This study investigates the manuscript acquisitions of Jean Hurault de Boistaillé (1517–1572), a French diplomat and bibliophile, with particular focus on the discrepancies between the declared and actual provenance of several Greek codices in his collection. While Hurault claimed to have obtained key manuscripts - most notably the Paris Psalter (Paris gr. 139) - directly from Constantinople, evidence reveals that these manuscripts actually came from Venetian and Florentine monastic libraries, such as those of San Zanipolo, Sant’Antonio di Castello, and San Marco (Florence). By analysing his acquisition notes, manuscript annotations, and contemporary inventory records, this paper demonstrates how Hurault deliberately obscured the origins of these manuscripts, likely to enhance their prestige or to cover questionable acquisition practices. This case study provides insight into the circulation of Greek manuscripts in Renaissance Europe, the role of intermediaries in their trade, and the complex intersection of diplomacy, scholarship, and bibliophilia in the formation of major European collections.
Gli acquisti costantinopolitani di Jean Hurault de Boistaillé: cenni sulla formazione di una biblioteca greca nell’Europa del Cinquecento
giacomelli
In corso di stampa
Abstract
This study investigates the manuscript acquisitions of Jean Hurault de Boistaillé (1517–1572), a French diplomat and bibliophile, with particular focus on the discrepancies between the declared and actual provenance of several Greek codices in his collection. While Hurault claimed to have obtained key manuscripts - most notably the Paris Psalter (Paris gr. 139) - directly from Constantinople, evidence reveals that these manuscripts actually came from Venetian and Florentine monastic libraries, such as those of San Zanipolo, Sant’Antonio di Castello, and San Marco (Florence). By analysing his acquisition notes, manuscript annotations, and contemporary inventory records, this paper demonstrates how Hurault deliberately obscured the origins of these manuscripts, likely to enhance their prestige or to cover questionable acquisition practices. This case study provides insight into the circulation of Greek manuscripts in Renaissance Europe, the role of intermediaries in their trade, and the complex intersection of diplomacy, scholarship, and bibliophilia in the formation of major European collections.
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