Una Bibbia inedita a Montecassino: il ms. Archivio Privato dell’Abbazia, 3

Abstract

This paper presents an unpublished Bible dating from the second half of the 13th century, acquired from Montecassino’s Abbey in 1882, where it was held in the Private Archive (Montecassino, Archivio Privato dell’Abbazia, 3). The manuscript mirrors the features of the so-called ‘Paris Bible’, with very few exceptions, although it also exhibits some characteristics typical of Bibles produced in Italy during the 13-14th centuries. The analysis of its material and textual features, in particular the manner of its illumination, links this bible to a group of manuscripts presumably produced in the Roman area in the third quarter of the 13th century (now held in collections in Paris, Bologna, Assisi, and Vatican Apostolic Library in Rome).