Manuscript on parchment (trimmed) of 1) Robert de Borron, Joseph d'Arimathie. 2) Robert de Borron, Lestoire de Saint Graal. 3) Robert de Borron, Lestoire de Merlin. Lestoire de Merlin was copied in 1357, by Jehan de Loles. The other two works are probably contemporary, but rubbing on the first folio of each work suggests that they were once bound separately
Description:
In French., Script: Written by five scribes in gothic textura. Scribe 1: ff. 1r-11r (Joseph d'Aramathie). Scribes 2: ff. 12r-83v and 3: ff. 84r-140r (Lestoire de Saint Graal). Scribe 4: ff. 141r-317v (Lestoire de Merlin), except ff. 149r-156v, the second gathering, written by Scribe 5. Scribe 4 is identified as Jehan de Loles from the colophon. Guides for rubrics written in lower or inner margin. Inscriptions adjoining miniatures in 14th-century cursive, brown or black ink, are possibly either later identifications or instructions to the minaturist., The decoration, the work of four hands, is of relatively poor quality. Three large miniatures, 11- to 13-line and two column, blue and/or red frames, gold squares in corners, surrounded by a thin gold band, with gold ivy leaves on black hair-lines at midpoints and corners. Miniatures accompanied by 3/4 bar borders, red, blue and gold, with white highlights; dragon and ivy terminals, with additional ivy extending from the gold segments. 182 small miniatures, 8-line, one column, most in bottom margin, suggesting execution after the original illumination had been completed: thin gold, red, and blue frames, single gold ivy leaf on hair-line stem at each corner; gold and diapered grounds., One historiated initial, f. 186v, 3-line, red against a blue and gold ground, knight and three men outside tent. Illuminated initials, 6- to 4-line, for books and chapters, red against irregular blue grounds with white highlights; gold dots in cusps at corners, infilled with blue and red ivy against gold. 2-line initials (guide-letters remain), gold, against irregular blue, orange, and red grounds with white highlights; black hair-lines at corners. Rubrics in red throughout, with guides for rubrics written in lower or inner margin., and Binding: Sixteenth century. Worn purple velvet over boards, with massive brass corner pieces and fastenings; plaque with arms removed from front cover. Made for Henri, comte de Clermont-Tonnerre.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Robert, de Boron, 13th cent.
Subject (Topic):
Arthurian romances, French literature, and Manuscripts, Medieval
Manuscript leaf, on vellum, in a single hand, of part of the book of Ecclesiasticus (Sirach).
Description:
In Latin., Layout: double columns of 46 lines each., Script: gothic., and Decoration: Three illuminated initials with bar borders; illuminated chapter numbers.
Manuscript fragment on parchment of the Breviari d'Amor by Matfre Ermengaud. This fragment, the sole example of troubadour lyric in North America outside of the Morgan Library, contains sections II.15913-16015 of the poem, which details the ten punishments of hell. Marginal notes in two later hands are present
Description:
In Old Occitan (Old Provençal)., Accompanied by: nineteenth-century printed description in French and translation into modern French., Script: main text in vernacular Gothic bookhand. Marginal notes in a late medieval hand and an early modern hand., Decoration: nine four-line initials in alternating red and blue with contrasting penwork. Two two-line initials in red. A single red capitulum mark. Rubrics present in red., and Layout: single column of thirty lines; the initial letter of each line is set slightly apart. Light brown ink.
Manuscript leaf, on parchment, in a single hand, probably from an Anglo-Norman breviary
Description:
In Latin., Layout: double columns of 25 lines., Script: gothic., and Decoration: Rubricated. Two illuminated initials with long marginal extensions; two smaller initials.
Manuscript on parchment of prayers, liturgical regulations, and offices
Description:
In Latin., Script: Written by several scribes in gothic bookhand., Ornate initials in red, blue, and violet., and Binding: Eighteenth century. Damaged brown leather over pasteboards, recovered in paper. Red leather gilt label on spine reading: "Breviarum Manuscriptum".
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Franciscans
Subject (Topic):
Manuscripts, Breviaries, and Manuscripts, Medieval
Manuscript fragment on parchment of book two of Avicenna's Canon medicinae as translated from Arabic into Latin by Gerard of Cremona; the section contained in the fragment details a variety of herbs and their medicinal qualities
Description:
In Latin., Script: written in a heavily abbreviated, Gothic hand., Decoration: each medicinal entry begins with a 3-line initial, alternating red and blue with penwork in the contrasting color. Headings at the top of each page in red and blue. Each column contains decorative borderwork consisting of elongated strokes alternating in red and blue with red penwork., Layout: in two columns of 68 lines each., and Damage: the fragment has been removed from a binding, where it possibly served as a wrapper. Glue and binding material are still attached to one side of the leaf; the other side is discolored with offsetting from the later book. A piece from the spine remains attached and reads "Bbb" [?].
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Avicenna, 980-1037 and Gherardo, da Cremona, 1113 or 1114-1187
Subject (Topic):
Manuscripts, Medieval, Medicine, Medieval, and Medicine, Arab
Manuscript on parchment. Copied in the Charterhouse Val de Benediction (Vallis Benedictionis) at Villeneuve-les-Avignon
Description:
In Latin., Script: Copied by one hand in small Northern Gothica Textualis Libraria., All important illuminated leaves missing. Headings in red. Yellow heightening of the majuscules. 1-line flourished initials alternately red and blue. Numerous 2-line flourished initials in the same colours. 3-line dentelle initials with partial floral borders in gold (on f. 56r with bar-shaped extensions, on f. 57v no border)., The manuscript is heavily mutilated, some leaves are out of order and many (presumably all illuminated) leaves are cut out., and Binding: Nineteenth century. Light-brown leather over pasteboard; the covers gold-tooled with floral border and centre-piece. Gold-tooled spine with four raised bands. One large modern silver clasp attached to rear cover. Edges gilt and gauffered.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Carthusians. and Catholic Church
Subject (Topic):
Liturgy, Breviaries, Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Manuscripts, Medieval, and Monasticism and religious orders
Manuscript fragment on parchment of a commentary on Ps.-Gilbert of Poitiers, Lib. VI principiorum
Description:
In Latin., Script: written in a small gothic script with frequent abbreviations (scriptura notularis)., and Decoration: spaces are left for two 2-line initials, but they have not been added; 1-line initials are in brown capitals; quotations from the text are underlined in brown; paragraph marks are in brown; punctuated with the punctus; hyphenation is in the same ink as the text.
