Fellowship Report
Catalogue of Greek Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts in the Collections of the United States of America
Nadezhda F. Kavrus-Hoffmann, Glenmont, NY
Fellow 2007/08
During my four-month fall fellowship term I made considerable progress on my Catalogue of Greek Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts in the Collections of the United States of America. Specifically, I accomplished the following:
- Researched and wrote final catalogue entries for Part Ⅳ, "The Pierpont Morgan Library, Greek manuscripts M.340–M.647," to be published in Manuscripta 52:1 (2008).
- Researched and wrote draft catalogue entries for Part Ⅴ, "The Pierpont Morgan Library, Greek manuscripts M.652–M.874," to be published in Manuscripta 52:2 (2008).
- Researched and wrote an innovative article, "Two Solar Eclipses and the Date and Localization of the Kerasous Gospels from the Pierpont Morgan Library," to be published in Nea Rhome (2008).
- Visited the National Library of Medicine in Bethesda, discovered two manuscripts that have never been catalogued before, and did all necessary research for catalogue entries of these manuscripts.
The Dumbarton Oaks Research Library was invaluable for my research. For example, new albums of sacred objects included manuscripts from St. Catherine Monastery in Sinai, Vatopedi and Protaton monasteries in Mount Athos, and Byzantine Calabria, and such sources helped me to date, localize, and identify scribes or artists in manuscripts from American collections. New albums of watermarks included R. Stanković, Filigranoshki Opis I Album (Sofia, 2006), which I could not find in any other library and which helped me to date several manuscripts more precisely. And, in addition to Dumbarton Oaks' many rare books and journals, its fine collection of microfilms of Greek manuscripts and new manuscript scanner were very useful.
I have accepted a one-year fellowship from the National Endowment for the Humanities (beginning July 1, 2008), which will enable me to continue the long-term project I worked on during my stay at Dumbarton Oaks.
Personal Comments
I enjoyed my term at Dumbarton Oaks very much. I have exceptionally good feelings about the Byzantine studies fellows—we became really close and will certainly keep up personally and professionally. The friendly and warm atmosphere and the fellows' willingness and ability to help one another added greatly to my pleasant experience and research productivity.
I especially liked my comfortable and conveniently located office in the Library, where I was able to work extremely efficiently, with all the books and journals I needed at my fingertips. I also appreciated the library staff members who worked hard to rush-catalogue and bring books to my office, to find missing books, and to deliver books ordered through Interlibrary Loan. And librarians taught me how to use new scanners and other equipment.
I very much liked all of the Greek seminars and many of the lectures by Byzantine and other scholars. I also appreciated an opportunity to consult Prof. Irfan Shahid on Arabic notes in some of the Greek manuscripts in the Pierpont Morgan Library collection.
My apartment in La Quercia was in the basement but was recently renovated, and Mario Garcia was very helpful in fixing small problems.
I looked forward to the company of fellows and staff during lunches—the Refectory helped us to get to know each other much better. The food, however, could have been more nutritious and varied.
Finally, I greatly appreciated the gardens, concerts, receptions, and dinners. I am especially grateful to Alice-Mary and Bill Talbot for inviting us to their home for Thanksgiving dinner and to Jan and Liz Ziolkowsky for a very enjoyable evening at their home.