Ordines Romani; Italy (central), early 12th century

Title

Ordines Romani; Italy (central), early 12th century

Shelfmark

MS. Holkham misc. 17

Place of origin

Italian, Central

Date

12th century, early

Language

Latin

Contents

Form

codex

Support

parchment

Physical extent

iii (paper) + 214 + iii (paper) leaves.

Hands

Fine caroline minuscule.

Decoration

Fine 12th-century (?) marginal leadpoint sketches of a man (3 versions: fols. 18r, 28r, 178r); and wading birds (fols. 32r, 36r). Fine 12th-century (?) marginal drypoint sketches of: a devil or three-horned figure (?) (fol. 10r); a male figure, blessing, riding sideways on an ass (the Entry into Jersualem (?)), a male figure (Christ (?)) standing, blessing, and a male head (fol. 68v); animal (ass/horse (?)) heads (fol. 120r, fore-edge and lower margins); a seated male figure (Christ or a king (?)), blessing (?) (fol. 183v); Virgin and Child, both nimbed (fol. 189v); a male head in profile, and two studies of a pair of legs, from the knee downwards (fol. 191v); a standing figure with outstretched arm (fol. 193v). Poor 12th-century (?) marginal leadpoint sketches of a soldier (fol. 44r); a human-plant hybrid including the upper part of a doctor (?) inspecting a specimen-jar, a large initial 'A', and other foliate and animal designs (fol. 136r). (Pächt and Alexander ii. 26, pl. III)

Binding

Typical Holkham binding of 19th-century straight-grained black morocco; the spine lettered in gilt 'MISSA | ROMANA || MS.', and '32' at the bottom.

Provenance

There are corrections throughout in a 12th-century hand.

Bookplate of ' THOMAS WILLIAM COKE ' (1754–1842); formerly Norfolk, Holkham Hall, MS. 32.