Fascinating and carefully executed manuscript, in a beautiful and very neat script, presenting the Lords prayer in no fewer than 70 different languages and dialects. The collection was assembled by Ludwig (Ludevicus) Itzig, whose name appears prominently on the title page.
Particularly noteworthy is the inclusion of a version in a Native American (Algonquian) language, identified as "Virginiana", a designation historically used for languages of the eastern seaboard of North America. Alongside this are translations into several archaic and early languages, including Anglo-Saxon, underscoring the manuscripts breadth and its engagement with both ancient and contemporary linguistic traditions.
The manuscript is of distinguished provenance. It originates from the Royal Library of Hanover, as confirmed by the library stamp of Ernest Augustus (1771-1851), King of Hanover, on the verso of the title. Ernest Augustus, the fifth son of George III of Great Britain (1738-1820), was known in England as Duke of Cumberland and ascended the Hanoverian throne in 1837, following the death of William IV (1765-1837), as Queen Victoria (1819-1901) was barred from succession under Salic Law.
Ernest Augustus was an avid bibliophile, and the present work formed part of his Royal Private Library, later known as the Königliche Ernst August-Fideikommiss-Bibliothek. This collection, assembled initially in London and Berlin and later transferred to Hanover, was strictly private and accessible only to members of the royal household and court. Its holdings expanded significantly through inheritance and targeted acquisition, eventually numbering tens of thousands of works across theology, philology, history, music, and the arts.
After the annexation of the Kingdom of Hanover by Prussia in 1866, the library was preserved as the entailed property of the House of Hanover and transferred to Gmunden, Austria. Parts of the library were dispersed in major auctions in Hamburg in 1970 and 1971.
With a small manuscript (shelfmark?) annotation on the marbled paper slipcase, the red library stamp of Ernest Augustus, King of Hanover, on the verso of the title page, the spine shows some slight wear near the ends and corners. Otherwise in very good condition. No copies recorded in bibliographies and reference literature.