Rosenthal Medieval Manuscript Collection, ca. 1400 - 1767.

Access and use

Location of collection:
University of Virginia, Special Collections Dept.
Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library
University of Virginia
P.O. Box 400110
160 McCormick Rd
Charlottesville, Virginia 22904-4110
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Brenda Gunn
Phone: (434) 924-1037
Phone: (434) 243-1776
Fax: (434) 924-4968

Summary

Creator:
Bernard M. Rosenthal
Language:
English

Background

Scope and content:

The Rosenthal Medieval Manuscript Collection was assembled by Bernard M. Rosenthal to serve as examples of the development of Latin script from the ninth to the sixteenth century. In describing the collection, Mr. Rosenthal wrote:

"The collection is primarily a tool, a laboratory, for teaching medieval Latin paleography and codicology. The range is such, however, that it can be used in other disciplines: the musicologist will find a good representation of medieval musical notation, the classicist can illustrate techniques of text identification and critical text editing, [and] the number of legal documents if sufficient for acquiring the basic skills of diplomatics.

"Practically all Western scripts are represented: Carolingian minuscules, Gothic minuscules, various types of bⴡrde, cursives, the Italian round Gothic and "littera bononiensis," the humanistic minuscule and cursive, and the legal hands ranging from the neat deeds of the Bologna notaries to the "illegible" common law hands of 17th-century England. The countries of origin are Italy, Spain, France, Germany, and England.

"Most leaves are vellum, but some of the later ones are paper; sizes range from small 8vo to large folio. The state of preservation varies: many of the leaves have at one time served as covers of archival bundles or book-bindings and now show corresponding traces of use: fading, stains, cut edges, remains of glue, pen-and-ink scrawls, etc. Other leaves are in perfect condition. In all cases, even when the specimen consists of only a fragment of a leaf, there is enough text to establish the characteristics of the script. The variable quality of preservation and the fragmentary nature of the material reflect the reality which confronts the scholar working with medieval primary sources."

Acquisition information:
This collection was purchased from Bernard M. Rosenthal, San Francisco, CA, on January 14, 1972.
Physical description:
This collection contains seventy manuscripts.