Manuscript on paper (watermarks hidden in gutter) of alchemical texts including works by Albertus Magnus, Johannes Andreae, and Paracelsus. With treatises on the Philosopher's Stone and alchemical recipes
Description:
In Latin and German., Script: Written by 10 or more hands, all of the 17th and 18th centuries; most are cursive, but the one on ff. 176r-183r is gothic textura., Drawings in watercolor, of mediocre quality, including various symbolic depictions of alchemical processes taking place within flasks. Table of Hermes Trismegistus, f. 175r. Diagrams scattered throughout., and Binding: 18th century (?). Brown calf blind-tooled, edges gilt. Arms (unidentified) stamped on binding: on front, quarterly 1 and 4, barry of 6, 2 and 3, a lion rampant; inescutcheon, a bar fess impaled with barry of 6; the whole held by a two-headed eagle, displayed, below a crown. Back cover: barry of 8 impaled with a patriarchal cross on a hillock.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Albertus, Magnus, Saint, 1193?-1280., Giovanni d'Andrea, approximately 1270-1348., and Paracelsus, 1493-1541.
Subject (Topic):
Alchemy, German poetry, Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Latin literature, Medieval and modern, and Manuscripts, Medieval
Manuscript on paper (watermarks in gutter) of 1) Petrarch, Boccacii Griseldis historia. 2) Pope Pius II, Epistola. 3) Petrarch, Famil. rerum., 12, 2. 4) Pope Pius II, Bulla retractationum. 5) Pope Pius II, Epistola de fortuna
Description:
In Latin., Script: Written by three scribes in similar styles of informal gothic scripts (batarde influence). Scribe 1) ff. 1r-7r; 2) ff. 7v-14v; 3) ff. 15r-26v., One calligraphic initial, f. 1r, 4-line, blue with white floral motifs; infilled with red penwork floral designs tinted with green; penwork trails into inner margin, with plain green dots. Four initials, ff. 1v, 7v, 10v, 21v, red ink, 6- to 2-line. Paragraph marks in red. Numerous capitals stroked in red; rubrics throughout; explicits underlined in red., and Binding: Twentieth century. Vellum spine (verso of an unidentified manuscript) with "Petrarcae et Aeneae Silvii Epistoles" inscribed; grey-blue paper sides.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Petrarca, Francesco, 1304-1374.
Subject (Topic):
Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Latin literature, Medieval and modern, Manuscripts, Medieval, and Papal documents
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 parchment of a book of hours in the Premonstratensian use
Description:
In Latin., Script: Written by a single copyist in two sizes of liturgical gothic script., One miniature, f. v verso: Saul on the Road to Damascus, an addition (between 1500 and 1510) of fair quality, in an arched frame, brown and gold; a scatter border of flowers and insects on a beige ground, brown edging. Large initials, one (f. 4r) 8-line (45 x 45 mm.) on burnished gold with tooling, the others either on burnished gold with tooling (ff. 1r, 38r, 72v, 127v) or on pink and blue grounds (ff. 154r, 161r, 193v), set in full scatter borders of acanthus twigs (either gold with pink and brown or red, blue, and/or pink), flowers and, in some cases, birds, over compartmentalized (blue/gold, pink/beige, blue/dark blue, beige/brown), beige and parchment (with and without a background of black pen flecks) grounds; some borders without bounding lines. On f. 1r, an unidentified coat of arms in each corner of the border. Upper left and lower right, sable, in chief 2 wreaths vert with dots gules and or, in base a rose per pale gules and argent, barbed vert, seeded or. Upper right, or, a bear (?) rampant argent, langued gules. Lower left, ermine, a fess gules with 4 plates, cottised sable. Small initials, 3-line, gold, either filled with pink with gold filigree on a blue ground decorated with acanthus and black flecks, or filled with blue on a pink ground decorated with black filigree; some with additional flowers or pink and blue acanthus; all associated with short border strips, as above. Numerous 3- and 4-line initials, blue, filled with red curling acanthus drawn in pen, surrounded by red or crimson penwork. 2- and 1-line initials in red or blue. Rubrics throughout., Pieces of the illuminated borders have been cut from ff. 4, 38, 127, 154, and 193. Ink has run or been rubbed in several places, including ff. v verso and 1r., and Binding: Sixteenth century. Sewn on three double vegetable fiber cords laced into wooden boards. The book is so tightly bound that it is impossible to determine whether or not the sewing is original. No endband grooves. Edges gilt. Covered in dark brown calf with a panel stamp of the Virgin and Child on a crescent, within a flambent aureole in the center of each board, hearts pierced with an arrow and a dagger (?) in a diamond, stars in circles above and below the central stamp, all within a vine scroll border. Traces of one fastening, two later fastenings added. Rebacked, very possibly by the binder who rebacked MS 7 as there is a similar, unusual, endcap treatment.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Catholic Church and Premonstratensians.
Subject (Topic):
Books of hours, Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, and Manuscripts, Medieval
Manuscript on paper (unidentified watermarks) of Georg Rollenhagen (1542-1606), Isagoge in astrologiam. This manuscript is apparently the autograph of the Astrologia iudiciaria sive genethliacum reported to have been composed by this German evangelical minister, rector of the Gymnasium at Magdeburg and poet
Description:
In Latin and German., Script: Apparently copied by one hand writing a small Humanistica Cursiva Currens in many different forms, often difficult to decipher. Headings in the same script or in fancy capitals. The passages in German are in Gothica Cursiva Currens., Astrological diagrams, tables and calculations, all like the text of a rapid execution., and Binding: Original half binding of blind-tooled white pigskin decorated with rolls, the covers in an unorthodox way covered with green-blue blind-tooled parchment (?). On the front cover the gold-tooled initials "IMD" and the date "1599". Spine with three raised bands, with the number "10" painted in red in the second compartment. At the top illegible title label.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Rollenhagen, Georg, 1542-1609.
Subject (Topic):
Astrology, German literature, Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, and Manuscripts, Medieval
Manuscript on paper of a collection of prayers and hymns, compiled in 1518 by the humanistic-minded Benedictine monk Vitalis of Rothenthal (Rubrevallensis) (fols. 1-110).
Description:
In Latin., Script: copied by one hand in Gothica Semihybrida Libraria with Bastarda/Fractura features. Art. 1 is written in s. XVI2 Gothica Semihybrida Currens. Art. 74 is printed in black and red in Gothic Textura., Decoration: Headings and stroking of the majuscules in red. Each prayer opens with a 3-6 line calligraphic initial (cadel) in red; more rarely with a plain initial in the same colour. Guide letters. In Book of Hours, f. 126v (facing f. 1r of the printed foliation), full-page woodcut, hand coloured in green, blue, yellow and red, of the Virgin and Child in the Sun, standing on the Moon., Binding: original blind-tooled brown pigskin over wooden boards; spine with two double raised bands. The covers decorated with a frame of foliage enclosing a central rectangular panel containing three rosettes; the rosettes are repeated in the three compartments of the spine. Two engraved brass clasps attached to the rear cover, with engraved brass catches on the front cover; the corner pieces are missing., Watermark of the manuscript part: perhaps var. Briquet 2172., and Bound with a printed Book of Hours (Vienna, Hieronymus Vietor and Iohannes Singrenius for Leonardus and Lucius Alantse, 1513 September 14).
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Benedictines. and Catholic Church
Subject (Topic):
Books of hours, Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Manuscripts, Medieval, and Prayer books
Manuscript on parchment (sturdy) of Calendar; Psalter; Six canticles; and Litany
Description:
In Latin., Script: Written by a single scribe in bold, early gothic bookhand. Notes by several later scribes, some of which have been erased., Full page initial B (f. 2v) in blue with pink and blue interior vine-stem patterns, on gold ground surrounded by red rectangular frame outlined in black. Smaller gold initials, 10- to 8-line, for Psalms 26, 38, 51, 52, 80, 97, 101, 109 (ff. 21r, 33v, 43r, 43v, 53v, 68r, 70r, 83r), of similar design, on blue ground with vine-stem patterns of olive green, white, and red, and rectangular frame of red and white. Other psalms introduced by gold initials, 9- to 3-line, outlined in red, infilled and surrounded by blue penwork designs; headings and first letter of each verse in red. Most decorative initials are severely rubbed., Trimming of outer margins on ff. 8 and 122 affects text., and Binding: 16th-17th centuries. Resewn with three strands of thread on four round, twisted, vegetable fiber cords laid in forked grooves and laced in and out of flush oak boards. The cords are pegged twice: from outside to inside and vice versa with almost square pegs. The vegetable fiber endband cores are laced into the boards, the endbands themselves wanting. The spine is rounded, with traces of adhesive. Covered in tawed skin, once white, now tan and white. The turn-ins are sometimes turned in over small fragments of a parchment manuscript, in other cases, under, and the corners cut square. There is some inscribed parchment on the outside of the upper board, probably part of a spine lining. The discoloration on the endleaves does not match the present turn-ins. There are traces of four round bosses on each board and of a pin in the center of the upper one. The white, tawed strap, most of which is now wanting, is attached to the lower board through a metal plate. One corner of the upper board is cut away and the covering of the spine and part of the boards wanting. A messy, somewhat primitive binding.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Catholic Church
Subject (Topic):
Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Manuscripts, Medieval, and Psalters
Manuscript on parchment (ff. 56v-57r palimpsest?) of a Psalter; with Hours of the Virgin, use unidentified
Description:
In Latin., Script: Written by a single scribe in well formed late caroline minuscule, above the top line. Marginal notes, some with neumes above them (e.g. ff. 63v, 65r), in several later hands have been partially lost due to trimming., Initials for text divisions, 11-line (f. 115r: Ps. 101) and 7-line (f. 22r: Ps. 26, f. 40r: Ps. 38, f. 93r: Ps. 80, f. 112v: Ps. 97, f. 133r: Ps. 109), gold, with symmetrical gold tendril ornament, occasionally with dragon-head terminals, against green and mauve panelled grounds covered with dense red cross-hatching set in red and mauve frames. 7- to 2-line initials for other Psalms, red or green with red and/or green flourishes. 1-line initials for verses, alternating red and green. Headings in red and/or green throughout., and Binding: Sixteenth century. Resewn on four tawed, slit straps. Wooden boards chamfered and indented. Edges gilt. The spine is square and now lined with cloth. Covered in dark brown calf, blind-stamped with portraits of saints (one of whom may be Rochus) and fleurons in concentric panels (?); very little of the earlier cover remaining. Clasp-and-catch fastening, the catch on the upper board, the brown leather straps attached through metal plates to the lower. Rebacked with one half of the leather on the boards replaced with old leather from another book. Catches and clasps wanting. Upper sewing supports broken.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Catholic Church
Subject (Topic):
Books of hours, Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Manuscripts, Medieval, and Psalters
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
