Selected Specimens,
Manuscript and Printed,
in Portfolio 93
of Otto Ege’s Famous Books in Eight Centuries (FBEC)
in the Collection of Richard Weber

[Posted on 21 June 2022, with updates]

Richard Weber Collection, Famous Books in Eight Centuries, Portfolio Set 93, Aristotle, Folio 23 Verso. Reproduced by Permission

With thanks, we offer a preliminary view of the full, and unexpected, glimpse of the Portfolio Number 93, which had been assembled by of Otto Ege (1888–1951) from manuscripts and printed books, so as to exhibit specimens of Famous Books, religious and other, from the medieval period onwards, in the Western middle ages and beyond.

This post offers a start in exploring the treasures in this set of the Portfolio.  Earlier blogposts have begun to examine the structure and elements of the Portfolio both in general and in particular.

This post takes note of the specifics, which hold some surprises.  The post builds upon some previous investigations, which establish points of departure and advances for various of the specimens in the Portfolio, both manuscript and printed.

Earlier blogposts reflect upon such possibilities and complexities.  For example:

• Otto Ege’s Aquinas Manuscript in Humanist Script: Ege Manuscript 40
• Otto Ege’s Portfolio of Famous Books and Ege Manuscript 53 (Quran)

We had intended to report more on the specimens of printed leaves, and not only the manuscripts, whilst other tasks called for attention.  The time has come to pick up those aspirations.

The Portfolio

The case, inside and out.

Front Cover

Richard Weber Collection, Famous Books in Eight Centuries, Portfolio 93, Front Cover. Reproduced by Permission.

Interior, Opened

Richard Weber Collection, Famous Books in Eight Centuries, Portfolio 93, Cover, Interior Opened. Reproduced by Permission.

Portfolio Number

Richard Weber Collection, Famous Books in Eight Centuries, Portfolio 93, Inside Front Cover, Edition Label with Portfolio Number. Reproduced by Permission.

Specimens

A Few Highlights from the Portfolio.

The Contents List

Richard Weber Collection, Famous Books in Eight Centuries, Portfolio 93, Contents List. Reproduced by Permission.

Features

As Richard Weber observes, here are some features of this portfolio that make it very special.

• 11 extra leaves
• leaves not called for in the index
• several first page leaves and chapter heading leaves
• Kelmscott Press Beowulf first page of text with the elaborate woodcut
• Ashendene Press The Decameron first page
• full-page portrait of Marie de Jars de Gournay, Montaigne’s “adopted daughter” with “Montaigne” written on the mat in Otto Ege’s hand

We begin with a few specimens.  More will follow.

This set of the portfolio was purchased from Michael Laird, who reported having purchased it from “a descendant of Otto Ege”.   Perhaps more detailed information might be forthcoming.

Recent blogposts report significant links of transmission directly, at only one remove, from Otto Ege to their present locations.  For example:

• Two Ege Leaves and Two Ege Labels in the Collection of Birtitt G Lopez.

Aristotle and Erfurt = Ege Manuscript 51

Shall we start with the Aristotle Manuscript, which Ege claimed to be a production of Erfurt?  Already our earlier posts establish that Ege’s attribution for that manuscript leaves very much to be desired.

Setting it here, for now, are the recto and verso of the specimen in the Richard Weber Collection.  This leaf is Folio 23 from the manuscript, as numbered in the pencil numeration.  Our earlier blogposts describe the significance of that numeration.  It establishes both the position of the leaf within the original sequence and its claim to be part of the original volumes.   See this report:

• More Leaves from ‘Otto Ege Manuscript 51″.

There is more to say about these pages and the Portfolio.

Let us start here.

Original Recto

This page is turned backward, as a Verso, in Ege’s orientation.  Note the hinged gauze tapes which adhere the leaf to the back mat and allow the leaf , with care, to turn to show its other side.

The folio number in pencil at the lower right records the former position of “23” in the series.

Richard Weber Collection, Famous Books in Eight Centuries, Portfolio Set 93, Aristotle, Folio 23 Recto. Reproduced by Permission.

Original Verso

Richard Weber Collection, Famous Books in Eight Centuries, Portfolio Set 93, Aristotle, Folio 23 Verso. Reproduced by Permission

Features of this leaf correspond with other parts from the same manuscript , which deserves more attention. Our earlier blogpost sets out some essentials.

• More Leaves from ‘Otto Ege Manuscript 51″.

For example, the pencil numbering for the leaf places it among the leaves which have only pencil folio numbers in the lower right corner of their rectos (or original rectos).  Others have pen folio numbers at the upper right, with or without pencil folio numbers at the lower right.  These different series apparently belong to different volumes of the manuscript.

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More to come.

Watch this space.

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Do you know of more leaves from this manuscript? Do you recognize the hands of the scribe in other parts of this book or in other manuscripts?

You might reach us via Contact Us or our Facebook Page. Comments here are welcome too. We look forward to hearing from you.

Watch our blog on Manuscript Studies for more discoveries. Please visit its Contents List.

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