La Chevalerie Vivien, Aliscans — 12th century, late-13th century, early; French, East or North-east
MS. Fr. e. 32
Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford
Description
From Medieval manuscripts in Oxford libraries
This is an extract only. For more information, see the catalogue record in Medieval manuscripts in Oxford libraries.
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Title
La Chevalerie Vivien, Aliscans — 12th century, late-13th century, early; French, East or North-east
Shelfmark
MS. Fr. e. 32
Place of origin
French, East or North-east
Date
12th century, late-13th century, early
Language
Old French (842-ca. 1400)
Contents
Form
codex
Support
parchment, mediocre quality
Physical extent
149 leaves
Hands
Written in gothic vernacular script by three main hands, studied in detail by I. Short in The Medieval Alexander legend and romance epic: essays in honour of David J. A. Ross (1982), pp. 173–91: Scribe A wrote fols. 1r-27v; B wrote almost all of fols. 28r-66r; C wrote part of the remainder, in concert with the A and B; the final verso is particularly crudely written, presumably by a fourth scribe.
Decoration
One seven-line red initial containing a rampant lion (fol. 28r); one similar three-line initial (fol. 29r).
Other two- and three-line initials in plain red.
Doodles of a male face in profile (fols. 36r, 66v).
Binding
Original(?) sewing on three split thongs, laced into pasteboards covered with original(?) stained red leather; a thread bookmark between fols. 1134 and 114); without pastedowns or flyleaves.
Acquisition
Bought Sotheby's, 30 Nov. 1971, lot 495, pl. 7 (fol. 28r).
Provenance
Inscribed, late 13th or early 14th cent.: 'Sire W de morlens [me deit(?) effaced]' (fol. 107r; cf. fol. 124r)
Inscribed, 14th cent.: 'icet romans est de W dorenge' (fol. 93v); inscribed, 14th-cent. with 'Nota' marks (e.g. 73v, 74r); inscribed in blind, unknown date: 'ROS'(?) and 'ALISPATVN' (the 'S's back-to-front) (fol. 133v).
Thomas Arnold, St. Augustine's, Canterbury ('Liber fratris T. Arnold' de libr' sancti Augustini Cantuariensis': see A. B. Emden, Donors of Books to St. Augustine's Abbey Canterbury, Oxford 1968, 5), with 15th-cent. letter-identifier '.Cum. .H.' (M. R. James, The Ancient Libraries of Canterbury and Dover, Cambridge 1903, 374, no. 1533)
Inscribed '106' (fol. 1r, top right).
Savile library, sold at Sotheby's 6 Feb. 1861, lot 16, bought by Powis for £150
Sir Thomas Phillipps (1792–1872), MS. 25074
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