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 (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
In Latin., Script: Written by a single scribe in a neat gothic bookhand. Marginal notes and/or corrections by original scribe and several later ones., Historiated initials, 8- to 5-line, many excised, with figures (red and blue) in the summary, linear style characteristic of early 14th century French manuscript illumination; blue or pink with white highlights, with figures against gold grounds; descenders composed of dark blue, blue and red segments, often decorated with gold balls; long cusped floral serifs with gold balls, occasionally with additional trailing foliage, rabbits, birds, etc., Illuminated initials, 7- to 5-line (larger for I initials) for prologues, blue or pink with white highlights, cusped serifs, filled with curling vines, red trilobe leaves, and dragon heads, against red, orange, and gold grounds. 5-, 4-, and 2-line initials for chapters in red and blue with blue and red penwork, with elaborate calligraphic extensions running the full length of the text column; extensions composed either of two thick red lines with a thin blue one in between or two thick blue lines with a thin red line, the arrangement alternating for successive initials; with adjacent superimposed J's, alternating red and blue, also running the full length of column; elaborate vertical terminal flourishes. The more elaborate calligraphy for initials between ff. 360v and 370v appears to be by a different hand. Chapter numbers in margins, in alternating red and blue figures, with blue and red vertical hatching and red, blue, and occasionally purple flourishes. Running headings in similar manner. Marginal corrections boxed in red; glosses frequently underlined in red., First folio badly mutilated., and Binding: 19th-20th century. Original sheepskin covering of spine and part of boards, blind-tooled, adhered on a recent binding. Wooden boards also probably original. Stubs of three (originally four) fastening straps, reinforced with vellum, on upper cover.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Topic):
Versions, Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, and Manuscripts, Medieval
Manuscript on parchment (thin) containing 1) List of Epistle and Gospel readings (incipit and explicit) for the liturgical year. 2) Survey of the subdivisions of the Bible. 3) Bible text. 4) Interpretationes nominum Hebraicorum. Two folios are missing between ff. 184 and 185, two folios between ff. 282 and 283, one folio between ff. 295 and 296, all with loss of text
Description:
In Latin., Script: Written in very small Northern Gothica Textualis., Red headings and red heigthening of the majuscules. Alternately red and blue pain initials (1 line) in art. 4. Alternately red and blue flourished initials (2 lines) with long marginal extensions. Beautiful larger flourished initials in the same colours with very developed penwork, in which both colours are sometimes combined, at the beginning of the various books and sections. On f. 1r large littera duplex and on f. 8r (beginning of Genesis) large initial I with very fine penwork, both the full height of the text area and in the same colours. Running titles in red and blue., Many leaves and the lower outer corners of all leaves damaged by moist., and Binding: Sixteenth century. Blind-tooled brown calf over thin wooden boards, decorated with rolls. Rebacked. Remnants of two clasps fixed to the rear cover. On the spine two labels, the upper one with the gold-tooled title in Gothic, nineteenth century: "Biblia sacra cum interpretationibus Hebraicorum nomine [sic] in fine"; the lower one with gold-tooled inscription in Roman type "MS.P." On the first fly-leaf (f. Iv) a list of Biblical Kings.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Topic):
Versions, Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, and Manuscripts, Medieval
Manuscript on parchment (trimmed) of what appears to be the second of a two-volume Bible
Description:
In Latin., Script: Written in an elegant French minuscule, chapter divisions added in margins by a later hand., Twenty-seven fine aniconic initials, 20- to 7-lines. The initials are drawn in black pen, filled with yellow, brown or blue, most with interlace knots at midpoints and terminals, some with dragon heads, infilled with intertwining palmette foliage against irregular red, blue, green, and yellow panelled grounds. Prologues open with 10- to 4-line initials, red and blue with terminals in a leafy "arabesque" design. Chapters with 3-line initials in red. 1-line initials, running headings, and rubrics throughout. Marginalia sometimes outlined in red., and Binding: Nineteenth century. Red velvet case. Leather placemarks on fore edge.
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 paper (watermarks in gutter) of 1) Petrarch, Boccacii Griseldis historia. 2) Pope Pius II, Epistola. 3) Petrarch, Famil. rerum., 12, 2. 4) Pope Pius II, Bulla retractationum. 5) Pope Pius II, Epistola de fortuna
Description:
In Latin., Script: Written by three scribes in similar styles of informal gothic scripts (batarde influence). Scribe 1) ff. 1r-7r; 2) ff. 7v-14v; 3) ff. 15r-26v., One calligraphic initial, f. 1r, 4-line, blue with white floral motifs; infilled with red penwork floral designs tinted with green; penwork trails into inner margin, with plain green dots. Four initials, ff. 1v, 7v, 10v, 21v, red ink, 6- to 2-line. Paragraph marks in red. Numerous capitals stroked in red; rubrics throughout; explicits underlined in red., and Binding: Twentieth century. Vellum spine (verso of an unidentified manuscript) with "Petrarcae et Aeneae Silvii Epistoles" inscribed; grey-blue paper sides.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Petrarca, Francesco, 1304-1374.
Subject (Topic):
Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Latin literature, Medieval and modern, Manuscripts, Medieval, and Papal documents
Manuscript on parchment (goatskin) of Gaspare Zacchi, Bononiensium res publica. Most probably the dedication copy, sent by the author from Tivoli to the Signoria of Bologna on or soon after 29 Nov. 1471
Description:
The author (d. 1474) in 1450-1455, being protonotary of Volterra, was a member of Cardinal Bessarion's legation to Bologna. In 1460 he became bishop of Osimo. At the time he wrote the present treatise he was prefect of Tivoli ("Arx Tiburtina")., In Latin., Script: Copied by a single scribe writing Humanistica Cursiva Formata very close in aspect to Humanistica Textualis, with relatively numerous and unusual abbreviations. A second hand, probably the author, has corrected the scribe's errors., The headings and "Finis" on f. 9r are written in Capitalis in pale red ink. The nine chapters open with a plain initial alternately blue and pale red. Between two chapters one line is left free. The Prologus (f. 2r-v) opens with a 3-line gold initial on a blue-red-green rectangular background decorated with white and gold penwork. The body of text opens on f. 3r with a 5-line white vinestem initial with full-length marginal extension. F. 1v contains the coat of arms of the city of Bologna, f. 10r the coat of arms of the author, both in full colour., and Binding: Early nineteenth century by Rene Simier (d. 1826). Citron morocco over pasteboard, both covers with delicate gold-tooled frame, the spine gold-tooled, with gold-tooled title "GASP. / RESP." and binder's signature at the foot "REL. P(ar) SI.". Gilt edges. Grey marbled endpapers.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut, New Haven., and Bologna (Italy)
Subject (Name):
Zacchi, Gaspare.
Subject (Topic):
Didactic literature, Latin (Medieval and modern), Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Manuscripts, Medieval, and Politics and government
Manuscript on paper of a common-place book. The main texts of the manuscript, which are primarily devotional in nature, were written in East Anglia by an unidentified scribe toward the end of the 15th century; a second individual, identified as Robert Melton of Stuston in Suffolk, added numerous accounts and notes at the end of the 15th and beginning of the 16th century
Description:
Robert Melton was the co-executor of the estate of John Cornwallis (d. 1506), Lord of the Manors of Brome, Stuston, Okley, and Thranston, whose family possessed Brome Hall from early in the 15th to the 19th century., In Middle English., Watermarks: similar to Briquet Armoiries 1038 for part of quire I and all of II; similar to Briquet Main 11399 for remainder of quire I, all of quires III and IV, part of V; similar to Briquet Navire 11971 on ff. 68, 79 only; similar to Briquet Lettre P 8586 on ff. 72, 75; similar to Briquet Main 11152 on ff. 73, 74; unidentified watermark on f. 81., Script: Written primarily by two persons: Scribe 1) ff. 1r-26v, 28r-44r, 68r-77r, 79v, 80v-81r. Written in small, well formed Anglicana script with first line of each text in formal bookhand. Scribe 2: ff. 27r-v, 45r-60r, 62v-67v, 77v-78v, 80r, 81v. Written in a large sprawling script; no ornamentation. A third person added art. 17 at a later time., Only scribe 1 included decoration. Initials in red, 4- to 2-line, with penwork flourishes in brown; initial strokes in red. Portions of text underlined in red; rhyming verses often bracketed, in red, at end of lines. On f. 14v, a fine half-page drawing in red and brown of the monogram IHS which incorporates both a heart pierced by a lance and vine patterns and tendrils. Art. 4 is illustrated with drawings of dice, in red, in outer margins., First leaves heavily stained; lower right corner waterstained ff. 1-43., and Binding: Between 1490 and 1500. Original sewing with long stitches through a thick rectangular piece of leather on the outside of a vellum wrapper. Contemporary scroll design added to upper cover with unidentified inscription, in red, mostly illegible.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Melton, Robert.
Subject (Topic):
Devotional literature, English (Middle)., English poetry, Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, and Manuscripts, Medieval
