IACOPO DA VARAZZE; S. XIV

Title

IACOPO DA VARAZZE; S. XIV

Shelfmark

Merton College MS. 119

Date

s. xiii

S. XIV

Language

Latin

Contents

Form

codex

Support

Parchment

Physical extent

187 leaves (ii + 185)

Hands

A single proficient hand writing low-grade gothic textualis.

Decoration

Red and blue flourished initials with partial borders in the colours; blue initials flourished in red; plain red or blue initials and paraphs; yellow highlighting.

Binding

Oxford, s. xvi in., repaired; blind-stamped leather over bevelled oak boards with slightly projecting squares (Pl. 25); sewn on four bands (Gibson, Early Oxford Bindings, pp. 25–6. The binder was George Chastelaine (Oldham’s ‘Fruit and Flower Binder’), admitted as librarius in 1502, d. 1513 (Pearson, Oxford Bookbinding, p. 129): stamps Oldham 180, 182, 190, half-stamp Pearson 7; as MSS 175–7. Two straps, one of brown leather, the other of skin stained red (now lost), from recesses in the front board to brass clasps at the back. fol. 185 is a modern parchment endleaf; fol. 184 was formerly the back pastedown. fol. 1, but not fol. ii preceding it, has a mark apparently of an iron chain-staple near the foot. Formerly chained from the front board, near the foot of the fore-edge.

Provenance

At the College by 1556 (UO65. 192), but probably already when it was (?re)bound.

On fol. iv is a title, s. xvii, and ‘O. 2. 3. Art:’, canc. and replaced with ‘M. 2. 3. (CXIX)’ in red; the College bookplate. ‘3’ is inked on the foredge.