Res aut res publica: The Evidence from Italian Renaissance Manuscripts and Their Owners

This paper examines a key tension in Renaissance culture as reflected in the origin and provenance of manuscript books. Were Renaissance manuscripts the private property of individual owners or the common wealth of a lettered public? Even an officially public library could not escape that tension, w...

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Main Author: John M. McManamon
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2012-04-01
Series:Religions
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/3/2/210/
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spelling doaj-40091b5b58044e07b418d5d2f6eb985a2020-11-24T22:19:07ZengMDPI AGReligions2077-14442012-04-013221022710.3390/rel3020210Res aut res publica: The Evidence from Italian Renaissance Manuscripts and Their OwnersJohn M. McManamonThis paper examines a key tension in Renaissance culture as reflected in the origin and provenance of manuscript books. Were Renaissance manuscripts the private property of individual owners or the common wealth of a lettered public? Even an officially public library could not escape that tension, whether through abuse of borrowing privileges or plundering of vulnerable holdings. Market forces encouraged theft, while impoverished scholars used their knowledge to supplement meager incomes. Alternatively, a sense of common wealth is reflected in an ex-libris indicating that a codex belonged to an individual “and his friends.” Book collecting, finally, becomes a helpful clue in discerning to what a scholar is committed. Some Renaissance clergymen used culture as a way to promote their ecclesiastical careers, while others collected and shared manuscripts as a way to promote tolerance.http://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/3/2/210/renaissancemanuscriptshumanismlibrariesprivate propertycommon wealth
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author John M. McManamon
spellingShingle John M. McManamon
Res aut res publica: The Evidence from Italian Renaissance Manuscripts and Their Owners
Religions
renaissance
manuscripts
humanism
libraries
private property
common wealth
author_facet John M. McManamon
author_sort John M. McManamon
title Res aut res publica: The Evidence from Italian Renaissance Manuscripts and Their Owners
title_short Res aut res publica: The Evidence from Italian Renaissance Manuscripts and Their Owners
title_full Res aut res publica: The Evidence from Italian Renaissance Manuscripts and Their Owners
title_fullStr Res aut res publica: The Evidence from Italian Renaissance Manuscripts and Their Owners
title_full_unstemmed Res aut res publica: The Evidence from Italian Renaissance Manuscripts and Their Owners
title_sort res aut res publica: the evidence from italian renaissance manuscripts and their owners
publisher MDPI AG
series Religions
issn 2077-1444
publishDate 2012-04-01
description This paper examines a key tension in Renaissance culture as reflected in the origin and provenance of manuscript books. Were Renaissance manuscripts the private property of individual owners or the common wealth of a lettered public? Even an officially public library could not escape that tension, whether through abuse of borrowing privileges or plundering of vulnerable holdings. Market forces encouraged theft, while impoverished scholars used their knowledge to supplement meager incomes. Alternatively, a sense of common wealth is reflected in an ex-libris indicating that a codex belonged to an individual “and his friends.” Book collecting, finally, becomes a helpful clue in discerning to what a scholar is committed. Some Renaissance clergymen used culture as a way to promote their ecclesiastical careers, while others collected and shared manuscripts as a way to promote tolerance.
topic renaissance
manuscripts
humanism
libraries
private property
common wealth
url http://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/3/2/210/
work_keys_str_mv AT johnmmcmanamon resautrespublicatheevidencefromitalianrenaissancemanuscriptsandtheirowners
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