Choir Psalter with Gloss; Italy, Florence (?), late 12th or early 13th century

Title

Choir Psalter with Gloss; Italy, Florence (?), late 12th or early 13th century

Shelfmark

MS. Canon. Bibl. Lat. 30

Place of origin

Italian, Florence(?)

Date

12th century, late or 13th century, early

Language

Latin

Contents

Form

codex

Support

parchment; paper fly-leaves

Physical extent

236 leaves

Hands

Large formal book hand, smaller script used for the gloss, brown ink; the last quire is in a different hand, in darker ink

Decoration

Large red penwork initials and opening words written in red capitals, flourished in red and blue, at the beginnings of psalms 1 (fol. 1r), 26 (fol. 30v), 38 (fol. 52r), 52 (fol. 73r), 68 (fol. 93r), 80 (fol. 118v), 97 (fol. 141r), 109r (fol. 163r) and Athanasian Creed (fol. 224r). The initial of psalm 1 is approx 9 lines high; other initials are 3 to 6 lines high.

2- to 3-line red initials, occasionally with blue penwork at the beginning of psalms.

1-line plain red initials at the beginning of verses and periods.

1-line plain blue (occasionally red) initials and paragraph signs in the marginal gloss.

Rubrics in red ink.

Musical notation

Neums on staves of three, often invisible, lines.

Binding

Pasteboard covered with pink paper, brown leather spine, 18th century (?), worn and damaged by worms. Sewn on five cords, five raised bands on spine, each outlined with gold foliate design. Two dark green labels on spine with lettering ‘PSALTER || CUM . COMM . || ET SYMB . || S . || ATHANAS’ and ‘COD . MEM . || SAECULI || XII .’. Two paper labels on spine, one printed ‘Canonici || Bibl. Lat.’. Pastedowns and a fly-leaf made of laid paper, no watermarks.

Acquisition

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

Provenance

Belonged to Ospedale di Sancta Maria Nuova, Florence : ex libris, erased except for the first two and last words, ‘ pSalterium postillatum hospitalis Sce Marie Florentine’ (fol. ii recto), 15th century.

Added green laurel wreath with a red ribbon with erased (?) arms (fol. 1r), 18thcentury (?). Compare Bodleian Library MS. Canon. Pat. Lat. 147, MS. Canon. Pat. Lat. 105, MS. Canon. Pat. Lat. 151, MS. Canon. Bibl. Lat. 40, MS. Canon. Pat. Lat. 177, MS. D’Orville 89, MS. Canon. Pat. Lat. 94 and MS. Canon. Pat. Lat. 49, many from Florence (Pächt and Alexander, 1966–73).

Matteo Luigi Canonici of Venice (1727–c. 1806) , but not from the libraries of Soranzo or Trevisan.

Title

Psalter with gloss

Shelfmark

MS. Canon. Bibl. Lat. 30

Date

12th century, late or 13th century, early

Language

Latin

Physical extent

1 volume