Manuscript on paper of Konrad von Megenberg (1309-1374), Die deutsche Sphaera, an adaptation in German of Iohannes de Sacrobosco, De sphaera. With 23 verses dealing with the numerical value of the letters of the alphabet, excerpted from Hugutio of Pisa (d. 1212), Liber derivationum
Description:
In German., Script: Copied by one hand in Gothica Cursiva Libraria/Currens., The initials are not executed. Coarsely drawn diagrams; the principal ones are on ff. 2r (Earth in the middle of the circles of the elements, the planets and the heavens), 9v (a quadripartite circular map of the world, three quarters covered with sea and inhabited by fish), 10v (a circular diagram and another with "cauda Draconis" and "caput Draconis"), 11r (two diagrams showing eclipses), 11v (related diagrams)., and Binding: Yellow limp vellum too large for the present manuscript.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Sacro Bosco, Joannes de, fl. 1230.
Subject (Topic):
Astronomy, German poetry, Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Literature, Medieval, Manuscripts, Medieval, Numerology, and Science, Medieval
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
Manuscript fragment on one leaf of parchment (soft, furry; trimmed) of 1) Apoc. 21.4-5: Epistle for last Sunday after Pentecost (?). 2) Beginning of Proper of the Saints, with Epistle for St. Andrew (30 Nov.); Rom. 10.10-15.
Description:
In Latin., Script: Written in bold, well spaced, and slightly rounded gothic bookhand., and Red hufnagel neumes scattered over the text for the subdeacon who reads the Epistle at Mass. On recto, space of 12 lines (140 mm.) left blank between arts. 1 and 2, perhaps for a miniature. 5-line initial in red, ending in pen and ink flourishes. On verso, illuminated initial C, 11-line, of poor quality, on brownish-red ground within rectangular frame of bright orange, green, and blue. Initial in white with bands of gold and silver; two gold-bordered medallions with white-blue centers, resembling jewels or mirrors. Initial encloses full-length figure of St. Andrew holding cross of his martyrdom. Text initials touched with red.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Catholic Church
Subject (Topic):
Liturgy, Epistolaries, Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, and Manuscripts, Medieval
Manuscript on paper, composed in 3 parts, of unidentified sermons. The three sections appear to have the same origin and to have been united soon after their making. The scribe and owner was a lay brother in the convent of Augustinian Canons St. Dorothea in Vienna
Description:
In German and Latin., Watermarks: Part I: balance, var. Piccard, Waage V.331?; star, var. Briquet 6077?. Part II: bull's head, unidentified?. Part III: column var. Briquet 4408?; bull's head var. Briquet 14825? (last three folios)., Script: Part I (ff. 1-76) copied by various hands writing Gothica Cursiva Libraria with Bastarda features. Part II (ff. 77-160) copied by one hand in Gothica Cursiva Libraria with Bastarda features. Part III (ff. 161-261) copied by five hands in Gothica Cursiva Libraria., Part I: Headings in red, often missing; heightening of the majuscules in red; plain red 4-line initials; they are flourished with black penwork on ff.18v-19r. Part II: Headings in red, sometimes missing. Red heightening of majuscules on ff. 125v-126r only. Spaces and guide-letters for 2-3 line initials (4-line initial on f. 77r) , which have not been executed., Part III: The decoration of art. 15 consists of 3-4 line plain initials in red; at the opening a 5-line flourished initial in red. Art. 16 has red stroking of the opening majuscules of all verses and 2-line plain red initials. In art. 17 the majuscules are heightened with red. The Fables in art. 15 are illustrated with unframed watercoloured pen drawings., and Binding: Contemporary blind-tooled calf over unbevelled wooden boards, worm-eaten. Spine with three raised bands. Remnants of two brass clasps attached to the rear cover, containing several times the inscription in relief "Osan".
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Augustinian Canons. and Catholic Church
Subject (Topic):
Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Manuscripts, Medieval, Sermons, and Sermons, German
Manuscript on paper of 1) Juvenal, Satirae I-XVI. 2) Unidentified commentary on the sixteen satires of Juvenal. This extensive commentary, written in the same hand as the text, draws upon some of the earlier scholia as well as works of later scholars. 3) Miscellaneous passages on the nature of tragedy, satire, comedy, plus a short life of Juvenal
Description:
In Latin., Watermarks similar to Briquet Tete de boeuf 14874., Script: Written by a single scribe in a well spaced informal batarde for the main text and in a very small cramped batarde for surrounding notes., Crude illuminated initial, 9-line, on f. 1r; red initials, 3-line, at beginning of remaining satires. First letter of each verse stroked in red (ff. 13r-61r); some lines underlined in red., and Binding: Twentieth century. Cloth boards.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Juvenal.
Subject (Topic):
Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Manuscripts, Medieval, Satire, Latin, and Scholia
Manuscript on paper, with parchment for outer and inner conjugate leaves of each quire, composed of four "booklets" or units of similar format. Part I: 1) William of St. Thierry, Epistola ad fratres de monte Dei, formerly attributed to Guigo and Bernard of Clairvaux. Part II: 2) Bernard of Clairvaux, Sermo in festo annuntiationis B. V. Mariae. 3) Bernard of Cluny [?], Sermo de villico iniquitatis, formerly attributed to Bernard of Clairvaux. 4) Bernard of Cluny, Preface to art. 3. Part III: 5) Bernard of Clairvaux, De gradibus humilitatis et superbiae. 6) Jean, l'Homme de Dieu, Tractatus de ordine vitae et morum institutione, formerly attributed to Bernard of Clairvaux. Part IV: 7) Bernard of Clairvaux, Sermo I pro Dom. VI post Pentecosten. 8) Bernard of Clairvaux, Sermo II pro Dom. VI post Pentecosten. 9) Bernard of Clairvaux, Sermo II pro Dom. VI post Pentecosten. 10) Anonymous sermon on the Virgin Mary. 11) Nicholas of Clairvaux, Sermo in natali S. Benedicti de euangelio. 12) Bernard of Clairvaux, Sermo in obitu Domini Humberti
Description:
In Latin., Watermarks: Part I: unidentified P in gutter. Parts II-IV: similar in design to Briquet Lettre Y 9182-84., Script: Part I (ff. 1-34): Written by a single scribe in well formed upright gothic script exhibiting batarde influence in the long descenders. Part II (ff. 35-46): Written in a script similar to that of Part I, but with less batarde shading. Part III (ff. 47-82): Written possibly by the same scribe as Part II. Part IV (ff. 83-99): Written in small cramped gothic script similar to those in I-III., Part I: Carefully executed red and blue divided initial, 8-line, on f. 1r; infilled and surrounded by delicate foliage designs in red and purple ink, on a green ground, with flourishes extending down inner border. Similar initial, f. 1v, without green ground and with blue scroll design for crossbar. Headings, paragraph marks, initial strokes, underlining, and Nota marks in red. Part II: Fine initial, 8-line, on f. 35r, divided red and blue, infilled and surrounded by six foliage designs in red penwork on green ground, with a central flower of six petals touched with yellow. Plain blue initial, 3-line, on f. 39v, with some floral designs in body in natural color of paper; red initials, 2-line, ff. 40r and 45v. Headings, initial strokes, underlining and corrections, in red. Paragraph marks in red or blue. Guide-letters for rubricator. Part III: Divided initial I, red and blue, 10-line, on f. 47r, with red and purple foliage designs on green ground surrounding initial, and with flourishes extending down inner margin. Blue initial, 4-line, on f. 68v, infilled and surrounded by penwork designs in red. Plain initials, 2-line, headings, initial strokes, paragraph marks, corrections, and some marginal notes, in red. Guide-letters and instructions for rubricator. Part IV: Blue initial, 5-line, on f. 83v, with interior floral designs in natural color of parchment; body infilled and surrounded by red penwork designs extending down inner margin. Initials, 5- to 2-line, headings, paragraph marks, in red., and Binding: 16th-17th centuries (?). Original sewing on four tawed, slit straps, the spine rounded and the supports prominent and defined. Plain, wound endbands on vegetable fiber cores, the covering leather saddle-stitched around them. Covered in dark brown calf with round and lozenge-shaped tools in diamonds and triangles formed by intersecting fillets in a central panel in a double outer frame. One fastening, the catch on the upper board and the strap wanting. Turk's head knot placemarks on the fore edge. Rectangular label removed from upper edge of front cover; two modern brown labels, stamped in gold, on spine: "Bernardi Varia" and "M. S." Original front pastedown: lower portion of a parchment bifolium (Germany, 15th century) of the Doctrinale of Alexander of Villa Dei with lines 1056-79 visible on verso and 1520-44 on recto. Ca. 5 mm. between lines of text. Binding restored.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Bernard, of Clairvaux, Saint, 1090 or 1091-1153., Catholic Church, and Cistercians.
Subject (Topic):
Didactic literature, Latin (Medieval and modern), Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Manuscripts, Medieval, Monasticism and religious orders, Sermons, and Theology
Manuscript on paper. The compiler of this unidentified world chronicle cites as sources Sallust, Suetonius, Josephus, Orosius, Macrobius, Eusebius, Origen, Eutropius, Sigebertus, Hugh of Fleury, and many others. The chronicle concludes at the end of the twelfth century; the date of composition is given in the final section as 1183 in the reign of Frederick Barbarossa (1155-90). The text of the manuscript is continuous, with no book and few chapter notations
Description:
Written in the middle of the 15th century, perhaps ca. 1456 when the codex was given to John Capgrave by Jacobus de Oppenheim. Capgrave was elected in August of 1455 to another 2-year term as head of the English Augustinian Province. In 1457 he resumed his literary interests, including work on a universal chronicle from the beginning of the world until the year 1417; this endeavor resulted in the Chronicle of England produced ca. 1462., In Latin., Script: Written by three scribes. Scribe 1) ff. 1r-105v, 60 lines of text written in a small and even, slightly rounded gothic bookhand. Scribe 2) ff. 105v-110v (end of quire XI), 112r-114r, 40 lines of text in a small notarial hand with some shading of descenders. Scribe 3) ff. 111r-v, 114r-405r, 55-58 lines of text in a dark gothic script characterized by fine hair-lines and curved flourishes over the letter i., Decoration changes according to scribe. Scribe 1: Guide-letters for initials never supplied. Rubrics (in upright gothic), paragraph marks and initial strokes in red. Scribe 2: Rubrics (ff. 105v-110v only) in same hand as preceding section; rubrics for ff. 112r-114r as for Scribe 3. Paragraph marks and initial strokes in red. Guide-letters for initials never supplied. Scribe 3: Decorative initials (signalled by guide-letters), in red, with protruberances and hair-lines. Notes to rubricator in inner and outer margins. Rubrics (beginning f. 111r) in same hand as text; paragraph marks, often exaggerated, in red., and Binding: Fifteenth century (Italian?). Sewn on four tawed slit straps laced into wooden boards. Covered in brown goatskin, blind-tooled with concentric frames of alternating fillets and rope interlace, the central panel filled with interlace. Four fastenings, the catches on the lower board, the straps, now wanting, attached with seven star-headed nails. Parchment strips from unidentified manuscripts reinforce center of each gathering. Remains of a paper or vellum label with lettering in ink near head of lower board and trace of a chain base at the tail. Heavily restored.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Topic):
Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Latin literature, Medieval and modern, Manuscripts, Medieval, and World history