A long way home to Utrecht: the surprising journey of an incunable from the convent of the canons regular

Many of the manuscripts and early printed books from the late medieval Utrecht monastic collections followed a straightforward route to the present-day University Library, arriving there shortly after the Reformation in the late 16th century 

The copy Rariora oct 570, a printed book from 1499 originating from the convent of the canons regular in Utrecht, appears to have taken a rather circuitous route, passing, amongst others, through the hands of an early modern Utrecht historian and a German prince. But how, then, did it end up here in the University Library?

What journey does a fifteenth-century book undertake to end up where it is today? Can all the clues be found within the book itself, or does one need to look further afield? The international Material Evidence in Incunabula (MEI) database is a crucial resource for answering these questions. The surprising history of Rariora oct 570 was uncovered during our internship project to enter all incunabula originating from Utrecht’s canons regular into MEI. Incunabula are the earliest printed books, printed between 1450 and 1501. In this database, a provenance history is reconstructed based on material evidence. 

From Utrecht...

Let’s start at the beginning. The text of Rariora oct 570 concerns the Floretus (cum commento), a short Christian poem often attributed to the French theologian Bernard of Clairvaux (1090 – 1153). In this case, it is a version printed in Cologne in 1499 by Heinrich Quentell († 1501). 

The earliest known owner of Rariora oct 570 was the Order of Canons Regular of St. Augustine in Utrecht (c. 1290–1597). This order followed the Rule of Saint Augustine, which included instructions on subjects such as prayer, service, and charity. It was one of the five major monastic orders in Utrecht and possessed a considerable collection of books  . Of that collection, 144 manuscripts and 80 printed works have survived, including 68 incunabula. At the beginning of Rariora oct 570, they left a Latin inscription: P[er]tinet ad Regula[r]es in Traiecto (translation: ‘[this book] belongs to the canons regular of Utrecht’). Such an inscription was customary for books from monastic collections.

 

Figure 1. Detail of the title page of Rariora oct 570 (printed title with, above it, the inscription referring to the ownership by the canons regular).

Most of the books previously owned by the canons regular were confiscated by the city between 1580 and 1584, when Utrecht became Protestant. The books were gathered, together with those from other Utrecht monasteries, for the purpose of establishing a new municipal library. This library, housed in the Janskerk from 1584 to 1815, also became the university library following the founding of Utrecht University in 1636. With Rariora oct 570, however, things turned out differently. Instead of being incorporated into the city library, this copy came into the possession of the famous Utrecht historian Aernout van Buchel (1565–1641). It is not certain how he acquired the book, as the book itself provides no clues. However, it is quite possible that he received it from his father, who was a canon of the chapter of St Peter’s in Utrecht and of whom Aernout was an illegitimate son. The book would then have been passed on at some point in the sixteenth century from the regular canons to this secular canon – such a transfer from one religious owner to the next was a common occurrence in the sixteenth century with books from the Utrecht monasteries. 

In any case, we know for certain that Aernout subsequently came into possession of the book. This is because we find an inscription in his handwriting within the book. His handwriting has been identified by Dr Bart Jaski (Utrecht), Dr Karin Zimmermann and Dr Thorsten Huthwelker (Heidelberg). On the final page of the book, Van Buchel states Hunc librum inter opera Bernardi non invenio (translation: ‘I cannot find this book amongst Bernard’s works’). Van Buchel was correct in this regard: the text is indeed not by Bernardus, but because the work was attributed to him for so long, the author is still referred to as Pseudo-Bernardus. It is unclear when this assumption changed.

Figure 2. Detail of Aernout van Buchel’s inscription on the back flyleaf of Rariora oct 570: Hunc librum inter opera Bernardi non invenio.

...to Germany

Heidelberg

Van Buchel was an antiquarian and humanist with a keen interest in travel. In 1587, he undertook a journey to Germany, during which he also visited Heidelberg on two occasions. It is possible that Rariora oct 570 found its way to this city during his visit. Originally, Rariora oct 570 was bound together with three other printed works and a manuscript, all of which are still held in the Heidelberg University Library (1386–present). Rariora oct 570 was the second text in this Sammelband (a volume in which multiple works are bound together). However, Van Buchel’s handwriting can also be found at the end of what was formerly the third text. The 2009 catalogue of the Heidelberg University Library lists the call numbers of these printed works under catalogue number 254: Q 1280 RES; D 5750-2-2 RES; Q 7602-9 RES; and Heid. Hs. 1601 (formerly Cod. Heid. 369, 498).

Figure 3. Inscription of Aernout van Buchel at the end of the third text that Rariora oct 570 was bound with, D 5750-2-2 RES. Photo: University Library Heidelberg.

Between 1930 and 1931, librarians Josef Berenbach (1878–1941) and Wilhelm Port (1902–1945) reviewed the Heidelberg incunabula collection as part of their work cataloguing the university’s old collections. The discovery of 130 copies with severe damage to their bindings led to extensive restoration work, during which numerous fragments were discovered and detached, and the loss of binding material was documented. In 1933 and 1934, Berenbach once again turned his attention to the Heidelberg incunabula when he began cataloguing the fifteenth- and sixteenth-century volumes in the university library. 

At some point during this process, Berenbach must have had the Sammelband, of which Rariora oct 570 was then a part, dissasembled, possibly because the binding was too damaged. The other volumes remained in the Heidelberg library, whilst Rariora oct 570 was removed from the collection by Berenbach. Perhaps Berenbach saw no harm in this at the time, as the Heidelberg University Library still held another copy of the same printed text.

 

Figure 4. The binding of Rariora oct 570.

We know that Berenbach himself removed this copy from the collection, as in 1933, he presented the book as a gift to the then Prince of Fürstenberg, Maximilian Egon II (1863–1941). According to an inscription on the flyleaf of Rariora oct 570, signed by Maximilian, he did so to mark the occasion of his 70th birthday: 

Von Herrn Universitäts-Bibliothekar Dr. Berenbach in Heidelberg zu meinem 70sten Geburtstag am 13. Oktober 1933 geschenkt erhalten. (Translation: ‘Presented by Dr Berenbach, University Librarian in Heidelberg, for my 70th birthday on 13 October 1933.’)

Figure 5. Detail of the binding of Rariora oct 570 showing the date corresponding to Maximilian Egon II’s 70th birthday.

Maximilian Egon II’s 70th birthday was celebrated lavishly. This is evident, for example, from the medals that were specially made for the occasion. This helps to explain why Berenbach presented a small but valuable incunable as a gift. 

Figure 6. Medal produced and distributed to mark the 70th birthday of Maximilian Egon II. Made by Heinrich Ehehalt (1879–1938). Photos: © Collection Huis Doorn, Doorn.
Figure 7. Back of the medal.

A comparison with other signatures also confirms that the book was indeed signed by Maximilian Egon II. This becomes clear from the signatures beneath a 1913 photograph of him and in the sitters’ book of the painter Philip de László (1869–1937), which was signed by Max Egon II on several occasions. Artists used a sitters’ book to keep track of who had sat for their portrait and when. De László painted several portraits of Max Egon II, and each time Max Egon posed, he also signed the book.

Figure 8. Photo of Maximilian Egon II, signed by him. Photograph of Maximilian Egon II from: Men Around the Kaiser: the Makers of Modern Germany (Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott Company, 1913), Plate 4.
Figure 9. Register of attendees of Philip de László.The third signature is that of Maximilian Egon II. PHoto: the Laszlo Archive © de Laszlo Foundation

The exact nature of the relationship between the two men is not entirely clear. Little else is known about Berenbach as a person. The only direct link appears to have been Berenbach’s younger brother, Eduard L. Berenbach (1885–1962). At the time, he was a member of the princely council and court chaplain to Fürstenberg. 

Just like the noble titles, the Fürstenberg book titles also appear to have been passed down from one head of the family to the next, until Maximilian’s grandson Joachim Egon, Prince of Fürstenberg (1923–2002), began selling large parts of the princely art collection from 1980 onwards. He began by selling large parts to the German government, which wished to keep the collection in German hands.  

Resale

On 1 July 1994, part of the collection, ‘from the court library at Donaueschingen’, was nevertheless sold on the international market via Sotheby’s. This included Rariora oct 570, listed as lot number 46. Sotheby’s also stated an estimated price in the auction catalogue: 1,500 to 2,000 pounds. 

Nevertheless, the incunable was purchased in 1994 by Utrecht University Library for almost three times that amount. This price difference may have arisen because the book was sold for a much higher price at auction, or because there was another intermediary between the auction house and the university library, such as an antiquarian bookshop. In the case of Rariora oct 570, the Utrecht-based Antiquariaat Forum (established in 1970) was certainly involved. This is confirmed in the university library’s own records. This antiquarian bookshop has offered rare Utrecht items for sale to the university library on several occasions. 

Since 1816, the university library has kept records of what is added to the special collections in its accession registers, the so-called journaalboeken. This practice continues to this day. Newly acquired items are assigned an accession mark at the back of the book, which corresponds to the relevant register. The accession mark in Rariora oct 570 is ‘ant 3914’. ANT refers to the most recent register. It mentions: ‘FORUM (aucti Fürstenberg).’ This refers to both the Sotheby’s auction and the antiquarian bookshop Forum. The recorded price amounts to 7,521.71 guilders. 

Figure 10. Close-up of the accession number of Rariora oct 570.

...and back to Utrecht

After a long journey through Germany, the incunable, originally owned by Utrecht’s Order of Canons Regular, has nevertheless ended up in the same place as the other incunabula from the Order’s collection. In addition to the accession mark, the book bears a clear stamp from Utrecht University Library.

The entire journey is evident in the book through the various pieces of material evidence it contains. From the inscription of the canons regular and Van Buchel’s written scepticism regarding Bernardus as the author, to the connection with Maximilian Egon II’s birthday and his inscription with signature, to the University Library stamp, the successive owners have thus, over the course of the centuries, left their mark and evidence of ownership on the folia of Rariora oct 570.

Figure 11. Stamp of Utrecht University Library, on the back endpaper of Rariora oct 570.

Authors

Mylou Eggermont and Josefien Wijker