Avicenna, 980-1037 Jābir ibn Ḥayyān Rāzī, Abū Bakr Muḥammad ibn Zakarīyā, 865?-925? Richard, de Fournival, fl. 1246-1260
Published / Created:
[ca. 1350]
Call Number:
Mellon MS 2
Image Count:
96
Resource Type:
Archives or Manuscripts
Abstract:
Manuscript on parchment of a collection of practical alchemies and procedures, the earliest such manuscript in the Mellon collection. Contains texts transmitted from Arabic sources and what appear to be European additions to the literature and practice of alchemy. Includes the following identifiable texts: Rasis or Aristotle, Lumen luminum perfecti magisterii; Avicenna, Epistola ad Hasen; Geber, Liber deitatis sive divinitatis and Summa perfectionis magisterii; Rasis, De aluminibus et salibus, extracts; and Richard de Fournival, Opus Arturi, or De arte alchemica. and The codex is an important, early, and comprehensive collection of largely practical alchemies and procedures. It is also of special significance both because of its early copies of texts transmitted from Arabic sources and for what appear to be very early, independent, European additions to the literature and practice of alchemy.
Description:
Alternating red and blue capitals throughout, some headings in red, many capitals stroked red, slight filiform decoration to opening initial of the volume, the rubrics and decoration probably by one of the scribes or another closely related hand., Binding: Early, probably 15th century. Undecorated red-dyed hide over beveled wooden boards, four brass edgepieces on each cover attached with brass nails, two brass catches on upper cover, lightly chased brass and leather clasps on lower cover (all of the material of cut sheet-brass), back with six raised bands, repaired and rebacked, with modern leather title label. Used as pastedowns inside upper and lower cover are two leaves from a 14th-century Germanic (perhaps Netherlandish) manuscript on parchment containing plainsong written in Germanic neumes on five-line staves, the text in Gothica textualis formata, large gothic capitals in red or blue, one at top of lower pastedown in black and red slightly decorated. In all the staves but the last on the lower pastedown the center-line is stroked red and bears the clef sign; in the last, the fourth line from the bottom has these indications., Pastedowns inside both covers are two leaves from a 14th-century Germanic (perhaps Netherlandish) manuscript on parchment containing plainsong written in Germanic neumes on five-line staves, the text in Gothica textualis formata, large gothic capitals in red or blue, one at top of lower pastedown in black and red slightly decorated., Possibly written by Frater Bartholomaeus (of?) Ol-----, 1335, according to a later note at foot of f. 88v, Script: Written by three scribes all using similar, legible, and rather cursive forms of Gothica textualis; the first scribe wrote ff. 1r-64v, the second ff. 65r-77r1, 38, and the third the remainder., Written by three scribes all using closely similar, legible, and rather cursive forms of Gothica textualis, heavily abbreviated with standard forms., and Written space 184 x 116, 2 columns, 50-49-48 lines each.
Subject (Name):
Avicenna, 980-1037, Bacon, Roger, 1214?-1294, Duveen, Denis I., bookplate, Geber, 13th cent. Summa perfectionis magisterii, Razi, Abu Bakr Muh ammad ibn Zakariya, 865?-925?, Richard, de Fournival, fl. 1246-1260, and Saumaise, Claude, 1588-1653, provenance
Subject (Topic):
Alchemy--Early works to 1800, Manuscripts, Medieval--Connecticut--New Haven, and Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts in Beinecke Library
Manuscript on parchment (goatskin) of 1) Raymundus Martini OP (c. 1215-after 1285), Capistrum Iudaeorum, composed c. 1267. 2) Nicolaus de Lyra (c. 1270-1349), Probatio adventus Christi, 2nd redaction, written 1331-1334. 3) Odo Biagi of Ancona (Odo Blasii de Ancona), Quaestiones de vera fide. A treatise addressed to the Jew A., a physician from Piceno, whom the author had met in Ancona the same year.
Description:
Binding: Nineteenth century. De luxe binding (loose) in Neo-Renaissance style: red morocco over cardboard, both covers richly gold-tooled; the turn-ins gold-tooled; the flat spine gold-tooled in five compartments, the second one bearing the inscription “NICOLAI / de / LYRA.” Grey marbled paper endleaves; gilt edges. A repair at the middle of the top of the front parchment flyleaf may indicate that the original binding was chained, the staple being fixed at the top of the front cover., Script: Copied by one hand writing Southern Gothica Textualis Libraria. In art. 1 the handwriting is larger and more careful, with fewer abbreviations, than in artt. 2-3., and Uniform decoration. Headings in red. Red stroking of majuscules. Numerous paragraph marks alternately red and blue. Alternately red and blue 2-line (rarely 3-line) flourished initials with penwork and more or less developed marginal extensions in the contrasting colour; up to f. 41v they have mostly a more developed pattern of penwork; towards the end of art. 3 they are only 1 line high; blue penwork of the initial on f. 31r is extremely pale. 2-3-line painted decorated initials with acanth extensions in the margins in art. 3 only. A 4-line historiated initial with acanths and gold balls in the margin at the opening of each art. At the top of the Genealogy of Christ on f. 94r two roundels containing the portraits of Abraham (“Abraam”) and David (“Davit”). There is a large drawing of a running bird in blue ink in the lower margin of f. 19r.
Subject (Name):
Martí, Ramón,--d. ca. 1286 and Nicholas,--of Lyra,--ca. 1270-1349
Subject (Topic):
Antisemitism, Christian literature, Latin (Medieval and modern), Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Manuscripts, Medieval--Connecticut--New Haven, and Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts in Beinecke Library
Binding: Eighteenth century. Rebound in brown cowhide (?), blind-tooled, with numerous metal bosses. Pastedowns from the same 17th-century antiphonary used as flyleaves., Script: Written in two sizes of round liturgical gothic script by several scribes: Scribe 1, ff. 1r-235r; Scribe 2, f. 235r-v, and Scribe 3, ff. 236r-245v., and Three fine historiated initials, 4- to 2-line, shaded pink and/or green, with blue, yellow, green and orange foliage and knots, with gold dots and orange frame; figures against blue ground. 3- to 2-line calligraphic initials, divided, red and blue with red penwork, with blue and red penwork flourishes. 1-line initials red or blue with blue or red penwork, sometimes with black and green; some initials with guide-letters in outer margin. 1-line initials with yellow. Square notes on 4-line red staves. Rubrics throughout, with notes to rubricator in margins. One very crude 4-line initial (s. xvii) on f. 1r, in red, yellow, blue, green and purple.
Subject (Name):
Catholic Church--Liturgy
Subject (Topic):
Antiphonaries, Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Manuscripts, Medieval--Connecticut--New Haven, and Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts in Beinecke Library
Manuscript on parchment of 3 liturgical rolls, containing Ambrosian Rite Antiphons for Rogation Days, with musical notation.
Subject (Name):
Catholic Church--Ambrosian rite
Subject (Topic):
Antiphonaries, Manuscripts, Medieval--Connecticut--New Haven, Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts in Beinecke Library, Music--500-1400, and Rogation days
Bible.--Latin--Versions, Bible--Paraphrases, Christian poetry, Latin (Medieval and modern), Manuscripts, Medieval--Connecticut--New Haven, and Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts in Beinecke Library
Manuscript on parchment, composed of three parts, of Petrus Riga, Aurora, Biblia Versificata (a Latin verse translation of the Bible). Parts I and III in the same format and possibly from the same manuscript.
Description:
Binding: Nineteenth century, Belgium. Tan calf over wooden boards, blind-tooled with the Arenberg arms on the sides. Title on spine: "Sacrae Scripturae excerptae/ Circa 1225-50". Remains of old fore-edge tabs., Parts I and III: Red initials, plain or with modest designs throughout. Headings in red often added to right of text. First letter of each verse stroked in red or ochre, often by drawing a single line the length of the written space. Part II: Plain initials and headings in red throughout., Presented by Otto Rauschberg in 1956 to Thomas E. Marston., and Script: Parts I and III (ff. 1-72 and 113-136): Copied by multiple scribes in small gothic bookhand, with first letter of each verse usually aligned on the second vertical bounding line. Part II (ff. 73-112): Written by multiple scribes in a larger module and a neater gothic script than that in Parts I and III; each verse is justified by the placement of the final letter along outer vertical ruling. Script has often been retraced.
Subject (Name):
Peter Riga,--ca. 1140-1209
Subject (Topic):
Bible.--Latin--Versions, Latin poetry, Medieval and modern, Manuscripts, Medieval--Connecticut--New Haven, and Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts in Beinecke Library
Manuscript on parchment of Lucan, Bellum civile, with scholia. Preceded by Epitaphium Lucani, 4 lines only.
Description:
Binding: Nineteenth century. Light brown pigskin, blind-tooled, with brass fastenings., Decorative initials, red or blue, 12- to 4-line, with simple designs in opposite color, for each book. Rubrics added sporadically. Plan of Brindisi appears in the margin of f. 15v (II.610) to illustrate Caesar's siege of the city; on f. 47v is a schematic circular drawing of Paulus in the center, surrounded by Pelion, Ossa, Otrix, Pindus and Olympus., Rubbing, staining, trimming of leaves, and worm holes result in some loss of text and scholia., and Script: Main text written above and below top line in a small early gothic bookhand by two scribes. Scribe 1) ff. 1r-37r; Scribe 2) ff. 37v-91v. First letter of each verse written to left of text between double rulings or on middle of three rulings; right-hand margin justified. Scholia, primarily at beginning of codex, written in a contemporary hand.
Subject (Geographic):
Rome--History
Subject (Name):
Lucan,--39-65
Subject (Topic):
Historical poetry, Latin, Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Manuscripts, Medieval--Connecticut--New Haven, Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts in Beinecke Library, and Scholia
Manuscript on parchment (trimmed). and On fol. 260v: historiated initial of King David and a carillon of three bells and clappers.
Description:
Evidence of heavy use in the 14th through 16th centuries includes marginal notes of an early corrector (e. g. "hunc prologum non correxi quia non inueni correctum" on f. 182r and "Quidam non hunc istum uersum" on f. 539v).
Subject (Topic):
Bible.--Latin--Versions, Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Manuscripts, Medieval--Connecticut--New Haven, and Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts in Beinecke Library