Vol 6 Nr 1 (2022)

Theory and Criticism of Literature and Arts

Volume 6, No. 1 – August 2022 – Special Issue
Biblioclasm & Digital Reconstruction
ELEVEN SCATTERED MANUSCRIPTS DIGITALLY REASSEMBLED THROUGH THE WAYBACK RECOVERY METHOD©

RECEPTIO Academic Press Ltd
20-22, Wenlock Road, Islington, London, N1 7GU, United Kingdom

Archiving and Accessibility Statement

Full Issue DOI: 10.55456/TCLA082022

The full PDF of this issue is archived and accessible here, on our official website.

Individual articles are also deposited in Zenodo and linked to the respective authors’ ORCID IDs to ensure persistent metadata, secure archiving, and academic attribution.

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In 2022, only one issue of the journal was published. This special issue is the result of an entire year of work by the Disiecta Coegi team, dedicated to the digital and scholarly reconstruction of twelve dismembered medieval manuscripts. The complexity and scale of this research project concentrated the editorial efforts into a single comprehensive volume for that year.

Table of Contents

Title: Introduction – Biblioclasm & Digital Reconstruction

pp. 9–20
Author: Carla Rossi, Titularprofessorin, University of Zurich (ORCID: 0000-0001-6557-3684)
Abstract: An introduction to the issue, discussing the phenomenon of biblioclasm and presenting the Wayback Recovery Method© as a digital approach for virtually reassembling dismembered medieval manuscripts dispersed across the art market.
Read PDF on Zenodo | DOI:10.5281/zenodo.15925142

Title: The Book of Hours of Louis, bâtard de Roucy, seigneur de Sissonne (1465–1536)

pp. 21–31
Author: Carla Rossi (ORCID: 0000-0001-6557-3684)
Abstract: This study presents the first historically documented attribution of the Book of Hours to Louis de Roucy, establishing him as its original owner based on archival research and codicological evidence. Through the digital reconstruction (approximately 200 extant folios), primarily textual leaves, the manuscript is identified as being of liturgical use for Chalon-sur-Marne. This crucial discovery allows for the localisation of its production to a specific atelier active in Troyes—a cultural centre that, three centuries after the time of Chrétien de Troyes, remained vibrant and influential. Furthermore, by tracing auction records and sales of single leaves, the author has identified both the individual responsible for physically dismantling the manuscript and the compromised Sotheby’s consultant who facilitated the sale of its leaves in the UK market. This case has been formally reported to the Carabinieri TPC (Foreign Section), as the parties involved are also implicated in the illicit dismemberment and trafficking of Italian manuscripts abroad. The work thus sheds new light on the manuscript’s provenance, its artistic context, the dynamics of the art market, and the significance of its fragmentation and subsequent digital recovery.
Read PDF on Zenodo | DOI:10.5281/zenodo.15925453

Title: The Rosenbaum Psalter-Hours

pp. 32–46
Author: Adrienn Orosz, Eötvös Loránd Tudományegyetem (ORCID: 0000-0001-8953-2756)
Abstract: This article presents the reconstruction of the Rosenbaum Psalter-Hours, detailing its artistic features, historical context, and challenges involved in virtually reuniting scattered leaves.
Read PDF on Zenodo | DOI:10.5281/zenodo.15925811

Title: A Psalter-Hours, Use of Metz, in Latin and French, late 13th and early 14th century

pp. 47–51
Author: Carla Rossi (ORCID: 0000-0001-6557-3684)
Abstract: A study of a bilingual Psalter-Hours from Metz, focusing on its Latin and French textual traditions and the methodological steps taken to digitally reconstruct its dispersed components.
Read PDF on Zenodo | DOI:10.5281/zenodo.15926145

Title: The Whitney Hours. A Book of Hours, use of Rouen, with illuminated pearls and gems

pp. 52–61
Author: Nancy Impellizzeri (ORCID: 0000-0003-4695-1197)
Abstract: This contribution reconstructs the Whitney Hours, highlighting the artistic characteristics typical of Rouen production, including lavish depictions of pearls and gems, and tracing its modern dispersal.
Read PDF on Zenodo | DOI:10.5281/zenodo.15926145

Title: De Ponthieu Hours

pp. 62–71
Author: Carla Rossi (ORCID: 0000-0001-6557-3684)
Abstract: An analysis of the De Ponthieu Hours, reconstructing its iconographic programme and mapping its leaves scattered across institutions and private collections.
Read PDF on Zenodo | DOI:10.5281/zenodo.15926145

Title: The Franquelin-Croiset Hours

pp. 72–82
Author: Carla Rossi (ORCID: 0000-0001-6557-3684)
Abstract: The article reconstructs the Franquelin-Croiset Hours, examining stylistic features and evidence of ownership, and detailing the virtual reassembly process through digital tools.
Read PDF on Zenodo | DOI:10.5281/zenodo.15926145

Title: The Guyot Hours

pp. 83–88
Author: Michela Cicalini (ORCID: 0000-0001-7988-7254)
Abstract: A digital reconstruction of the Guyot Hours, focusing on stylistic elements, iconography, and the historical context of its creation and subsequent dispersal.
Read PDF on Zenodo | DOI:10.5281/zenodo.15926145

Title: The Book of Hours of Catherine Guernier

pp. 89–94
Author: Carla Rossi (ORCID: 0000-0001-6557-3684)
Abstract: A study dedicated to reconstructing the Book of Hours of Catherine Guernier, discussing its illuminated miniatures, liturgical content, and history of fragmentation and digital recovery.
Read PDF on Zenodo | DOI:10.5281/zenodo.15926145

Title: The Book of Hours of Jean and Marguerite De Poncy, illuminated by Henri d’Orquevaulx (1420–30)

pp. 95–99
Author: Carla Rossi (ORCID: 0000-0001-6557-3684)
Abstract: This essay explores the illuminated Book of Hours commissioned by Jean and Marguerite De Poncy, attributed to Henri d’Orquevaulx, and details the virtual reconstruction process of its scattered folios.
Read PDF on Zenodo | DOI:10.5281/zenodo.15926145

Title: The Book of Hours of Hélène de Fonsèque de Surgères

pp. 100–103
Author: Carla Rossi (ORCID: 0000-0001-6557-3684)
Abstract: A digital reassembly of the Book of Hours of Hélène de Fonsèque de Surgères, focusing on its unique iconographic programme and tracing its dismemberment and dispersal.
Read PDF on Zenodo | DOI:10.5281/zenodo.15926145

Title: Breaking addition. The retrieval of four further miniatures from a Spanish Book of Hours illuminated by P. J. Ballester

pp. 105
Author: Josefina Planas Badenas (ORCID:0000-0002-9922-4957) and Carla Rossi (ORCID: 0000-0001-6557-3684)
Abstract: This note reports the unexpected discovery and digital retrieval of four additional miniatures from a Spanish Book of Hours attributed to P. J. Ballester, expanding the scope of the current reconstruction project.
Read PDF on Zenodo | DOI:10.5281/zenodo.15926145