Les reliures romanes de l’abbaye de Clairvaux

Abstract

Founded in 1115 by Saint Bernard, the abbey of Clairvaux’s library was amongst the richest of the Western world. The earliest manuscripts in the collection were the products of the abbey scriptorium with some external contributions. By the end of the century, Clairvaux held about 350 volumes, reaching 1,790 by 1472. Of the 1,115 manuscripts that remain, about 500, of which around 160 date from the so-called Romanesque period, retain their medieval bindings. While most of these bindings seem to have been made on site by the monks or lay brothers, some were imported and a series of twelve decorative bindings, which stand out from the sober monastic style, actually came from urban workshops. The main characteristics of Clairvaux’s bin¬ dings are their tab endbands, as well as the fine alum-tawed skin and their secondary covering, called a chemise, made of leather with hair left on. The nature of the skin used has long been a question. Traditionally described by cataloguers and historians as deer-or boar-skin, proteomics analysis helped to identify the animal species as seal (phoddae ).