Manual for the provost of the Cistercian nunnery of St. Mary and St. Maurice, Medingen, Ritual for the Last Sacraments — 1467 × 1494 (c. 1478–9 (?)); German, Medingen, Cistercian nunnery

Title

Manual for the provost of the Cistercian nunnery of St. Mary and St. Maurice, Medingen, Ritual for the Last Sacraments — 1467 × 1494 (c. 1478–9 (?)); German, Medingen, Cistercian nunnery

Shelfmark

MS. Lat. liturg. e. 18

Place of origin

German, Medingen, Cistercian nunnery

Date

1467 × 1494 (c. 1478–9 (?))

Language

Latin

Middle Low German

Contents

Form

codex

Support

parchment

Physical extent

120 leaves (fol. i an integral part of the first quire), with one modern paper leaf, fol. ii, inserted between fols. i and 1, foliated i-ii, 1–119

Hands

Three hands. Hand A, the hand of the original codex, textualis, fols. i r-v, 3r-4v, 6r-7v, 13r-v, 15r-16v, 30r-46v, 53r-54v, 73r-81v, 83r-111v.

Hand B, revisions to the original codex on added or replacement leaves, textualis, fols. 1r-2v, 5r-v, 8r-12v, 14r-v, 17r-29v, 47r-52v, 55r-72v, 82r-v, 114v-116r.

Hand C, bastarda, revisions to the original codex on added or replacement leaves, bastarda, fols. 112r-114r.

Decoration

Fleuronnée initials. (Pächt and Alexander i. list p. 72)

Three marginal drawings depict the pressing of beads of incense into the wax of the Easter candle (fol. 36v: for the rubric ‘hic pone incensum’); the lighting (fol. 37r) of the candle, and the blessing of the font by blowing on it in three consecutive movements (suffla in fontem ad hanc figuram).

one historiated red and blue puzzle initial: initial 'C'[um rex], with the Harrowing of Hell, in coloured inks and light washes (fol. 47v)

Puzzle initials in red and blue, with red and blue penwork (fols. 12r, 31v, etc.), or just blue penwork (fols. 1v), other initials in red with blue penwork, or vice versa; or plain red or blue.

Musical notation

gothic notation, usually on staves of four black lines but at the end of pieces and for shorter phrases without staves.

Binding

Original binding (after 1484). Sewn on five double cords laced into oak(?) boards, fixed with square wood pegs, covered with brown leather blind-tooled with a variety of circular, lozenge, and rectangular stamps, including several sizes of rosette, and the names 'ihesus' (EBDB s008472) and 'maria' (EBDB s008497), with metal clasps (fastening from the lower to the upper board; one of the openwork catchplates missing) and corner-pieces; much of the spine-leather decayed.

Acquisition

Bequeathed by him to the Bodleian, 1927.

Provenance

Produced at Medingen in association with the reform of the convent, from 1479, under provost Tilemann von Bavenstedt (1467–94). Its origin is reconstructed as follows by Hascher-Burger and Lähnemann (esp. p. 126): in the 1470s a manual, based on the use of the diocese of Verden, and containing a collectar, blessings, and a ritual was written at Medingen for Bavenstedt. Soon after its creation it was revised by two hands, for the provost's use, in association with the reform of the convent: one hand was responsible for the statutes on fols. 112r-114r, the second, for other extensive alterations involving the addition, replacement and movement of leaves (ibid., pp. 126–73). The manuscript was used by Bavenstedt and after his death in 1494 came into the possession of the nunnery.

The Cistercian nunnery of St. Mary and St. Maurice, Medingen: ‘Ordinarius ecclesie sancte Marie uirginis et sancti Mauricii in Meding'’ (fol. 1r).

At Medingen until the second half of 18th century: seen there by Johann Lyßmann before 1769 (Hascher-Burger and Lähnemann, p. 184)

Edward Hailstone, of Walton Hall, Wakefield, Yorkshire (see DNB; his arms on the upper cover).

His sale at Sotheby's, 23 April 1891 and seven following days, lot 2075, bought by 'Butt' (auctioneer's scribal error for 'Bull'?), for £10 5s.

H. A. Wilson.