Abstract
This short documentary aims to present the so-called colophons, i.e. scribal notes added at the ends of texts in medieval manuscripts. It highlights their typical features: dating, location, author's name or purpose of the inscription, but also some specific features; this is illustrated by the unique collection of colophons of the scribe Crux of Telč.
Crux of Telč (1434-1504) is rightly considered the most prolific scribe of the Bohemian late Middle Ages. He left behind dozens of volumes of manuscript books and thousands of copied pages of various contents reflecting his versatile interests. Modern scholars are fortunate that Crux's collection has survived almost intact, which is far from common for medieval book material.
The manuscripts of Crux have preserved not only valuable and unknown literary works, both Latin and Czech, but also biographical information about this remarkable scribe - in the colophons, of which there are about 150 in the entire collection. Thanks to this, we can follow our scribe on his life's journey, from his work in the lower schools of Central Bohemia, through his studies at the university, his ordination as a priest, to his entry into the Augustinian Canonry of Třeboň, where Crux spent the last twenty-five years of his life.
Sometimes, in his notes, Crux reveals more specific details of his life: for example, his friends or colleagues are named; a story from the scribe's youth is recalled, or his girlfriend, a widow whom he visited several times. Among other things, thanks to the dated colophons, researchers are able to calculate the speed of the scribe's work.
The colophons of Crux of Telč thus represent a unique prosopographical source offering insight into the life of a scribe, student and cleric in late medieval Bohemia.The film was produced as part of the exhibition The Ugly Manuscripts of Crux of Telč (1434-1504), the content of which complements.