John Chrysostom — 15th century, middle; Italian, Naples (?)

Title

John Chrysostom — 15th century, middle; Italian, Naples (?)

Shelfmark

MS. Holkham misc. 3

Place of origin

Italian, Naples (?)

Date

15th century, middle

Language

Latin

Contents

Form

codex

Support

Parchment for the innermost and outermost bifolium of each quire, the rest paper. Watermarks: steer's head (not identifiable in Briquet); lettter R, cf. Briquet 8936.

Physical extent

iii (paper) + 144 + iii (paper)

Hands

Cursive 'fere humanistica'; rubrics in pink in a more formal humanistic bookhand.

Decoration

A small square miniature of the author, in grey habit, writing in a small room, is in the lower border of fol. 1r; the four-sided vine-stem border also incorporates a butterfly, grasshopper, smail, and beetle. (Pächt and Alexander ii. 364, pl. XXXV) Large initial on blue, green and rose ground, fol. 1, spaces for other initials not filled in.

Binding

19th-century polished brown leather, both covers blind-tooled, and with the Coke crest in gilt on the upper cover; the spine lettered in gilt 'S. JOHANNES | CHRYSOSTOMI | OPERA || PER | G. TRAPEZUNT. | TRAD. || MS. | SÆC. XV.'

Provenance

A few marginal annotation by an early hand.

With the oval gilt bookplate of 'THOMAS WILLIAM COKE' (1754–1842) ; inscribed in pencil 'Holk Cat No 85', the number crossed through, and with the de Ricci catalogue number '66' written alongside (formerly Norfolk, Holkham Hall, MS. 66).