The composite manuscript VadSlg Ms. 292 combines three independently produced parts, bound together in about 1460 at the Abbey of St. Gall. The first part is a Psalter from the 9th century; whether it was produced in St. Gall is questionable. The hymnal from the 12th century that comprises the second part contains a dedicatory illustration showing the scribe Eberhard presenting his book to Gallus, while Pope Gregory sits at a podium writing down songs that that a dove representing the Holy Spirit is whispering in his ear. The third part is a fragment containing prologues to the Psalter.
Online Since: 05/20/2009
These fragments from late antiquity are among the oldest surviving copies of the Gospels in the "Vulgate" Latin version edited by Jerome († 420). The manuscript was most likely produced in northern Italy before his death. In the early middle ages it came into the possession of the Abbey of St. Gall. These particular leaves were attached to the spine and inner side of the cover for reinforcement, as part of a new binding applied to VadSlg Ms. 292 during the reorganization of the library in about 1460.
Online Since: 05/20/2009
This Evangelary with an unusual, nearly square format and full-page illuminated initials was written and decorated in the late 9th century at the Abbey of St. Gall. The binding, which was originally covered in bright silk brocade in red, yellow, and green, is equally unusual. Remnants of this material can still be found on the inner edge of the cover. The volume was annotated by Ekkehart IV during the 11th century; there are also some verses in his hand at the end.
Online Since: 05/20/2009
This small-format volume from the 11th century combines a calendar, a gradual with neumes, and sung parts of the Mass with a sacramentary containing the prayers of the Mass. It was likely written in the Abbey of St. Gall; in the late middle ages it was moved to the chapel of Peter and Paul in Rotmonten near St. Gall. Numerous entire leaves and parts of leaves containing decorated initials have been cut out.
Online Since: 12/21/2010
In the works De arithmetica and De institutione musica Boethius transmitted Greek mathematics and music theory to medieval readers. The polychrome schematic illustrations in this 12th century manuscript are particularly carefully made.
Online Since: 05/20/2009
This volume produced in 1420 in Florence is among the earliest manuscripts written in Humanist minuscule, and it is possible that this is a direct copy from the model written by Poggio Bracciolini, the inventor of this script. According to the judgment of Berthold Louis Ullman, it is "perhaps the best example of humanistic writing during the first decade of the fifteenth century - except Poggio's."
Online Since: 05/20/2009
This Rudolf von Ems manucript originated in the same area of Zurich that produced the Manessische Liederhanschrift (Manesse Song Script). It represents one of the most accomplished examples of south German book decoration from the time around 1300, with excellent miniatures illustrating the Chronicle of the World by Rudolf von Ems and the Stricker's epic poem about Charlemagne and his military campaign in Spain.
Online Since: 05/20/2009
This volume is the second of a three-volume set, an edition of Livius written in 1442 and 1143 in Padua. It is of particular interest because the texual model is well-known: the Livius manuscript of Sicco Polentone (1375/76-1446), Chancellor of Padua, today Holkham Hall Library, MS 349. This manuscript is written in an extremely regular semi-Gothic script augmented with exquisite white vine scroll initials.
Online Since: 05/20/2009
This 10th century manuscript contains the works of Horace. It is arranged in such a way as to leave lots of space for marginal glosses next to the poems. These glosses — usually together with interlinear glosses — have been added in a different ink from the main text and by various hands. The localization of the manuscript is uncertain. The only Old High German gloss might have been written in Franconia. The manuscript's presence in St. Gall is not attested until the middle of the 17th century.
Online Since: 06/23/2016
This unimposing composite manuscript contains six works of differing content types and origins, bound together under the auspices of the librarian of St. Gall in about 1460. The individual elements were produced independently of one another during the 9th or 10th century. Some are incomplete, lacking the beginning, the ending, or both. Nevertheless, this composite manuscript received attention from early on, as some of the component parts are important for the texts they transmit. This volume contains the only early medieval transmissions of the Langobard Chronicle by Andreas Bergamensis and the life of the Irish saint Findan. The "Admonitio ad filium" by the Greek church father Basilius and the "Visio Pauli", an early christian vision of the afterlife, are among the oldest of textual artifacts.
Online Since: 05/20/2009
This cartulary contains the major legal title of the Premonstratensian abbey of Weissenau near Ravensburg; the popes, emperors, kings, princes, dukes, counts, bishops and vicars mentioned in the cartulary are portrayed in the margins with their attributes of office. Prepended to the cartulary itself is a history of the founding of the monastery: appended are a tribute register and other documents.
Online Since: 05/20/2009
This small mahzor according to the Roman rite was written in Italy during the 14th century. It contains a first section with abridged prayers for the festivals of the Jewish liturgical year (Pessah, Shavuot, Rosh ha-Shanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Shemini Atseret) and a second section, enclosing many liturgical poems accompanying the prayers. This prayer ritual was not only written for personal use, due to its size, but may have also been destined for a woman, since a word, found in the vidui (confession), situated in the manuscript at the end of the Yom Kippur afternoon prayers, ends with a feminine suffix.
Online Since: 06/13/2019
This book of hours is from the workshop of the Master of Gold Scrolls, which was probably located in Bruges and specialized in the production of books of hours. It was likely made for someone in Flanders in the middle of the 15th century. Contrary to the usual sequence of texts, this book of hours features the Office of the Virgin after those of the Cross and of the Holy Spirit. When this book of hours was rebound, a series of cut-out historiated initials were inserted that pick up on the themes of the miniatures. In 1615 the bibliophile St. Gallen merchant Jakob Studer donated this book of hours to the municipal library.
Online Since: 12/10/2020
This richly illustrated pocket bible from the third quarter of the 13th century contains the Old and New Testaments. It combines the new chapter numerations of the 13th century and the older Eusebian numeration of the Gospels; the Psalm section includes Gallican versions set side by side with translations by Jerome. The Psalm section also includes historiated initials accompanied by interesting humorous sayings.
Online Since: 05/20/2009
The illustrations and text enjoy equal importance in this illustrated work of anti-papal propaganda, named after its opening "Ascende calve". The Vadian Collection manuscript is the most important exemplar of this text, which takes the form of proverbs. The most notable and fascinating feature of this manuscript is the way in which the gray-tone illustrations are used.
Online Since: 05/20/2009
This two-volume, large format history Bible (“Historienbibel”) is illustrated throughout in an artistic style characteristic of the workshop of Diebold Lauber in Hagenau. This history Bible is traceable to Constance in the third quarter of the 15th century; some defects were repaired in St. Gall in the early 17th century – one of the early conservation efforts undertaken in this city.
Online Since: 05/20/2009
This two-volume, large format history Bible (“Historienbibel”) is illustrated throughout in an artistic style characteristic of the workshop of Diebold Lauber in Hagenau. This history Bible is traceable to Constance in the third quarter of the 15th century; some defects were repaired in St. Gallen in the early 17th century – one of the early conservation efforts undertaken in this city.
Online Since: 05/20/2009
The Speculum humanae salvations is a work consisting of texts and illustrations of Biblical content. Each double page of the opened book shows four images, which usually juxtapose one scene from the life of Christ with three prefigurations from the Old Testament. In the present manuscript, this order has not been sustained consistently. The Latin text source has been translated into German verses, which earlier were erroneously attributed to Konrad von Helmsdorf. The Speculum is preserved as a composite manuscript of manuscripts and printed works; several pages are missing in the beginning.
Online Since: 06/23/2016
This paper manuscript contains a series of alchemistic writings attributed to the Catalan Franciscan Raimundus Lullus. It was copied by the scribe Johannes de Sancta Maria. The text is accompanied by twenty colored plates depicting the alchemistic process of transforming base metals into noble ones. The manuscript is part of a group of works of alchemistic content that was the property of Bartlome Schobinger (1500-1585), a wealthy merchant, book collector and councilman of the city of St. Gall, who left his notes in the manuscript. Schobinger is considered a promoter of alchemy and its studies, an interest that complemented his activities in the metal trade.
Online Since: 10/08/2020
The cosmology of the Lyon physician and astrologer Louis de Lange treats the formation of the world and describes the earth and the stars in the sky. The illustrations of the decans, showing the subdivision of each of the twelve signs of the zodiac into three astrological sections, are worthy of particular attention. Despite the attractive illustration, the work was not very popular; only a few manuscripts are known to exist.
Online Since: 05/20/2009