Hidden Treasures: Slavic Manuscript № 15 of the Hilandar Rasearch Library (Columbus, Ohio)
Hidden Treasures: Slavic Manuscript № 15 of the Hilandar Rasearch Library (Columbus, Ohio)

Summary/Abstract: SPEC.OSU.HRL.SMS.15 is a nineteenth-century Cyrillic manuscript acquired by the Hilandar Research Library (HRL) at The Ohio State University in 1993. It was noticed subsequently that the MS, which otherwise represents a Zhitie Iosifa Prekrasnago (Life of Joseph the Beautiful) on what appeared to be 2 blank + 16 leaves and Plach Iosifa Prekrasnago (Lament of Joseph the Beautiful) on 24 leaves, was copied on the backs of original documents. The identification of watermarks in Russian blue rag, especially when written upon, has been difficult or impossible in most situations. Study of the papers watermarks, many of which consist of actual dates, provides a possible range of dates for the paper from 1815 to 1829. Only a few leaves lack even fragments of some watermark. There are six major identifiable and datable watermarks and two watermarks that are distinct but have no sufficiently similar correspondences in Uchastkina, the most useful watermark album for these identifications. Seven different ink-stamp official seals from landed estates and several related names of traceable lineages are found in the documents, as well as the names of many other individuals. The dates included on several of these documents/letters range from 1816 to 1830. At least 19 different “letter-scribes”, one “account-scribe”, and one “clerk-scribe” contributed to these texts and documents.

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