Book of the Week — The Saint John’s Fragment: Against the Odds

09 Monday Apr 2018

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Bernard Grenfell, California, calligraphy, Cave, codex, David Annwn, Egyptian, English, Foolscap Press, Frankfurt Cream, Gospel of John, Greek, Hadrian, Hadrianic, leaves, Mark Knudsen, paper, papyrus, pochoir, poem, Roman Emperor, Saint John, Saint John's Fragment, Santa Cruz, script, scroll, sheet, stencils, Thomas Ingmire, Tiepolo, translation

a King I am. For this I have been born
and I have come into the world so that I would
testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth
hears of me my voice.” Said to him
Pilate “What is truth?” and this
having said, again he went out unto the Jews
and said to them,” I find not one
fault in him.”
–translation of a fragment of St. John’s Fragment

The Saint John’s Fragment: Against the Odds
David Annwn
Santa Cruz, CA: Foolscap Press, 2015
PR6051 N615 S3 2015

Poem inspired by the St. John’s fragment, a papyrus fragment now in the collection of the Rylands Library at the University of Manchester (Rylands Library Papyrus P52), dated between 100 and 150 CE and thought to be the earliest extant manuscript of a New Testament text.

From the Afterword: “The piece of papyrus called the St. John’s Fragment was acquired in an Egyptian market in 1920 by Bernard Grenfell, an English scientist and Egyptologist…

Written on both sides of the papyrus, it must have been part of a a codex, that is, a collection of sewn and folded leaves, not a scroll or an isolated sheet. That being the case, it would be among the earliest surviving examples of a literary codex. It was written in Greek in a script known as Hadrianic, named after Hadrian (76-CE – 138 CE), the Roman Emperor of the time…

Specifically, the text on this piece of papyrus is from the Gospel of John 18:31-33 and the verso holds a snippet of verses 237-38…”

From the colophon: “Thomas Ingmire’s calligraphy shows the image of the actual Fragment, then the restored page, then the English translation of the restored page. Mark Knudsen made the stencils for the pochoir painting of the Fragment. The poem is printed in Tiepolo type to complement the Fragment…The book is printed on Frankfurt Cream and bound in Cave paper.” Edition of one hundred and sixteen copies. Rare Books copy is no. 41, signed by the poet and the calligrapher.

Book of the week — Traitte Des Diuertissemens, Inclinations, & Perfections Royales

16 Monday May 2016

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aristocracy, army, booksellers, calligraphy, combat, comedy, Communaute des Libraires, cursive, damsels in distress, Dom Castagne, education, fowl, French, friendships, handwriting, hare, hunting, Imprimeurs et Relieurs, Italian, kidnappings, Louis XIII, Louis XIV, love, novel, Orient, Paris, Pierre Moreau, poacher, Potier de Morais, printer, script, stag, tennis, type, typography, writing master

TRAITTE DES DIUERTISSEMENS, INCLINATIONS, &…
Potier de Morais (fl. 1644-1670)
Paris: Pierre Moreau, 1644
Only edition
DC133.32 P64 1644

Set in the exotic Orient, this novel on the education of a prince was written for and dedicated to six-year-old Louis XIV. Potier de Morais added pedagogy on the art of being king amid attempted kidnappings, fierce combat, reversals of fortune, damsels in distress, faithful friendships, love, and, naturally, tennis. Skills such as how to conduct an army in the field are presented as the same skills needed by an absolute ruler to sponsor a grand fete.

One character is an amiable poacher, Dom Castagne, who describes his idyllic life in woods belonging to someone else, hunting hare, stag and fowl. Morais developed Dom Castagne into the lead character of an unpublished comedy.

This book was printed in Pierre Moreau’s ‘script types,’ copied from the Italian cursive calligraphy considered most polite of the time. There was a strong interest in the seventeenth century, especially among French aristocracy, in script over type. Moreau, a writing master, wrote several books on the art of handwriting. As a printer, he was the first to develop calligraphic hands into type.

By securing his privilege directly from Louis XIII in 1642 to use his “nouveau caractheres,” Moreau (ca. 1600-ca. 1649) became Imprimeur ordinaire du Roy without joining the powerful printers’ guild. This did not please the master printers of Paris. Moreau was harassed by printers, booksellers, and writing-masters alike. In 1648, the Communaute des Libraires, Imprimeurs et Relieurs secured an injunction forbidding him to print. Moreau consequently abandoned typography and died soon after.

No other copy of the present work is in the United States. University of Utah copy bound in 19th-century glazed purple boards with gilt spine title and date, red edges.

Book of the Week — Godescalc Evangelistary

22 Monday Feb 2016

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Aachen, baptism, Bibliotheque Nationale de France, Byzantine, Carolingian illumination, Charlemagne, Christ, Christ in Majesty, Christian, Darmstadt, divine, evangelists, Fountain of Life, Godescalc, Godescalc Evangelistary, gold, Gospel, Hildegard, Insular, Italy, lectionary, medieval, miniscule, nature, Pepin, Pope Adrian, Primus, script, scriptorium, silver, stars

“Golden words are painted [here] on purple pages,
The Thunderer’s shining kingdoms of the starry heavens,
Revealed in rose-red blood, disclose the joys of heaven,
And the eloquence of God glittering with fitting brilliance
Promises the splendid rewards of martyrdom to be gained.”

GODESCALC EVANGELISTARY
Darmstadt: Primus, 2011

Facsimile. The Godescalc Evangelistary was commissioned by Charlemagne and his wife Hildegard. Written by the scribe Godescalc, it was produced in the court scriptorium at Aachen between 781 and 783. The lectionary was made to commemorate Charlemagne’s march to Italy, his meeting with Pope Adrian, and the baptism of his son Pepin. The dedication poem includes details of Charlemagne’s march and is signed by the scribe. Charlemagne and Hildegard are both mentioned at the end of the manuscript as its patrons.

The Godescalc Evangelistary is the earliest known example of Carolingian illumination, a fusion of Insular, early Christian, and Byzantine styles. The artist used elaborate shadings in light and dark to give the figures depth. The codex is decorated with four full-page miniatures of the Evangelists, all placed at the opening of the book. Two additional full-page miniatures depict Christ in Majesty and the Fountain of Life. The Gospel readings are written in gold and silver ink.

The poem compare’s the book’s gold and silver with the stars, indicating the early medieval belief that the written words directly reflect Christ’s divine nature – the word made flesh.

This was the earliest style to use miniscule script as a regular element of the script. The script is on a purple background within framed embellishments.

The Godescalc Evangelistary is now preserved in the Bibliotheque Nationale de France. Facsimile binding with debossed Charlemagne monogram. Binding is hand-sewn according to the original foliation of the manuscript and attached to the book block through a traditional bookbinding process. Facsimile edition of 98 copies in Arabic numbers and XX copies in roman numbers.

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~ News from the Rare Books Department of Special Collections at the J. Willard Marriott Library, The University of Utah

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