Manuscript on parchment (single leaf) of 1) Last article of an unrecorded Capitulary, probably from the beginning of the reign of emperor Louis the Pious (814-840). 2) Capitula adhuc conferenda, i.e. Memorandum for a Capitulary, ca. 819 (?).
Description:
In Latin., Script: copied by one hand writing Carolingian script., “Cap. XV” in art. 1 is written in Uncialis in red ink, and the opening letter V, in the same colour, is a 2-line initial. In art. 2 all the opening capitals (D, Q, S or U) are said to be likewise red, but their colour is hardly distinguishable from the colour of the text., and The fragment was perhaps the final leaf of a codex, which would explain the smudges and offsets visible on the verso.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Louis I, Emperor, 778-840.
Subject (Topic):
Franks, History, Legal documents, and Manuscripts, Medieval
Manuscript on parchment of Cuvelier (ca. 1350-1400), Chanson de Bertrand du Guesclin
Description:
Script: Probably copied by one hand only, writing in a small Gothica Cursiva Libraria (Bastarda). The present version deviates from the basic text, edited by J.-C. Faucon (Toulouse, 1990)., Decoration: At the opening of the text (f. 1r), there is a 7-line historiated initial S which ends in a serpent head; Bertrand du Guesclin straddles the letter and pierces the serpent head with a spear. Over his armor, Bertrand wears his coat of arms. The left-margin foliate bar border is blue and gold and issues golden and red vine leaves. The full width of the lower margin shows a colored pen-and-ink drawing of an army preparing to storm a castle in the right margin. And throughout the text, there are 2-line flourished initials in gold (brown?) ink with brown or red penwork; guide-letters., Binding: 18th century parchment over cardboard; both covers gold-tooled with a border of palmettes and a fleur-de-lys in the each corner; gold-tooled spine with six raised bands, the compartments decorated with small fleur-de-lys stamps, and a gold-tooled red morocco title-label with inscription. The former rear pastedown (f. 125) is a large fragment of a now badly damaged document in French on parchment, written in Gothica Cursiva Libraria/Currens (Bastarda); on the blank verso of this document (now f. 125r), there are pen-and-ink drawings of various coats of arms and several signatures and inscriptions in French, Flemish, and Latin by 15th-16th century hands., and In Latin.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Cuvelier, Jo, active 1372-1387.
Subject (Topic):
Manuscripts, Medieval and Romances, Latin (Medieval and modern).
Manuscript on parchment (thick and furry, numerous imperfections, some repaired) of Augustine, Confessiones
Description:
In Latin., Ten illuminated initials of good quality, 19- to 6-line, drawn in brown ink against medium blue, reddish orange and/or ochre grounds. The initials are constructed of scrolling vines with stylized foliage and/or winged dragons, with vines issuing from their mouths, accentuated or shaded in red. Some initials inhabited by winged dragons, f. 10v with grotesque (outlined by prickings), f. 25r with a nude male figure. Headings in red., and Binding: Nineteenth century, France. Brown, diced calf with a gold-tooled spine and title: "Confescion/ Santti/ Augustini" and "Manuscrit/ du 12^e siecle".
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Augustine, of Hippo, Saint, 354-430.
Subject (Topic):
Autobiography, Church history, Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, and Manuscripts, Medieval
Manuscript on parchment (poor quality; end pieces) of Boethius, De arithmetica. Text begins imperfectly in Bk. I, ch. 23.
Description:
In Latin., Script: Written by multiple scribes (some copying or correcting only brief portions of text) in late caroline minuscule., Plain intials, 6- to 2-line, red, blue or black, occasionally with modest pen design in red (e.g., ff. 27v-28r). Numerous diagrams and charts throughout., Parchment stained and warped by damp., and Binding: 19th-20th centuries, Eastern Europe (?). The back pastedown consists of a portion of a Latin parchment document dated 1374. Front pastedown removed and preserved as Marston MS 89A. Sewn on three supports laced into thick oak boards and wedged. Plain wound endbands on alum-tawed cores originally laced into the boards. Covered with parchment with irregularly serrated turn-ins, with a strap-and-pin fastening, the pin on the upper board. The codex has been so tightly rebacked that it is difficult to open.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Boethius, -524.
Subject (Topic):
Arithmetic, Manuscripts, Medieval, and Mathematics, Medieval
Manuscript on parchment of Arnald, abbot of Bonneval, 1) Tractatus de septem verbis domini in cruce. 2) Libellus de laudibus de B. Mariae virginis
Description:
In Latin., Script: Written in a neat late caroline minuscule that is written above the text ruling, not on it., Red initial, 4-line, with red and green arabesque designs on f. 1r; red monochrome initials with simple decorative designs, ff. 2v, 9r, 14r; less elaborate red initials, ff. 18v, 23r, 29v, 47r. Heading in red for art. 1 only. Initials stroked with red., and Binding: 13th-14th centuries (?), France. Original sewing on four tawed skin, slit straps laced from out to inside the boards and wedged at an angle. Pastedowns sewn with book. The upper board is beech, the lower oak. The grooves on the inside of the boards have been burned as well as gouged out. A blue and natural color endband is sewn in a chevron pattern. The primary core is laced into grooves parallel to the edges of the boards but not fastened and the endband is sewn through the cover. Fragment of an unidentified text (France, 1125-ca. 1150) used for front pastedown; portion of a document dated 1225 (?) involving Theobaldus, abp. of Rouen (1221-29) and the Cistercian nunnery of Fontaine-Guerard (Fontes Guerardi) for rear pastedown. Covered in very thick tawed skin, neatly patched and pieced out. The turn-ins are nailed near the corners. There are two strap-and-pin fastenings, the pins on the lower board and the kermes pink, tawed skin strap ending in a catch with a twisted, tawed skin cord and tassel attached, later additions (?). Remains of later title, in ink, on spine.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Arnaldus, Abbot of Bonneval, -approximately 1156. and Mary, Blessed Virgin, Saint
Subject (Topic):
Devotion to., Devotional literature, Latin (Medieval and modern), and Manuscripts, Medieval
Manuscript on parchment (thick, poor quality) of excerpts from the writings of Church Fathers, canon law, and conciliar documents. There has been extensive scholarly debate about the manuscript's provenance and its relation to other copies of the Pseudo-Isidore Decretals. The manuscript seems to have been written, corrected, and rubricated by multiple scribes and to have been composed in units; the quality of the parchment often changes from scribe to scribe
Description:
In Latin., Script: Written in Caroline minuscule., and Binding: Eighteenth century. Brown calf with gold-tooled spine. Boards mostly detached, sewing breaking, part of spine leather wanting.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Pseudo-Isidore.
Subject (Topic):
Canon law, Fathers of the church, and Manuscripts, Medieval
In Latin and French., Script: Written by a single scribe in Gothica Cursiva Formata (Bastarda) in two sizes. The ascenders on the top line often have calligraphic extensions., Red headings. Heightening of the majuscules in yellow. All initials (1- or 2-lines) are on a rectangular background and are executed in paint and liquid gold. At the opening of the various Hours there are 4-line initials of the same type, always accompanied by full acanthus borders and an arch-topped miniature. The borders are framed in gold and may also contain leaves, flowers, fruit, birds., and Binding: Modern limp vellum with two pairs of white leather ties. The preceding 19th-century binding is preserved: dark brown leather over cardboard, both covers framed with blind-tooled fillets; spine with four raised bands and gold-tooled title: "HEURES DE SENLIS"; gilt edges.
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 on parchment. Includes Calendar, Fifteen Joys of the Virgin, and Seven Requests to the Lord, all in French
Description:
In Latin and French., Script: Written in Northern Gothica Textualis Formata by two hands, marked by a different use of the two forms of a. Hand A, the main scribe, using almost only double-bow a, copied ff. 1r-21v11; 33r-108v11; 125r-144v. Hand B, who normally writes box-a, copied ff. 21v12-32v; 108v12-124v., Illuminated leaves have been excised after ff. 14, 58, 86, 94, 137., Headings in blue or red ink. The majuscules are heightened in yellow. The decoration consists of line-fillers in gold and blue and red paint and the following initial types: (1) dentelle initials, 1 line; (2) foliate initials, 2 lines; (3) foliate initials, 4 lines, always accompanied by full acanthus borders and, except on f. 142r, by a picture in an arched compartment above 5 lines of text. Seven of these miniatures remain. The borders are framed in gold ink. All ordinary text pages, including the Calendar, have unframed outer margin borders the height of the text area, with patterns traced from rectos to versos., and Binding: Nineteenth century (?). Red velvet over cardboard boards, on which the original decorated gilt brass bosses (4 corner pieces and a central piece) and one decorated clasp in the same material, fixed to the rear cover, have been mounted. Yellow silk pastedowns. Gilt edges.
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 on parchment of 1) Jerome, Adversus Jovinianum; 2) The Venerable Bede, Expositio actuum apostolorum, and Nomina regionum atque locorum de Actibus apostolorum; with table of contents, and corrections and notes
Description:
Script: Copied in Praegothica by three hands: A) copied ff. 1r-54v; B) copied ff. 55r-97r22, and probably art. 1; C) copied ff. 97r22-101r., Decoration: Headings in red Capitalis/Uncialis or in Gothica Textualis; 2- or 3-line plain or decorated initials, half inserted, in red and/or green; and large red decorated initials with interior spaces., Binding: 19th-century brown leather over cardboard; both covers gold-tooled with a border of fillets and arabesques; gold-tooled spine with gold-tooled inscription. Brown paper endleaves., and In Latin.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Bede, the Venerable, Saint, 673-735. and Jerome, Saint, -419 or 420.
Manuscript on paper of Jacques Legrand (c. 1360-1415/1418), Livre de bonnes meurs
Description:
In French., Script: copied by the unrecorded scribe Lambert in Gothica Cursiva Libraria/Currens (Bastarda)., Watermarks: two parallel keys, Briquet 3818; three monograms, var. Briquet 9746 (DP) and 9913-9916., Red paragraph marks, red stroking of the majuscules and of the punctuation marks. The words following a majuscule are generally written in large and narrow Gothica Textualis and barred with horizontal parallel red lines. 2-line plain initials in red, with guide letters (3-line on ff. 2r and 3r)., and Binding: 21st century. Bound in paper cover.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Legrand, Jacques, approximately 1365-1415.
Subject (Topic):
Didactic literature, French and Manuscripts, Medieval
