The collections of the Museum of the Order of St John include a little known, but internationally significant and fascinating collection of early printed books and bound manuscripts. Thanks to a donation from a generous Museum supporter, this collection is the subject of an ongoing cataloguing project.

The Project Librarian, who has been immersed in the surprising texts and rare publications for several months now, has selected some of her favourite items to showcase in this exhibition.

 

This beautifully illuminated manuscript produced on vellum around the year 1631 in France describes the ceremony of joining the Order of St. John of Jerusalem in the 17^th century. The volume contains 19 watercolour illustrations, enclosed in double gilt borders, depicting each stage of the profession ceremony. The text on the opposite side of the illustrations is framed by red and blue lines and decorated with illuminated initials.

 

The last four leaves of the manuscript contain several pen and ink drawings of galleys and ships, presumably sketched by a former owner of the volume.

 

 

 

Also laid in at the end there is a folded coloured map of Malta and Gozo with numbered keys to various locations on the two islands.

 

The volume is bound in contemporary French calf, decorated with gold-stamped  fleur-de-lis decorations in the corners and a small rosette in the centre of both covers.

 

According to an inscription in French on the front pastedown, the book was first owned by Guillaume de Meaux, Seigneur de Boisboudran and Grand Prior of the Order of St John in France between 1629 and 1639: “Ce livre a apartenu a frère Guillaume de Meaux Boisboudran grand Prieur de France qui a esté 10 anée grand Prieur, et est mort le 2 octobre 1639”.

 

The Grand Prior’s beautifully coloured coat of arms are painted on a vellum leaf inserted at the beginning of the volume:

Another inscription on the first pastedown identifies the manuscript as no. 3955 on the sale catalogue of the library of books and manuscripts, many illuminated, founded by Henri François d’Aguesseau (1668-1751), Chancellor of France and a man who was pronounced by Voltaire to be “the most learned magistrate France ever possessed“.

The names of the other owners of the manuscript are not known but, according to our records, the volume was purchased for the Order of St John in 1934, from the booksellers Davis & Orioli in London, with funds donated by donated by Sir Charles Hyde (1876-1942), a philanthropist from Birmingham.

Click here to return to the exhibition homepage and choose another book in our collection to learn about.