Mathematics and astronomy

Title

Mathematics and astronomy

Shelfmark

MS. Lyell 52

Place of origin

Italian

Date

13th century

14th century

Language

Latin

Contents

Form

codex

Support

parchment

Physical extent

i+76 leaves (fol. i, 76 are flyleaves), modern foliation, a slightly earlier foliation goes from [36] to 110.

Hands

fol. 1–20; 42–49v; tables on fol. 73r–75v;

fol. 21–34;

fol. 35–41v;

fol. 50–72v.

There are some later marginal corrections and additions in item 3. The notes on the use of the tables on fol. 50, 53, and the dates inserted on fol. 51v, 52, 54v, 55v, are probably in the hand of Cardinal Nicholas of Cusa; see A. Krchfiâk, Neue Handscriften in London und Oxford. Reisebericht, Mitteilungen und Forschungsbeiträge der Cusanus-Gesellschaft 3 (1963), 104–5.

Decoration

Initials in fol. 1–20, 42–49v partly red and green, in the rest red and blue.

Binding

Portions of the medieval boards preserved. A 14th-cent. list of contents inside the upper board.

Bound in modern wooden boards, backed with modern pale-brown goatskin.

Acquisition

Chosen as one of the hundred manuscripts bequeathed to the Bodleian by Lyell in 1948.

Provenance

Formerly MS. 612 in the library of Admont (paper label on front board); it is listed in the Admont catalogue of 1380: Item introductorius liber in mathematicam, incipit Si quis; in eodem liber ysagogarum algorismi et algorismus de integris et tabule planetarum; see G. Möser-Mersky, Mittelatt. Bibl.kat. Österreichs in, 1961, pp. 61 1. 30–2.

Sold by Admont in or after 1934 to L. and A. Brecher of Brünn (Möser-Mersky, op. cit., p. 9).

Bought by Lyell in January 1941 from Davis and Orioli; see their Cat. 78 (1937), no. 5.

James P. R. Lyell, 1871–1948