Sir Rowland Hill’s studiolo is a historical palimpsest, where layers of the past lie intertwined. Each artifact and inscription adds another stroke to the rich narrative of the space.
A hidden gem within Sir Rowland Hill’s studiolo is the often-missed restoration bookcase. Dating from the late 17th century, it could even predate the Samuel Pepys bookcases now housed at Magdalene College, Cambridge – furniture it is clearly connected to.
A noteworthy feature of the book case is a retractable shelf of modest dimensions. This practical element would have served a vital function in the period, when books were commonly stored horizontally on shelves. It provided a convenient resting place for folios, large-format books, while their owner consulted the collection.
The Restoration Book Case
This bookcase is likely from the time of Thomas Hill, who dismissed an attempt to bring an abusive witch trial.
Stylistically the book case is informed by the Codex Amiatinus.
Folio 5r from the Codex Amiatinus (Florence, Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana, MS Amiatinus 1), Ezra the scribe. “When the sacred books had been consumed in the fires of war, Ezra repaired the damage.”
Originating in Northumbria, England (present-day South Tyneside), the Codex Amiatinus, also known as the Jarrow Codex, is a remarkable achievement. Produced around 700 AD at the Benedictine Monkwearmouth-Jarrow Abbey, it stands as the best-preserved manuscript of the Latin Vulgate Bible. [2] This single-volume giant was one of three such Bibles created at the Abbey, but holds the distinction of being the earliest complete Latin Bible in one volume to survive, with only the León palimpsest fragment predating it. Uniquely, the Codex Amiatinus presents all the biblical canon in their Vulgate versions.
After its creation, the Codex Amiatinus embarked on a fascinating journey. It was gifted to Pope Gregory II in 716 and later found in Italy at the Abbey of San Salvatore on Monte Amiata, Tuscany. Today, this treasure resides in Florence at the Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana.
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The above contains consultancy form BYRGA GENIHT.
