Mystery Manuscript Baffles Collectors

Rob Taormina knows he has hold of something good, but he’s not certain how good. He thinks it could be the "best find of the decade" within the field of book and manuscript antiquities. Taormina, a New York book collector and dealer, managed to run across a 13th century illuminated manuscript -- a vellum covered manuscript with several bright colorful pages. Historically, the document is linked to the Roman Catholic church. It makes references to Aristotle, Plutarch and other great thinkers of the period. The subject of the manuscript, seemingly written by an intellectual within the church, makes the argument that poetry has a higher, moral purpose. This could be the earliest reformation mss with secular references.

New York, NY (PRWEB) August 27, 2006 -- Rob Taormina knows he has hold of something good, but he’s not certain how good. He thinks it could be the "best find of the decade" within the field of book and manuscript antiquities. Taormina, a New York book collector and dealer, managed to run across a 13th century illuminated manuscript -- a vellum covered manuscript with several bright colorful pages. Historically, the document is linked to the Roman Catholic church. It makes references to Aristotle, Plutarch and other great thinkers of the period. The subject of the manuscript, seemingly written by an intellectual within the church, makes the argument that poetry has a higher, moral purpose.

At this point, though, very little is known about the author and the purpose of the manuscript. Entitled "In Praise of Poetry by Nichasius," Taormina does not know much about the book. He maintains that several revered institutions have an interest in researching the book, including Oxford University in London, and Columbia University and the Morgan Library and Museum, both of New York. The manuscript is everything that it is purported to be, according to Roger Wieck, who as curator of medieval and Renaissance manuscripts at the Morgan Library and Museum, has seen the document. The trouble is no one knows who Nichasius was, or how he figures into history.

"The illuminations are wonderful ... it does date from the late 12th century or early 13th century, and it probably came from the Netherlands or Flanders," Wieck said. "That’s exactly what I know. We have no idea who this shadowy figure of Nichasius is."

Through his research, Wieck was able to establish a partial provenance for the manuscript dating back to a 1936 sale at Sotheby’s in London. At the time of the sale, the manuscript was part of a highly important collection of the personal library of an Amsterdam book and art collector and dealer. During the three-day sale, the book sold for 78 pounds.

"That’s about half the price of a house back then," said Taormina’s partner, Daniel Buttafuoco, a New York attorney who collects high-end religious publications. Buttafuoco and Taormina bought the manuscript from a Long Island book and document dealer. They paid $175,000 for the manuscript, in addition to another $175,000 for a Bible dating to 1083. The only reason they purchased the older Bible was to obtain the Nichasius manuscript at a more reasonable rate, Buttafuoco said. "When I saw it, I jumped all over it," Buttafuoco, who is also president and founder of the Historical Bible Society, said. "I believe it’s one of the most important manuscripts to have been unearthed in years ... this is as good as it gets ... absolutely, it could be worth millions of dollars."

"I was awestruck when I first saw it," Taormina said. "I just felt honored to hold it. It felt like I was in presence of something very special. It appears to be a complete manuscript and it’s just beautiful -- in impeccable condition. This could be an extremely, extremely important find."

It appears from research that Nichasius may have been commissioned by Bishop William of Utrecht to write the manuscript. There is an illumination within the manuscript that shows the author presenting the document to the Bishop. Bishop William was elected to his papal post in 1295 and was killed in battle in 1301, narrowing the window of authorship. After getting the text translated by a graduate student in Latin, Nichasius argues In Praise of Poetry that poetry is a gift of God to uplift the human soul. In almost completely secular language, he makes several references to Aristotle, Plutarch and other great minds leading up to the 13th century.

"I’d like to see scholars get interested in this," Buttafuoco said. "It’s just phenomenal. It could change how scholars view the Middle Ages. Nothing has been written about Nichasius, but he must have been very learned, in the classics. It could open up a whole new world of study." Buttafuoco and Taormina maintain they are not interested in selling the manuscript at this point. Both have said they are entertaining the thoughts of donating it to a museum or institution of higher learning. Several institutions, including the University of Chicago, have expressed great interest in the manuscript, according to the pair.

The seller of the manuscript, David Waxman of Great Neck, N.Y., also believes the manuscript warrants further study. "It belongs in a university," Waxman, who deals in rare manuscripts and books of intellectual substance, said. "It would be major plum for any university collection ... here you have a contemporary of Dante ... the significance you have here is a churchman writing about poetry and the values of poetry having a moral lesson." Waxman said he purchased the manuscript at auction "several years ago.” "Unfortunately, I’m in a business," he said. "I’ve loved and admired this manuscript for years, but sometimes you have to kiss the joy as it flies. If I were a Rockefeller or a Getty, there’s no question that I would still have the manuscript. But, I think it’s in very good hands now."

Both the former owner and current owners of the manuscript contend it has an innate beauty beyond its wordy substance. "Other than the translation, it’s a very beautiful manuscript," Buttafuoco said. "It’s in great condition, and even has an obsolete musical instrument portrayed in the front. We’re still in the process of learning more about the document. I would be more than willing to donate it to a worthy institution just to see it get the attention it deserves."

Contact: (516) 902-9791

www.NehushtanAntiques.com

Eric C. Rodenberg

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