In Latin., Script: Written by one scribe in large round gothic bookhand. Index added later by Frater Elia Pinelli, in humanistic script., Three historiated initials; that on f. 3r (Sts. Peter and Andrew), the Calling of Sts. Peter and Andrew, is of high quality; purple with white floral highlights; ornate purple, blue and green fruit and floral border, inner margin, with candelabra, hairspray and gold dots. The two other historiated initials are of inferior quality: f. 78v (Holy Cross) Cross with Arma Christi and f. 220r (Mass of the Dead) two roundels: skull and cross-bones against a landscape and skeleton with scythe against a black ground. Very fine penwork 3- and 2-line initials: done in red or blue (one on f. 57r in gold), decorated with white bands and jewels, with blue and red penwork, large illusionistic jewel studs and simple fruit and floral borders, painted in purple, blue, green, and yellow or in pen, red, blue with some black and yellow; initial on f. 189r with two seraphim. Some 2-line initials incorporate ivy or fruit swags. 1-line initials, red or blue, divided, with blue or red penwork, jewel studs, circles and lozenges, in green, yellow and tan. Square musical notation on 4-line red staves. Rubrics throughout., Binding: 17th-18th centuries. Original sewing on 6 double cords, each covered with brown leather and probably nailed to inside of boards. Red and gold wound endbands. Heavy boards are covered with thick leather (cowskin?) and the spine is covered separately with leather nailed to the edge of each board. There are four brass corner pieces and a large central boss on each board, bosses protruding from the three outer edges, and a strap and pin fastening, the pin on the lower board., and An additional leaf with a historiated initial depicting St. Felicitas was removed from this manuscript at some point prior to its acquisition by the Beinecke Library. This leaf is currently cataloged as Beinecke MS 712.129.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Catholic Church
Subject (Topic):
Liturgy, Graduals (Liturgical books)., Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, and Manuscripts, Medieval
In Latin., Script: written in gothic script, with notation in nota quadrata., Many illuminated, several historiated initials, the rest in red and black penwork. Made for a church where there was a special veneration for Sts. Lawrence, Concordia and Pope Marcus., Many folios are damaged, some were repaired and all were cut off at the upper and side edges., and Binding: old wooden boards covered with leather; metal corners and center pieces, leather clasps; rebacked.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Topic):
Graduals (Liturgical books)., Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Manuscripts, Medieval, and Music
Manuscript on parchment of an anonymous Latin grammar, with some Italian translations
Description:
In Latin, with some Italian., Written by a single scribe in careful humanistic cursive, above top line., Folio 1r illuminated by Francesco d'Antonio del Chierico. Full border, partially rubbed, of white vine-stem ornament curling around a thin gold bar against blue, green and pink ground. In outer border, a medallion, framed in gold, with profile of a young man against blue ground. In lower border a wreathed medallion, framed by two circles of gold with partially erased arms. Medallion supported by six green and red winged putti. The entire border inhabited by a large number of putti playing among the vine stem, various birds and three does. Illuminated initial, 3-line, joined to the border, gold against blue, green and pink ground with white vine-stem ornament inhabited by a seated putto. One small illuminated initial, f. 1v, 2-line, gold against blue and pink ground with white filigree (partly rubbed). Plain initials alternate in red and blue. Guide letters for initials., and Binding: Nineteenth century, Italy (?). Semi-limp vellum case.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Topic):
Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Latin language, Grammar, and Manuscripts, Medieval
Manuscript on parchment of 1) Anonymous grammatical treatise in prose (Grammatica Latina secundum Donatum). 2) Disticha Catonis
Description:
In Latin., Script: Copied by one hand in large Southern Gothica Textualis Formata (Rotunda). The opening majuscule of each verse set off in a separate column., 1-line red versals and 2-line red plain initials. Two large initials: f. 1r, at the beginning of the text of art. 1, historiated 10- line initial in pink on a blue background, containing a half-length profile of a poet or teacher in outline with a yellow dress; f. 10r, at the beginning of art. 2, decorated 9-line initial in pinkon a blue background, filled with red, yellow and green leaves., Due to intensive use the pages are badly rubbed and the legibility is impaired; whole passages have been rewritten by a later hand. The corners of the leaves are worn off. Holes and sewings., and Binding: Original half brown leather binding over heavy bevelled wooden boards; sewn on two split leather thongs; the spine damaged. Remnants of one strap attached to the front cover, with iron pin on the rear cover.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Topic):
Didactic poetry, Latin, Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Latin language, Grammar, and Manuscripts, Medieval
Manuscript on paper, composed of two closely related parts. Part I: Guarino da Verona, Ipotesia ad Hieronymum (filium) suum, written in 1443. Part II: 3) Francesco Barbaro, De re uxoria, with the prefatory letter to Lorenzo di Giovanni de' Medici (1395-1440). 4) Anonymous text, 12 lines, listing the moral qualities of a good wife. 5) Ps.-Bernard of Clairvaux, Epistola de gubernatione rei familiaris. 6) Lucian, Contentio de presidentia P. Scipionis, Lat. tr. Giovanni Aurispa. 7) Buonaccorso da Montemagno, Controversia de nobilitate. 8) Unidentified oration delivered before the faculty at the university of Siena in 1465. 9) Francesco Pontano, unidentified oration delivered before the faculty at the university of Siena. 10) Bartholomaeus Senensis, unidentified oration delivered before the faculty at the university of Siena. Part II was written by the jurist and diplomat Rainerius de Maschis of Rimini
Description:
In Latin., Watermarks: Part I: unidentified two-wheeled wagon. Part II: similar to Briquet Chapeau 3387., Script: Part I (ff. 1-3): Written in a small neat humanistic cursive by a single scribe, above top line. Part II (ff. 4-67): Written in a slanting humanistic bookhand with gothic features by a single scribe, above top line., Illuminated initial, f. 4r, 4-line, gold on blue, green, and red ground with yellow and white filigree. In lower border wreathed medallion with ribbons on either side, bearing the arms of Rainerius de Maschis of Rimini; the initials R and A, in gold, on either side of shield. Headings, paragraph marks, punctuation and marginalia, in red., and Binding: Fifteenth century, Italy. Sewn on three tawed skin, slit straps laced through tunnels in the edges of beech boards to channels on the outside and nailed. Natural color endbands, beaded on the spine, were sewn on tawed skin cores laid in grooves in the boards and nailed. There is tawed skin under the endband tie downs. Covered in green (?) tawed skin with a strip of red leather, 19th-20th centuries, added on the spine. Two truncated diamond catches with the IHS monogram within a sunburst (as used by St. Bernardinus of Siena) on the lower board. The upper board is cut in for clasp straps which are a later addition. Both clasps and catches have the word AVE. The title De re uxoria written in ink on both head and tail edges. The boards are badly worm eaten.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Guarino, Veronese, 1374-1460.
Subject (Topic):
Didactic literature, Latin (Medieval and modern), Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Literature, Medieval, Manuscripts, Medieval, and Speeches, addresses, etc., Latin (Medieval and modern)
Manuscript on parchment (sheepskin?) of Roman de Gui de Warewic. With so-called Roman de Herolt d'Ardenne, in fact the final part of art. 1, dealing with Guy's son Reinbrun, followed by 4 verses apparently not found in other manuscripts
Description:
In French., Script: Written probably by one hand in Northern Gothica Textualis Libraria, with loops or bold and calligraphic extensions at the ascenders at the top line., Red heightening of the majuscules. 2-line flourished initials in red and blue, with extensions in the margins or in the intercolumnar space; the alternance of red and blue initials is mostly not respected., The manuscript is waterstained and considerably trimmed. Many lower edges are defective., and Binding: Ca. 1900 de luxe gold-tooled maroon morocco over cardboard in brown leather box, by Riviere & Son; gold-tooled armorial stamp in the middle of the front cover. Gold-tooled spine with five raised bands and title "ROMANT DE GUI DE WARWIC ET DE LA BELLE FELICE". Gilt edges.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Topic):
Anglo-Norman literature, Guy of Warwick (Legendary character), Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, and Manuscripts, Medieval
Manuscript on paper of 1) Table for Oppian, Halieutica. 2) Anonymous Life of Oppian. 3) Oppian of Anazarbos, Halieutica. The order of the text is distorted: I.1-66; 380-543; 67-379; I.544-III.189; IV.562-619; III.198-IV.561; IV.620-end. 4) Oppianus of Apamea, Cynegetica. 5) Colluthus, Raptus Helenae. 6) Tryphiodorus, Troiae Halosis. 7) Dionysius Periegetes, Description of the habitable world (De situ orbis).
Description:
In Greek., Watermarks: similar to Briquet Chapeau 3397 for leaves with text, and to Harlfinger Cloche 31 for blank pages., Script: Text was written by a single scribe. A later hand, bold and ill-formed, supplied the table of contents (ff. iii verso-iv verso), minor marginal notations and the foliation in the upper right corner (for ff. 1-60)., Tinted drawing of Oppian writing his poem while contemplating fish in a nearby stream occurs on f. 1v (perhaps an amateur copy of an author portrait); one simple 6-line initial in red and black penwork, f. 2r; headings in red., and Binding: Nineteenth century. Title in ink on fore edge. Tan calf case with deep geometric indentations, blind-tooled, with a dark blue, gold-tooled calf label. Similar to the bindings of MSS 256 and 258. Possibly bound by Whitaker (we thank A. R. A. Hobson for this information).
Subject (Geographic):
Greece., Connecticut, New Haven., and Troy (Extinct city)
Subject (Name):
Oppian, active 2nd century.
Subject (Topic):
Geography, Greek poetry, Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Legends, and Manuscripts, Medieval
Manuscript on parchment of Ovid, Heroides 16 (Paris to Helen) 1-38, 145-378, with an unidentified French translation. Latin text, which is written only on the verso of each leaf, faces the French translation, which is written on the recto of each leaf
Description:
In French and Latin., Script: Latin text written in a round humanistic script much influenced by printing; Scribe 1) ff. 1v-21v and Scribe 2) ff. 22r-36r. French text written in upright batarde; Scribe 1) ff. 2r-22r and Scribe 2) ff. 22r-36r (a more flamboyant style of script)., Two initials, one at beginning of Latin text (2-line), the other at the beginning of French text (3-line), respectively gold on blue square ground with gold filigree and gold on dark red square ground with gold filigree. Most stanzas introduced by paragraph marks in gold on blue or red alternating grounds, with gold filigree. First letter of each verse stroked with yellow, as are usually majuscules in text. Headings on ff. 1v and 2r in red., and Binding: Seventeenth century, France (?). Bound in red goatskin, gold-tooled. Gilt edges. Title, much worn, on spine.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Ovid, 43 B.C.-17 A.D. or 18 A.D.
Subject (Topic):
Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Literature, Medieval, Manuscripts, Medieval, and Narrative poetry, Latin
Manuscript on parchment, composed of two parts. Part I (ff. 1-44): Ovid, Heroides I-XIV; XVI-XXI (line 12). Part II (ff. 46-82): Ovid, Epistolae ex Ponto, I.1-IV.16. For the first eight letters, a brief introductory paragraph, written by the same scribe as the text, appears in outer margin
Description:
In Latin., Script: Both parts written by one scribe (Part I dated 1303) whose hand is characterized by an unusually tall double compartment a. Notes were added to the parchment pastedowns, now the flyleaves, in the 15th century., Decorative initials, 4-line, body split red and blue, with neat penwork flourishes, in red (ff. 1r, 46r); plain initials, 3- to 2-line, alternate red and blue for each letter throughout text; first letter of each verse placed on middle ruling of three vertical bounding lines., Stains in upper margin result in some loss of text., and Binding: Fifteenth century. Caught up sewing on four double, tawed supports. Covers wanting.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Ovid, 43 B.C.-17 A.D. or 18 A.D.
Subject (Topic):
Elegiac poetry, Latin, Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Latin letters, and Manuscripts, Medieval
Manuscript on parchment of 1) Curtius Rufus, Historia Alexandri Magni, translated into Italian and supplemented with material from Plutarch by Pier Candido Decembrio. 2) Pier Candido Decembrio, Comparazione di Cesare e d'Alessandro Magno
Description:
In Italian., Script: Written by a single scribe in a slightly rounded humanistic bookhand with many cursive elements, below top line., One illuminated intial, 6-line, gold against blue, green and pink ground with white vine-stem ornament, extending into inner margin to form a partial border; terminating at top and bottom in pen inkspray with buds in green and pink and gold balls with hair-line extensions. Plain initials, 3- to 2-line, in blue, mark text divisions; headings in pale red., and Binding: 15th-16th centuries, Italy. Sewn on four tawed skin, slit straps laid in channels on the outside of wooden boards and pegged. Gilt edges. Covered in brown goatskin with corner tongues, and blind-tooled with a ropework star inside painted (red) and blind-tooled circles inside a floral border, all with metallic annular dots. There are traces of four leaf-shaped fastenings, the catches on the lower board, the upper one cut in for fabric straps attached with star-headed nails. Rebacked twice.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Alexander, the Great, 356-323 B.C., Caesar, Julius., Decembrio, Pier Candido, 1399-1477., Plutarch., and Rufus, Curtius.
Subject (Topic):
Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Italian literature, Literature, Medieval, and Manuscripts, Medieval
