Psalter with Antiphons, Dominican Use; Italy, Brescia, 15th century, third quarter (after 1455, but before 1461 (?))

Title

Psalter with Antiphons, Dominican Use; Italy, Brescia, 15th century, third quarter (after 1455, but before 1461 (?))

Shelfmark

MS. Douce 272

Place of origin

Italian, Brescia

Date

15th century, third quarter (1455 × 61 (?))

Language

Latin

Contents

Form

codex

Support

parchment; paper fly-leaves

Physical extent

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

Hands

Formal Gothic book hands, black ink.

Decoration

Plain red and blue KL monograms in the calendar.

Historiated initials in pink on gold background, decorated with foliage and white arabesque designs, typically five to seven lines high (eight lines high at psalm 1 and four lines high at psalm 26) at liturgical divisions. fol. 1r Psalm 1 (initial B(eatus)) King David, seated, playing psaltery; half-figure of God above, in rays of light, holding an orb and blessing; landscape in the background. fol. 20v Psalm 26 (initial D(ominus)) King David, kneeling, pointing to his eyes, looking up at rays of light, in a landscape. fol. 32r Psalm 38 (initial D(ixi)) King David, kneeling, pointing to his mouth, looking up at the rays of light, in a landscape. fol. 43r Psalm 52 (initial D(ixit)) The Fool in a headdress with bells, holding a staff and looking at two dogs, in a landscape. fol. 52v Psalm 68 (initial S(aluum)) Half-figure of King David, nude, praying in waters, looking up at rays of light. fol. 63r Psalm 80 (initial E(xultate)) Three musicians playing bells, a pipe and a lute. fol. 75v Psalm 97 (initial C(antate)) Seven Dominicans singing from a book open on a lectern, in a landscape. fol. 88v Psalm 109 (initial D(ixit)) Trinity.

Borders decorated with putti, foliage, flowers and birds on gold background. fol. 1r Psalm 1 (full border) Medallion with the Virgin and swaddled Child on her lap in a landscape with two rabbits. fol. 20v Psalm 26 (full border) Laurel wreath with a saint in a Dominican habit, seated at desk, copying from a book, landscape in the background. fol. 32r Psalm 38 (full border) Laurel wreath with a hermit in a Dominican habit, feeding a rabbit, hermitage and landscape in the background. fol. 43r Psalm 52 (full border) Laurel wreath with a young saint in a Dominican habit, holding an open book and a lily (Vincent Ferrer (?) or St Dominic (?)), rays of light shining from above, in a landscape. fol. 52v Psalm 68 (full border) Laurel wreath with a miniature depicting the martyrdom of Peter of Verona: a kneeling saint in a Dominican habit, with a knife embedded in his head, stabbed with a sword by a young man in a short tunic, while writing with a finger on the ground. fol. 63r Psalm 80 (full border) Laurel wreath with kneeling St Jerome in penance, holding a rock in one hand, beating his chest, looking at rays of light, in a landscape. fol. 75v Psalm 97 (full border) Laurel wreath with half-figure of tonsured St Peter, holding a book and key. fol. 88v Psalm 109 (full border) Laurel wreath with two singing angels, one holding an open book with the word ‘ALLELUIA’ and musical notation; busts of kings and prophets, holding scrolls with the words ‘DANILO PROPHETA (?)’, ‘GERA’, ‘ISAIA’.

3- to 7-line red or blue initials, decorated with contrasting purple or red penwork, green wash and gold at the beginnings of psalm 118 (fol. 92v), its parts used for Terce, Sext and None in secular use (118: 33, 118: 81, 118: 129, fols. 95r, 98r, 101r) and psalm 119 (fol. 103v).

2- to 3-line alternating plain red and blue initials at the beginnings of psalms, canticles and hymns.

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

Guide-letters often survive.

Rubrics in red ink.

Musical notation

Square notation on staves of four red lines.

Binding

Dark brown leather over boards, Italian, 16th century. Four blind fillet lines and border of gilt stamps (flowers and acanthus leaves), framed by double gilt fillet lines, round the outer edge of both covers. Stamped gilt designs (acorns, acanthus and vine leaves, coiled tendrils and dots) on both covers, some stamps identical with MS. Canon. Liturg. 191. Initials at the centre of both covers; only ‘R’ on the upper cover is distinct; one of the letters on the lower cover is probably ‘N’. Holes and impressions left by the fittings of two clasps (now missing). Sewn on four cords, four raised bands with gilt patterns on spine. Panels between the raised bands are decorated with gilt floral designs, framed by double gilt and blind fillet lines. Red label on spine (later than the binding) with gilt designs and gilt lettering ‘SPALTERIUM [sic] || MSS.’. Bodleian paper label on spine printed ‘272’. Gilt edges of textblock. Blind fillet lines on turn-ins. Pastedowns and fly-leaves of laid paper with watermarks.

Acquisition

Bodleian Library: received in 1834 with the bequest of Douce.

Provenance

Made for the Dominican convent of St Catherine, Brescia: dedication of the church, 20 October, and other evidence of the calendar. The calendar contains Vincent Ferrer (canonized 1455) in the original hand, but he is not in the litany or hymnal. The calendar, litany and hymnal did not originally contain Catherine of Siena (canonized 1461). The hymns of Vincent Ferrer and Catherine of Siena were added in a 15th-century hand on fols. 187r–‘189/190’r. All this suggests that the psalter may have been made between 1455 and 1461 (compare MS. Canon. Liturg. 191 from Brescia, where the calendar, litany and hymnal contain both Vincent Ferrer and Catherine of Siena).

‘SVOR PLAVTILLA PATRONI’ written in gold ink on fol. i recto (16th century). Presumably a Dominican nun, Sister Plautilla Patroni.

Francis Douce, 1757–1834see ODNB: bookplate on the upper pastedown, note on fol. i recto. A list of contents of the manuscript with folio numbers in pencil on the lower pastedown, mostly illegible, perhaps by Douce.

Title

Psalter (Dominican) - portable psalter with antiphons

Shelfmark

MS. Douce 272

Summary

'Incipit Psalterium secundum ordinem Fratrum Predicatorum', preceded by a calendar, and followed by:

(fol. 119) canticles

(fol. 128v) creeds, litany

(fol. 134) a Hymnal: with musical notes

The last leaf of the hymnal is lost. Apollonius in red on July 7 (in the calendar) points to Brescia, and 'Dedicatio ecclesie sancte ke' on Oct. 20 (cf. Nov. 25) to the church of st. Katherine in that city. On fol. 88v on a scroll borne by two figures are 'GERA' and 'DANILO PERF' [?: perfecit ?]', perhaps indicating the illuminator.

On fol. i in gold letters is ' SVOR PLAVTILLA PATRONI' (16th cent. ?).

Date

written in the first half of the 15th cent. in Italy

Language

Latin

Physical facet

On parchment, with illuminated borders bearing small miniatures, capitals, etc., binding: black leather on boards, with gold stamped pattern, Italian

Physical extent

196 Leaves