Secular Ferial Choir Psalter with Antiphons, Use of Rome; Dalmatia, Trogir (?), 15th century, early

Title

Secular Ferial Choir Psalter with Antiphons, Use of Rome; Dalmatia, Trogir (?), 15th century, early

Shelfmark

MS. Canon. Liturg. 395

Place of origin

Italy (?)

Dalmatia, Trogir(?)

Date

14th century, late

15th century, beginning

Language

Latin

Contents

Form

codex

Support

Parchment; 19th-century paper fly-leaves.

Physical extent

227 leaves Leaves were trimmed in rebinding occasionally causing the loss of marginal text and decoration.

Hands

Large formal Gothic book hand, black ink (flaking); antiphons, versicles, invitatoria, etc. and some rubrics are in a smaller script

Decoration

Red and blue or red and purple KL monograms, decorated with contrasting purple and red penwork, in the calendar.

Historiated initials and borders: fol. vii recto Hymns (initial P(rimo)) 6-line pink initial on gold background (badly rubbed), with a vertical stroke extending the full height of page, decorated with foliage. The loop of the initial is infilled with a miniature, depicting God, seated, in mandorla (badly rubbed) in the upper part of the initial. The lower part is entirely rubbed off, but may have contained King David as in other miniatures in the psalter. (full border) Half-figures of a nimbed bishop (St Giovanni Orsini (?)) and two male saints holding books (all badly rubbed) in diamond-shaped frames in the lower margin; acanthus- leaf designs and gold discs. fol. 1r Psalm 1 (initial B(eatus)) 11-line red and gold initial on blue background, decorated with foliage, infilled with Christ (defaced), seated, in mandorla, holding a book and blessing, and King David (defaced), seated on the throne, playing psaltery, in a landscape. (border, upper, left and lower margins) Acanthus-leaf designs, grotesque and gold discs. fol. 76r Psalm 26 (initial D(ominus)) 7-line pink initial on gold background, decorated with foliage, infilled with King David, seated on the throne, speaking to his courtiers, in a landscape (badly rubbed), and Christ, seated, in mandorla, holding a book and blessing. (border, left and lower margins) Acanthus-leaf designs and gold discs. fol. 122v Psalm 52 (initial D(ixit)) 4-line red initial, decorated with foliage, on gold background, infilled with a standing figure (entirely rubbed off) under gold stars and rays of light; gold discs with penwork in the margins. fol. 142v Psalm 68 (initial S(aluum)) 6-line red initial, on gold background, infilled with Christ, seated, in mandorla, holding a book and blessing in the upper part of the initial, and King David, nude, praying in waters in the lower part of the initial; gold discs with penwork in the left margin. fol. 170r Psalm 80 (initial E(xultate)) 7-line pink initial, decorated with foliage, on gold background, infilled with an altar (?) in a landscape (badly rubbed) in the upper part of the initial, and musicians playing different instruments (defaced) in the lower part of the initial. (border, left and upper margins) Acanthus-leaf designs and gold discs. fol. 190v Psalm 97 3-line pink initial on gold background, with a miniature entirely rubbed off. (border, left and lower margins) Acanthus-leaf designs and gold discs with penwork.

Borders: see above.

2-line red, blue and purple initials, decorated with contrasting purple and red penwork, and sometimes yellow wash, at the beginnings of psalms, canticles, hymns, chapters and creeds.

1-line red and blue initials, decorated with contrasting blue and red penwork, some with anthropomorphic designs, at the beginnings of verses and periods.

Minor capitals are highlighted with yellow wash.

Guide-letters for illuminators are often visible.

Rubrics in red ink

Musical notation

Square notation on staves of four red lines.

Binding

15th century, early, Dalmatian coast? (as MS., made for Trogir Cathedral): wood boards, rounded bevel and corners; rough dark-brown leather, undecorated; two damaged strap-and-pin fastenings with thick leather straps (probably replacements, the lower with remains of a metal tip), running from front cover fore-edge to double pins at back; traces of a label-holder with eight nails at lower right of front board; edges plain (distorted by fire/water, and discoloured); front paste-down is a Missal fragment, 14th century, Italian-style script.

Damaged through heavy and prolonged use, into the 18th century when the textblock was massively repaired; rebacked and edges restored with leather, later 19th century, Bodleian. c. 410 270 c. 125–130 (book closed).

Acquisition

Bodleian Library: bought in 1817 from Canonici’s nephew Giovanni Perissinotti. Former shelfmarks: ‘MS Misc. Liturg. 395’ (binding, fol. 1b recto); ‘b. 3’ (fol. 1b recto).

Provenance

Made for the Cathedral of St Lawrence at Trau (Trogir), Dalmatia : evidence of the calendar. Prayer ‘Confiteor’ on fol. 60v includes an invocation of St Lawrence.

The manuscript was still in use in Trau in the 16th to 18th centuries when various additions were made (see the description of the calendar). Additions in an 18th-century hand include foliation, the table of contents on the lower pastedown, the opening lines of psalm 38 on fol. 102v, running titles and several feasts to do with Trau in the calendar. In the 18th century the manuscript was probably repaired and bookmarks were added.

Matteo Luigi Canonici of Venice (1727–c. 1806) , but not from the libraries of Soranzo or Trevisan (Mitchell, 1969).

Title

'Psalterium secundum vsum curie Romane'

Shelfmark

MS. Canon. Liturg. 395

Summary

'Psalterium secundum vsum curie Romane', preceded by a calendar: with canticles, antiphons and hymns, with musical notes. In the binding is a leaf of an (early 15th cent.) missal.

Date

Written early in the 15th century in Dalmatia

Language

Latin

Physical facet

On parchment, with some miniatures, borders, capitals, etc., sometimes rubbed

Physical extent

218 Leaves

Custodial history

There can be little doubt that it was written for St. Laurence's church at Trau in Dalmatia (in the calendar, May 7, St. Domnus in red: Aug. 12, 'dedicatio S. Laurentii Trã. eeclesie: and, added, Apr. 11, 'Comemoratio sancti Ioannis Traguriensis ob liberationem Clyssię', Klissa, cf. Nov. 14.