Portable Psalter with Antiphons, Ambrosian Use; Italy, Milan, 15th century, end of the second quarter (?), with additions

Title

Portable Psalter with Antiphons, Ambrosian Use; Italy, Milan, 15th century, end of the second quarter (?), with additions

Shelfmark

MS. Canon. Liturg. 275

Associated place

Italian

Milan

Place of origin

Italian, Milan

Date

15th century, end of the second quarter (?); additions, 15th century, second half

Language

Latin

Contents

Form

codex

Support

parchment; paper fly-leaves

Physical extent

150 leaves

Hands

Black and brown ink; humanistic-influenced Gothic script; the work of several scribes; smaller script used for antiphons.

Decoration

3-line red KL monograms in the calendar.

9-line historiated initials in gold frames, decorated with sprays of gold leaves, at the beginnings of Te deum, psalms and the Office of the Virgin. fol. 13r (initial T(e)) Half-figures of two nimbed bishops with crosiers, Augustine and Ambrose. fol. 14r (initial B(eatus)) Half-figure of King David playing psaltery. fol. 123v (initial D(eus)) Virgin and Child, half-length.

Gold initials, typically nine lines high, on blue, pink and green background, decorated with white vine stems, at the beginnings of psalms 17 (fol. 19v), 31 (fol. 26v), 41 (fol. 32v), 51 (fol. 37r), 61 (fol. 41), 71 (fol. 46v), 81 (fol. 53v), 91 (fol. 58v), 101 (fol. 62r), 109 (fol. 69r) and at the start of offices (fols. 86v, 97v).

5-line gold initials on burgundy, blue and red background, marking the beginnings of offices on fols. 100r–122r.

3-line plain red initials at the beginnings of psalms and sections of offices.

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

Guide-letters are often visible by the side of illuminated and plain red initials.

Rubrics in red ink.

Binding

16th century, c. 1559, Italian, Milan: pasteboards; covering of parchment, a reversed document; no decoration on covers or spine, except for an ink title centred near top of front cover in large formal gothic script by the owner of 1559, Franciscus Castellus of Milan Cathedral; sewn on three tanned leather cords; traces of two lost pairs of fore-edge ties of dark red textile, ends splayed out under the paste-downs; edges plain. 137–9 105 c. 27–9 (book closed).

Acquisition

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

Provenance

Made for use in Milan, at the end of the second quarter of the 15th century (?): liturgical evidence.

Adapted for monastic use in the second half of the 15th century through the addition of items 7–10 (see ‘Text’).

Milan Cathedral(?): autograph (?) of Franciscus Castellus, ordinarius of the Milan Cathedral, 1559 , fol. 1r (‘Franciscus castellus mediolanensis ecclesie ordinarius est huius opusculi posessor M. D. lix’).

Luigi Bossi of Milan , c. 1790: bookplate on the upper pastedown.

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

Title

Part of an Ambrosian Breviary

Shelfmark

MS. Canon. Liturg. 275

Summary

Part of an Ambrosian Breviary, consisting of:

A calendar (fol. 2)

Psalter with Cantica and index (fols. 9b, 139)

Commune Sanctorum (fols. 109v, 125)

'Offitium beate Virginis Marie' (fol. 123v: but eight leaves, containing most of the office, are lost after fol. 124) and minor offices

On the cover is written 'Diurnum Ambrosianum', but the book is not an ordinary Diurnal, and the latter part is monastic.

Date

Written in the 15th century in Milan

Language

Latin

Physical facet

On parchment, imperfect

Physical extent

150 Leaves

Custodial history

'Franciscus Castellus Mediolanensis ecclesie ordinarius est huius opusculi posessor M. D. lix ': an 18th cent. book plate, bearing gules, an ox passant proper, above L B conjoined, is in the book.