{"id":4936,"date":"2024-09-28T11:10:20","date_gmt":"2024-09-28T15:10:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/libapps.libraries.uc.edu\/thepreservationlab\/?p=4936"},"modified":"2024-11-01T16:43:37","modified_gmt":"2024-11-01T20:43:37","slug":"otto-ege","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/libapps.libraries.uc.edu\/thepreservationlab\/2024\/09\/otto-ege","title":{"rendered":"Otto Ege: Villain or Hero?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Introduction<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Otto Ege (1888-1951) was a real-life figure known for his involvement in the dispersal of medieval manuscripts. Whether he is considered a villain or a hero depends on the perspective and context in which his actions are viewed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ege was a book dealer and collector who gained notoriety for breaking apart medieval manuscripts and selling individual leaves or pages to collectors and institutions. He would disassemble bound illuminated manuscripts and sell them as separate pieces or as a collection of works, thereby dispersing the original works.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Otto
Original portfolio case<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\"Otto
Leaf from 12th century manuscript bible<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\"Otto
Leaf from 12th century Armenian bible<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

This is one of four Otto F. Ege collections owned by the Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library before treatment.  It is titled Original Leaves from Famous Bibles, Nine Centuries 1121-1935 AD<\/em> (call number R090 ffB582).  It came to the lab for better long term storage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Villain<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

From the perspective of some scholars and conservators, Ege’s actions are viewed as unethical today. By breaking up unique historic manuscripts, he caused irreparable damage to the cultural, historical, and scholarly heritage they represented. The dispersal of these manuscripts makes it challenging for researchers to study them as cohesive and complete works, leading to a loss of valuable historical information and artistic context. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hero<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

On the other hand, some might argue that Ege’s actions had positive effects. By selling individual leaves, he made rare and exquisite artworks more accessible to a broader audience, including institutions and collectors who might not have been able to afford an entire manuscript. This enabled more people to appreciate the beauty and artistry of these ancient texts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Otto Ege’s legacy is a complex one, and opinions about him vary widely. However, it is essential to note that Ege’s actions occurred in a different time when the appreciation for medieval manuscripts as complete works of art was not as prevalent as it is today. Modern views on preservation and the importance of maintaining cultural heritage have evolved significantly. Ultimately, his actions highlight the ethical and moral dilemmas surrounding cultural heritage and the need for responsible stewardship of historically significant artifacts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Treatment and Storage of the Public Library’s Collections<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Public Library owns four collections by Ege. Each have been receiving treatment to better improve their long-term storage. After the smaller collections received successful treatment<\/a>, this larger collection followed suite. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Treatment<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In their original format, the manuscript leaves were hinged to floppy paper folders with windows cut out for viewing. The original hinges were thick cloth, and in many cases, no longer functioning as the hinges became stuck in place. This prevented viewing the backs of the materials. The flexible folders overtime became U-shaped and were in need of supports to keep materials planar, especially during handling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Individual leaves were unmounted from the original paper folders and re-hinged with kozo tissue and wheat starch paste onto archival 2 ply mat board supports. The mat board supports were then placed within the paper folders. Unbuffered interleaving tissue was then added between the manuscript and the folder window for long term storage to prevent the edges of the window from catching or rubbing onto the objects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Otto
Armenian manuscript hinged to 2ply mat board support, stored within the original paper folder<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\"Otto
The backs are now viewable!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\"Otto
Interleaving tissue protects the face of the manuscripts from rubbing along the edges of the windows<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Storage<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While other collections were retained within their original enclosures with a protective chemise, this portfolio was acidic and deformed with broken ties, so two new corrugated banker’s boxes were created to retain the original enclosure and store the manuscripts separately.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Otto<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
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\"Otto<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Otto<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Additional Resources<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Public Library also owns Ege collections titled Fifty Original Leaves from Medieval Manuscript Western Europe: XII\u2010XVI century<\/em> (call number R096.1 ffF469), Fifteen original oriental manuscript leaves of six centuries <\/em>(call number 096.1 ffF469f), and Original Leaves from Famous Books, Eight Centuries 1240 A.D. \u2013 1923 A.D. <\/em>(call number R094 ff069). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The collection Fifty Original Leaves from Medieval Manuscripts<\/em> is digitized and is available online<\/a> in the digital library.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are also multiple copies of the printed pamphlet by Otto Ege titled Pre\u2010Alphabet days<\/strong>. Interestingly, Genealogy and Local History own two copies in different formats. One copy is a cased\u2010in hardback with a single sewn gathering while the other copy is a single gathering pamphlet sewn into a paper case. Both pamphlets are original formats that would have been offered to buyers at different price points!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you’re interested in further treatment details, check out our treatment reports<\/a> on the Digital Resource Commons by searching for Otto Ege. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ashleigh Ferguson Schieszer [CHPL] – Special Collections Conservator, Lab Manager<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Introduction Otto Ege (1888-1951) was a real-life figure known for his involvement in the dispersal of medieval manuscripts. Whether he is considered a villain or a hero depends on the perspective and context in which his actions are viewed. Ege was a book dealer and collector who gained notoriety for breaking apart medieval manuscripts and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[371,3,4,6,7],"tags":[37,59,541],"class_list":["post-4936","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-book-arts","category-collection_care","category-enclosures","category-paper","category-parchments","tag-ashleigh-schieszer","tag-cincinnati-and-hamilton-county-public-library","tag-otto-ege"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/libapps.libraries.uc.edu\/thepreservationlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4936","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/libapps.libraries.uc.edu\/thepreservationlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/libapps.libraries.uc.edu\/thepreservationlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/libapps.libraries.uc.edu\/thepreservationlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/libapps.libraries.uc.edu\/thepreservationlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4936"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/libapps.libraries.uc.edu\/thepreservationlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4936\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5166,"href":"https:\/\/libapps.libraries.uc.edu\/thepreservationlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4936\/revisions\/5166"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/libapps.libraries.uc.edu\/thepreservationlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4936"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/libapps.libraries.uc.edu\/thepreservationlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4936"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/libapps.libraries.uc.edu\/thepreservationlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4936"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}