Leaves from a Breviary

Notes:

Bound in modern red leather in 1993 by Donald Taylor of Toronto. Spine lettered in gilt, “Fragmentum Breviarii, s. XIII.” Gatherings interleaved by paper stubs, with modern cloth slipcase. Previously used as a “loose wrap” for the four folios containing excerpts from Jacobus de Vorgaine’s Legenda aura and Sermones de tempore, removed by the Bergendal Collection and bound separately as MS 160. First two and last two flyleaves are modern paper., Two 2-line intials in red with simple red pen florishes. Paragraph markers in red. A few small worm holes in the margins. Modern foliation in pencil top outer corner recto. All leaves are darkened and soiled, although ff. 1-2 are legible, especially at the edges. F. 3 damaged in the inner margin with some loss of text, part of f. 3 and ff. 3v-4v are mostly illegible due to damp. Prickings top margin. Majuscules touched in red., A small personal collection of excerpts unbound until modern times, and which once protected the leaves of MS 160. The original structure is uncertain and missing an unknown number of leaves between f. 2 and f. 3. The four leaves are from a monastic breviary and include the following feasts: Barbara (4 December), beginning imperfectly; Lucy (13 December); Apostle Thomas (21 December), Agnes (21 January), beginning imperfectly; Vincent (22 January); Conversion of Paul (25 January); second feast of Agnes (28 January), short fragment, ending imperfectly., 2 columns of about 32-33 lines in mostly undetectable ruling. Traces of single vertical bounding lines in ink or lead remain between the columns. Written by two scribes in a gothic bookhand., and “Based on the evidence of the script, this was written in Germany at the end of the 13th century. The text, although fragmentary, suggests that these leaves were from a monastic rather than secular, breviary (one nocturn with four lessons are provided for the feast of St. Lucy). Possibily waste leaves never used for a manuscript (see the backward two-line red “n” on f. 4). They were used as a wrapper for this copy of extracts from the Golden Legend and sermons by Jacobus de Vorgaine by the fifteenth or early 16th century, when the contents were recorded in the lower margin of f. 1. The writer listed the contents as “Legends” of St. Barbara and St. Lucy, ignoring that these leaves were originally from a breviary, and emphasizing the content that was in keeping with the manuscript these leaves were being used to protect. Belonged to Joseph Pope (1921-2010) of Toronto, investor banker and prominent collector of medieval manuscripts, where it was Bergendal Collection MS 24 (described in Pope, 1999, and online, Bergendal Collection). Purchased by Pope from Sam Fogg, London, October 1993.” --from dealer description. Purchased by Western Michigan University Special Collections from Les Enluminures (TM 579).

Date Created:

[1275 TO 1300]

Data Provider:

Western Michigan University. Libraries

Subject Topic:

Manuscripts, Latin (Medieval and modern), Manuscripts, Medieval--Germany, Catholic Church--Liturgy--Texts--Early works to 1800, Wrappers (Binding)--Germany, Textura (Gothic script), Breviaries, Saints, and Decorated initials

Language:

lat

Rights:

Copyright 2019 Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan, all rights reserved. The digital version is available for educational use under 'Fair Use' guidelines. For additional permission and further information contact the WMU Libraries.

URL:

https://luna.library.wmich.edu/luna/servlet/detail/WMUwmu~77~77~1222531~160242