Manuscript fragment on parchment of Heinrich Seuse's Buchlein der Ewigen Weisheit; this is among the earliest known copies of the work and is written in a transitional dialect between Swabian and Alemannic
Description:
In Middle High German., Script: written in gothic script (littera textualis)., and Decoration: 3-line initials at the beginning of chapters are in red; 1-line initials are in black highlighted with red; rubrics are written in red in the same script as the text; punctuated with the punctus and virgule.
Manuscript on parchment (thick, stiff) of 1) Record of those for whom memorial prayers were to be said during November, divided into 6 estaciones, with a total of 501 memoriae. The place where the prayer is to be said is often given; from those mentioned, the church in question can be identified as the Cathedral of Cordoba. Still at the Cathedral in 1625, when memoriae for Don Diego de Mardones were added. 2) Prayers for the Dead
Description:
In Latin and Spanish., Script: Written by a single scribe in rotunda, very well executed, with additions at end of estaciones in rotunda and humanistic script, by later hands., Initials, ff. 20r-21v (2-line), in alternating red with purple penwork and blue with red penwork. 1-line capitals sometimes have yellow wash. Rubrics in orange-tinted red, paragraph marks in blue. Added memoriae for Don Diego de Mardones have elaborate penwork cadeaux at the beginning., Offset impression of red lines (from pastedowns or flyleaves now lost?) appear on ff. 1r (running vertically) and 21v (horizontally); no loss of text., and Binding: Sixteenth century. Resewn on three small, vegetable fiber supports laced into wooden boards. The spine is square and lined with vellum between the supports. Covered in tan sheepskin blind-tooled with a floral roll border and arabesques in the center. A paper label on the upper cover: "Noviembre." Rebacked.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut, New Haven., and Córdoba (Spain)
Subject (Name):
Catholic Church
Subject (Topic):
Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval and Manuscripts, Medieval
Manuscript on parchment (trimmed) of a Book of Hours, use of Paris. Includes a Full calendar, Fifteen Joys of the Virgin, Seven Requests, and a sonnet, all in French
Description:
In Latin and French., Script: Written in Gothic bookhand., Sixteen miniatures from the workshops of the Lucon Master and the Master of the Duke of Bedford, in blue, pink, and gold arched frames, some with cusping. Each miniature with a lavish acanthus border incorporating arms on ff. 77r and 93r. Text pages with a 3/4 bar border, pink, blue and gold, with interlace knots at corners and terminals and delicate rinceaux, in two sizes on different folios. 3-line initials at text opening, two historiated: f. 77r and f. 93r; f. 51r with a blue and gold diapered ground; the remainder, blue with white highlights or in pink and blue acanthus filled with ivy, with blue and orange leaves, on gold, against pink, blue and/or gold grounds with white filigree; framed in gold, often with small ivy or acanthus serifs. 4- to 2-line initials in text and KL monograms, pink or blue with white highlights, filled with ivy, as above. 1-line initials blue, pink and gold with white filigree. Line endings, blue, pink and gold, three (ff. 57r, 102r, 102v) signed by Petrus Gilberti, known to have signed line-endings in at least four other manuscripts. Rubrics throughout., and Binding: 18th-19th centuries. Gilt edges. Red velvet with a silver fastening and a silver medallion, with unidentified male figure preaching, in center of upper board.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Catholic Church
Subject (Topic):
Books of hours, Devotional literature, French, Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, and Manuscripts, Medieval
Manuscript on parchment (poor quality: many ends, some stitched pieces; trimmed) of Suffrages and Prayers. Reputed to have been made for Marguerite de Valois, duchess of Savoy (1523-74), though there is no evidence of this within the manuscript
Description:
In Latin and French., Script: Written in batarde by several persons., Forty-six miniatures of very poor quality, the majority 10- to 8-lines, rectangular and full width of folio, framed in brown ink; four others (ff. 42v, 53r, 73v, and 104v) 5- to 4-lines, square, in gold frames edged in blue. 4- to 3-lines initials, ff. 1r-7v only, silver or gold on magenta or blue irregular grounds, with gold or silver filigree. 2- and 1-lines initials in red. Line-fillers in red and brown floral patterns. Rubrics throughout., and Binding: 16th-17th centuries. Resewn on four very small vegetable fiber cords. The spine of the cover shows that the earlier supports were nearly flat and double and that there were two half-bands near head and tail. Red edges. Covered in yellow/brown calf, blind-tooled with a central panel filled with strap work inside floral borders. A rectangle of leather near the center is painted red and "Margveritte de Savoye" is tooled near the head of the lower board. The cover has been made into a case or hollow-backed binding.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Catholic Church
Subject (Topic):
Devotional literature, French, Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, and Manuscripts, Medieval
Manuscript on parchment of prayers for priest and bishop to say before and during Mass
Description:
In Latin., Script: Written in imitation of Roman font, upper and lower case, with cursive for headings and rubrics, by N. Jarry in Paris, 1649., Title page (p. 1), p. 31 (Gratiarum actio) and p. 40 (orationes) with finely executed headpieces and 3- or 2-line initials, gold edged in red, with flowers. 2-line initials gold edged in red or blue; 1-line initials in red. Running titles and headings in red. On p. 73 a monogram that incorporates the alphabet inside a wreath tied with a pink ribbon., and Binding: 17th-18th centuries. Red goatskin, gold-tooled, with two gold-plated clasps which may be later additions. Gilt edges.
Manuscript on paper and parchment, heavily illuminated (trimmed), of Devotions to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Written in Cologne/Lower Rhine (Ripuarian language area) for Augustinian use
Description:
In German and Latin., Watermarks: similar to Briquet Armoiries 1656., Script: Text written in varying bookhands, most with batarde influence; more formal scripts for some rubrics and portions of text on parchment., Two historiated initials, 12- and 10-line, on parchment bifolios, the letters gold and blue with brown and red penwork, the figures crudely drawn in pen and colored brown, blue and green, against bright red grounds with white highlights; brown and red calligraphic flourishes with red, green, blue and yellow dots extending along upper and side edges of written space. 12-, 10-, and 9-line initials (ff. 13r, 96r, 115r, 179r, 222r, 258r, 322v) gold (or red for ff. 258r, 322v) and blue, filled with brown floral penwork designs with calligraphic flourishes and dots, as above. Floral borders for each 12- through 9-line initial (except ff. 15r and 258r), red, blue, and green flowers with gold dot centers, connected by brown ink stems, arranged in rows or spirals; ff. 13r and 84v with a vase and bird in the margins. Two 9-line initials, ff. 274r and 298r, on parchment bifolios, in a markedly different style, green and blue respectively, with yellow and white highlights, against gold grounds, filled on f. 274r with a large flower, blue and red, on f. 298r with short sections of curling pink and green acanthus. Borders large blue or red flowers with gold dots and centers or short sections of blue and red acanthus on spiraling brown stems with small green teardrop leaves. Numerous 7- through 2-line initials, red and/or blue, with brown penwork and flourishes, as above. I-initials, up to 13-line, red or blue throughout. Some capital W's in text in blue or red. 2-line KL monograms, alternating red and blue. Some portions of the text, including proper names, underlined in red. Notes for rubricator in gutter, perpendicular to text., and Binding: Sixteenth century. Original sewing on four supports attached to wooden boards. Covered in dark brown calf with corner turn-in tongues. Blind-tooled with concentric borders, an X, roses and small flowers in the central panel, roses and rampant lions in the outer borders. Two clasp-and-catch fastenings, the catch on the upper board. Rebacked and the endbands probably added. Straps replaced. Covers lined with fragments of unidentified scientific text, in Latin (15th century).
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Mary, Blessed Virgin, Saint, Augustinians., and Catholic Church
Subject (Topic):
Devotion to., Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, and Manuscripts, Medieval
In Latin., Script: copied by one hand in Northern Gothica Textualis Formata, in two sizes., Rich decoration: 1-line versals and 2-line initials, both of the dentelle type; 2-line KL-monograms of the same type in the Calendar. Floral outer margin borders normally on the pages with 2-line initials. Four-margins borders and miniatures above 3 lines of text opening with a 3-line foliate initial, on ff. 13r (Annuntiation), 25r (Visitation), 38r (Crucifixion), 39v (Pentecost), 41r (Nativity), 46r (Annuntiation to the Shepherds), 50r (Adoration of the Magi), 58v (Flight into Egypt), 65r (Coronation of the Virgin), 76r (Saint John on Patmos), 99r (Funeral mass). The miniatures are rounded at the top. The borders contain acanths and a multitude of gold vine and other leaves, flowers, animals, hybrids and monsters. The artist is said to be Péronet Lamy, an illuminator in the service of the Dukes of Savoy in the second quarter of the fifteenth century., and Binding: contemporary binding: brown calf over rounded wooden boards. Both covers entirely blind-tooled with rows of juxtaposed stamps: monkeys and fleurs-de-lys in the central panel; rosettes and phoenix(?) in the frame. Clasps missing.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Catholic Church
Subject (Topic):
Books of hours, Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, and Manuscripts, Medieval
In Low German., Script: Written in a neat batarde by two scribes: Scribe 1, ff. 1r-17v; Scribe 2, ff. 19r-186r., Fourteen good full-page miniatures of typical Southern Netherlandish production of the late 15th century. The miniatures (except those on ff. 1v, 18v, 159r) are painted over ruling for a normal text page and are set in wide arched frames of gold and black, within a full border of blue, gold, pink, and pale orange acanthus leaves, with red, purple, and blue flowers. Illuminated initials, 7-, 5-, or 4-line, with full borders on ff. 1r, 96r, 127r, 146r, 158r, 166r, and 177r: blue with white highlights filled with red, blue, and green trilobe leaves on a gold ground, borders as for miniatures. The text is set off from the border by a narrow black, gold, white, and red frame not joined to the initial. Nine illuminated initials, 5- or 4-line, with three-quarter borders: gold on pink and blue, with white highlights, borders as for miniatures. 6-, 5-, 3-, and 2-line initials in gold on pink and blue, with white highlights; black ink hair-spray, with gold trilobe leaves and flowers, attached. 1-line initials in blue with red penwork or gold with black penwork; within the text, a black initial occasionally marked with a red stroke. Line-fillers in Litany only; leaves, cables, oblique lines with dots attached, etc., in blue or gold. Rubrics in orange-tinted red or crimson., and Binding: Seventeenth century. Resewn on three twisted vegetable fiber cores laced into wooden boards. The colored, beaded endbands are embroidered on a piece of material, probably parchment, which extends to the outside of the boards. The spine is round and lined with parchment; the edges gilt and with a faintly discernable honeycomb pattern. Covered in light brown calf, extensively gold-tooled. There are two fastenings, the catches on the upper board, brass clasps attached to leather straps which are nailed to the lower board through metal plates. The lower joint has cracked and all the spine leather is detached from the bookblock, giving the effect of a case binding.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Catholic Church
Subject (Topic):
Books of hours, Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, and Manuscripts, Medieval
Manuscript fragment on parchment of the Penitential Psalms (incomplete), probably written as part of a Book of Hours
Description:
In Latin., Script: Written by a single scribe in liturgical gothic script., Carefully executed initials, 3-line, on blue or pink rectangles outlined in black, mark the beginning of each psalm; partial cusped borders, also in blue and pink, attached to each. Initials infilled with intertwining vines, often on gold ground, sometimes with small animals; modest use of gold dots inside rectangular grounds and borders. 1-line initials of blue with red penwork with blue dots and of gold with blue penwork and red dots. Line-fillers in combinations of red, blue and gold (various linear and flower designs)., and Binding: Nineteenth century. Bound in a piece of blind-tooled brown calf, once part of a 17th-18th century binding. Front pastedown and flyleaf from a Bible concordance, version 3 (France, ca. 1300). Back pastedown from 15th-century antiphonal, with musical notation, containing a portion of the office for Nicolas (6 Dec.).
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Catholic Church
Subject (Topic):
Antiphonaries, Books of hours, Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, and Manuscripts, Medieval
In German., Watermarks: quatrefoil, var. Briquet 5576?; balance, var. Briquet 2454?., Script: Hand A copied ff. 1r-39r (quires I-IV, artt. 1-7) in Gothica Cursiva Libraria; Hand B copied ff. 41r-84v (art. 8) in Gothica Cursiva Currens; Hand C copied ff. 85r-89r (art. 9) in Gothica Cursiva Libraria., There is space for initials in artt. 8-9 but they have not been executed. In artt. 1-7 the decoration consists of red heightening of majuscules and red plain initials, 1-3 lines, with guide-letters. Headings in red., and Binding: Original undecorated brown pigskin over heavy unbevelled wooden boards, with two decorated brass clasps attached to the rear cover and five decorated brass bosses on each cover (the center bosses are circular; one corner boss on the front cover missing). Remnants of a 17th-century paper title label on the spine.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut, New Haven., and Rome (Italy)
Subject (Name):
Catholic Church
Subject (Topic):
Books of hours, Devotional literature, German, Manuscripts, Medieval, and Description and travel
