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Manuscripts and Rare Books
With more than 900 illuminated manuscripts, 1,250 of the first printed books (ca. 1455 - 1500), and an important collection of post-1500 deluxe editions, this extraordinary collection chronicles the art of the book over more than 1,000 years. The collection is from all over the world, and from ancient to modern times. It features deluxe Gospel books from Armenia, Ethiopia, Byzantium, and Ottonian Germany, French and Flemish books of hours, as well as masterpieces of Safavid, Mughal and Ottoman manuscript illumination. It also includes important first printed editions of ancient texts by great thinkers such as Aristotle and Euclid, diaries written by Napoleon and intricate bindings crafted by Tiffany. The early printed book collection highlights the experimental nature of the first attempts at printing. Some of these books have been illuminated by hand, and many are unique objects.
| L'Offrande Lyrique | Title |
| 1925 | Period |
| 92.1063 | Accession |
| turkish | Tags |
| "Imperial" Menologion with Scenes of Martyrdom | Title |
| ca. 1025-1050 (Byzantine) | Period |
| W.521 | Accession |
| animated | Tags |
| A Catalogue of Blue and White Nankin Porcelain Forming the Collection of Sir Henry Thompson | Title |
| 1878 | Period |
| 92.1090 | Accession |
| A Church representing the Promised Land | Title |
| 1400-1404 (Medieval) | Period |
| W.171.117V | Accession |
| gothic, castle, gruel, engelman, paris, utrecht | Tags |
| A Festive Gathering | Title |
| ca. 1163 AH/AD 1750 (Mughal) | Period |
| W.904 | Accession |
| spanningempires, ottoman | Tags |
| Abridgment of the Book of Kings (Shahnama) | Title |
| 13th century AH/AD 19th century | Period |
| W.597 | Accession |
| book, islamic, camel, 641 | Tags |
| Acts and Epistles of the Apostles with Liturgical Readings | Title |
| early 12th century, with 14th and 15th century additions | Period |
| W.533 | Accession |
| animated | Tags |
| Added Prayer to the Virgin from the Fieschi Psalter | Title |
| 15th century | Period |
| W.45.291R | Accession |
| Adimari Book of Hours | Title |
| 1448 (Renaissance) | Period |
| W.767 | Accession |
| medieval, trunk, adoration, mauleon | Tags |
| Adoration of the Magi | Title |
| late 17th century (High Renaissance) | Period |
| W.498 | Accession |
| adoration, magi, religious, nativity, christmas, africanancestryineuropeanart, csa | Tags |
| Aesopus moralisatus | Title |
| Printed book: 1495; Parchment binding: ca. 1200 | Period |
| 91.12 | Accession |
| Album of Calligraphy | Title |
| 10th century AH/16th century AD-12th century AH/18th century AD (Ottoman) | Period |
| W.672 | Accession |
| hatt | Tags |
| Album of Indian Miniatures and Persian Calligraphy | Title |
| late 12th century AH/AD 18th century-13th century AH/AD 19th century (Rajput) | Period |
| W.669 | Accession |
| tibetan, animated | Tags |
| Album of Persian and Indian Calligraphy and Paintings | Title |
| late 10th century AH/AD 16th century-13th century AH/AD 19th century (Mughal; Safavid; Qajar) | Period |
| W.668 | Accession |
| iran, persian, mirimad | Tags |
| Album of Persian and Indian Calligraphy, Miniatures, and Prints | Title |
| 10th century AH/AD 16th century-13th century AH/AD 19th century (Mughal; Qajar; Zand) | Period |
| W.670 | Accession |
| iran, persian | Tags |
| Album of Persian and Indian Miniatures, Calligraphy, and European Engravings | Title |
| 11th century AH/AD 17th century-13th century AH/AD 19th century (Mughal; Safavid; Qajar; Zand; Deccan) | Period |
| W.771 | Accession |
| erotic, turban, portrait, bullets, gun, chair, standing, man, album | Tags |
| Album of Persian Calligraphy | Title |
| 11th century AH/AD 17th century | Period |
| W.673 | Accession |
| persian | Tags |
| Album of Persian Miniatures and Calligraphy | Title |
| 10th century AH/AD 16th century-14th century AH/AD 20th century | Period |
| W.671 | Accession |
| hatt, khatt | Tags |
| Almugavar Hours | Title |
| 1510-1520 | Period |
| W.420 | Accession |
| animated | Tags |
| Alphabet Book | Title |
| 16th century (Renaissance) | Period |
| W.200 | Accession |
| gold, creature, butterfly, insect, iris, flower, paint , parchment , book, renaissance, ink, beautiful, flowers, abc | Tags |
| Alphonsus de Benavento, Treatise | Title |
| 1456 | Period |
| W.421 | Accession |
| animated | Tags |
| Amherst Hours | Title |
| 1400-1500 | Period |
| W.167 | Accession |
| animated | Tags |
| Amida Gospels | Title |
| early 17th century | Period |
| W.541 | Accession |
| animated | Tags |
| Amplified Poem in Honor of the Prophet Muhammad | Title |
| 767 AH/AD 1366 | Period |
| W.581 | Accession |
| iran | Tags |
| Anaphora of Mary (Mass book) | Title |
| 2nd quarter 20th century | Period |
| W.829 | Accession |
| ethiopian manuscripts | Tags |
| Anatomia Deudsch | Title |
| 1551 | Period |
| 92.105 | Accession |
| egg, good, skeleton, bones, anatomy, german | Tags |
| Anthology of Persian Poetry | Title |
| 1105 AH/AD 1693 (Safavid) | Period |
| W.653 | Accession |
| persia1893 | Tags |
| Anthology of Persian Poetry | Title |
| early 13th century AH/AD 19th century (Qajar) | Period |
| W.655 | Accession |
| iran, persian | Tags |
| Anthology of Persian Poetry | Title |
| 12th century AH/AD 18th century | Period |
| W.654 | Accession |
| muhaqaq | Tags |
| Antiphonarium | Title |
| ca. 1505 | Period |
| W.472 | Accession |
| stbernard, pray, stbenedict, choirbook | Tags |
| Antiphonary | Title |
| ca. 1380 (Medieval-early Renaissance) | Period |
| W.153 | Accession |
| choirbook | Tags |
| Artes Orandi, Epistolandi, Memoranda | Title |
| 1485 | Period |
| 91.1015 | Accession |
| Autograph Letter from Sybby Grant to Her Master, John Hanson Thomas | Title |
| 1861 | Period |
| 15.34.1 | Accession |
| Baburnama | Title |
| 10th century AH/AD 16th century (Mughal) | Period |
| W.596 | Accession |
| intricate, iran, persian, birds | Tags |
| Barbavara Book of Hours | Title |
| ca. 1440 (Medieval) | Period |
| W.323 | Accession |
| Bentivoglio Bible | Title |
| ca. 1270 (Medieval) | Period |
| W.151 | Accession |
| christian | Tags |
| Bestiaire Fabuleux | Title |
| 1950 | Period |
| 92.813 | Accession |
| gouache, phonewallpapers | Tags |
| Bible Pictures by William de Brailes | Title |
| ca. 1250 (Medieval) | Period |
| W.106 | Accession |
| Binding for Gospel Lectionary | Title |
| 1594-1596 (Ottoman) | Period |
| W.535.binding | Accession |
| Binding from Commentarii in Somnium Scipionis | Title |
| ca. 1175-1200 (Medieval) | Period |
| W.22.binding | Accession |
| Boccaccio's "Casibus Virorum Illustrium" | Title |
| ca. 1470 | Period |
| W.315 | Accession |
| Boccaccio's "De Casibus Virorum Illustrium" | Title |
| ca. 1470 | Period |
| W.314 | Accession |
| Book of English Heraldry | Title |
| 1589 | Period |
| W.847 | Accession |
| animated, ames | Tags |
| Book of Hours | Title |
| ca. 1520 (Renaissance) | Period |
| W.452 | Accession |
| Book of Hours | Title |
| ca. 1470 (Medieval-Renaissance) | Period |
| W.249 | Accession |
| gothic, scriptorium, trefoils | Tags |
| Book of Hours | Title |
| first quarter 15th century | Period |
| W.99 | Accession |
| Book of Hours | Title |
| ca. 1460-1470 | Period |
| W.266 | Accession |
| Book of Hours | Title |
| late 13th century | Period |
| W.39 | Accession |
| august | Tags |
| Book of Hours | Title |
| ca. 1430-1435, with additions ca. 1460 | Period |
| W.168 | Accession |
| typography, france, animated | Tags |
| Book of Hours | Title |
| early 16th century (Renaissance) | Period |
| W.459 | Accession |
| w459, w452 | Tags |