Manuscript on parchment of 1) Le livre de Lancelot du Lac, part III. 2) La queste del Saint Graal. 3) La mort au Roy Artus
Description:
In French., Script: Written in elegant gothic textura by one scribe, with a few interlinear corrections in later hands (14th and 15th centuries)., The decoration of this lavishly illuminated manuscript consists of seventy-seven large column miniatures, fifty-one smaller miniatures, and thirty-six historiated initials. Miniatures and historiated initials by at least two artists, the scale and quality of whose work distinguish the manuscript from contemporary and most fourteenth-century Arthurian manuscripts., Large miniatures, 12- to 11-lines, one column, framed and usually divided into two registers by thin bands, gold, red and/or blue with white highlights, edged in black, sometimes with arched canopies, often with architectural elements protruding (a few frames composed of thicker bands); figures in black pen against burnished gold (occasionally with painted gold diaperwork), blue or black grounds; chief colors: light blue, dark blue, grey, light brown, white, maroon, with some orange, green and gold. Borders on folios with large miniatures of a variety and inventiveness that defy strict classification: gold, red, and blue bands, edged in black, also running between, below and/or above text columns, terminating in dragons, dragon or human heads, groteques or, most commonly, floral spirals, some with frets, blue and red with white highlights and orange and green dots, against gold, blue and/or maroon cusped grounds, often with pinwheel-like projections. The borders are populated with magnificent grotesques and marginalia in the same style as the miniatures, many of them of a narrative or satirical character; some of these incorporate coats of arms., Small miniatures, 5- to 6-line, 1/2 text column, often with a 2-line initial inserted in upper right corner, otherwise as above, with border decoration on a smaller scale and unattached to miniature. Historiated initials, 5-line (letters without ascenders or descenders) to 13-line, red and/or blue, with geometric motifs in paler shades of red and blue, white, with touches of orange, against gold grounds, edged in black, with long dragon and floral serifs, as above, against cusped gold grounds; figures in same style as miniatures, against gold grounds., Illuminated initials, 3- to 1-line, gold, with globular serifs, edged thickly in black, against irregular red and blue grounds, also edged in black, with white floral filigree or heraldic birds, in white; flowers touched in with orange. On folios without miniatures (except ff. 2v-8v), a thin gold band runs along the left side of each text column, interrupted by initials, with a thin red pen-line on either side; adjacent, to the left, a column of I's each 3-line and blue and red alternately, with small spiral and curlicue flourishes, terminating in large flourishes in red or blue on alternate openings, each with pinwheel-like arms projecting from a central spiral with small petals and flourishes in blue and red; design of the terminal flourishes varies from one gathering to another; some with naturalistic leaves and flowers or fleurs-de-lis; terminals on ff. 1v-2r by the same hand as penwork initials on those folios. Line-fillers of varying design: two pairs of blue and red tapering bands, heraldically arranged and joined at center by red flower; undulating red line with red and/or blue balls under and over each crest and trough; red zigzag with blue infilling and spiral flourishes at terminals; alternating red and blue flowers; red and blue dots, etc., Some folios stained; f. 253 slashed in margin; f. 361 cut right across and glued together., and Binding: 2003. Full alum-tawed goatskin. See conservation treatment report for full description. Former binding stored in separate box: 18th century. Light brown calf blind- and gold-tooled. Sewing holes in inner margins.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Topic):
Arthurian romances, Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, and Manuscripts, Medieval
In Latin., Script: Written by a single scribe in small, neat, gothic bookhand; note in his hand on f. 209r, too trimmed to be legible., Approximately half the historiated initials have been excised. The initials, 51- to 9-line, painted gold, red and blue with white highlights and punctuated with gold dots, terminate in spiralling floral serifs, often with biting animal heads, with long projecting stems against cusped grounds. The figures are red, blue, orange and grey, against red or blue grounds, some of them diapered and decorated with groups of three white dots and gold dots. Illuminated initials, 51- to 5-line, occasionally for books (f. 74v [Joshua] and f. 175r [Nehemiah]), for the most part for the prologues, similar to the historiated initials, except infilled with interwining and angular vines with biting head terminals, red and/or blue against red or blue grounds with gold dots and set in frames of painted gold. 2-line calligraphic initials for chapters, red or blue with blue or red penwork, each attached to a column of superimposed I's, red and blue, running the full length of the text column, with penwork flourishes, especially at the terminals. Capitals for verses stroked in red. Running headings and chapter numbers in alternating red and blue letters or numbers., and Binding: Date? Resewn on four single, round, vegetable fiber cords which are frayed out and adhered inside the oak boards. There are no endbands, but traces of alum tawed endband cores and sewing supports remain in the holes in the boards. The spine is square. Some lettering in ink on the fore-edge. Covered in red-brown calf, with an exceptionally large stamp of the Virgin and child in an aureole within concentric frames, one with an inscription, on the upper board and diamonds filled with crosses, roses and IHS in circles on the lower. The latter ornaments are also stamped on the turn-ins underneath the pastedowns. Rebacked and edges repaired. Upper board detached. Not the original and possibly not an early binding. Rebacked in the Yale Conservation Studio in 1982. The upper and lower covers are lined with single leaves, pasted down, of a missale plenum (11th century?). Portions of Dominica VI post Pentecosten, Feria IV of that week (upper cover), an unidentified mass of the Sanctorale, Dominica III post Pentecosten (lower cover). Where they occur, the texts of the proper chants are notated in German neumes in campo aperto. Some of the chants are cited by incipit; these are usually not noted. The Alleluia for DMC III is Domine in virtute; that for DMC VI is Eripe me. (We thank K. D. Hartzell for his assistance with these fragments.)
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Topic):
Versions, Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Manuscripts, Medieval, and Missals
Manuscript on parchment of the Vulgate Bible, with interpretations of Hebrew names
Description:
In Latin., Script: Copied in small Northern Gothica Textualis (Pearl Script), Decoration: Historiated initials, with a normal height of 6 lines, at beginning of each book (further on this, see the catalog description); 4-line foliate initials, half inserted, at the beginning of each prologue; running headlines and chapter numbers alternately in red and blue majuscules or roman numerals., and Binding: 18th or 19th century romantic binding by François Bozerian (Bozerian Jeune): red morocco over cardboard; both covers gold- and blind-tooled with cruciform and floral motifs; gold-tooled spine with four raised bands and a gold-tooled title, "BIBLIA SACRA."
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Remigius, of Auxerre, approximately 841-908.
Subject (Topic):
Versions, Vulgate, Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, and Manuscripts, Medieval
Manuscript on parchment (trimmed). The codex is probably a normal French Bible but is so badly bound, with lacunae throughout, that we cannot be certain
Description:
In Latin., Script: Written by a single scribe in a neat, but slightly round, gothic bookhand, on the top line. Notes for initials and chapter numbers in margins, in an informal cursive script. Numerous corrections between rulings in lower margin; the corrections were then written in a neat gothic bookhand next to the text., The surviving historiated initials, 8-, 7-, 6-, and 5-line, are of varied design, and are all badly damaged. In type and style they are somewhat comparable to initials in mid-13th century Parisian manuscripts. For the most part, the initials are red or blue, with white highlights; the body of the letter on a dark blue, pink, or grey ground, with white dots; curling floral and dragon serifs, some with cusps (orange, red, and green); descenders (up to 2/3 of text column) same color as body of letter, with adjoining strips of pink, blue, or grey, often with cusped floral terminals, rampant dragons; all sections thickly edged in black. Other historiated initials, blue or pink, with cusped serifs, against a brown ground with delicate floral filigree in white; thick black edging. Three historiated initials (ff. 25r, 90v, and 117v) in architectural settings, in dark blue, blue, red, pink, and gold, with elaborate floral pendants below. The historiated initials for two books, f. 1r (Proverbs) and f. 63v (Philippians) were cut out; script and decoration have been restored with unusual care (15th century); large floral buds (green, orange, yellow, and/or pink) on short green stems against purple or black grounds., Illuminated initials, 4- to 2-line for prologues, pink or blue with white highlights, occasionally with gold; otherwise, diminutive versions of historiated initials types (f. 63 [Prologue to Philippians] with a small bird); one initial of this type f. 35v (John), originally historiated, has also been restored. 4- to 2-line initials for chapters, set into text columns, red and blue with blue and red penwork flourishes running along column into margins, some with animal-head terminals; some initials in bottom line with unusual penwork pendants. Capitals in text stroked in red. Chapter numbers, red and blue, often with flourishes; running headings, red and blue; rubrics in red throughout; corrections surrounded by undulating red lines, occasionally with trailing penwork flourishes., and Binding: 18th-19th centuries. Vellum case. Paper boards are composed of fragments of several French legal documents of the 16th and 17th centuries.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Topic):
Versions, Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, and Manuscripts, Medieval
Manuscript on parchment of an illuminated Bible, with the prologues attributed to St. Jerome, and interpretations of the Hebrew names
Description:
In Latin., Script: probably copied by one hand in extremely small Gothica Textualis Libraria (Perlschrift). The alphabetical list of words is by a contemporary hand. Numerous historiated initials of various sizes with long vertical extensions., Manuscript on parchment of an illuminated Bible, with the prologues attributed to St. Jerome; interpretations of the Hebrew names: Interpretationes nominum Hebraicorum, with additions in the margins and at the end; an alphabetical list of words with explanations and/or ethymologies; a table of Epistles, Gospels and other readings for the ecclesiastical year: Temporale, Sanctorale and Common of the Saints; and a list, in two columns, of the kings of Juda and Israel., and Binding: 19th century: calf over cardboard; both covers and spine, in six compartments, gold-tooled. Purple silk doublures.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Jerome, Saint, -419 or 420.
Subject (Topic):
Versions, Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, and Manuscripts, Medieval
Manuscript on parchment of Petrus Pictaviensis, Compendium historiae in genealogia Christi
Description:
In Latin., Script: Written by a single scribe in fine gothic bookhand, above top line., Genealogical tables accompany text throughout: drawn in red with roundels connected by pairs of parallel lines and aligned between red vertical rulings. Roundels for Adam and Eve, f. 1r, in yellow and blue, respectively; the roundels for their descendants on green ground. The plan of the temple at Jerusalem, f. 4r, in red, green and blue. The roundels for Christ, f. 5r, in blue, yellow, and red. Headings in red; spaces left for decorative initials remain unfilled., Lower portion of f. 1 torn, with loss of text., and Binding: Nineteenth century, Germany. Grubby blue paper wrapper. Title, in ink, on upper cover: "Manuscript des XIII Jahrhunderts. Historia mundi sec. ord. chronol. usque ad mortem Jesu Christi".
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Jesus Christ and Petrus, Wiensis, -1183.
Subject (Topic):
Christian literature, Latin (Medieval and modern), Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, and Manuscripts, Medieval
Manuscript, on vellum, containing the text of the prophetic books of the Old Testament, including Baruch, with prologues and commentary. The extensive gloss surrounds the centered Biblical text
Description:
In Latin., Layout: Biblical text centered, single column, variable length; surrounding gloss written in double columns of 65-75 lines., Script: gothic script. Letters in Biblical text larger than in glosses., Decoration: 18 small historiated initials and approximately 30 other illuminated initials; numerous blue and red penwork initials with red or lilac penwork decoration; rubricated., and Binding: modern blind-stamped red morocco gilt, by Riviere.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Topic):
Versions, Vulgate, Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, and Manuscripts, Medieval
Manuscript on parchment (trimmed) of Petrus Comestor, Historia Scholastica. Text missing at beginning of 2 Kings (one folio following f. 85), and at end of 2 Kings and beginning of 3 Kings (one bifolium following f. 90). With a paraphrase of the Acts of the Apostles attributed to Petrus Pictaviensis. Written for Abbey of Mont-Saint-Quentin in Northeastern France
Alternative Title:
Historia scholastica
Description:
In Latin., Script: Written in bold, early gothic bookhand by one scribe. Writing above top line, with tall ascenders in upper margin. Various corrections in a different hand (13th century). Guide-letters for illuminator throughout. Scattered short marginal glosses (brown ink) in a similar but smaller hand (13th century). Transcriptions of rubrics in a 15th-century hand., Richly illuminated in early gothic style. The uncial presentation text is set inside a double frame of orange and blue strips, the latter decorated with orange dots; the entire page crowned by an elaborate architectural canopy above four trilobe arches supported at the side of the frame by columns, in blue. There are twenty-three historiated initials orange or blue, decorated with stylized foliage in white, occasionally with biting dragon and curling vine serifs, set in or above orange frames, on gold grounds., Six large foliate initials, in a style dependent on Channel-School models: tight pink and blue vine scrolls with dragon terminals, in some cases on a green trellis, set in light orange frames, edged in black, against gold grounds; on f. 2v an I running the full length of the page (Preface); f. 66r (Joshua); f. 77r (Prologue, 1 Kings); f. 127r (Story of Susannah), f. 134r (Esther) and f. 144r (2 Maccabees), blue capitals with white highlights, filled with vine scrolls and framed as above, against gold grounds. 6- and 3-line initials, red and blue, with blue or red penwork respectively; a few (e.g., f. 98v) in a more elaborate manner with penwork in both colors. On some pages a single column of text is further divided by a vertical guilloche pattern in orange ink. Rubrics in orange throughout., Some pages sewn; some bleeding of orange ink; upper right corner of f. 190 cut out. Text not damaged., and Binding: 19th-20th centuries. Gilt, gauffered edges. Brown goatskin blind-tooled, with elaborate bosses and fastenings, by Lortic.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Petrus, Comestor, active 12th century
Subject (Topic):
History Bibles, Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, and Manuscripts, Medieval
Manuscript on parchment (goatskin) of 1) Iohannes de Sacrobosco, Algorismus. 2) Thebit ben Chorat, De recta imaginatione sphaerae. 3) Iohannes de Sacrobosco, De sphaera. 4) Iohannes Campanus of Novara (ascr.), Tractatus quadrantis. 5) Iohannes de Sacrobosco, Compotus. 6) Gerardus Sablonetanus (ascr.), Theorica planetarum (also attributed to other authors). 7) Alfraganus, Liber differentiarum, tr. John of Seville
Description:
In Latin., Script: Copied by a single scribe writing Northern Gothica Textualis Libraria. Numerous and often extensive marginal notes by various 13th and 14th century hands, mostly in small rapid cursive handwriting, some in Italian Gothica Hybrida Libraria., Red paragraph marks and 2-3-line plain initials with guide-letters; on f. 1r a larger flourished littera duplex inbrown and red; the other artt. open with larger plain initials. Numerous pointing hands. Pen-and-ink drawings and diagrams throughout., and Binding: Early, heavy wooden boards recovered with new brown sheepskin. Spine with three raised bands and gold-tooled inscription: "TRACTATUS ASTRONOMICI. MS A.D. 1281".
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Sacro Bosco, Joannes de, fl. 1230.
Subject (Topic):
Astrology, Astronomy, Medieval, Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Latin literature, Medieval and modern, Manuscripts, Medieval, and Mathematics, Medieval
Manuscript on parchment (much worn, pieced) of 1) Ovid, Tristia 1.7.35-40. 2) Ovid, Metamorphoses. With Lactantian tituli added in margins
Description:
In Latin., 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., 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., and 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".
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Lactantius, ca. 240-ca. 320. and Ovid, 43 B.C.-17 A.D. or 18 A.D.
Subject (Topic):
Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Latin fiction, and Manuscripts, Medieval
