Manuscript on parchment of Ambrose, 1) De paradiso. 2) De Cain et Abel. 3) Exhortatio virginitatis. 4) De institutione virginis. Written perhaps at the Cistercian abbey of Hautecombe to which it belonged.
Description:
Acquired from Maggs Bros. of London in 1957 by L. C. Witten, who sold it the same year to Thomas E. Marston., Binding: 1800-1810, Italy. Half bound with a brown calf spine and goatskin corners, bright pink paper sides and red edges. Three green, gold-tooled labels on the spine: "Manuscri," "S Ambrosi de Cain" and "Seculi XII". Bound in the same distinctive style as Marston MSS 50, 125, 128, 135, 151, 158, 159 and 197, all of Hautecombe provenance., Heavily stained but with no loss of text., Plain red initials, 6- to 4-line, with small "pearls" on the thin strokes of the letters, introduce each text. Headings in red. Instructions to rubricator and guide letters., and Script: Written by two scribes in late caroline minuscule. Scribe 1 (ff. 1r-61r): preference for uncial d, angular abbreviation strokes, and a slightly larger module of script than that used by Scribe 2 (ff. 61r-83r).
Subject (Name):
Cistercians
Subject (Topic):
Celibacy--Christianity, Fathers of the church, Manuscripts, Medieval--Connecticut--New Haven, Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts in Beinecke Library, and Theology--Early works to 1800
Manuscript on parchment of Ambrose, 1) De virginibus. 2) De virginitate. 3) (Incorrectly attributed) De lapsu virginis consecratae. 4) De viduis. 5) De institutione virginis. 6) De Helia et ieiunio. 7) De penitentia.
Description:
Acquired from Rousseau-Girard (Freres) of Paris in 1956 by L. C. Witten, who sold it in 1957 to Thomas E. Marston., Binding: Nineteenth century, France. Brown goatskin with the arms of comte Chandon de Briailles gold-tooled on both sides. Edges, headcaps, and doublures also gold-tooled., Illuminated title page, severely rubbed and stained, with full border, white vine-stem ornament on red, blue, green and gold ground with white dots, in inner border with ribbon interlace. In lower border wreathed medallion within narrow gold bands, supported by two haloed angels, one dressed in green, the other in red; central shield of medallion blank. Included in border are a standing and a seated putto. Historiated initial, 6-line, gold, with a portrait of St. Ambrose seated at a lectern and reading, against a blue sky. 8 illuminated initials, 5-line, in gold against blue, green and red grounds with white dots and white vine-stem ornament extending into the margins to form partial borders. Headings, running titles and foliation (Roman numerals), in red., Many pages stained with some loss of text; f. 220r-v mostly illegible., and Script: Written in bold humansitic cursive script that slopes toward the right by a single scribe, above top line.
Subject (Topic):
Celibacy--Christianity, Christian literature, Latin, Fathers of the church, Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Manuscripts, Medieval--Connecticut--New Haven, and Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts in Beinecke Library