Partial Psalter, 126 fragmentary leaves

Historical period(s)
5th century?
Medium
Ink on vellum
Dimensions
H x W (approx. original size of leaves): 8 x 7 cm (3 1/8 x 2 3/4 in)
Geography
Egypt, Fayyum
Credit Line
Gift of Charles Lang Freer
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art
Accession Number
F1908.32
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Manuscript
Type

Manuscript folio fragment

Keywords
Christianity, Egypt
Provenance

To 1908
Ali Arabi, Giza, Egypt, to 1908 [1]

From 1908 to 1919
Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Ali Arabi in Giza, Egypt, in May 1908 [2]

From 1920
Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [3]

Notes:

[1] See Original Miscellaneous List, Biblical Manuscripts Section, S.I. 1469, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives. Also see W. H. Worrell: The Coptic Manuscripts in the Freer Collection; University of Michigan Humanistic Series, Vol. X (1923), Part I, pp. ix, xiii-xxvi.

[2] See note 1.

[3] The original deed of Charles Lang Freer's gift was signed in 1906. The collection was received in 1920 upon the completion of the Freer Gallery.

Previous Owner(s) and Custodian(s)

Ali Arabi (C.L. Freer source) ca. 1840-1932
Charles Lang Freer 1854-1919

Label

Although the books of the Christian Bible were among the most translated and copied works in Coptic, no complete collection of the Old Testament in the ancient language has survived. The Freer manuscript is a Coptic version of the Septuagint psalms. It is associated with the site of a monastery in the Fayyum area of Egypt that medieval Arabic sources called Deir el-Karram, or the Monastery of the Vinedresser. The Freer's other Coptic and Greek biblical manuscripts are also connected with this site.

Published References
  • The Coptic Manuscripts in the Freer Collection. University of Michigan Humanistic Series, vol. 10 New York, 1923. pp. 1-106, pl. 1-5.
  • Dr. Michelle Brown. In The Beginning: Bibles Before the Year 1000. Exh. cat. Washington, 2006. cat. 21, pp. 136, 262.
Collection Area(s)
Biblical Manuscripts
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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