New Publication: Isabelle Boursier’s Book of Hours – Prof. Carla Rossi’s Investigation into Manuscript Dismemberment

We are pleased to announce the publication of Isabelle Boursier’s Book of Hours: A Dismembered Manuscript from Mary Benson’s Collection by Prof. Carla Rossi, philologist and art historian, released by Cambridge Scholars Publishing (2024).

This volume offers a detailed investigation into profit-driven biblioclasm, focusing on the dismemberment of a Book of Hours formerly held by the Brooklyn Museum as part of the Mary Benson Bequest (1919). Following financial difficulties intensified by the COVID-19 pandemic, the museum chose to deaccession and sell the manuscript at auction, where it was subsequently purchased and dismantled by an American dealer.

Through rigorous archival research and codicological reconstruction, Prof. Rossi identifies the original owner, Isabelle Boursier, and attributes the exquisite illumination of the manuscript to Jean Coene IV, a notable Flemish miniaturist. Her work not only reconstructs the lost manuscript digitally but also sheds light on the ethical dilemmas surrounding cultural heritage sales and the destruction of irreplaceable European artefacts.

Firmly grounded in material philology and manuscript studies, this book addresses broader concerns of cultural conservation and ethical responsibility in the art world. It stands as a significant contribution to the protection of medieval manuscripts and offers a vital reflection on the impact of commercial practices on collective heritage.

Despite enduring defamatory attacks aimed at undermining her academic credibility, Prof. Rossi continues to uphold the highest standards of scholarly integrity, producing research that resonates globally within the academic and heritage conservation communities.

Isabelle Boursier’s Book of Hours is a crucial resource for philologists, historians of art, manuscript scholars, and all those committed to the preservation of cultural patrimony.

➡️ Learn more about the book here: Isabelle Boursier’s Book of Hours – Cambridge Scholars Publishing