The MET Thomas J. Watson Library Digital Collections
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P4077 : Gothic figure of St. Roch with dog and child in wood, on pedestal with shield in front; traces of polychromy.
No full textObject inventory card number P4077
N3777 : Small mask in dark green jade with a Leiden type of hair-dress.
No full textObject inventory card number N3777. Purchased in lot. Quoted to Simkhovitch, 1944-05-03 for $650 with N3716
Man Ray : when objects dream : [press kit]
No full textDigital press kit for the exhibition held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, September 14, 2025-February 1, 2026; Title from press flye
Collection 13
No full textContains a wide variety of material pertaining to the royal abbey of Saint-Denis in France. While the bulk dates of the papers correspond to Crosby's most active years of study and excavation at Saint-Denis, some materials within the collection date before and after his lifetime. Earliest material were collected by Crosby for their references to the Medieval abbey, such as eighteenth and nineteenth-century engravings of Saint-Denis and photographs taken ca. 1900. The latest items generally pertain to Crosby's final monograph on Saint-Denis, 1987.THE CLOISTERS ARCHIVES
Collection No. 13
The Sumner McKnight Crosby Papers
Processed 1989, 2025
The Cloisters Library
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Ft. Tryon Park
99 Margaret Corbin Dr.
New York, NY 10040
(212) 396-5365
[email protected] 1
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PREFACE…….…………………………………………..……………….….…………………2
ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION…….……………….………….………………….……3
HARRY BOBER TIME LINE…….…………………………………………………….………4
HARRY BOBER BIBLIOGRAPHY…….…………………………………..…………….……5
SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE…….………………………………………….………..……..8
SERIES DESCRIPTIONS…….………………………………………………………….…….10
CONTAINER LISTS
Series I. Card Files…………….……………………………………………..……..13-30
Series II. Research Files………….……………………………………...…………31- 72
Series III. Publications ………….…………………………………………….…..73
Series IV. Slides………….……………………………………………..….………..74-77
Series V. Glass Plate Negatives………….…………………………………….………..78
Series VI. Negative Films………….………………………………………..………79-81
Series VII. Oversize Material………….……………………………….....……....…82-83
Series VIII. 1974 Messenger Lectures, Recordings (tapes and CDs) …………....…..…84
2
PREFACE
In 1991, the papers of Harry Bober were donated to the Metropolitan Museum of Art by his sons, David and Jonathan Bober. The collection was delivered to the Medieval Department of the museum, where it was housed until its transfer to The Cloisters Archives during the summer of 1993. Funding for the first year of a two-year processing project was provided through the generosity of Shelby White and Leon Levy.
The first year of the project to process the Harry Bober Papers began in August of 1994 and ended in August of 1995, conducted by Associate Archivist Elaine M. Stomber. Tasks completed within the first year included: rehousing the collection within appropriate archival folders and boxing systems; transferring original folder titles to new folders; conservation repair work to the deteriorating card file system; creating a container list to Bober's original filing system; transferring published material from research files; and preparing a preliminary finding aid to the collection.
The second phase of the project began in January of 2013 and ended in July 2013. The project was completed by archival intern Katherina M. Fostano under the direction of the Cloisters Librarian. Tasks completed within the second year include the following: creating a bibliography of all publications by Harry Bober; dispersal of all duplicate publications; identification and labeling of all material previously listed as "unidentified" with the aid of consultants; providing further identification and description for files pertaining to Bober's special area of interest, Medieval Schemata, with the aid of consultants and producing a final finding aid which reflects the additional arrangement and description of the second year's work.
This finding aid should provide future researchers with ready access to the collection of Harry Bober Papers. We hope that all information provided in the finding aid can help researchers navigate easily through this valuable collection. The collection is a beautiful synthesis of bibliographical and visual resources that could serve as the foundation for studies in medieval art history.
Elaine M. Stomber
Associate Archivist
August, 1995
Katherina Fostano
Archival Intern
July, 2013
3
HARRY BOBER PAPERS ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION
THE CLOISTERS ARCHIVES
The Cloisters Archives Collection No.: 43
Location: The Cloisters Archives Room
Access: Open for research by appointment from The Cloisters Library and Archives staff,
see: http://libmma.org/portal/the-cloisters-library-and-archives/
Provenance: The papers of Harry Bober were donated to the Metropolitan Museum of Art by his sons, David and Jonathan Bober in 1991. The collection was delivered to the Medieval Department of the museum, where it was housed until its transfer to The Cloisters Archives during the summer of 1993. The recordings of the 1974 Messenger Lectures were donated by David Bober in 2017.
Form of Citation: Identification of item, date (if known), The Harry Bober Papers;
box number; folder number; The Cloisters Library and Archives, The Metropolitan
Museum of Art
Watsonline Record: http://library.metmuseum.org/record=b1611896~S1
4
HARRY BOBER PAPERS TIME LINE
THE CLOISTERS ARCHIVES
Abraham Herschel Bober (1915-1988):
2 September 1915 Born to Hyman and Fannie Newman Bober in Brooklyn, NY
[date unknown] Graduates from Boys' High School in Brooklyn
1935 Graduates from City College
1935-1938 Works at City College as a research assistant, tutor, and lecturer
1936 Enrolls at New York University
1939 Travels to Brussels on a Belgian American Education Foundation Fellowship to study the Brussels Apocalypse, masters thesis topic
1940 Thesis is completed
WWII Joins the Navy and serves throughout the war
Post-WWII Teaches at Queens College
1949 Completes doctorate on the illustrations in printed books of hours
1950-1952 Senior Research Fellow with the Warburg Institute in London -develops the concept of Medieval Schemata in conjunction with ideas of Fritz Saxl
1950-1954 Teaches at Washington Square College, Smith, and Harvard
1954 Returns to teach at New York University Institute of Fine Arts
1956-1959 Founding member and first secretary of the International Center of Medieval Art
1960,1962 Visiting Scholar at the Warburg Institute in London
1965 Awarded first Avalon Foundation chair in Humanities at NYU
1981 Elected Fellow for Life of the International Center of Medieval Art
17 June 1988 Death 5
HARRY BOBER PAPERS BIBLIOGRAPHY
THE CLOISTERS ARCHIVES
Publications by Harry Bober
M.A. Thesis
“The Brussels Apocalypse of the Bibliothèque Royale, containing also the Lumière as Lais and the Pénitence Adam.” M.A. Thesis.; New York University, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, 1940.
Ph.D. Dissertation
“The Illustrations in the Printed Books of Hours Iconographic and Stylistic Problems.” Ph. D. diss.; New York University, 1949.
Edited Works
Saxl, Fritz, and Hans Meier. Catalogue of astrological and mythological illuminated manuscripts of the Latin Middle Ages. III Manuscripts in English libraries. London: Warburg Institute, University of London. 1953.
Mâle, Émile. Religious art in France: The Twelfth Century: A Study of The Origins of Medieval Iconography. Princeton: Princeton U.P. 1978.
Mâle, Émile. Religious art in France: The Thirteenth Century. Sumner McKnight Crosby, consulting ed. Princeton: Princeton U.P. 1984.
Books and Catalogues
MacKinney, Loren Carey. A Thirteenth-Century Medical Case History in Miniatures. Cambridge: The Mediaeval Academy of America. 1960.
The Saint-Blasien Psalter. New York: H. P. Kraus. 1963.
Miniatures from Illuminated Manuscripts: The Mortimer Brandt Collection. Brooks Memorial Art Gallery, Memphis, Tenn., [Exhibition] April thirteenth to May eighth, 1966. 6
The Passover story: an exhibition. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art. 1975.
Jan van Vliet's Book of Crafts and Trades: With a Reappraisal of his Etchings.
Albany: Early American Industries Association. 1981.
Articles
“Flemish Miniatures From The Atelier of Jean de Grise: MS. 11142 of the Bibliothèque Royale de Belgique.” Revue belge d'archéologie et d'histoire de l'art (1947-48): 15-21.
“The First Illustrated Books of Paris Printing: A Study of the Paris and Verdun missals of 1481 by Jean Du Pré.” Marsyas (1947-49): 87-104
"The Zodiacal Miniature of the Tres Riches Heures of the Duke of Berry: Its Sources and Meaning." Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes (1948): 1-34.
"French Gothic Ivory Mirror Case." Annual Report: Fogg Art Museum. (1952): 5.
"Andre Beauneveu and Mehun-sur-Yevre." Speculum (1953): 741- 753.
"An Illustrated Medieval School-Book of Bede's "De Natura Rerum". The Journal of the Walters Art Gallery. (1956): 64-97.
"Dark age science: the light beyond the sun". Art News. Vol. 54 N.10 (1956): 42-45.
“The Cleveland Crucifixion: On a Miniature from an Illuminated Manuscript with Illustrations.” Overdruk uit Miscellanea Prof. Dr. D. Roggen. 1957
“The Coronation Book of Charles IV and Jeanne d'Évreux.” H.P Kraus’s Rare Books: Notes on the History of Old Books and Manuscripts. (1958): vol. 8
“In Principio. Creation Before Time.” Essay in Honor of Edwin Panofsky: De artibus opuscala. (1961): I, 13-28; II, 5-8.
“Reappraisal of Rayonnant Architecture.'' The Forward Movement of the Fourteenth Century. Columbus, OH: Ohio State University Press. 1961.
"The Gothic Tower and the Stork Club." New York University. 1962. 7
http://www.nyu.edu/gsas/dept/fineart/about/history_bober.htm.
Plummer, John, de Cleves Catherine, and Frederick B. Adams. “The Book of hours of Catherine of Cleves.” New York: Pierpont Morgan Library. 1964.
“Foreword.” The Living Theatre of Medieval Art by Henry Kraus.” Bloomington: Indiana University Press. 1967.
“Manuscript Treasures.” Masterworks of Medieval and Renaissance Painting and Illumination owned by H.P. Kraus. New York: [s.n.]. 1970.
“Medieval Art in the Guennol Collection.” The Guennol Collection, edit. By Ida Ely Rubin. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art. 1975.
“Teeming with Life: Treasures of Early Irish Art.” Art News. Vol. 77. (1978), pp. 46-49.
Reviews and Obituaries
Review of Illustrations in Roll and Codex, A Study of the Origin and Method of Text Illustration by Kurt Weitzmann. The Art Bulletin Vol. 30, No. 4 (Dec., 1948): 284-288.
Review of British Art and the Mediterranean by F. Saxl; R. Wittkower.
College Art Journal Vol. 8, No. 4 (summer, 1949): 322-323.
Review of Las Cántigas, Estudio Arqueologico de sus Miniaturas by José Guerrero Lovilloby. The Art Bulletin Vol. 33, No. 2 (Jun., 1951): 139-141.
Review of Art of the Northwest Coast Indians by Robert Bruce Inverarity. College Art Journal Vol. 11, No. 3 (spring, 1952): 222- 224.
Review of Greek Mythology in Byzantine Art by Kurt Weitzmann. The Art Bulletin Vol. 34, No. 1 (Mar., 1952): 51-54.
Review of Les Primitifs Flamands (Fascicules 1 â 4), Le Musée Communal de Bruges by R. A. Parmentier; A. Janssens de Bisthoven. Speculum Vol. 27, No. 3 (Jul., 1952): 392-394.
Review of The Cloisters. The Building and the Collection of Medieval Art in Fort Tryon Park by James J. Rorimer. American Journal of Archaeology Vol. 56, No. 4 (Oct., 1952): 230-231.
Review of English Medieval Sculpture by Arthur Gardner. American Journal of Archaeology Vol. 57, No. 2 (Apr., 1953): 157- 158. 8
Review of Ribera by Elizabeth du Gué Trapier. The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism Vol. 12, No. 1, Special Issue on Symbolism and Creative Imagination (Sep., 1953): 135.
Review of Gothic Architecture and Scholasticism by Erwin Panofsky.
The Art Bulletin, Vol. 35, No. 4 (Dec., 1953): 310-312.
Review of Apes and Ape Lore, in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance by H. W. Janson; H. Frankfort. The Art Bulletin Vol. 36, No. 2 (Jun., 1954): 145-148.
Review of Art in the Ice Age, Spanish Levant Art, Arctic Art by Johannes Maringer; Hansgeorg Bandi; R. Allen. American Anthropologist New SeriesVol. 56, No. 6, Part 1 (Dec., 1954): 1151-1154.
Review of La Galerie Sabauda de Turin by C. Aru; Et. de Gerardon. Speculum Vol. 30, No. 2 (Apr., 1955): 246-250.
Review of Monuments of Romanesque Art: The Art of Church Treasures in North-Western Europe by Hanns Swarzenski. The Art Bulletin Vol. 37, No. 4 (Dec., 1955): 294-298.
"Aberrations Have Their Place." Review of Aberrations: Legende des forms by J. Baltrusaitis. Art News. Vol 56. (1957): 35.
Review of Rheinische Schatzkammer by Hermann Schnitzler. The Art Bulletin Vol. 40, No. 3 (Sep., 1958): 263-265.
"When Image Was Idea." Review of Medieval French Miniatures by J. Porcher. Art News
Vol 59. (1960): 36-37.
Review of Text and Iconography for Joinville's "Credo" by Lionel J. Friedman. Speculum Vol. 35, No. 4 (Oct., 1960): 601-603.
Review of Lectures by F. Saxl. Renaissance News. Vol. 13, No. 3 (Autumn, 1960): 234-235.
Review of Miniature Painting in the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem by Hugo Buchthal; Francis Wormald. The Art Bulletin Vol. 43, No. 1 (Mar., 1961): 65- 68.
Review of Flanders in the Fifteenth Century: Art and Civilization.
Catalogue of the Exhibition "Masterpieces of Flemish Art: Van Eyck to Bosch." Speculum Vol. 37, No. 1 (Jan., 1962): 116-120.
“Adolf Katzenellenbogen 1901-1964 (obituary).” Art Journal, Vol. 24, No. 4 (Summer, 1965), p. 347.
“Metropolitan Museum: Accomplishments and polemics.” Review of Metrapolitan Museum. Art News. Vol. 68. (1970): 65-68. 9
Review of Alchemy and the Occult: A Catalogue of Books and Manuscripts from the Collection of Paul and Mary Mellon. Renaissance Quarterly Vol. 24, No. 2 (Summer, 1970): 241-242.
Review of The Book of Trades/Ständebuch, Jost Amman & Hans Sachs. Studies in ConservationVol. 18, No. 4 (Nov., 1973) 195-197.
Review of The Göttingen Model Book by Hellmut Lehmann-Haupt. Speculum Vol. 49, No. 2 (Apr., 1974): 354-358.
Lectures and Miscellaneous Publications
Expression in art. New York: Art Treasures of the World. 1953.
Proportion in Art. New York: Art Treasures of the World. 1954.
"Structure and Content of the Imagery of the Liber Floridus." Reading, Liber Floridus Colloquium from Gent University Library, St. Petersburg, September 3, 1967.
8
HARRY BOBER PAPERS SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE
THE CLOISTERS ARCHIVES
The Harry Bober Papers (bulk dates: 1930s-1988) contain the research notes, correspondence, lectures, reprints, photographs, slides, and negatives collected throughout Bober's career as a Medieval art historian. The papers reflect the diversity of Bober's knowledge and achievements in the field of Medieval art and contain documents generated by Bober as professor, lecturer, scholarly author, editor, art dealers' consultant, and private collector.
Harry Bober's extensive knowledge of the history of art, including historical contexts, theories, and principles, is apparent throughout his research papers. His interest in the unique concept of Medieval Schemata dominated the middle years of his career and is documented throughout this collection, apparent in many lectures, manuscripts of written works, and research notes. A seminar offered by Bober at the New York University Institute of Fine Arts in 1954, entitled "Medieval Schemata," explored the theoretical framework of this concept. The course description summarizes Bober's theory, promising to "investigate the basis of systematization in medieval imagery and its varieties of symbolic coherence - diagrammatic illustrations in manuscripts form the principal evidence to be studied with reference to the formal and iconographic correlations typical of the art of the Middle Ages."1 This collection contains much of the research accumulated by Bober on this topic, including his studies of Medieval pictorial language and the scientific and philosophical culture of the Middle Ages. Photograph files contain comprehensive collections of manuscripts and sculptural programs which support his theories pertaining to Medieval Schemata.
The primary value of this collection lies in the fact that Bober was unable to publish many of his ideas on Medieval Schemata before his death. Some of the most unique and original material available within the Bober Papers deal with this topic. Other areas of interest within the collection involve investigation files and lecture materials. Investigation files were created by Bober while working as a consultant for art dealers, primarily H.P. Kraus. His consultant work reveals his remarkable and well-respected abilities as a connoisseur within the art community. The files display his thorough knowledge of the periods and artists of many cultures as well as his keen and critical "eye".2 While the bulk of the lecture material available within Series II appears to have been generated by Bober, some very interesting files contain notes and lectures by colleagues Erwin Panofsky, Walter Cook, Richard Krautheimer, and Willibald Sauerländer.
Walter B. Cahn. In Memoriam, Harry Bober, 1915-1988, (New York: New York University Institute of Fine Arts, 1988), p.12-13.
Lawrence J. Majewski. In Memoriam, Harry Bober, 1915-1988, (New York: New York University Institute of Fine Arts, 1988), p. 8. 9
The papers (64 boxes; 58 linear feet) are divided into eight preliminary series as follows:
Series I Card Files
(28 card file boxes)
Series II Research Files
(27 cubic foot record center boxes)
Series III Publications
(1 archival document box)
Series IV Slides
(1 cubic foot record center box)
Series V Glass Plate Negatives
(1 drop-front box)
Series VI Negative Films
(2 negative film boxes)
Series VII Oversize Material
(3 drop-front boxes)
Series VIII 1974 Messenger Lecture Recordings (Tapes and CDs)
(1 box)
10
HARRY BOBER PAPERS SERIES DESCRIPTIONS
THE CLOISTERS ARCHIVES
Series I: Card Files (28 card file boxes) primarily contain note cards, photographs, clippings, and postcards. Several negatives and letters are also found throughout the card files. All material within the card file boxes measures 5" x 8" and under. Bober compiled this card file system throughout his career, storing the collection within metal filing drawers. The card files have been transferred to thirty archival storage boxes in Bober's original order, and an inventory to the major subject headings has been compiled for each box.
The card files appear to have been a personal reference tool for Bober, containing information on many standard works of art within the field of Medieval art history. Major subject headings are arranged by medium, such as illuminated manuscripts, architecture, sculpture, metalwork, ivory, etc. Within medium, subjects are further broken down by region or location of the art works. While the card file system may have been a useful resource for Bober, much of this information is now widely available in definitive publications on regions and subjects within Medieval art. Unlike the many images available within the card files, much of the text information is relatively common and easily retrieved through published sources. The extensive collection of photographs throughout the card files will be of greater use to researchers as a valuable visual resource in the study of Medieval art and architecture. The most valuable and unique information found within this card file system pertains to Bober's study of Medieval Schemata. Specific material of note also includes the extensive photographs of Medieval illuminated manuscripts. Individual manuscript names or titles have not been incorporated into the inventory of major subject headings. The inventory primarily provides access to the illuminated manuscript cards by location (country/city). Researchers searching for information on a specific manuscript should consult the boxes themselves for more detail.
Card files remain in Bober's original filing system. Dividers listing major subject headings remain within the card files and have been listed on the card file inventory. Amount of information varies from subject to subject; while some categories may contain numerous note cards, photographs, and clippings, other categories may only contain a single note card or photograph. Amount of material is not reflected on the card file inventory of major subject headings. Researchers must consult individual boxes in order to determine the extent of information available under a particular subject heading.
Note cards contain both handwritten and typescript notation by Bober and others. Varying handwriting styles suggest that Bober employed research assistants or graduate students to update the card files. Some cards have small clippings from publications attached, with notes written or typed around the clipped text. Photographs within the card files were taken by Bober, reproduced from New York University Institute of Fine Arts' negatives, ordered from various libraries and museums, or provided by colleagues. Institute photographs generally display a NYU negative number. Some photographs are stamped with the name Arthur Kingsley Porter (1883-1933). Porter, a fellow Medieval art historian, possessed an extensive personal collection of photographs of Medieval art.3 It is unknown how or when these images were obtained by Bober and incorporated into his card file collection.
Series II: Research Files (27 cubic foot record center boxes) contain research notes, photographs, lecture material, correspondence, manuscripts of published and unpublished works, photocopies of published material, and segments of published material which were removed from the original book or journal. Bober probably accumulated much of this material during his tenure with New York University. Files were originally stored within filing cabinet drawers and boxes. Materials have been transferred to 27 archival record center boxes and remain in original order. Bober's folder titles have been transferred to new folders, and an inventory to these titles has been compiled for each box.
3 Wilhelm R. W. Koehler (ed.). Medieval Studies In Memory Of A. Kingsley Porter, (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1939), p. xii. 11
Photographic material within this series is extensive. While most photographs reproduce pages from illuminated manuscripts, other media within the arts of the Middle Ages are represented throughout the collection as well. These include sculpture, architecture, painting, e
Celebrating the year of the snake : [press kit]
No full textDigital press kit for the exhibition held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, January 28, 2025-February 10, 2026; Title from press flye
Making it modern : European ceramics from the Martin Eidelberg collection : [press kit]
No full textDigital press kit for the exhibition held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, June 16, 2025-January 4, 2026; Title from press flye
Witnessing humanity : the art of John Wilson : [press kit]
No full textDigital press kit for the exhibition held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, September 20, 2025-February 8, 2025; Title from press flye
Contemporary commissions : Jennie C. Jones and Jeffrey Gibson : [press kit]
No full textDigital press kit for the 2025 contemporary commissions at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Title from press flye