Morris Nellermoe Illuminated Manuscripts

Identity elements

Reference code

MA 059

Level of description

Collection

Title

Morris Nellermoe Illuminated Manuscripts

Date(s)

  • 13th century, 1440-1496 (Creation)

Extent

1.58 linear feet (1 oversize box)

Name of creator

(1926-2004)

Biographical history

Nellermoe was born in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota and graduated from Watertown High School (1944). He served in the Unites States Navy (1944-1946), and received a BA (1950) and an MA (1952) from the University of South Dakota. He also studied at the Sorbonne in Paris, France, and the Internationale Musik Akademies in Salzburg, Austria. Nellermoe worked as a translator at various entities including the United Nations. He also taught foreign languages at Colorado State University. Nellermoe purchased the leaves from Ferdinand Roten Galleries in Baltimore.

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Scope and content

The H.M. Briggs Library holds four illuminated manuscript leaves, or single pages. The pages consist of religious texts. One leaf is the Biblia Sacra Latina, which is a page from the Latin Bible and dates to the 13th century. The leaves were purchased from the estate of Morris Elmer Nellermoe, Jr. (1926-2004).

The Hours of the Virgin, a section of the Book of Hours, which are devotional prayers for different times of the day. Hours of the Virgin, also known as the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, contained psalms, lessons, hymns, and prayers said at each of the eight canonical hours: Matins, Lauds, Prime, Terce, Sext, None, Vespers, and Compline. The Book of Hours was the bestselling book of the Middle Ages. These pages date from the middle of the 15th century.

The Biblia Sacra Latina chapter numerals in red and blue with much pen work ornamentation. The work contained a number of historiated and illuminated initials, remarkable for the extremely wide margins.

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Languages of the material

  • Latin

Scripts of the material

  • Latin

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Alternative identifier(s)

ID

MA059

ID

MA 59

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