Manuscript on parchment (much worn, pieced) of 1) Ovid, Tristia 1.7.35-40. 2) Ovid, Metamorphoses. With Lactantian tituli added in margins.
Description:
Belonged to Sir Thomas Phillipps (no. 9033). Sold by W. H. Robinson to H. P. Kraus, from whom it was purchased in 1955 by Thomas E. Marston., Binding: Nineteenth century. Sewing, possibly original, on four kermes pink slit straps. Plain, wound endbands on tawed skin cores. Tan blind-tooled goatskin over wooden boards, also possibly original as they are cut in for the straps. Title gold-tooled on spine: "Ovidii Metam./ Saec. XV. M. S. in memb"., Script: Written by at least three scribes in scripts ranging from late caroline minuscule to early gothic bookhand, all above top line. Interlinear and marginal annotations and running headlines by several hands, 13th-15th centuries., and Two illuminated initials, f. 1r, severely damaged: 21-line initial I for first verse of art. 2 incorporates an elongated grotesque, originally purple, red, blue, and green on gold ground; 4-line initial at beginning of art. 1, gold on red ground with center totally effaced. 8-line initial for Bk. 2, f. 8v, gold on blue (?) ground, now rubbed: inhabited by winged grotesque biting its back with intertwining foliage in blue, green, orange and mauve on gold and red ground. Books 3-15 have attractive penwork initials divided red and medium blue with designs in both colors, ascenders and descenders often sweeping far into margins. Headings and paragraph marks in red. First letter of each verse (either set apart from text block between the first and second or placed directly on the second vertical bounding line) stroked with yellow.
Subject (Name):
Lactantius,--ca. 240-ca. 320 and Ovid,--43 B.C.-17 or 18 A.D
Subject (Topic):
Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Latin fiction, Manuscripts, Medieval--Connecticut--New Haven, and Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts in Beinecke Library