The Hymnary

Illuminated manuscript on parchment
450 x 600 mm


Virtual Book

Heritage of the library of the Seminary in Vittorio Veneto

The Hymnary It is a large manuscript illuminated on parchment dating back to 1481 written in calligraphic gothic style. There are very little details about its history. It is thought that the Hymnary was an integral part of the prestigious collection of liturgical manuscripts of Bishop Marino Grimani donated by him in 1533 to the cathedral city of Vittorio Veneto. Today the Hymnary, along with the three illuminated manuscripts the Missal (XV), the Breviary (XV) and the small Travel Bible (XIII) represent the most sublime part of the artistic heritage of the Library of the Seminary.The artistic importance of the manuscript is due to the exceptional cycle of miniatures, likely of the XV century Venetian school, which accompany the collection of hymns (songs of praise) and the psalms in the entire work. The manuscript consists of 25 cards corresponding to 50 pages, consisting of 114 initials in filigree of different sizes with intense and brilliant colours of red and blue. There are also parts in tetragrammaton and twenty magnificent initials adorned on 23.5 ct golden background.

L’The Hymnary has been reproduced by Agnieszka Kossowska in 2014/15. The work was written and illuminated on parchment as in the original manuscript and it is now preserved at the Library of the Seminary of Vittorio Veneto.

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