Lot Essay
This volume 'created' the science of Latin palaeography, rebutting the attitude towards mediveal documents shown by Papebroch, the editor of the Acta Sanctorum (lot 2). Diplomacy, chornology, numismatics were greatly affected by this work, and it earned a European reputation for Mabillon, a Benedictine of the congregation of St. Maur at St. Germain-des-Près. 'Even now Mabillon's method has been superseded only in details, chiefly due to the application of technical inventions such as photography' (cf. PMM)