Psalter, with calendar in French; France, North-Central (?), 13th century, third quarter

Title

Psalter, with calendar in French; France, North-Central (?), 13th century, third quarter

Shelfmark

MS. Canon. Liturg. 105

Place of origin

French, North-Central (?)

Date

13th century, third quater

Language

Latin

Old French (842-ca. 1400)

Contents

Form

codex

Support

parchment; paper fly-leaves

Physical extent

241 leaves Leaves were trimmed in rebinding, frequently causing the loss of decoration.

Hands

Large formal Gothic book hand, black ink

Decoration

KL monograms in the calendar in pink and blue with white tracery ornament, on gold backgrounds, with coiled tendrils and foliage extending into the margins.

8-line historiated initials in gold frames, with scenes on gold backgrounds, decorated with coiled tendrils and foliage extending into the margins. The Beatus-initial occupies over half a page and has a full border. The Beatus-initial and the initial for psalm 97 have been retouched. fol. 7r Psalm 1 (initial B(eatus)) King David playing harp between two buildings in the upper part; David and Goliath in the lower part. (full border) Gold, blue and pink bars, decorated with coiled tendrils and foliage; hounds chasing a deer in the bas-de-page. fol. 37r Psalm 26 (initial D(ominus)) The Anointing of David: seated, crowned David; standing Samuel, holding oil. fol. 95r Psalm 68 (initial S(aluum)) Nude King David praying in waters in the lower part; half-figure of Christ with cruciform halo, holding an orb and blessing in the upper part. fol. 118v Psalm 80 (initial E(xultate)) King David playing four bells, his harp hanging next to him on the horizontal bar of the initial. fol. 141r Psalm 97 (initial C(antate)) Three tonsured clerics singing from a book open on a lectern. fol. 164v Psalm 109 (initial D(ixit)) Trinity: two seated figures with cruciform halos, holding books and blessing; nimbed white dove descending from above.

Border: see above.

3-line initial at the beginning of the litany.

2-line blue and pink initials on blue, pink and sometimes gold backgrounds, with white tracery ornament, decorated with coiled tendrils extending into the margins, as well as foliage, animal heads, grotesques, rabbits, birds and gold discs at the beginnings of psalms, canticles and prayers.

1-line alternating gold and blue initials with contrasting blue and red penwork at the beginnings of periods and verses.

Gold, red and blue penwork borders in the lower margin on every page.

Line-endings with floral and geometric designs, usually in gold and blue. Line-ending with a grotesque on gold background on fol. 7r.

Binding

Soranzo’s binding: parchment over pasteboard; small stiff flaps on the fore-edges of covers. ‘105’ written in black ink on the spine. Brown leather label on the spine with gilt lettering ‘PSALTER. || DAVIDICUM || ETC. || COD . MEMB.’. Discoloration left by another (Bodleian (?)) label on the lower part of the spine. Sewn on four cords. Pastedowns and fly-leaves of paper with burgundy, purple and yellow floral designs (carta bassanese). Further fly-leaves made of 18th-century laid paper; no watermarks.

Acquisition

Bodleian Library: bought in 1817 from Canonici’s nephew Giovanni Perissinotti.

Provenance

Made in north-central France (?). The calendar has many saints venerated in France, but is not particularly specific. Morgan (2009) suggests the Oise region as a possible place of origin. Pächt and Alexander (1966–73) point out that the style of illumination is related to Honoré’s atelier, but this is rejected by Morgan (2009). Vitzthum (1907) argues that the illumination is related to a group of manuscripts which he located in Reims.

A 16th-century Italian owner foliated the volume, numbered psalms in Arabic numerals and wrote a note on fol. 236r, recording folio numbers for the seven Penitential Psalms: ‘Modo & numero datrouare esette salmi penitentiali ...’. The psalter also contains added psalm numbers in Roman numerals, which may be in the same or possibly an earlier hand.

Jacopo Soranzo (1686–1761): binding. After Soranzo’s death by about 1780 at Cá Cornèr at San Maurizio (Mitchell, 1969).

A description of the manuscript in Latin on a strip of paper pasted to fol. ii verso (fol. iii). The description is in an Italian, 18th-century (?) hand, but not the hand of Canonici or any of the earlier owners and librarians whose handwriting is illustrated in Mitchell (1969). Similar descriptions in the same hand are also found in MS. Canon. Bibl. Lat. 42, MS. Canon. Bibl. Lat. 85, MS. Canon. Pat. Lat. 88, MS. Add. D. 47, MS. Canon. Liturg. 155, MS. Canon. Liturg. 377 and MS. Canon. Liturg. 393.

Matteo Luigi Canonici of Venice (1727–c. 1806): bought soon after 1780.

Title

A Psalter, with Canticles, Creeds and Litany

Shelfmark

MS. Canon. Liturg. 105

Summary

A Psalter, with Canticles, Creeds and Litany, preceded by a French Calendar. The Calendar in names and dialect points to Eastern France: at Mar. 7 is 'Sainte Beneuree' (Bene-augurata ?), who does not occur in hagiographies.

Date

Written late in the 13th century in Eastern France

Language

Latin

Physical facet

On parchment, with some small miniatures, illuminated borders, etc.

Physical extent

238 Leaves