Manuscript leaf from a Lectionary (or Missal), in Latin, produced in Spain (possibly...

MS 5650/65

Manuscript leaf from a Lectionary (or Missal), in Latin, produced in Spain (possibly Toledo or Cordoba)

c.1500

Text: From a Lectionary (or Missal), in Latin

Script: Iberian Textualis Formata (Rotunda)

The text shows part of Isaiah Chapter 49, part of Revelation Chapter 7 and part of the Acts of the Apostles Chapter 3. There are twenty-one lines in an upright Rotunda Gothic Spanish hand, rubrics are in red, and line marking is in black ink. The style of the decoration suggests central Spain, possibly Toledo.

On both the recto and verso are full length illuminated borders, set in burnished gold edges, which extends into the upper and lower margin, composed of red and blue acanthus, coloured flowers and leaves, gold balls; the recto has a butterfly and a snail; the verso has two birds including a peacock and a butterfly and a snail; two two-line initials painted in gold on a blue ground with coloured flowers. The highly decorative borders show the unmistakable influence of Flemish and Netherlandish illumination of the second half of the fifteenth century. Such manuscripts were imported into Spain from the time of Queen Isabella who showed a great interest in Flemish art.

At a first glance it would seem that the line marking is in red. This is not so. Careful examination will show the presence of x-height tram-lines drawn faintly in black with the minuscule letters neatly written between the tram-lines. Only after the text had been written were the black lines largely rubbed out and the red lines added for visual effect. A somewhat similar situation has occurred in MS 5650/128, written round about the same date.

A similar leaf appeared in Quaritch, Bookhands of the Middle Ages, Catalogue 1088, Part III, No. 54.

Transcription

Recto side:

1 -vum sibi . Dedi te in lucem ge(n)tium : ut sis [Isaiah Chapter 49:5 - 49:7

[ (modified)

2 salus mea usq(ue) extremum terre . Reges

3 videbunt et consurge(n)t principes : et ado-

4 rabunt dominu(m) deum tuum : et sa(n)ctum [linefiller]

5 israel qui elegit te . Io(h)an(n)is et pauli : Apo-

6 I N calipsis beati io(h)an(n)is ap(osto)li . ca(pitulum) . vii .

7 diebus illis : Respondit unus de [line filler] [Revelation Chapter 7:13

8 senioribus : et dixit mihi . Hi qui amicti

9 sunt stolis albis qui sunt et unde vener(un)t :

10 [7:14] Et dixi illi . Domine mi : tu scis . Et dixit [deletion of incorrect ‘t’

11 mihi . Hi sunt qui veneru(n)t de tribulatio(n)e

12 magna : et laverunt stolas suas : et dealba-

13 verunt eas in sanguine agni . [7:15] Ideo su(n)t an-

14 te thronum dei : et serviu(n)t ei die ac nocte i(n)

15 templo eius . Et qui sedet in throno : habi-

16 tabit super illos . [7:16] Non esurient neq(ue) sitient

17 amplius : neq(ue) cadet super illos sol : neq(ue) [line filler]

18 ullus estus : [7:17] quonia(m) agnus qui in medio

19 throni est reget illos : et deducet eos ad vi-

20 te fontes aquarum . Et absterget de(us) o(mn)em

21 lacrimam ab oculis eor(um) . zoyli m(arty)ris . [line filler] [Martyr of Cordoba

Verso side:

1 Ep(istu)la de com(m)uni uni(us) m(arty)ris

In vigilia [E(xem)pla ?

2 ap(osto)lorum petri (et) pauli . Actuum ap(osto)loru(m) .

3 I N diebus illis : [3:1] Petrus et Cap(itulum) . iii . [Acts Chapter 3

4 ioha(n)nes ascendebant in te(m)plum ad

5 horam or(ati)onis nona(m) . [3:2] Et quidam vir qui e-

6 rat claudus ex utero matris sue baiulabat(ur) :

7 que(m) ponebant quotidie ad porta(m) templi :

8 que dicitur speciosa : ut peteret elemosinam

9 ab introeu(n)tibus in templum . [3:3] is cum vi- [deletion of incorrect ‘H’

10 disset petrum et iohan(n)em incipie(n)tes intro-

11 ire in templu(m) : rogabat ut elemosinam acci-

12 peret. [3:4] Intue(n)s autem in eum petrus cu(m) io-

13 han(n)e dixit . Respice in nos. [3:5] At ille intende-

14 bat in eos : sperans se aliquid accepturu(m) ab

15 eis . [3:6] Petrus aute(m) dixit . Argentum et au(rum)

16 non est mihi : q(uo)d autem habeo : hoc tibi do .

17 In nomine iesu (christ)i nazareni surge et a(m)bu-

18 la. [3:7] Et apprehensa manu eius dextera alleva-

19 vit eum . Et protinus consolidate su(n)t ba-

20 ses eius : et plante . [3:8] Et exilie(n)s stetit et ambu-

21 labat : et intravit cum illis in te(m)plum : am-

Notes:

A Letters: a,b,c,d,e,f,g,h,i,l,m,n,o,p,q,r,s,t,u/v,x,y,z,A,C,D,E,H,I,N,P,R.

Versals: I,

.

B Capitals are touched with yellow.

C Alternative forms of ‘d’(2), ‘i’(2), ‘r’(2), ‘s’(2) and ‘m’(2).

Note the sideways ‘m’ in ‘elemosinam’ (verso, line 8).

D Ligature between letters ‘ct’, e.g. in ‘sanctum’ (recto, line 4).

E Ligature between letters ‘st’, e.g. in ‘stolas’ (recto, line 12).

F Hairlines in ‘a’, ‘A’, ‘e’, ‘h’, ‘H’, long ‘i’, final ‘r’, final ‘t’, ‘x’,

‘y’, ‘z’ and the abbreviation for the ‘rum’ ending.

G The almost vertical hairline diacritics on some letters ‘i’.

H Fusion between letters ‘be’, ‘de’, ‘De’, ‘do’, ‘Do’, ‘he’, ‘ho’,

‘oc’, ‘oe’, ‘og’, ‘os’, ‘pe’, ‘Pe’, ‘po’ and ‘pp’.

I Elision between letters ‘cu’, ‘gi’, ‘gn’, ‘ti’, ‘tr’ and ‘tu’.

J Use of the uncrossed Tironian ‘et’ (verso, line 2).

K Abbreviation for ‘ue’ in ‘usque’ (recto, line 2).

L Abbreviation for ‘ue’ in ‘neque’ (recto, line 17).

M Abbreviation for ‘us’ in ‘deus’ (recto, line 20).

N Abbreviation for ‘rum’ in ‘aurum’ (verso, line 15).

O The letter ‘y’ is not dotted in ‘zoyli’ (recto, line 21).

P Typically Spanish vertical zigzag line fillers on the recto

lines 4, 7, 17 and 21.

Q The scribe has taken care with the neat deletions of mistakes.

MS 5650/128

MS 65

Latin

1 leaf

Material: Vellum leaf