḥzor lies in the presence of a woman’s name, גננא כהנת (Jeanne Kohenet), inserted within the painted letters of a decorated monumental initial word. She was probably the patron of this manuscript and either the daughter or wife of a cohen. The manuscript is incomplete at the beginning and at the end. (iss)
Parchment · IV+ 152 +IV ff. · 9.8-10 x 7-7.6 cm · Italy · 2nd half 15th century
Siddur according to the Italian rite
This small format siddur for personal use can be characterized as a vademecum for Jewish religious and communal life. It is divided into three parts, relative to liturgy, Jewish ceremonies, and a last miscellaneous one. The latter includes, among other significant texts, a rare and intriguing list of the names of books and incipits of chapters of all 24 Books of the Bible, with the Hebrew and Latin names, spelled out in Hebrew characters. (iss)
Paper · III + 189 + III ff. · 21.2-21.5 x 14.6-15 cm · Ashkenaz · 1341, 1348 and 2nd half 14th century
Liturgical-Halakhic compendium
This composite manuscript by three different scribes encloses two textual units which were bound together. The volume is structured by a liturgical section, according to the Ashkenazi rite and a halakhic section. The manuscript Heidenheim 145 is one of many compendia of its genre, consisting of an assortment of texts which reflect the religious and talmudo-centric orientation of the intellectual elite of medieval Franco-Germany. (iss)
Paper · II + 46 + I ff. · 32.3 x 22.3 cm · Italy · 15th century
Averroes, Hebrew translation by Qalonymos ben Qalonymos of the Middle Commentary on Aristotle’s Physics
This almost complete Italian 15th century paper copy is composed of Books II to VIII of the Hebrew translation of Averroes’ Middle Commentary on the Physics by Aristotle. The learned Andalusian polymath, jurist and imam, Abu al-Walid Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Rushd – or Averroes (1126-1198), known as the Commentator, devoted his entire life on restoring Aristotle’s original teachings, and writing commentaries on nearly all of Aristotle’s works. He was therefore considered one of the most influential philosophic authorities of the Middle Ages, not only among the Latin Scholastics, but particularly among Jews, for the understanding of Aristotelian science through the Hebrew translations of his commentaries. The Middle Commentary is the least known of Averroes’ commentaries on the Physics and exists today in two complete Hebrew translations from the Arabic and one partial 16th century Hebrew-to-Latin translation. The Hebrew translation found in Ms. Heid. 166 is that of the Provençal Jewish philosopher Qalonymos ben Qalonymos (1286-d. after 1328), entitled Bi᷾ ur ha-Shema’, and was the most widely copied version of the Hebrew translations. (iss)
Paper · 128 ff. · 20.5-21 x 14.5 cm · Italy · 1642 and 1687 (Ms. Heid. 192A) and 16th century (Ms. Heid. 192B)
Customs of the Isaac b. Solomon Luria Ashkenazi; Miscellaneous collection of texts
This manuscript is divided into two separate textual units, which were both written by two different scribes in Italy during the 16th and 17th centuries. Ms. Heid. 192A is a small booklet, copied by one hand in 1642 and 1687, which consists of a collection of customs and anecdotes on Rabbi Isaac B. Solomon Luria Ashkenazi (Arizal, 1534-1572)and his entourage, as well as a mystical protective prayer to be recited in the morning and evening, followed by portions of biblical readings for the days of the week, and ending with a selection of penitential prayers (Seliḥot). Ms. Heid. 192B is a miscellaneous collection of biblical midrashim, prognostication literature, tales, Alphabeta de Ben Sira, Talmudic Aggadot. (iss)
Parchment · VI + 716 + VI pp. · 15 x 10.6-10.8 cm · Italy · 1322
Biblical and ethical miscellany
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. (iss)
Parchment · I + 161 + III ff. · 10.3 x 7 cm · Ashkenaz · 1433
Book of Psalms (Sefer Tehilim)
This pocket format 15th century Hebrew Book of Psalms from Ashkenaz, is representative of private use hand copies, which are more seldom preserved in separate textual units rather than incorporated in the Hagiographs section of Hebrew bibles and liturgical manuscripts. Nonetheless, this genre of biblical literature is already attested in the Dead Sea Scrolls. Additionaly, Ms Or. 159 contains 149 Psalms, rather than the canonical 150, which is only one among many configurations found in early and late medieval Hebrew manuscripts, enclosing between 143 and 151 Psalms. Lastly, two medieval Hebrew manuscript fragments of an Esther Scroll have been reused as flyleaves for the 16th century leather tooled binding, protecting this little exquisite Book of Psalms. (iss)
Parchment · 239 ff. · 33-33.5 x 22.5-23 cm · Zürich · ca. 1340/50
Rudolf von Ems, Weltchronik
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. (wal)
Parchment · 199 ff. · 27.5 x 18.5 cm · Constance/area of Lake Constance · around 1260
Rheinau Psalter
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. (ste)
Parchment · 100 ff. · 20.4 x 13.9 cm · St. Gall · 15th century
Aurora consurgens
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. (ste)
Parchment · A + 99 ff. · 27-28 x 19-20 cm · Reichenau · early 9th century / 10th century
Codex of Fraternisation
The main portion of the manuscript Ms. Rh. hist. 27, written in the early 9th century, contains the so-called Codex of Fraternisation of Reichenau. Codices of Fraternisation contain a list of the members of the monastery's confraternities who were required to include the other living or deceased members of the confraternity into their daily prayers. The zone of influence was large, reaching from Reichenau in the South to Monteverde and Conques, from Mondsee in the East to Fulda and St. Trond in the North as well as to Jumièges in the West. Over 38.000 names are documented. The earliest entries have been continuously amended and updated for several centuries. At the end of the volume, following the Codex of Fraternisation, there are 15 leaves of parchment from the 10th-12th centuries containing lists of friars, additional names and transcriptions of charters. At the beginning of the volume there are straps glued on paper containing agreements of fraternisation and obituaries from the 14-16th centuries. (ste)
Paper · 168 ff. · 30 x 21 cm · Upper Rhine · around 1420-1440
War technology (Illuminated Manuscript)
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. (ste)