Leaf from a Cistercian Missal

Notes:

Excised from a larger manuscript., 4-line initial in red and in the margin with bowed and rounded strokes; 1-line initials and rubrics in red; capitals touched in red; irregular text size; Cistercian puntus flexus and puntus elevatus punctuation throughout; cues in the inner margin of verso., A leaf from a 12th-century Cistercian Missal once owned by Otto Ege containing the prayers said at the altar as well as all that is officially read or sung in celebrating the Mass over the course of the ecclesiastical year. Text taken from John 20:11. The text opens with Mass for the Tuesday within the Octave of Easter, celebrated on April 10. While the use of multi-colored initials was banned by Cistercian statutes, the ban was widely ignored, and the punctus flexus punctuation found here is typical of books written for the Order., 1 column of 24 lines lead point or very light ink ruling written in formal angular Protogothic minuscule in brown ink. Script conforms to the earlier Carolingian minuscule, except that the shapes have become slightly compressed and angular and developed little hooked feet. However the letters are well separated and have not evolved into the rows of minims of fully developed Gothic script. Text written above the top line. Prickings in inner margins. The number “40” written in pencil on top corner of recto., and Owned by Otto Ege who broke up the book. Since the style was imitated in monasteries throughout Europe, it can be very difficult to localise; Ege himself took this manuscript to be Spanish, but the Missal is now thought to be either south German or, more probably, Austrian. The parent manuscript included on f.105v an added Mass for St Robert of Molesmes, co-founder of Cîteaux, canonised in 1222. The parent manuscript (with 173 leaves and 13 large initials) was no 17 in the c.1928 auction catalogue of EMIL HIRSCH (1866-1954), which likely orginate from the Hohenfurth / Vyšší Brod monastery. Peter Kidd points out that Hirsch also owned two other manuscripts now at the British Library, both from Cistercian houses in southern Germany or Austria, one of which may have been written in 1191 for the Abbey of Wilhering, west of Linz.

Data Provider:

Western Michigan University. Libraries

Subject Topic:

Manuscripts, Latin (Medieval and modern), Manuscripts, Medieval, Cistercians--Liturgy--Texts--Manuscripts, Missals--Texts--Early works to 1800, Minuscule, Decorated initials, and detached leaves

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~77~77~1222507~160215