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

Summary

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.

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

Related resources

Other descriptive data:

Digital images of the manuscripts and scrolls in this collection can be accessed online from The Ethiopian Manuscript Imaging Project (EMIP), an online resource developed in the Spring of 2005 by Steve Delamarter with the mission to help preserve images of Ethiopia 's manuscript heritage and make them available for scholarly study. EMIP is made available through Vivarium, a searchable database delivering a variety of digital objects, created and maintained by the Hill Museum & Manuscript Library.

To search for a specific manuscript or scroll in the Gerald and Barbara Weiner Ethiopic manuscript collection, search the EMIP site http://www.hmml.org/vivarium/sgd.htm by entering keywords in the search box.

Example:

• Weiner Codex 4
• Weiner Magic Scroll 75

Indexed terms

Subjects:

Manuscripts, Ethiopic.

Location of this collection:

UCLA, Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library

A1713 Charles E. Young Research Library

Box 951575

Los Angeles, CA 90095-1575, US

Contact:

(310) 825-4988

AskLSC@library.ucla.edu

Website