HIST 111: Ruin and Renewal: Europe to 1500 (HC)

Many of Haverford's medieval and renaissance manuscripts come from the J. Rendel Harris collection. Harris was a scholar who taught at Haverford 1886-1891 and travelled to the Middle East to study and purchase books. You can find descriptions of all manuscripts, which include Latin, Hebrew, Arabic, Syriac, Ethiopic, and Armenian manuscripts, here.

Digitized Western manuscripts through 1500 from Haverford's collection are available through this collaborative Philadelphia portal.

Arabic, Syriac, and Persian manuscripts from Haverford's collections are available as part of this collaborative digitization project.

Byzantine, circa 512, Vienna, Österreichische Nationalbibliothek, Cod. Vindobonensis Medicus Graecus 1
See 70+ pages of this late antique herbal written in Greek with detailed descriptions, medical use and illustrations of plants. This herbal was commissioned as a token of thanks to the Byzantine princess, Anicia Juliana, for funding a church consecration.

Irish, circa 800, Dublin, Trinity College Library, MS A. I
Contains the four Gospels in Latin
Elaborate decoration including carpet pages and portraits of the evangelists.

German, circa 825, Rome, Vatican Library, MS Vat.lat.3868
Texts of Roman comedies along with many illustrations copied from a second century manuscript. Figures, frequently wearing comic masks, enact scenes complete with props. The manuscript was made at the Benedictine Abbey of Corvey.

Spanish, 1047, Madrid, Biblioteca Nacional, MS Vitrina 14-2
Outstanding example of the striking style and bright colors characteristic of Mozarabic art which developed among Christians in Spain living in areas controlled by Muslims.
Image description in Feminae: Woman Clothed with the Sun

English, circa 1124-1135, Germany, Hildesheim, St.Godehead church
Likely commissioned for the holy woman, Christina of Markyate, by Abbot Geoffrey of St Albans.
Image description in Feminae: Initial C for Psalm 105

French, circa 1285, Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, MS n.a. fr. 16251
Full page illustrations of the life of Christ and the saints. Made for an aristocratic woman's private devotions.
Image descriptions in Feminae: Marie and other pilgrims with St James and Martyrdom of Saints Nicasius and Eutropia

English, 1325-1335, London, British Library, Add. MS 42130
Commissioned by Sir Geoffrey Luttrell
Famous for its images of daily life as well as its elaborate and often fantastic marginal decorations.
Image descriptions in Feminae: Disabled beggar child, Travelling carriage and dogs

French, circa 1325-1350, Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, MS Français 25526
Allegorical account written in French of a lover's pursuit of an ideal woman. Very popular with a wide audience. Lay scribes produced copies to meet demand. This manuscript was created by a married couple, Richard and Jeanne de Montbaston. As the artist, Jeanne created images for each chapter including the final illustration in which the lover embraces his beloved. Jeanne added many marginal scenes, ranging from saints' lives to sexual humor (including nuns gathering the fruit of the penis tree).

French, 1410-1412, Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, MS Français 2810
In 1271 Marco Polo travelled to the court of Kublai Khan and remained in China for 17 years. When he returned to Italy, he collaborated with a writer of romances to produce a popular account of his travels.
Image descriptions in Feminae: Temple girls of Maabar and Princess Qutulun wrestles a suitor

French, circa 1410-1414, London, British Library, Harley 4431
Manuscript prepared by the author herself for Isabeau of Bavaria, queen of France. Includes three author portraits of Christine as well as this presentation scene with the queen.

Flemish, circa 1477, Vienna, Österreichische Nationalbibliothek, Cod. 1857
Likely commissioned by Margaret of York, wife of Charles the Bold, duke of Burgundy, for her step-daughter Mary. Full page illustrations convey theological as well as political meaning as Mary inherited the kingdom of Burgundy during a time of war.
Image description in Feminae: Mary of Burgundy reading from a book of hours

Presents 450 digitized medieval manuscripts from the Philadelphia area.

Use the Advanced Search link to find manuscripts by authors, titles of texts, topics of images and other categories.

Collection of medieval manuscripts from libraries around the United States.

Catalog of illuminated medieval manuscripts in French public libraries, excluding those in the Bibliothèque nationale de France. For the BNF manuscripts, see Gallica and Mandragore.