Portable Monastic Psalter with Antiphons; Italy, Venice, 15th century, end

Title

Portable Monastic Psalter with Antiphons; Italy, Venice, 15th century, end

Shelfmark

MS. Canon. Liturg. 150

Place of origin

Italian, Venice

Date

15th century, end

Language

Latin

Contents

Form

codex

Support

parchment; paper fly-leaves; the lower margin is cut off on several leaves in the calendar, but there is no obvious loss of text

Physical extent

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

Hands

Large formal Gothic book hand, dark brown ink.

Decoration

Red and blue penwork KL monograms in the calendar.

6-line gold Beatus-initial in a square frame, decorated with red and blue penwork (fol. 15r).

3- to 5-line red and blue penwork initials at the beginnings of psalms 20 (fol. 45r), 32 (66v), 45 (fol. 97v), 59 (fol. 119v), 68 (fol. 134r), 73 (fol. 147v), 85 (fol. 175r), 95 (fol. 193r), 101 (fol. 200v) and 109 (fol. 226v).

2-line plain red and blue initials at the beginnings of psalms, hymns, chapters and canticles.

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

Guide-letters often survive.

Rubrics in red ink.

Binding

Soranzo’s binding: parchment over pasteboard; small stiff flaps on the fore-edges of covers. ‘150’ written in black ink on spine. Brown leather label on spine with gilt lettering ‘PSALTERIUM || MONASTICUM || ETC. || COD . MEMB.’. Paper label on spine printed ‘Canonici || Liturg.’. Sewn on four cords. Pastedowns and fly-leaves of stiff paper with burgundy and purple floral designs (carta bassanese).

Acquisition

Bodleian Library: bought in 1817 from Canonici’s nephew Giovanni Perissinotti.

Provenance

Made for a Benedictine monastery (?) in Venice: liturgical evidence.

Jacopo Soranzo (1686–1761): binding. After Soranzo’s death by about 1780 at Cá Cornèr at San Maurizio, Venice (Mitchell, 1969).

Matteo Luigi Canonici of Venice (1727–c. 1806): bought soon after 1780.

Title

'...Psalterium monasticum'

Shelfmark

MS. Canon. Liturg. 150

Summary

'...Psalterium monasticum', a Benedictine Psalter with Canticles, preceded by a Calendar. Leaves are wanting after fols. 14, 175 and 227, and at end where the MS. leaves off in the Benedicite: fol. 13 is mutilated.

Date

Written in the 15th century in Italy

Language

Latin

Physical facet

On parchment, imperfect

Physical extent

317 Leaves