Illuminated manuscript leaf from a Gradual, on parchment, containing the opening of the Office of St. Felicitas. The large historiated initial contains an illumination of St. Felicitas enthroned and surrounded by the Seven Martyred Brothers. Two kneeling women at the bottom of the image may represent the donors
Description:
In Latin., The leaf was originally part of a Gradual that is now Beinecke MS 42. The evidence is that it followed folio 52., This leaf has been attributed to Attavante degli Attavanti., and Decoration: in addition to the large historiated initial, the wide border contains numerous putti and eight figurative rondels.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Topic):
Manuscripts, Medieval, Graduals (Liturgical books), and Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval
Manuscript fragment, on parchment, containing an illustration of the execution of the general Vitruvius, as described in Book 8, chapter 20 of Livy's Ab urbe condita (History of Rome). The verso contains 18 incomplete lines of text in French
Description:
In Middle French., Tipped onto a cardboard mount. Bookseller description pasted to the reverse of the mount., Script: bâtarde script., and Decoration: the miniature is full-color with shading in gold, edged with a narrow burnished gold frame.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Livy.
Subject (Topic):
Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval and Manuscripts, Medieval
Manuscript on parchment of Petrus de Tarentasia (Pope Innocent V), In quartum librum Sententiarum Petri Lombardi. Copied from a stationer's exemplar secundum pecias. With Distinctiones on the scholastic and monastic life, entered in a later highly abbreviated script; and Anonymous commentary on the Psalms
Description:
In Latin., Script: Written in small gothic bookhand; arts. 2 and 4 in less formal scripts., Two historiated initials, 7- and 4-line. Folio 1r: mauve initial with white filigree on blue ground with white filigree, edged in gold, showing a man drawing water from a well, against gold ground, illustrating the Biblical passage "Haurietis aquas...." Serifs, ending in heart-shaped red leaves, on blue and red cusped grounds, with gold balls, extending along the inner margin to form a partial bar border. Perched on the top of the initial is a small bird, grey with red wings. Folio 1v: blue initial with white shading against dark red ground with white filigree. Ascender blue against dark red ground, extending along text column to form a partial bar border. The initial shows the good Samaritan riding on a donkey, against gold ground. Numerous flourished initials, 4- to 3-line, alternate red and blue with penwork designs in the opposite color. Running headlines in red and blue. Paragraph marks alternate red and blue. Guide letters for decorator visible beneath initials., and Binding: Sixteenth century, Germany or Italy (?). Resewn (early) on three tawed skin slit straps laced through tunnels in the edge of beech boards to channels on the outside and pegged; channels filled with glue. A pink, green and white, five core endband is sewn through a leather lining on a tawed skin core laced into the boards and pegged. Covered in brick red sheepskin with corner tongues; blind-tooled with an X and sparse use of oak-leaf edging tool. Two truncated diamond catches on lower board, the upper board cut in for the red fabric clasp straps which were attached with star-headed nails. Corner fittings and six-petalled central medallion. Traces of title, in ink, on spine. Spine of the bookblock partially eaten by rodents.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Innocent V, Pope, approximately 1224-1276. and Peter Lombard, Bishop of Paris, approximately 1100-1160.
Subject (Topic):
Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Manuscripts, Medieval, Pecia, Scholasticism, and Scholia
Manuscript on parchment roll, unevenly trimmed at top and bottom, composed of three membranes segments glued together, the third an addition of the late 15th century. Includes Prayers to be said for a pardon of 32,055 years; and Prayer based on the measurement of the length of the body of Christ. The texts are written on one side of a roll (dorse is blank).
Description:
In Latin and English., Script: Written in gothic liturgical script in brown and red ink., Membrane I: Two miniatures of the Emblems of the Passion, the one above the written space in a gothic architectural setting, with a Saint on either side and instruments of the Passion included around the full-figure of Christ standing with the cross. The miniature below with three exceptionally large nails and a heart enclosed by a crown of thorns and supported by two angels; surrounded by instruments of the Passion. The patron in clerical costume of white gown and blue robe [Austin friar?] in prayer with a scroll. A curling acanthus and floral border, containing birds holding snakes in their beaks; red, blue, pink and orange, framed in blue, with a gentle ogee arch at the top., Membrane II: A large empty cross (17 mm.) drawn in black ink and colored brown, in the center of the written space. One 6-line initial, pink and blue acanthus on a gold ground infilled with an aroid. Three 2-line initials, one blue filled with a pink flower on gold, one pink with white filigree on gold, one gold, filled with blue with white filigree on a pink ground. Floral border, including columbines, roses, in red, blue, pink and green, with insects, against a tan ground with brown dots, framed in red and blue., Membrane III: A miniature of the Christ Child as Salvator Mundi: seated on a red cushion beside the cross, holding the orb and blessing. This iconography, rare and perhaps unknown in English manuscript illustration, is probably of foreign origin. One 3-line initial, pink and blue with white highlights, filled with a blue and pink flower on a gold ground. Border with large blue, pink, green and orange flowers joined by an undulating green stem, with brown hair-spray and gold dots. Framed in blue and pink., and Holes and tears in the margins of the upper two segments; considerably rubbed, with some loss of text.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Catholic Church
Subject (Topic):
Devotional literature, English (Middle), Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Indulgences, and Manuscripts, Medieval
Manuscript on parchment. The book is not so much a guide to the pilgrimage churches of Rome, as a set of instructions on how to obtain the same spiritual benefits without making the actual pilgrimage. The seven letters designating the seven Roman basilicas serve as references throughout the manuscript. The latest indulgence to be mentioned (f. 14r) was awarded by Pope Pius II (1458-1464). After the description of the indulgences to be obtained in the seven principal churches, the manuscript mentions the station days and indulgences for the Temporale and for the Sanctorale and the visits to make during the non-station days
Description:
In French., Script: Copied by one hand in Gothica Cursiva Formata (Bastarda)., Headings in red ink. Liquid gold paragraph marks on square alternately red and brown background. Liquid gold 1-line initials on similar background. 2-line silver trompe-l'oeil initials decorated with foliage on coloured background. Similar 2- or 3-line gold or silver initials containing a flower on indented coloured background in art. 1. In art. 1 seven three-quarter page square arch-topped miniatures above 3 lines of text., and Binding: Seventeenth century. Richly gold-tooled red morocco over cardboard; gold-tooled spine with four raised bands and title "PRI* MANUSCR." Pastedowns decorated with green and gold arabesques.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Margaret, of York, Duchess, consort of Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, 1446-1503.
Subject (Topic):
Devotional literature, French, Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Indulgences, and Manuscripts, Medieval
Manuscript on parchment (speckled) of George of Trebizond, Isagoge dialectica. With Extracts from Aristotle, De sophisticis elenchis, in an unidentified Latin translation; logical and syllogistic diagrams; Martinus Phileticus (ca. 1430-ca. 1490), 14-line poem to Federico da Montefeltro of Urbino, written in the hand of the author
Description:
In Latin., Script: Art. 1 in a small and regular Greek minuscule script; arts. 2-6 in humanistic cursive script, below top line, by a single scribe who also added marginalia; art. 7 in humanistic cursive by a different scribe., One illuminated initial of poor quality, gold, 3-line, on blue, green, and pink ground. Rubrics and marginal key words (for ff. 1r-6r, 31r only) in pale red. Plain blue intials in art. 2; red or blue elsewhere., and Binding: Fifteenth century, Italy. Original sewing on three tawed skin, slit straps laid in channels on the outside of wooden boards and nailed. The spine is lined with leather between sewing supports. Covered in brown sheepskin with corner tongues and blind-tooled with concentric frames, one filled with rope interlace, and a rope interlace square on a point in the central panel. Annular dots are colored with gold or copper, now green. Spine: very faint diapering with triple fillets. There are five round bosses on each board and two fastenings, leaf-shaped catches on the lower board and the upper one cut in for fabric straps. The front board is detached; one boss wanting.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Aristotle., Federico, da Montefeltro, Duke of Urbino, 1422-1482., and George, of Trebizond, 1396-1486.
Subject (Topic):
Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Latin literature, Medieval and modern, Logic, Manuscripts, Medieval, and Rhetoric
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 parchment of Biondo Flavio, Italia Illustrata with the dedicatory preface to Pope Nicolas V (d. 1455).
Description:
In Latin., Script: Written in fine humanistic bookhand, below top line, by a single scribe who also wrote the running titles (epigraphic majuscules) and marginalia, in red., Elaborately illuminated title page with historiated initial, 10-line, mauve with silver filigree against gold ground, edged in black, with a portrait of the author, seated and holding a book, against a hilly landscape and blue sky. Partial border of white vine-stem ornament against a predominantly gold ground with blue, green, and red patches with white and pale yellow dots in inner and upper margins, terminating in dense penwork scrolls with gold dots. In outer and lower margin, border of stylized flowers and foliage in red, purple, green, and blue, surrounded by dense penwork scrolls punctuated by gold dots. In center of lower margin, wreathed medallion with unidentified arms, supported by two purple winged putti outlined in blue and wearing red necklaces. 14 illuminated initials, 9- to 6-line, gold, on blue, green, and red ground with white vine-stem ornament, sometimes extending into the margins. Headings, running titles, and marginalia in red., and Binding: Eighteenth century, England. Red goatskin gold-tooled, with the crest of Charles Chauncy on the sides. Gilt edges. Rebacked. The fine quality of the endleaves and leather, and the tool used on the edges of the boards and the turn-ins are similar to those in Marston MS 102 and Beinecke MS 497, both probably bound by Richard Wier, active in London and France in the 1770s; d. 1792).
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut, New Haven., and Italy
Subject (Name):
Biondo Flavio, 1392-1463.
Subject (Topic):
Geography, Medieval, Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Manuscripts, Medieval, and Description and travel
Manuscript on parchment of the Iudicium astrologicum, or horoscope, for the year 1475. Prepared for the humanist condottiere Federigo da Montefeltro (1422-1482, lord of Urbino from 1444; named duke by Pope Sixtus IV in 1474), perhaps by his court astrologer Iacobus of Speyer
Description:
In Latin., Script: Written by a very elegant and uniform humanistic hand., The dedication on f. 1r written in very pale red. Capitals with guide-letters in plain burnished gold or blue at paragraph divisions set into the left margin, the letters of the final word or words in a paragraph often in capitals and spread to fill out the line. On f. 1r is an illuminated border in the upper, inner, and lower margins consisting of a triple band of narrow gold stripes, quadruple and broader at the bottom margin, containing a very complex "white-vine" pattern, the spaces of which are filled up with red, blue, and green pigment peppered with patterns of three small dots in white lead; set within the lower band of the border is a round wreath incorporating a shield with the arms of Federigo da Montefeltro lord of Urbino; the first capital of the text, f. 1r, 8, is in burnished gold within a square painted frame of blue, red, and green ornamented with white tracery. No illustration., and Binding: Rebound ca. 1800 in England (?) in blind-paneled brown diced Russia with doublures of the same, flat back without title label, the original gilt edges now somewhat irregular due to the rebinding, two parchment guards and one of paper at beginning, one parchment guard at end. Preserved in a recent black cloth folding box with gilt-stamped black niger label.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Federico, da Montefeltro, Duke of Urbino, 1422-1482. and Iacobus, of Speyer.
Subject (Topic):
Astrology, Horoscopes, Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, and Manuscripts, Medieval
