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Exposicio mistica super exod[um]

Exposicio mistica super exod[um]

  • Date: ca. 1150
  • Creator: Unknown
  • Materials: Vellum
  • Dimensions: NA

Physical description: This is a twelfth-century romanesque stamped leather binding of white deerskin over wooden boards. It is written in early gothic minuscule script and contains rubrications and red initials. The binding supports part of the metal claps that once secured its theological contents.

Notes: Thought to have been created in Germany or Austria during the second half of the twelfth century, this codex is extraordinary for having retained its original binding. The parchment label pasted to the cover reads "Exposicio mistica super exodo." However, the exegetical manuscript focuses on the spiritual meaning contained in scriptural passages from more than just the book of Exodus. The opening lines of the text invoke the language of Deuteronomy 27:4-7, verses that were also incorporated into the responsive context of the medieval liturgy. Once thought to have been written by Odon de Morimond (1116-1161), the identity of the monastic author of the De spirituali aedifico remains in question, but four other copies of this text survive in Austrian libraries. Viewed in its entirety, this codex, its binding and its text, offers modern readers a rare opportunity to reflect on the time and artistry that individuals from this historical period dedicated to their material and intellectual culture.

Technical Note: This 3D model was created using photogrammetry and Agisoft Metashape Pro. Its dimensions are true to real-size.

More about this item:

Citation: Lessing J. Rosenwald Collection. Exposicio Mistica Super Exodum. [Germany, 1150] Manuscript/Mixed Material. https://www.loc.gov/item/49058401/.