Richard of St Victor, Allegories in the Old and New Testaments

Title

Richard of St Victor, Allegories in the Old and New Testaments

Shelfmark

St John's College MS 114

Place of origin

England

Date

s. xii ex.

Language

Latin

Contents

Form

codex

Support

Vellum (HSOS/HFFH).

Physical extent

Fols. i + 122+ i (numbered fol. ii).

Hands

Written in protogothic bookhand , perhaps more than a single hand. Punctuation by point and punctus elevatus.

Decoration

Headings in red.

Alternating red and green arabesque capitals (a few in gold), typically 2- or 3-line at book divisions, 1-line at chapter heads.

A drawing, perhaps of a bird, in brown crayon, fol. 76 lower margin.

Binding

Dark brown leather over wood, s. xvi, with a stamped border, bearing Oldham’s roll HM.b (3) (no. 795, plate xlviii), when in isolation identifiable with the London binder ‘H.D.’ 1554 × 1576 (52).

In the centre of the board, the initials ‘RT’ (see Provenance below).

Sewn on three thongs.

Straps and clasps removed and their seatings on both upper and lower board repaired.

Rebacked.

Gold ‘114’ at the head of the spine, in black ink on the leading edges.

Pastedowns old vellum, a College bookplate on the front pastedown.

At the front, one modern paper flyleaf; at the rear, a medieval vellum flyleaf (ii).

Provenance

‘Roberti Tiasi liber ex donatione Nicolai LisardiSeruienti pictoris clementissimi principis Domine Elizabethe Anglie Regine Anno redemptionis nostre 1568’, above an elaborate RT monogram ( fol. 122v). Nicholas Lyzarde (d. 1571) was indeed a royal sergeant-painter under four monarchs (see the brief entry in DNB); we have been unable to identity Tias.

‘Liber Guilielmi LaudArchiepiscopi Cant et Cancellarii Vniuersitatis Oxon’ 1639’ ( fol. 1, lower margin).

The old shelfmark ‘No 14’ (fol. 1, upper margin).