Portable Psalter with Antiphons, Carthusian Use; Italy, Milan (?), 15th century, third quarter

Title

Portable Psalter with Antiphons, Carthusian Use; Italy, Milan (?), 15th century, third quarter

Shelfmark

MS. Canon. Liturg. 271

Associated place

Italian

Place of origin

Italian, Milan(?)

Date

15th century, third quarter

Language

Latin

Contents

Form

codex

Support

parchment; paper fly-leaves

Physical extent

101 leaves Leaves were trimmed in rebinding, occasionally causing the loss of decoration.

Hands

Small formal Gothic book hand, black and brown ink.

Decoration

Red and blue penwork KL monograms in the calendar.

Historiated initials, decorated with foliage, on gold background: fol. 7r Psalm 1 (initial B(eatus)) 9-line initial with half-figure of King David, playing psaltery. (border, left, upper and lower margins) Gold bar in the left margin with sprays of flowers, leaves and fruit in the upper and lower margins. fol. 55v Psalm 109 (initial D(ixit)) 9-line initial with the Throne of Grace (God-the-Father seated, holding Calvary, white dove flying above Christ’s head). fol. 88v Chapters for the year (initial E(cce)) 6-line initial with half-figure of a prophet holding a scroll.

Border: see above.

5-line pink initials (4-line after fol. 58r, apart from the hymnal) with white arabesque designs, on gold background, infilled with flowers, fruit and foliage, with sprays of foliage extending into the margins at the beginnings of psalms 20 (fol. 14r), 26 (fol. 16v), 32 (fol. 19r), 38 (fol. 22v), 45 (fol. 25v), 52 (fol. 28r), 59 (fol. 30v), 68 (fol. 33v), 73 (fol. 36v), 79 (fol. 40v), 85 (fol. 42v), 95 (fol. 47v), 101 (fol. 49r), 105 (fol. 52r), 118 (fol. 58r), 138 (fol. 66r), 141 (fol. 67r), 144: 10 (fol. 68v), canticles for the year (fol. 76v), hymnal (fol. 82r) and chapters (fols. 89r, 91v, 92r, 92v).

4-line blue initials with red penwork at the beginnings of psalms 129 (fol. 63v) and 134 (fol. 64v).

2- to 3-line alternating red and blue initials, with contrasting purple and red penwork, at the beginnings of psalms, canticles, hymns and chapters.

1-line plain red and blue initials at the beginnings of verses and periods.

2-line and larger initials are usually followed by a capital, often with penwork decoration and highlighted with yellow wash. Penwork decoration sometimes includes anthropomorphic and zoomorphic detail. The incipits of major psalms are written in alternating red and black inks.

Rubrics in red ink.

Binding

16th century, late, or 17th century, Italian: thin pasteboards; dark red leather, tooled with some blind lines but mostly gilt lines, stamps and a roll, framing centrepieces of the Virgin Mary on a crescent moon (front cover) or of a male saint in clerical robes (back); spine gilt, no title or label; two small clasps present at fore-edge, with brown leather straps and metal tips; edges gilt, gauffered. 153–155 103 c. 20 (book closed). The manuscript was probably made for the Garegnano Charterhouse, Milan , dedicated to St. Ambrose who might therefore be the saint on back cover.

Acquisition

Bodleian Library: bought in 1817 from Canonici’s nephew Giovanni Perissinotti. Earlier shelfmark: ‘E codd. Bodl. Miscell Liturg. cclxxi’ (fol. 1r).

Provenance

Made for the Carthusian house of Garegnano (?) near Milan: ‘Monast erium cartusiense’, the rest erased, ‘Ml’ni in gradu) go Sig natusB. 421’, according to the Summary catalogue, vol. 4, 15th century (fol. 8r). Compare MS. Canon. Liturg. 378 and MS. Add. D. 47, probably from the same house.

15th-century and later additions in the calendar; corrections and additions in the margins of the chapters for the year (fols. 90r–96r), including ‘Andreas’ written in the right margin and a paragraph mark added at the start of the chapter for the feast of St Andrew, 16th century (?) (fol. 93r).

Matteo Luigi Canonici of Venice (1727–c. 1806), but not from the libraries of Soranzo or Trevisan.

Title

A Psalter of Carthusian use

Shelfmark

MS. Canon. Liturg. 271

Summary

A Psalter of Carthusian use, preceded by a calendar (fol. 1), and followed by:

Canticles, hymns (fol. 82)

Capitula (fol. 89: imperf. at end)

Date

Written in the 15th century in Italy

Language

Latin

Physical facet

On parchment, in double columns, with some small miniatures, etc., binding, red leather with gold tooling, with clasps

Physical extent

99 Leaves

Custodial history

In the calendar on Apr. 22 is 'Dedicatio eclesie Cartusie Ml'i [Mediolani?]', and on Nov. 8 'Festum reliquiarum.' On fol. 8 is an almost erased (15th cent.) note 'Monasterium Cartusiense Ml'ni [Mediolani?] in gra[du?] go Sig' [Signatus?] B. 421.'.