The Morgan Library

29 East 36th Street

New York, N.Y. 10016-3490

212.686.0610 - recorded information

General Description

The Morgan Library collection originated with the medieval and Renaissance manuscripts, rare books and fine bindings, autograpy manuscripts from English and American Literary greats and historical figures, and master drawings and prints collected by Pierpont Morgan (1837-1913), the great financier of turn-of-the-century America. In1890, Morgan began to assemble a collection that was to rival the great libraries of Europe, and within a decade, his holdings required a building of their own. The original library building, completed in1906, was designed by Charles McKim as a Renaissance-style palazzo of formal elegance and understated grandeur.

Hours

Tuesday through Friday, 10:30a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Saturday, 10:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Sunday, 12 noon to 6:00 p.m.

Closed Monday and holidays

Printed Books and Bindings

Diversity and quality have been hallmarks of this collection, which includes particularly fine examples from all periods but especially from fifteenth century. Among the highlights are three copies of the Gutenberg Bible and classic early children's books. The Library houses the country's most comprehensive collection of bookbindings from the seventh century to present.

Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts

Spanning some ten centuries of Western Illumination, the collection includes nearly 1,300 manuscripts as well as papyri. Notable are the ninth-century, bejeweled Lindau Gosples, the tenth-century Beatus, the Hours of Catherine of Cleves, and the celebrated Hours of Cardinal Alessandro Farnese, the best known Italian Renaissance manuscript.

Ancient Near Eastern Seals and Manuscripts

Engraved seals are among the smallest objects ever produced by sculptors. Generally only an inch in height, they were carved in great detail with simple tools on semiprecious stones. Through its extensive collection of seals and tablets, the Library can trace a continuous artistic sequence from the end of the fifth millennium B.C.E. to the time of the Persian Empire in the fifth century B.C.E.