Sacred Leaves Manuscript Collection

The history of the book collection at USF illustrates broad concepts in the history of the Western book, beginning with the manuscript era and moving through the invention of the printing press, the mechanization of printing, and the development of the fine press and the artist’s book. This digital collection highlights illuminated manuscripts including individual leaves that illustrate different types of calligraphic hands and illumination, most dating from the medieval period. Items in this collection are only available online; we do not have physical copies of these items in the USF Library's Special Collections. The original items were returned to the donor.

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Leaf from Biblia Latina with Commentary by Nicholas of Lyra, Recto

Unknown

This leaf comes from a quarto edition of the Vulgate, printed in 1497. The text is surrounded with commentary by the Franciscan friar Nicholas of Lyra.
Leaf from Biblia Latina with Commentary by Nicholas of Lyra, Verso

Unknown

This leaf comes from a quarto edition of the Vulgate, printed in 1497. The text is surrounded with commentary by the Franciscan friar Nicholas of Lyra.
Leaf from Stultifera Navis, Recto

Unknown

The Stulifera navis, or Ship of Fools, is a didactic satire that narrates the journey of 112 fools to the paradise of fools, "Narragonia."
Leaf from Stultifera Navis, Verso

Unknown

The Stulifera navis, or Ship of Fools, is a didactic satire that narrates the journey of 112 fools to the paradise of fools, "Narragonia."
Leaf from Obsidionis Rhodiae Urbis Descriptio by Guillaume Caoursin, Recto

Guillame Caoursin

Considered one of the first contemporary historical narratives, Guillame Caoursin's Obsidionis Rhodiae urbis descriptio chronicles the siege of Rhodes in 1480.
Leaf from Obsidionis Rhodiae Urbis Descriptio by Guillaume Caoursin, Verso

Unknown

Considered one of the first contemporary historical narratives, Guillame Caoursin's Obsidionis Rhodiae urbis descriptio chronicles the siege of Rhodes in 1480.
Leaf from Summa de Casibus Conscientiae (or Summa Angelica) by Carletti de Chivasso, Recto

Carletti de Chivasso

These leaves come from the summa de Casibus Conscientiae, written by the fifteenth-century theologian Carletti de Chivasso (1411-1495). A dictionary of moral theology, the summa became Carletti's most well-known work and subsequently was referred to as the summa angelica.
Leaf from Summa de Casibus Conscientiae (or Summa Angelica) by Carletti de Chivasso, Verso

Carletti de Chivasso

These leaves come from the summa de Casibus Conscientiae, written by the fifteenth-century theologian Carletti de Chivasso (1411-1495). A dictionary of moral theology, the summa became Carletti's most well-known work and subsequently was referred to as the summa angelica.
Leaf from Hortus Sanitatis, Recto

Unknown

The Hortus sanitatis (Garden of Health) is an encyclopedia on the medicinal properties of plants compiled from several classical authors, including Galen, Albertus Magnus, and most notably the first-century Greek author Dioscorides.
Leaf from Hortus Sanitatis, Verso

Unknown

The Hortus sanitatis (Garden of Health) is an encyclopedia on the medicinal properties of plants compiled from several classical authors, including Galen, Albertus Magnus, and most notably the first-century Greek author Dioscorides.
Pages from the Past. History of the Written Word. Various Leaves - No. 31 Hortus Sanitatis

Jacob Meydenbach
Leaf from Legenda Aurea Sanctorum by Jacobus de Voragine, 1488, Recto

Jacobus de Voragine

This leaf comes from the luxury edition of the Legenda aurea printed by Anton Koberger in 1488. The edition contains 250 woodcut illustrations each designed in a narrow rectangle and spread across two colomns of text.
Leaf from Legenda Aurea Sanctorum by Jacobus de Voragine, 1488, Verso

Jacobus de Voragine

This leaf comes from the luxury edition of the Legenda aurea printed by Anton Koberger in 1488. The edition contains 250 woodcut illustrations each designed in a narrow rectangle and spread across two colomns of text. The hand-colored woodcut depicts the martyrdom of Saint Quiricaus, a bishop and priest from Ostia, Italy, persecuted under Alexander Severus in 235 C.E.
Leaf from Opera by Jean Gerson, Recto

Jean Gerson

This leaf comes from volume 2 of Jean Gerson's three-volume Opera, printed by Johann Grüninger in 1488. This particular copy remains unfinished, as evidenced by the lack of hand-colored initials over the guide letters.
Leaf from Opera by Jean Gerson, Verso

Jean Gerson

This leaf comes from volume 2 of Jean Gerson's three-volume Opera, printed by Johann Grüninger in 1488. This particular copy remains unfinished, as evidenced by the lack of hand-colored initials over the guide letters.
Arbor Vitae Crucifixae Jesu by Ubertino de Casale, Recto

Ubertino de Casale

The Arbor vitae crucifixae Jesu, written by the Franciscan monk Ubertino de Casale, is a meditation on the Passion of Christ, written in 1305. The Arbor vitae criticizes the church's organization and the established Franciscan Orders' less than stringent view on mendicant life. This text, printed in 1485 in Venice, is the only fifteenth-century edition of the work.
Arbor Vitae Crucifixae Jesu by Ubertino de Casale, Verso

Ubertino de Casale

The Arbor vitae crucifixae Jesu, written by the Franciscan monk Ubertino de Casale, is a meditation on the Passion of Christ, written in 1305. The Arbor vitae criticizes the church's organization and the established Franciscan Orders' less than stringent view on mendicant life. This text, printed in 1485 in Venice, is the only fifteenth-century edition of the work.
Leaf from Summa Praedicantium, Recto

John Bromyard

This leaf is from John Bromyard's Summa Praedicantium (Encyclopedia of Preaching), an alphabetically arranged encyclopedia of his sermons from 1330 to 1350.
Leaf from Summa Praedicantium, Verso

John Bromyard

This leaf is from John Bromyard's Summa Praedicantium (Encyclopedia of Preaching), an alphabetically arranged encyclopedia of his sermons from 1330 to 1350.
Leaf from Biblia Germanica, 1483, Recto

Unknown

This leaf contains the text of Ezekiel, chapters twelve through fourteen. It comes from a German edition of the Bible printed by Anton Koberger.
Leaf from Biblia Germanica, 1483, Verso

Unknown

This leaf contains the text of Ezekiel, chapters twelve through fourteen. It comes from a German edition of the Bible printed by Anton Koberger.
Leaf from Biblia Germanica, 1480, Recto

Unknown

This leaf from a German Bible, contains the first three chapters of the book of Hosea.
Leaf from Biblia Germanica, 1480, Verso

Unknown

This leaf from a German Bible, contains the first three chapters of the book of Hosea.
Leaf from Legenda Aurea Sanctorum by Jacobus de Voragine, 1480, Recto

Jacobus de Voragine

This leaf comes from an edition of the popular Legenda aurea sanctorum and includes hand-colored woodblock images. The German edition of the Legenda was printed in 1480 in Augsburg by Johann Bambler.