INVENTION and DISCOVERY:
Printed Books from Fifteenth-Century Europe
An Exhibition at Bridwell Library, February 1 – May 3, 2010
|PRINTING IN ITALY||
35. [MISSAL, for Carmelite Use]. Brescia: Boninus Boninis de Ragusia, 14 August 1490.
Printed specifically for use in
Carmelite monasteries, this Missal survives in only five copies; this is the
only one preserved in America. As in two other copies, the gathering of
paper leaves containing the Canon of the Mass in Bridwell Library’s copy was
replaced with contemporary vellum leaves bearing the same text copied out in
manuscript. Since the Canon is used daily for Communion, this important
section was written on sturdier material. The leather knots attached to each
vellum leaf allowed for easy turning during the celebration of the Mass.
Exhibited is the transition from the Canon (manuscript on vellum) to the
Easter services (printing on paper). An early inscription inside the front
cover indicates that the Missal originally belonged to the Carmelite
monastery at Boppard on the Rhine. The blind-tooled calfskin binding
reflects its German provenance, as does the handwritten addition of many
German feast days in the liturgical calendar.
may not be published without the permission of Bridwell Library.