Origen, Homiles on Numbers, etc.; southern Germany, 12th century

Title

Origen, Homiles on Numbers, etc.; southern Germany, 12th century

Shelfmark

MS. Canon. Pat. Lat. 172

Place of origin

Germany

Germany, south

Date

12th century

Language

Latin

Contents

Form

codex

Support

parchment; occasional holes and repairs within the text area

Physical extent

1 (medieval parchment; lifted pastedown) + 189 (not including fol. 37b) + 1 (medieval parchment; lifted pastedown)

Hands

Pregothic bookhand, apparently mostly by a single hand (despite the division into two codicological units), with sometimes-extensive corrections by other hands, e.g. fol. 138r.

Decoration

Two fine large foliate initials drawn in orange ink introduce the prologue and first homily, 8 and 10 lines tall respectively (fols. 1r, 2v). Not in Pächt and Alexander.

Other homilies with plain red 4-line initials.

Musical notation

Diastematic neumes, fol. 170v

Binding

Medieval binding: late-medieval brown leather with blind-stamped decoration, on the front: rosette and script (apparently twelve minims) forming a saltire, with leafwork border; the same on the back but with a border of arches; the rosette and script stamps also on the spine. The same stamps attributed by Einbanddatenbank to the 'Halbkreis Ornament' workshop (w002843) [Czech Republic, c. 1474], documented only from Stuttgart, Württembergische Landesbibliothek, Cod. theol. et phil. fol. 17 [recte 27].

Earlier (?) sewing and boards: sewn on three slit bands, laced and pegged into horizontal channels in thick wood boards, square cut, with pink-stained parchment at the inner corners of each board covering the endband lacing. Traces of lost strap-and-pin clasp with leather strap running from back-cover fore-edge to central pin on front, and of four large circular bosses on each cover; late-medieval parchment title-label at upper centre of front cover (cf. MS. Canon. Pat. Lat. 188), inscribed ‘AE’ in red and ‘Omelie Origenis i[n Numer]orum | cum descripcione mansionum filorum Israel’. Added green spine-label and gilt lettering, with minor repairs, 18th century, Italian. 286–288 c. 178–180 c. 82 (book closed).

Acquisition

Purchased by the Bodleian in 1817

Provenance

Presumably written for a house with a special veneration for, and perhaps dedicated to, St Nicholas (fol. 170v).

12th–15th-century readers: the main text with frequent ‘Nota’ marks and other annotations, corrections, etc. (e.g. fol. 27r–v), often ‘Cave’ or ‘Caute’.

Unidentified 14th/15th-century German library: the front cover label with shelfmark(?) ‘AE’.

Matteo Luigi Canonici, 1727–1805, Jesuit and bibliophile of Venice; source of acquisition not known (not Soranzo); from whom his manuscripts passed to his brother:

Giuseppe Canonici , -1807, and on the latter’s death to their nephew, Giovanni Perisinotti, from whom over 2,000 were:

Title

Origen, Homilies on Numbers and Breviary (noted; fragment)

Shelfmark

MS. Canon. Pat. Lat. 172

Date

12th century

Language

Latin

Physical extent

1 volume