Foreword

They are, however, less known than they deserve to be. Fortunately, as a result of this exhibition and catalogue the richness of the relevant holdings in and around Boston can finally be brought to the attention of scholars and the public alike. A joint venture among Harvard’s Houghton Library, Boston College’s McMullen Museum, and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Beyond Words brings together more than 250 outstanding examples of the book arts in Western Europe from Late Antiquity to the rise of printing prior to the Reformation—all from nineteen local libraries and museums. The exhibition website (BeyondWords2016.org), a resource that will continue to be updated even after the exhibition closes, includes detailed descriptions of most of the manuscripts and, when available, complete digital facsimiles. It is our hope that with its integration of digital technology for the study of medieval and Renaissance manuscripts and early printed books, this project will have a lasting impact and, especially, inspire younger generations to engage with these treasures.

Planning for this project began in 2000, the year Jeffrey F. Hamburger, its mastermind, arrived as professor of medieval art at Harvard University. He and William P. Stoneman, then director of the Houghton Library, surveyed virtually all of the medieval manuscripts in the Boston area, a process that led to the identification of much unpublished or little known material. Together they hatched plans to bring to light these hidden masterpieces in a comprehensive exhibition. In an effort to make it a consortial enterprise among local institutions, which should become one of the project’s lasting legacies, they invited local manuscript scholars, Lisa Fagin Davis, executive director of the Medieval Academy of America, Anne-Marie Eze, then associate curator of the collection at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, and Nancy Netzer to serve with them as co-curators and co-editors of, respectively, the exhibition and catalogue. The team has worked together in a most productive, inspiring, and collegial manner. It is to them that we owe our greatest debt of gratitude.

The co-curators’ expertise and commitment to the project attracted an outstanding group of advisors: Consuelo W. Dutschke, Susan L’Engle, Christopher de Hamel, Anne D. Hedeman, Peter Kidd, Richard Linenthal, James H. Marrow, Francesca Manzari, Barbara A. Shailor, Jim Waldo, and Roger S. Wieck. To them and to our lending institutions, we extend great thanks.

Grounded in new research, the production of this catalogue represented a herculean task. We are grateful to the eighty- three scholars from around the world (listed on the preceding page) who contributed entries and essays. We especially commend Kate Shugert, who compiled and copyedited the book with extraordinary discernment, efficiency, and equilibrium; John McCoy, who designed and laid out the volume to achieve a standard equaling that of its most accomplished medieval counterparts; and Megan C. McNamee, who indefatigably (and congenially) tracked the loans and provided images and information on the manuscripts.

Of course the entire project could not have been realized to such a high standard without substantial support from the National Endowment for the Humanities, Harvard University, Boston College, and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. Major support for the exhibition was also provided by Peter and Leslie Ciampi, the John and Ann Clarkeson Houghton Library Fund, the Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation, the Edison and Newman Houghton Library Exhibition and Program Fund, the Bayard Livingston and Kate Gray Kilgour Houghton Library Fund, the Robert Lehman Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Patrons of the McMullen Museum, and the Massachusetts Cultural Council, which receives support from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Support for various public programming came from Christie’s, the Institute for Liberal Arts at Boston College, the International Center for Medieval Art, the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, the Medieval Studies Committee of Harvard University, and Lia and William Poorvu. Media sponsorship was provided by the Boston Globe. The catalogue has been generously underwritten by Daniel and Joanna S. Rose, with additional support from the Rose Marrow Fund. To all of these institutions and individuals we extend sincere gratitude. It is our hope that the pleasure and edification this exhibition and catalogue bring to those who made it possible, and to those who visit the exhibition and consult this volume, will be beyond words.