Portable Psalter with Antiphons, Dominican Use; Italy, Lombardy, 15th century, third quarter (after 1450)

Title

Portable Psalter with Antiphons, Dominican Use; Italy, Lombardy, 15th century, third quarter (after 1450)

Shelfmark

MS. Canon. Liturg. 18

Place of origin

Italian, Lombardy

Date

15th century, third quarter (after 1450)

Language

Latin

Contents

Form

codex

Support

parchment; paper fly-leaves

Physical extent

290 leaves

Hands

Formal Gothic book hands, black and brown ink; at least five different scribes on fols. 1–235, 236r, 236v, 237r–256v and 257r–283v (there may be more than one hand on fols. 257r–283v)

Decoration

Miniature of Annunciation occupying one-third of a page, in gold frame on fol. 1r (the Virgin Mary, kneeling by an altar (?) or prie-dieu (?) with a book (?), addressed by a kneeling angel, rocky landscape in the background (badly rubbed)).

7-line historiated Beatus-initial on fol. 1r (pink, on gold background, decorated with foliage, infilled with half-figure of King David playing psaltery, badly rubbed).

10-line initial at the beginning of psalm 109 (pink, on gold background, decorated with foliage, flaking) (fol. 160v).

6- to 9-line pink initials, decorated with foliage, on gold background (flaking) at liturgical divisions at psalms 26 (fol. 30r), 38 (fol. 49v), 52 (fol. 69r), 68 (fol. 88r), 80 (fol. 113r) and 97 (fol. 136r).

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

1-line alternating plain red and blue initials at the beginnings of verses and periods, including fols. 237r–283v.

Rubrics in red ink. Guide-letters for rubricator often survive next to initials and in the margins.

Binding

Soranzo’s binding, parchment over pasteboard, small stiff flaps on the fore-edges of covers. ‘18’ written in black ink on spine. Brown leather label on spine with gilt lettering ‘PSALTER. || ET || HYMNAR. || COD . MEMB.’. Sewn on four cords. Pastedowns and fly-leaves of paper with burgundy, purple and yellow floral designs (carta bassanese). Further fly-leaves made of 18th-century laid paper; no watermarks.

Acquisition

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

Provenance

The manuscript consists of three parts, all written in the third quarter of the 15th century, probably in the same workshop: fols. 1r–236v containing psalter, canticles and litany, and fols. 237r–256v and 257r–284v containing hymnal. There is a change of hand and ruling after fol. 256v, but no irregularities in the text of the hymnal. Both psalter and hymnal were made for a Dominican patron in Lombardy: liturgical evidence and evidence of decoration. The presence of St Bernardino in the litany indicates a date after 1450, and the presence of Vincent Ferrer (canonized 1455) suggests a date after 1455.

The presence of a hymn, composed by Martial Auribelli, with a date in a rubric (fol. 259r), shows that the hymnal was written after 1457. Martial Auribelli (d. 1473) was the head of the Dominican Order from 1453 to 1462 and from 1465 to 1473.

The psalter was still in use in the 17th century (the addition of psalm numbers, references to the books of the Bible, titles of canticles, etc.).

‘Camilli Tulij’ (?), 17th century (?) (fol. iii recto).

Jacopo Soranzo (1686–1761): binding; ‘1720 Di Jaco’ Soranzo’ (fol. iii recto). 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

A Psalter, with Canticles

Shelfmark

MS. Canon. Liturg. 18

Summary

Fol. 1. A Psalter, with Canticles, etc., and smaller offices and (fol. 237) a Hymnal. Fols. 233v, 259, etc. show that the whole volume Dominican.

Date

Written in about A.D. 1500 in Italy

Language

Latin

Physical facet

On parchment, with coloured capitals, etc.

Physical extent

286 Leaves

Custodial history

'Camilli Tulij' (?: 17th cent.?): '1720. Di Giaco: Soranzo.'.