Manuscript on parchment of a Liturgical Psalter (Pss. 1-108) with hymns, canticles, and antiphons. Capitals A and B in outer margins every two Psalms, perhaps to denote change in reader. With Hymns for Matins and Lauds
Description:
In Latin., Script: Written in a large round gothic bookhand., One crude historiated initial, 6-line (Ps. 1): David seated on ground with both hands raised in prayer, against a blue ground, the letter-form tan, orange, and red with white filigree; large blue, green, pink, and red acanthus leaves at the corners, against a gold ground, edged with two thick black bands, penwork, gold dots, and hair-spray. In bottom margin a "YHS" monogram, against a blue ground, inside sunburst and green, pink, and blue wreath, supported by large bud from which sprout two large acanthus leaves, red berries, gold dots and hair-spray, as above. 6- or 5-line initials red and/or blue, with large green or red dots, elaborate purple calligraphic decoration, portions filled with green and tan. 2-line initials, red or blue, with calligraphic ornament and flourishes, as above. 1-line initials, blue or red, with guide-letters throughout. On f. 160v a large pen drawing of a hand pointing to text., and Binding: 16th-17th centuries. Sewn on five tawed skin straps. Plain, wound endbands on cores laced into tunnels in the edges of heavy wooden boards. Covered with three separate pieces of dark brown leather (cowskin?) with leather straps extending across the spine and nailed to the boards over the sewing straps. Each board has four corner pieces, a central boss and a strip of metal, probably iron, nailed around the four edges. Strap and pin fastening, the pin on the lower board, stubs of pink, tawed straps attached to the upper one. Fragments from several parchment manuscripts and early printed texts used as binding reinforcements.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Catholic Church
Subject (Topic):
Liturgy, Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Manuscripts, Medieval, and Psalters
Manuscript on parchment of a Psalter, with astrological notes, a Calendar, and other litanies and prayers
Description:
In Latin., Written by two scribes in tiny gothic textura. Scribe 1: ff. 2v-91v; Scribe 2: ff. 91v (last folio of quire 8)-95v. Several later hands have added scribbles, prayers, and inscriptions on ff. 1r-2r, 10r, 95v, 96r, 97v, 98r, 99r., Small (6-line) and rather crude historiated initials. The initials for Ps. 52 (the Fool) and Ps. 109 (the Trinity) are missing. In each initial, the figure drawn in black and colored pink, green, and/or blue on a gold ground; the initials attached to cusped, tapering bar border, blue, red, and gold, with white highlights, with ivy terminal, black with red and green leaves. Gold and blue calligraphic initials (2-line), with blue and red penwork respectively; 1-line initials, alternating red and blue. KL monograms, gold on red and blue, with white highlights. Because the initial I was placed in the margin without an inset space in the text, the illuminator often missed it (e.g., for Ps. 70 on f. 42r; for Ps. 113 on f. 62r, and for Ps. 125 on f. 68v)., and Binding: 15th-16th centuries. Resewn on three two-layered tapes of tawed skin attached to wooden boards. The endband cores are of tawed skin with a tawed skin braid at the head, a new endband added at the tail. The spine is square and the cover adhered to it. Covered in tawed skin, originally pink, with corner tongues. Cover repaired at spine and two corners and two silver clasps added. In a flexible grey leather pouch.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Catholic Church
Subject (Topic):
Astrology, Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Manuscripts, Medieval, and Psalters
Manuscript on parchment (sturdy) of Calendar; Psalter; Six canticles; and Litany
Description:
In Latin., Script: Written by a single scribe in bold, early gothic bookhand. Notes by several later scribes, some of which have been erased., Full page initial B (f. 2v) in blue with pink and blue interior vine-stem patterns, on gold ground surrounded by red rectangular frame outlined in black. Smaller gold initials, 10- to 8-line, for Psalms 26, 38, 51, 52, 80, 97, 101, 109 (ff. 21r, 33v, 43r, 43v, 53v, 68r, 70r, 83r), of similar design, on blue ground with vine-stem patterns of olive green, white, and red, and rectangular frame of red and white. Other psalms introduced by gold initials, 9- to 3-line, outlined in red, infilled and surrounded by blue penwork designs; headings and first letter of each verse in red. Most decorative initials are severely rubbed., Trimming of outer margins on ff. 8 and 122 affects text., and Binding: 16th-17th centuries. Resewn with three strands of thread on four round, twisted, vegetable fiber cords laid in forked grooves and laced in and out of flush oak boards. The cords are pegged twice: from outside to inside and vice versa with almost square pegs. The vegetable fiber endband cores are laced into the boards, the endbands themselves wanting. The spine is rounded, with traces of adhesive. Covered in tawed skin, once white, now tan and white. The turn-ins are sometimes turned in over small fragments of a parchment manuscript, in other cases, under, and the corners cut square. There is some inscribed parchment on the outside of the upper board, probably part of a spine lining. The discoloration on the endleaves does not match the present turn-ins. There are traces of four round bosses on each board and of a pin in the center of the upper one. The white, tawed strap, most of which is now wanting, is attached to the lower board through a metal plate. One corner of the upper board is cut away and the covering of the spine and part of the boards wanting. A messy, somewhat primitive binding.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Catholic Church
Subject (Topic):
Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Manuscripts, Medieval, and Psalters
Manuscript on parchment (ff. 56v-57r palimpsest?) of a Psalter; with Hours of the Virgin, use unidentified
Description:
In Latin., Script: Written by a single scribe in well formed late caroline minuscule, above the top line. Marginal notes, some with neumes above them (e.g. ff. 63v, 65r), in several later hands have been partially lost due to trimming., Initials for text divisions, 11-line (f. 115r: Ps. 101) and 7-line (f. 22r: Ps. 26, f. 40r: Ps. 38, f. 93r: Ps. 80, f. 112v: Ps. 97, f. 133r: Ps. 109), gold, with symmetrical gold tendril ornament, occasionally with dragon-head terminals, against green and mauve panelled grounds covered with dense red cross-hatching set in red and mauve frames. 7- to 2-line initials for other Psalms, red or green with red and/or green flourishes. 1-line initials for verses, alternating red and green. Headings in red and/or green throughout., and Binding: Sixteenth century. Resewn on four tawed, slit straps. Wooden boards chamfered and indented. Edges gilt. The spine is square and now lined with cloth. Covered in dark brown calf, blind-stamped with portraits of saints (one of whom may be Rochus) and fleurons in concentric panels (?); very little of the earlier cover remaining. Clasp-and-catch fastening, the catch on the upper board, the brown leather straps attached through metal plates to the lower. Rebacked with one half of the leather on the boards replaced with old leather from another book. Catches and clasps wanting. Upper sewing supports broken.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Catholic Church
Subject (Topic):
Books of hours, Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Manuscripts, Medieval, and Psalters
Manuscript on parchment of a Psalter-Hymnal, written for a Benedictine monastery. On the rear flyleaf, a fragment of the Gospel of Mark, 1:24-31 and 36-42, in West-Saxon translation
Description:
In Latin and Anglo-Saxon., Script: Copied by three scribes, all writing Northern Gothica Textualis Formata. The fragment is copied in careful Anglo-Saxon Minuscule., The decoration consists of 1-line plain initials alternately in red and blue in the text; 2-line flourished initials in blue with red penwork with marginal extensions; 3- and 5-line litterae duplices with partial or full penwork borders (J-motifs) as indicated in art. 2. Litterae duplices also on ff. 116r, 133v, 143v (artt. 3, 6 and 7)., and Binding: Original undecorated leather over oak boards (?). Spine with three raised bands. Traces (?) of one clasp.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Benedictines. and Catholic Church
Subject (Topic):
Liturgy, Hymns, Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Manuscripts, Medieval, Monasticism and religious orders, and Psalters
Manuscript on paper of Pseudo-Augustine, texts relating to the Pelagian controversy, and other texts
Description:
In Latin., Script: two hands, both writing a very small Humanistica hesitating between Semitextualis Currens and Cursiva Currens. A, the main scribe, copied ff. 1r-60v; B, an inexperienced hand, marked by the use of d with ascender curving to the right, i longa and round s in all positions, added the prayers on ff. 61r-63r., Headings in purplish red. Spaces for 1- or 2-line initials have been reserved throughout the codex, but these have not been executed, except in artt. 8-10, where they have been clumsily written in black ink in the left margin. At the opening of art. 1, 3-line half inset Humanistic dentelle initial on a square background in green and blue decorated with silver and gold penwork. It has floral extensions with gold balls in the upper and inner margin. In the lower margin of the same f. 1r, between three similar floral decorations, a circular medallion containing the coat of arms of the Ugolini family of Florence (parti per bend, or on azure, with two lions passant counter changed, surmounting)., The manuscript contains: 1) Ps.-Cyprianus Carthaginensis (Pseudo-Cyprian of Carthage or Pseudo-Augustine), De singularitate clericorum. 2) Ps.-Augustinus Hipponensis (Pseudo-Augustine), De incarnatione Verbi ad Ianuarium. 3) Pseudo-Augustine, De essentia divinitatis. 4) Letter from the bishops assembled at the council of Carthage, A.D. 416, to pope Innocentius I. 5) Letter of pope Innocentius I to the bishops at the council of Carthage A.D. 416. 6) Letter from the bishops assembled at the council of Mileve A.D. 416 to pope Innocent I. 7) Innocentius I, letter to the bishops assembled at the council of Mileve A.D. 416. 8) Prayer to be said before the image of Corpus Christi. 9) Prayer to Jesus Christ. 10) Prayer to Jesus Christ ascribed to Thomas Aquinas., and Binding: original Italian reddish brown leather over pasteboard with a flap at the rear cover closing over the front cover with leather ties. Covers and flap are blind-tooled with frames and lozenges of quadruple fillets, decorated with small circular tools either single or in clusters, and a full border consisting of a scroll motif. At the top of the front cover, in black ink, Capitalis ca. 1500: “Aur. (?) Augustini opus”. Parchment flyleaves. On the front flyleaf verso a Table of Content written in red by hand A, recording artt. 1-7 only, under the title “Que in hoc libello inserte sunt”.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Pseudo-Augustinus. and Council of Carthage
Subject (Topic):
Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Manuscripts, Medieval, Pelagianism, Theology, and History
Manuscript on paper of 1) Thomas Hoccleve, Complaint. 2) Hoccleve, Dialogue with a Friend. 3) Hoccleve, Tale of Jereslaus' Wife. 4) Prose moralization of the text in art. 3, preceded by a prologue in verse. 5) Hoccleve, How to Learn to Die. 6) Hoccleve, The Joys of Heaven, in prose, preceded by a prologue, in verse. 7) Hoccleve, Tale of Jonathas, preceded by prologue. 8) Prose moralization of the tale in art. 7. 9) John Lydgate, Dance of Macabre. 10) Hoccleve, Regiment of Princes
Description:
In Middle English., Script: Written in a current mixed hand, Anglicana with Secretary forms, by a single scribe who wrote in a more cursive and compressed style of script for the prose sections of text., Blue initials, 6- to 2-line, for major text divisions, with several distinct styles of red flourishing. Headings and marginal notes in red; paragraph or stanza marks alternate red and blue. Written by a scribe who paid careful attention to the presentation of the text: stanzas are divided by red lines that extend width of written space; metrical arrangements are marked by brackets in red; notes are added, in red, in outer margins and preceded by blue paragraph marks that are often joined together to form a vertical wavy line. In addition, the scribe has also paid attention to minor ornamental features: decorative flourishes, mostly in red, have been added to many lower margins; ornamental ascenders in top line of text extend into upper margin and are often decorated with red., and Binding: Twentieth century. Tan pigskin, blind-tooled, with title, in gold, on spine: "Hoccleve/ Manuscript/ XV Cent." Edges spattered red.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Hoccleve, Thomas, 1370?-1450?
Subject (Topic):
English literature, English poetry, Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, and Manuscripts, Medieval
Manuscript on parchment of 1-2) Registrum brevium. 3) Novae narrationes (in Anglo-Norman). 4) Part of an article of indenture (13 lines; 18th-century hand), in English, concerning William Jenninges of Birmingham
Description:
In Latin and Anglo-Norman., Script: Written in small, cramped anglicana by one scribe., Twelve illuminated initials (crudely drawn and much rubbed), in dark red, blue, gold, green, and orange, with simple borders extending the length of the folio. Paragraph marks in blue or gold throughout., Lower half of ff. 33, 78 torn; large portions of text stained and illegible., and Binding: 15th-16th centuries. Original sewing on four double, tawed cords laced into flush wooden boards. The covering extends over the endbands and is sewn around them. Traces of a secondary embroidery. Spine lined with tawed skin extending to outside of boards. Covered with tawed, cream-colored skin. A brass catch on the lower cover and traces of a clasp attachment on the first few leaves. Lower board detached, upper board and most of the spine covering wanting, probably for some time.
Subject (Geographic):
Great Britain., Connecticut, and New Haven.
Subject (Topic):
Anglo-Norman literature, Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Law, and Manuscripts, Medieval
Manuscript on parchment of Guarino of Verona, 1) Regulae grammaticales. 2) De orthographia. 3) Carmina differentialia
Description:
In Latin., Script: Written in humanistic bookhand, below top line; marginal annotations in humanistic cursive., One illuminated initial of poor quality, f. 1r, 11-line, purple with white filigree on gold and blue ground; filled with a stylized flower red and green with white filigree, upper terminal extending into pen-and-ink inkspray with gold balls and a mauve flower in upper border; pen-and-ink flourish with gold balls, ending in a bird's head, mauve, green and blue. Plain initials and paragraph marks alternate in blue and red; headings in red. Arms of the Valaresso family of Venice in lower border (azure, 3 bars gemelles or); partially effaced arms of Cardinal Bessarion in outer margin (azure, a cross botonny gules, a chief or; crest, cardinal's hat and crozier)., and Binding: Nineteenth century (?). Rigid vellum case. Remains of a brick red label.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Guarino, Veronese, 1374-1460.
Subject (Topic):
Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Language and languages, Orthography and spelling, Latin language, Medieval and modern, Grammar, Latin poetry, Medieval and modern, and Manuscripts, Medieval
Manuscript on parchment (speckled on hair side) of 1) Petrarch, Rerum vulgarium fragmenta. 2) Petrarch, Triumphi
Description:
In Italian., Script: Written by Carlo di Palla Guidi in a round humanistic script, above top line., Illuminated by Antonio di Niccolo di Lorenzo. The decoration consists of an illuminated title page with full border, white vine-stem ornament on blue, red and green ground with white, blue and pale yellow dots, respectively, with a thin gold bar in all margins, forming a diamond (black) in inner and a roundel with a profile head of a young woman against blue sky with some clouds in the outer margin. In the lower border a medallion (erased) framed in gold and supported by four round-faced putti with multicolored wings in green and red. Superimposed on the border are a variety of multicolored birds, a lion and two putti. These animals are related to animals in contemporary Florentine manuscripts and perhaps reflect the use of a model book. Historiated initial, 10-line, gold, on blue green and red ground with white vine-stem ornament attached to the inner border, with a half-length portrait of Petrarch holding a book against a blue sky with white cloud formations. Six illuminated initials (ff. 143r, 155v, 159r, 168v, 176r, 178v), 6- and 5-line, gold on blue, red and green grounds with white vine-stem ornament extending into margin, and gold dots with hair-line extensions. On f. 143r, initial joined to partial border, same as above. Plain initials in blue, paragraph marks alternate red and blue. Headings in red., and Binding: Nineteenth century, Italy. Brown calf, blind- and gold-tooled. Gilt edges. Title on spine: "Petrarca". Signed by "CR".
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Petrarca, Francesco, 1304-1374.
Subject (Topic):
Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Italian poetry, and Manuscripts, Medieval
