Manuscript on parchment of Josephus, De bello iudaico, translated into Latin by Rufinus
Alternative Title:
De bello Judaico
Description:
In Latin., Written in bold and elegant early gothic bookhand; some looped flourishes in upper margins contain red dots., Seven initials, 17- to 10-line, in red, filled with red swirling foliage on orange and green grounds, with touches of blue, against irregular grounds of blue and/or orange panels. 6- to 2-line initials, green and/or red with red or green foliate flourishes, set both outside and into text column; initials sometimes incorporate simple facial features. 1-line red initials for rubrics. Rubrics throughout; remains of notes to rubricator., and Binding: Nineteenth century. Brown goatskin, blind-tooled.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Josephus, Flavius.
Subject (Topic):
Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Jews, History, Latin literature, Medieval and modern, and Manuscripts, Medieval
Manuscript on paper of Nicolaus Cusanus, De Beryllo. The Beinecke manuscript is the oldest witness to this text
Description:
In Latin., Watermarks: similar to Briquet Fleur 6651 (a. 1452, not 1552 as printed)., Script: Written in fere-humanistic script by one scribe., Two illuminated initials, one on f. 1v, 11-line, with the arms of Nicolaus Cusanus, mauve, green, blue, and gold acanthus with yellow and white highlights, against a square gold ground, edged with brown pen; foliate serifs with extensive penwork and gold dots fill outer margin. The second initial, f. 1r, 7-line, as above, with short penwork extensions and silver dots; body of the initial incorporates the lens (beryllus). Diagrams to complement text in margins., and Binding: 16th-17th centuries (?). Sewn on three small, tawed skin, slit strap supports laced into made boards. The head edge is spattered green. Covered in light brown goatskin with corner tongues. Four fastenings of suede-like ribbons. Blind-tooled with concentric frames, the center filled in with a floral design, dotted with ring punches. All but one of the fastenings wanting.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Nicholas, of Cusa, Cardinal, 1401-1464.
Subject (Topic):
Knowledge, Theory of., Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Manuscripts, Medieval, and Philosophy, Medieval
Manuscript fragment on parchment of Ps.-Dionysius Areopagita, De caelesti hierarchia, translated into Latin by Robert Grosseteste (d. 1253), with his commentary
Description:
In Latin., Script: Written in Northern Gothica Textualis Libraria in two sizes. The large script used for the text itself is written every two lines. The cursive r-abbreviation could point to England, the z standing on the line and the occasional use of j instead of i reminds us of Spain, the "horn" at the head of r is especially typical of German scribes., and The decoration consists of plain late Romanesque initials in red (2 lines).
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Pseudo-Dionysius, the Areopagite. and Franciscans
Subject (Topic):
Manuscripts, Astronomy, Medieval, Literature, Medieval, Manuscripts, Medieval, and Scholia
Manuscript on paper (no watermarks), divided into five distinct parts. Part I: Aristotle, De caelo. Part II: Aristotle, De incessu animalium, with marginal notes drawn from Michael of Ephesus; De longitudine vitae; De iuventute. Part III: Porphyry, Isagoge, with marginal notes. Part IV: Aristotle, Categories. Part V: Aristotle, De interpretatione, with marginal commentary of Michael of Ephesus; Analytica priora; Analytica posteriora. With Scholia to Galen, De naturalibus facultatibus, De locis affectis, De elementis secundum Hippocratem
Description:
In Greek., Script: Part I (ff. 1r-51v): Written in a rather careless Greek minuscule by two scribes: Scribe 1, ff. 1r-16v; Scribe 2, ff. 17r-51v. Some marginal and interlinear notes by a later hand. Part II (ff. 52r-80v): Written in minuscule, large and rather careless, by Scribe 2 of part I; marginal and interlinear notes by same hand. Part III (ff. 81r-88v): Written in Greek minuscule, small and very neat (tops of letters close to but not touching ruling), by Scribe 3; marginal and interlinear notes in red by original scribe; notes in brown by a different hand. Part IV (ff. 89r-129v): Written in minuscule, large and rather careless, by Scribe 4, who adds flourishes in the margins; a few marginal notes by a later hand. Part V (ff. 130r-198v): Written in minuscule by several scribes: Scribe 5 (ff. 130r-176r), a small neat hand; Scribe 6 (ff. 177r-198v), a large and progressively more careless hand; f. 176v by a small, neat later hand. A few notes in margins by a later hand., Part I: Diagrams, labelled by the original scribe: syllogisms, consisting of geometrical figures and other groups of curved or straight lines. One simple 2-line initial in red; line-fillers and heading also in red. Part II: Contains a few diagrams of syllogisms. Title in red crossed out and rewritten in blackish-brown; one 2-line initial in red. Part III: Four-line initials in red, with floral ornaments; red also used for headings, notes of original scribe, and diagrams of syllogisms. Part IV: Many diagrams of syllogisms with labels by the original scribe; some doodles in the margins. Part V: Spaces left for initials within the text were never filled., Water damage on ff. 9r-16v and ff. 161-174; Parts I and III eaten by worms. The pattern of the damage suggests that the parts of the manuscript were not originally bound together., and Binding: 18th-19th centuries. Brown calf blind- and gold-tooled. Cloth label attached to the spine reads "ARISTOTELIS OPERA VARIA G. M-S."
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Aristotle. and Michael, of Ephesus.
Subject (Topic):
Classical literature, Manuscripts, Medieval, Scholia, and Science, Ancient
Manuscript on paper (watermarks: unidentified mountain) and parchment (inner and outer bifolios, of poor quality) of Boccaccio, De claris mulieribus; translated into Italian by Donato degli Albanzani
Description:
In Italian., Script: Written by three persons in round gothic script: Scribe 1, ff. 1r-33v (except f. 8, replaced in 16th century); Scribe 2, ff. 33v-36v; Scribe 3; ff. 37r-74r. In portions written by Scribes 1 and 2 some elaborate ascenders and descenders in upper and lower margins, touched with red., Initials, 3- to 2-line, in red or blue, sometimes with red penwork. Rubrics throughout. Initial added [date?], f. 2v, to replace one removed: blue, with leafy filler in green outline, and foliage extending down margin and across top and bottom of column, drawn in green, red, and blue., Initial removed from f. 2v; leaf was then reinforced with paper covering f. 2r, col. b (blank). Lower margins of ff. 1, 33 and 37 cut off., and Binding: 19th-20th centuries. Vellum spine and fore-edge strip with marbled paper sides. Label on spine: "Donne Illust. del Boccacc. MS".
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Boccaccio, Giovanni, 1313-1375.
Subject (Topic):
Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Latin literature, Medieval and modern, and Manuscripts, Medieval
Manuscript on parchment of Boethius, De consolatione philosophiae. With Excerpts from the commentary of Nicolas Trevet (in margins) on Boethius, Book I.1.1 - II.5.34.
Description:
In Latin., Script: Written by two scribes in an ornate and elegant gothic bookhand. 1) ff. 1v-154v; 2) ff. 155r-210v. The marginal commentary is in a neat informal batarde (ink paler than that used for text)., Plain initial, 3-line, in blue at beginning of text; other initials, 2-line, in red throughout text to mark the beginning of poetry and prose sections. Title page (f. 1v): alternating lines of blue and gold., Grease stain in margins at end of codex; bottom of f. 81 trimmed., and Binding: Nineteenth century. Brown sheepskin, blind-tooled. Repaired.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Boethius, -524. and Trivet, Nicholas, 1258?-1328.
Subject (Topic):
Consolation, Dialogues, Latin, Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Manuscripts, Medieval, and Scholia
Manuscript, on vellum, in a single hand, of Boethius, De consolatione philosophiae
Description:
In Latin., Probably copied in Tuscany., Signed, after the explicit: "Ego iulianus francisci de leuanto notarius scripsi.", Layout: single columns of 30 lines., Script: rounded gothic bookhand., Decoration: 5 illuminated initials on gold grounds; many smaller initials in red or blue penwork., and Binding: contemporary (?) beech boards with brown goatskin spine decorated with blind ropework; metal clasp and latch.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Boethius, -524.
Subject (Topic):
Manuscripts, Medieval, Consolation, and Dialogues, Latin
Manuscript on parchment (trimmed in a very irregular manner) of Boethius, De consolatione philosophiae. With Short notes (in Latin and English) on medical recipes, including "Medicyn for the Colyk".
Description:
In Latin., Script: Written by three scribes in informal gothic scripts. 1) ff. 1r-33v, with running titles, in red, on f. 4v and 28r; this is the only section of the text with rubrication. 2) ff. 34r-60v, 112v-169r, in a style of writing verging on Anglicana. 3) ff. 60v-112v, many erasures and corrections by 2. Marginal and interlinear glosses in several contemporary hands, one of which added the notes on ff. 170v-171r., First initial in red penwork, 4-line, with crude portrait of Boethius. Simple red initials to mark sections of text., and Binding: Fifteenth century. Possibly German or Dutch. "Girdle-book." Although early, it is not the original binding. Resewn on three narrow, tawed, double thongs. The endbands do not seem to have laced cores, but a primary sewing may have been sewn to the head and tail of the chemise, underneath the braided secondary endbands. The thongs are laced into grooves in beech boards, the pattern reversed; one horizontal above one V lacing on the upper board and a V above a horizontal on the lower. The thongs are pegged. The outer wrapper of tawed skin, now grey, is sewn to a tawed, pink, inner chemise around the outer edges of the boards. The wrapper extends about 130 mm. to a Turk's head knot at the tail, about 25 mm. at the head, and has an overlap of about 50 mm. on the upper board. The edges of the wrapper are turned in and hemmed. The book hung upside down when attached to the girdle by having the knot slipped under it, but was right side up when picked up (still attached to the girdle) to be read. A strap-and-pin fastening, the pin on the upper board, consists of a thick, brown leather strap nailed to the lower board and tacketed to the cover with a leather thong ending in an anthropomorphic brass clasp, the head of which catches on the pin. A glued repair was made before, a sewn one after 1973.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Boethius, -524.
Subject (Topic):
Consolation, Dialogues, Latin, Manuscripts, Medieval, and Medicine, Medieval
Manuscript on parchment of Boethius, De consolatione philosophiae, translated into French by Renaut de Louhans. As the translator states in the prologue, his work incorporates material from a commentary on Boethius made by another member of the Dominican order (Nicholas Trevet) as well as his own digressions
Description:
In French., Script: Written in batarde by a single scribe., Two intricate penwork initials, 5-line, on ff. 1r and 2r in red and blue; less detailed penwork initials, 3-line, in same colors throughout text; first letter of each verse stroked in red., and Binding: 17th-18th centuries. Brown spattered calf, with peculiarly striped turn-ins. Title, in gold, on spine: BOECE EN VER FRANC.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Boethius, -524., Trivet, Nicholas, 1258?-1328., and Dominicans
Subject (Topic):
Manuscripts, Consolation, French poetry, Literature, Medieval, and Manuscripts, Medieval