Brasenose College MS. 1

Language(s): Latin

Bible,

"Founder's bible".

Physical Description

Form: codex

Support: Parchment

Extent: 515 leaves

Dimensions (leaf): 396 × 255 mm.

Collation

1³⁻¹¹⁽¹²⁾, 2 - 11¹⁶, 12¹⁴, 13-15¹⁶, 16¹⁵⁽¹⁶⁾, 17¹⁴, 18-19¹⁶, 20¹⁴, 21-26¹⁶, 2729¹⁴, 30¹³⁽¹⁴⁾, 31-32¹⁶, 33¹⁰

Condition

lacking 5 leaves, 1¹⁻², 1¹², 13¹⁴(blank), 16¹⁶. Several large incisions (usually missing initials).

Layout

Double columns, 50 lines, writing space 230 × 145 mm.

Hand(s)

Dark brown ink; gothic bookhand

Decoration

27 large illuminated initials in elaborate foliage designs, some with long marginal extensions

74 large historiated initials (mostly 8 lines high, 36 x 36mm., but some up to 20 lines high) in burnished gold frames on blue or pink grounds, most with illuminated extensions into the margins, some extending the length of the page, featuring foliage and exotic birds.

Decorative ink cartouches for catch words in the form of elephants, wild cats, grotesques et al

Headings in red, decorative cadels in red and blue ink

Binding

18th/19th century sprinkled calf over boards; blind tooled panel design.

History

Origin: 13th century ; France, Paris

Provenance and Acquisition

Given by William Smith (or Smyth), founder of Brasenose College.

Record Sources

Description by Sophie Floate. Previously described in H. O. Coxe, Catalogus codicum mss. qui in collegiis aulisque oxoniensibus hodie adservantur, II (1852) [sections separately paginated], Brasenose, p. 1

Availability

This manuscript is held at Brasenose College. Please direct any enquiries to Brasenose College Library.

Bibliography

Thomson, R., & Clark, J. (2015). The university and college libraries of Oxford (Corpus of British medieval library catalogues ; 16). London. UO23.7

Branner, Robert, Manuscript painting in Paris in the reign of Saint Louis (Berkeley, 1977), 12.195, fig. 371.

Alexander & Temple. Illuminated manuscripts in Oxford College Libraries, no. 676

Abbreviations

View list of abbreviations and editorial conventions.

Last Substantive Revision

2023: First online publication.

A catalogue of Western manuscripts at the Bodleian Libraries and selected Oxford colleges