Weiner (Gerald and Barbara) collection of Ethiopic manuscripts, ca. 1600-1960

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Summary

Title:
Gerald and Barbara Weiner collection of Ethiopic manuscripts
Dates:
ca. 1600-1960
Creators:
Weiner, Gerald.
Abstract:
A collection of 239 Ethiopic manuscripts (137 bound volumes and 102 scrolls), on vellum, dated ca. 1600 - 1960. The collection consists of religious and liturgical works used in the Ethiopian Christian tradition. The majority of the texts were written in the Ge'ez script, a classical form of calligraphic lettering that is related to the Amharic language.
Extent:
45 boxes (ca. 28.5 linear ft.) 12 oversize boxes
Language:
Finding aid is written in English.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Gerald and Barbara Weiner collection of Ethiopic Manuscripts (Collection 1874). Department of Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, UCLA.

Background

Scope and content:

The collection consists of 239 Ethiopic manuscripts, including 137 bound volumes and 102 scrolls. The chronological range of the collection spans from the seventeenth to the twentieth century, with the majority of the items being produced in the late 1800s through the mid-1900s. The various genres of these texts are principally religious and liturgical, including the Gospels, psalters, missals, homiliaries, antiphonaries, and hagiographic works. The texts are used in the services of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. The scrolls contain various magical prayers believed to have protective and/or curative effects. Nearly all of the manuscripts in the collection include a combination of hand-painted illustrations, annotations, and ornamental bindings that have been decorated with fabrics, or with inset, hand-sculpted figurines. A number of the bound manuscripts are housed in handcrafted leather carrying cases. Two of the manuscripts have accordion bindings. Among the languages included are Ge'ez, Amharic, and Arabic.

Acquisition information:
Gift of Gerald A. and Barbara Weiner, November 22, 2010.
Arrangement:

The items are organized by format, manuscripts and scrolls.

Physical location:
Stored off-site at SRLF. Advance notice is required for access to the collection. Please contact the UCLA Library, Department of Special Collections Reference Desk for paging information.
Rules or conventions:
Finding aid prepared using Describing Archives: a Content Standard

Indexed terms

Subjects:
Manuscripts, Ethiopic.

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:
Processed by UCLA Library Special Collections staff; Front matter by Jesse Erickson; machine-readable finding aid created by Caroline Cubé.
Date Prepared:
© 2011
Date Encoded:
Machine-readable finding aid derived from database containing container list structure and data, encoding added via MS Access and Notetab Pro; Date of source: 2011; frontmatter gathered MS Word document. Supplementary encoding and revision supplied by Caroline Cubé.

Access and use

Restrictions:

COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE AT SRLF: Open for research. Advance notice required for access. Contact the UCLA Library, Department of Special Collections Reference Desk for paging information.

Terms of access:

Property rights to the physical object belong to the UCLA Library, Department of Special Collections. Literary rights, including copyright, are retained by the creators and their heirs. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright and pursue the copyright owner or his or her heir for permission to publish where The UC Regents do not hold the copyright.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Gerald and Barbara Weiner collection of Ethiopic Manuscripts (Collection 1874). Department of Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, UCLA.

Location of this collection:
A1713 Charles E. Young Research Library
Box 951575
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1575, US
Contact:
(310) 825-4988
AskLSC@library.ucla.edu
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