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Cologny, Fondation Martin Bodmer, F-16.1 : Gustave Flaubert, <i>Le Chant de la Courtisane</i>, autograph
No full textDespite visible erasures, this is the completed version of this untitled text, which consists of six paragraphs on two leaves, bound in red Morocco leather. At the earliest it was written by Flaubert during his voyage to the Orient (1849-1851) with his friend Maxime du Camp, although it seems more likely to date from his return to France in 1851, the moment he dedicated his life to writing. Later know by the title Le Chant de la Courtisane, this prose poem in a humorous tone was not published by Flaubert himself. Nonetheless, it sums up his challenges as a writer: the work shows the author’s fascination with Oriental culture and landscape, which he hopes to to reproduce in a realistic manner. A journal of his voyage, which records his observations and sensations and directly feeds his fictional work. The vocabulary reveals a certain erudition and a concern for accuracy, procedures which herald Salammbô. This manuscript, from the collection of Paul Voute (who had published a facsimile thereof in 1928), was purchased by Martin Bodmer at the Blaizot bookstore.Online Since: 2017-06-2
Zürich, Braginsky Collection, S75 : Megillah Esther (מגילת אסתר) / Esther scroll
No full textIn contrast to most Esther scrolls, the first two decorative fields of this megillah emphasize the central importance of Mordecai. First there is written, in burgundy letters: “The Scroll of Esther the Queen and Mordecai the Jew” and then in orange letters “In the fortress Shushan lived a Jew by the name of Mordecai, son of Jair son of Shimei son of Kish” (Esther 2:5). This genealogy is traced back to Abraham on the borders along the top and bottom of the entire scroll. This is followed by the lineage of the opponent Haman, which was taken from the Targum Riscon, the Aramaic translation of the original Hebrew text.Online Since: 2020-10-0
Cologny, Fondation Martin Bodmer, L-37.1 : Abraham Lincoln, Letter to his partner and follower William H. Herndon, signed autograph
No full textIn this letter to his young partner William H. Herndon (1818-1891), who had remained in Chicago as head of their joint law office, Lincoln, who is about to lose his seat in Congress as a Representative of the Whig Party, offers a lesson in political philosophy. Exhausted by months of political battles against the Mexican-American War and hurt by "exceedingly painful" statements by his friend (whom he describes as "a laborious, studious young man"), the future American President presents his "so Lincolnian" advice: "The way for a young man to rise is to improve himself every way he can, never suspecting that any body wishes to hinder him."Online Since: 2017-09-2
Porrentruy, Bibliothèque cantonale jurassienne, MP 14a : Louis Vautrey, Cahier de notes sur le pays de P[orren]tr[u]y, de Delémont et sur les différents matériaux situés dans la Franche-Comté ; Mœurs et coutumes, etc.
No full textA notebook of the Jura historian and priest Louis Vautrey (1829-1886) whose initials are stamped in red ink on the title page (p. 1). These are reading notes (sometimes with a reference to the titles and page numbers of the works consulted), as well as transcriptions, e.g., of songs like “Le retour du proscrit” (pp. 7-8). The last gathering has been copied upside-down (pp. 112-120).Online Since: 2025-04-0
Porrentruy, Bibliothèque cantonale jurassienne, N.C.1 : Le Véritable Dragon rouge, followed by La poule noire
No full textThis manuscript contains two grimoires (magic textbooks), the Dragon rouge (pp. 4-100) and the Poule noire (pp. 101-108), which were copied in 1846 from a 1521 original. The Dragon rouge “ou l’art de commander les esprits célestes, aériens, terrestres et infernaux” (p. 2) is a collection of writings in French, Italian and Latin. As for the Poule noire, this is a ritual for conjuring ghosts. Several ungainly drawings embellish the work, depicting, for instance, the devil (p. 33, 55) or cabalistic diagrams (p. 19, 54).Online Since: 2018-10-0
Porrentruy, Bibliothèque cantonale jurassienne, MP 13 : Louis Vautrey, Notes sur le pays de Porrentruy
No full textA thin cardboard notebook of Louis Vautrey (1829-1886), historian and priest of the Jura region, on the region of Porrentruy, concerning the years 1815 to 1845.Online Since: 2025-04-0
Cologny, Fondation Martin Bodmer, H-51.4 : Friedrich Hölderlin, <i>Der Frühling</i>, autograph
No full textThis poem in two stanzas of four lines each and titled “Der Frühling,” was written by Friedrich Hölderlin (1770-1843) in his own hand; at the end it is signed “Mit Unterthänigkeit Scardanelli” and dated to January 20, 1756. Hölderlin, who from about 1802 on was mentally ill, often signed his works, sometimes with invented names, among them Scardanelli, and invented dates. Another hand has corrected the given date in pencil to 1843; this suggests that the poem was created shortly before Hölderlin’s death.Online Since: 2015-12-1
Cologny, Fondation Martin Bodmer, H-51.6 : Friedrich Hölderlin, <i>Der Winter</i>, autograph
No full textThis poem in two stanzas of four lines each and titled “Der Winter”, was written by Friedrich Hölderlin in his own hand; at the end it is signed “Mit Unterthänigkeit Scardanelli” and dated to April 24, 1849. Hölderlin, who from about 1802 on was mentally ill, often signed his works, sometimes with invented names, among them Scardanelli, and invented dates. Another hand has corrected the given date in pencil to November 7, 1842.Online Since: 2015-12-1
Zürich, Braginsky Collection, B314 : Passover Haggadah, with German tranlation (Charlotte Rothschild Haggadah)
No full textThis codex was copied by Eliezer Sussman Mezeritsch and illustrated by Charlotte Rothschild (1807-1859); in addition to the Hebrew text, it contains a German translation. The Haggadah was created by the artist for her uncle Amschel Mayer Rothschild on the occasion of his 70th birthday. This is the only Hebrew manuscript known to have been illuminated by a woman. Charlotte Rothschild was inspired by Christian and Jewish works, e.g., medieval manuscripts, the biblical cycle painted in the Vatican loggias by the workshop of Raphael and the copperplate engravings of the printed Amsterdam Haggadah of 1695.
Charlotte Rothschild left her initials in only a single picture, the seder scene of the Passover celebration, on the back of a chair in the foreground of the picture (p. 42).
This manuscript presumably served as model for the famous artist Moritz Daniel Oppenheim (1800-1882). In his memoirs he recalls that as a student he created sketches for Charlotte Rothschild.Online Since: 2015-03-1
Cologny, Fondation Martin Bodmer, H-51.5 : Friedrich Hölderlin, <i>Der Herbst</i>, autograph
No full textThis poem in three stanzas of four lines each and titled “Der Herbst”, was written by Friedrich Hölderlin in his own hand; at the end it is dated to November 15, 1759. Hölderlin, who from about 1802 on was mentally ill, often signed his works, sometimes with invented names and invented dates. At the top of the page another hand has written „Autographie v Hölderlin“ along with the correction „Tübingen d 12 Juli 1842.“Online Since: 2015-12-1