Use Restrictions

Public Domain. There are no known restrictions.

Access Restrictions

There are no access restrictions.

Preferred Citation

Illuminated vellum manuscript leaf with gold borders, C0536, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries

Acquisition Information

Purchased by Lynn Eaton from Phillip J. Pirages Fine Books and Manuscripts in 2019.

Processing Information

Processing completed by Meghan Glasbrenner in May 2025. Finding aid completed by Meghan Glasbrenner in July 2025.

Biographical and Historical Information

One of the old and illustrious families of Germany, the Mansfeld family took its name from Mansfeld in Saxony where it was seated from the 11th through the 18th century. Albert, Count of Mansfeld (1480-1560) was a close friend of Protestant Reformation leader Martin Luther (1483-1546) and an early supporter of the Reformation movement. The Mansfeld family line officially ended with the death of the last remaining male heir, Josef Wenzel Nepomuk, Prince of Fondi in Italy, in 1780, with the family's lands then divided between Saxony and Prussia.

Derived from the Latin words "manus" (hand) and "scriptus" (writing) the term manuscript refers to those text written by hand. The term illumination, taken from the Latin "illuminare" (lighted up), referred to decoration of manuscript text with gold leaf, or sometimes silver, giving the impression that the page had been literally illuminated. Throughout the early medieval period illuminated manuscripts were written and illuminated solely by monks and mainly centered on the creation of Latin texts used in Christian worship. By the start of the thirteenth century, the growth of literacy and universities as centers of learning led to an increased demand for books of all kinds, turning the creation of illuminated manuscripts into a city-based business, in which professional scribes and illuminators were hired to complete the work. Traditional illuminated manuscripts were written on vellum (calf skin) or parchment (sheep or goat skin), with the writing often completed before the illuminator took over to add the gold or silver gilding.

Scope and Content

Single double-sided leaf from an illuminated manuscript with full brushed gold border containing colorful stylized plants and flowers taken from a Psalter and Prayerbook in Latin, created in Northern Germany, likely in Hildesheim, for the Mansfeld family. The full manuscript contains a composite text for use at Mass and other services containing various psalms and prayers, including a Ferial Psalter, or Book of Psalms, designed for recitation during the Divine Office (also known as the Liturgy of the Hours) which distributes the 150 psalms over seven daily readings, with each psalm being recited once each week.

Additional removed leaves from the full manuscript not held in this collection include the arms for the prominent Mansfeld family of northern Germany indicating the manuscript may have been created for Albert, Count of Mansfeld (1480-1560) and a further miniature of St. Godehard, bishop of Hildesheim (d. 1038), suggests the location of the manuscript's creation in that city. The full manuscript was broken up following sale at auction in June 1987.

Arrangement

This is a single item collection.

Related Material

The Special Collections Research Center holds other Christian manuscripts dating from the Middle Ages, including two Gregorian chant propers and Illuminated manuscript leaf .

The Cleveland Museum of Art holds The Jeanne Miles Blackburn Collection of illuminated manuscript leaves, including additional leaves from the Mansfeld manuscript.

The Rare Books Collection in Mullen Library, part of Special Collections at the Catholic University of America, holds a large collection of Christian manuscripts dating from the Middle Ages.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Illumination of books and manuscripts
• Manuscripts
• Manuscripts, Medieval
• Middle Ages