MS. Canon. Liturg. 105

Summary Catalogue no.: 19259

Psalter, with calendar in French; France, North-Central (?), 13th century, third quarter

Fols. i–iii are fly-leaves containing added notes (see ‘Provenance’).

[item 1 occupies quire I]

1. (fols. 1r–6v)

Calendar in French, laid out one month per leaf, written in red, blue and black (both red and blue are used for important feasts), approximately one-third full, not graded. Contains Sulpice of Bourges (17 January), Peter of Verona (2 June), Gervasius and Prothasius (19 June), Germanus of Auxerre (31 July), Francis (4 October), Denis (9 October), Leonard of Limousin (6 November), Catherine (25 November), Nicholas (6 December) and his translation (9 May), Stephen (26 December) and the invention of his relics (3 August), all in red. Martin (11 November) is in blue with octave in red; his translation (4 July) is in red. Vincent of Saragossa (22 January) is in blue; Benedict (21 March) is in black and his translation (11 July) in red. The calendar also includes Honorina (27 February; relics in Conflans, near the mouth of the Oise, France, after 1082), Albinus of Angers (1 March), Beneuree (Felix of Dunwich (?), 7 March), Arnulf of Metz (18 July), Samson of Dol (28 July), Theodore of Tyre (9 November), Edmund (20 November), Eligius (1 December) and his translation (25 June). Each month is headed with a note on the length of the solar and lunar month (e.g. ‘Januier a .xxxi. Iour. La lune .xxx.’, etc.); the ‘Egyptian’ days are marked with a ‘D’.

Language(s): Old French

[items 2–6 occupy quires II–XXI]

2. (fols. 7r–210r)

Psalms 1–150, written with each verse starting on a new line, without titles, with numbers added in the margins in Roman and Arabic numerals (see ‘Provenance’). Punctuated throughout, with punctus used to mark the ends of verses and punctus elevatus used to mark metrum and minor pauses. Psalms 37: 20–38: 12 and 51: 8–52: 4 are missing owing to the removal of leaves at liturgical divisions at psalms 38 and 52 after fols. 57 and 75 respectively. The psalms are in the biblical order; subdivisions within psalms are not indicated, apart from psalm 118, subdivided into 8-verse units (verse 137 is not marked, see below). There are textual divisions at psalms 26, 68, 80, 97 and 109. Originally there were also doubtless historiated initials at psalms 38 and 52.

There are notes in purplish-red ink in the margins throughout the manuscript, noting errors in the text. Some errors have been corrected, presumably in the original scriptorium, e.g. fols. 188r, 215r, 232r, 232v, 233r, etc. Psalm 113 (‘In exitu Israel ...’), fol. 167v, starts with a 1-line initial, even though the second letter is an enlarged capital. Verse 137 (‘Iustus ...’), fol. 182v, in psalm 118 is not marked with a larger initial, even though the psalm is generally subdivided into 8-verse units. In both cases the reason is presumably an oversight (‘I’ was easy for the illuminator to overlook, because the scribe did not leave a space for it indented into the text area as was his practice with other letters).

3. (fols. 210r–211v)

Canticle Benedicite omnia opera ....

4. (fol. 211v–223v)

Weekly canticles, without titles:

(1) Confitebor tibi domine (Isaiah 12);
(2) Ego dixi (Isaiah 38: 10–21);
(3) Exultauit cor meum (1 Samuel 2: 1–11);
(4) Cantemus domino (Exodus 15: 1–20);
(5) Domine audiui (Habakkuk 3);
(6) Audite celi (Deuteronomy 32: 1–44).

5. (fols. 223v–229v)

Daily canticles, prayers and creeds, without titles:

(1) Magnificat (fol. 223v);
(2) Benedictus dominus deus (fol. 224r);
(3) Nunc dimittis (fol. 225r);
(4) Te deum laudamus (fol. 225r);
(5) Athanasian Creed (Quicumque uult ...) (fol. 226r).

6. (fols. 229v–235r)

Litany, including Martin (third), Augustine, Germanus, Benedict and Egidius among the confessors, and Thomas, Edmund and Lambert among the martyrs. The litany is followed by collects (fols. 234r–235r):

(1) Deus cui proprium est misereri semper et parcere suscipe ...
(2) Omnipotens sempiterne deus qui facis mirabilia magna solus ...
(3) Pretende domine famulis et famulabus tuis dexteram celestis auxilii ut de toto corde ...
(4) Deus a quo sancta desideria recta consilia et iusta sunt ...

Fol. 235r is ruled, but otherwise blank, apart from the last line of the last collect. Fols. 235v–238v are blank except for an inscription on fol. 236v (see ‘Provenance’).

Language(s): Latin

Physical Description

Secundo Folio: Consurge in nocte (readings, fol. 8r)

Form: codex

Support: parchment; paper fly-leaves

Extent: 241 leaves

Dimensions (leaf): c. 213 × 152 mm.

Leaves were trimmed in rebinding, frequently causing the loss of decoration.

Foliation: modern, in pencil; i–iii + 1–238; usually differing from an early modern foliation in ink in the centre of the upper margin, which was added before the two leaves containing initials at liturgical divisions were excised (see ‘Provenance’).

Collation

(fols. i–iii) fol. i is a paper fly-leaf conjoint with the upper pastedown; fol. ii is an 18th-century laid paper fly-leaf; fol. iii is a strip of paper pasted to fol. ii | (fols. 1–6) I (6) | (fols. 7–54) II–V (12) | (fols. 55–65) VI (12−1) missing 4 | (fols. 66–76) VII (12−1) missing 11 | (fols. 77–196) VIII–XVII (12) | (fols. 197–206) XVIII (10) | (fols. 207–218) XIX (12) | (fols. 219–229) XX (10+1) fol. 229 probably originally belonged to the next quire | (fols. 230–236) XXI (6) probably originally a quire of 8, of which the last leaf is missing and the first leaf is bound with the previous quire | (fols. 237–238) fol. 237 is an 18th-century laid paper fly-leaf; fol. 238 is a paper fly-leaf conjoint with the lower pastedown. Original (?) leaf signatures survive in some quires (clearest in quires 4, 5, 17 and 19); very faint traces of quire signatures in plummet Roman numerals are occasionally discernible at the ends of quires (e.g. quires 9 and 14); 17th-century (?) quire signatures in ink are on the first recto of each quire, including fols. 207r, 219r and 230r (see ‘Collation’ above)

Layout

Ruled in plummet for the tops and bottoms of minims, with double vertical and horizontal bounding lines, extending the full height of page; 17 lines per page; written below the top line; written space: c. 136 × 80 mm.

Hand(s)

Large formal Gothic book hand, black ink

Decoration

KL monograms in the calendar in pink and blue with white tracery ornament, on gold backgrounds, with coiled tendrils and foliage extending into the margins.

8-line historiated initials in gold frames, with scenes on gold backgrounds, decorated with coiled tendrils and foliage extending into the margins. The Beatus-initial occupies over half a page and has a full border. The Beatus-initial and the initial for psalm 97 have been retouched.

fol. 7r Psalm 1 (initial B(eatus)) King David playing harp between two buildings in the upper part; David and Goliath in the lower part.
(full border) Gold, blue and pink bars, decorated with coiled tendrils and foliage; hounds chasing a deer in the bas-de-page.
fol. 37r Psalm 26 (initial D(ominus)) The Anointing of David: seated, crowned David; standing Samuel, holding oil.
fol. 95r Psalm 68 (initial S(aluum)) Nude King David praying in waters in the lower part; half-figure of Christ with cruciform halo, holding an orb and blessing in the upper part.
fol. 118v Psalm 80 (initial E(xultate)) King David playing four bells, his harp hanging next to him on the horizontal bar of the initial.
fol. 141r Psalm 97 (initial C(antate)) Three tonsured clerics singing from a book open on a lectern.
fol. 164v Psalm 109 (initial D(ixit)) Trinity: two seated figures with cruciform halos, holding books and blessing; nimbed white dove descending from above.

Border: see above.

3-line initial at the beginning of the litany.

2-line blue and pink initials on blue, pink and sometimes gold backgrounds, with white tracery ornament, decorated with coiled tendrils extending into the margins, as well as foliage, animal heads, grotesques, rabbits, birds and gold discs at the beginnings of psalms, canticles and prayers.

1-line alternating gold and blue initials with contrasting blue and red penwork at the beginnings of periods and verses.

Gold, red and blue penwork borders in the lower margin on every page.

Line-endings with floral and geometric designs, usually in gold and blue. Line-ending with a grotesque on gold background on fol. 7r.

Binding

Soranzo’s binding: parchment over pasteboard; small stiff flaps on the fore-edges of covers. ‘105’ written in black ink on the spine. Brown leather label on the spine with gilt lettering ‘PSALTER. || DAVIDICUM || ETC. || COD . MEMB.’. Discoloration left by another (Bodleian (?)) label on the lower part of the spine. Sewn on four cords. Pastedowns and fly-leaves of paper with burgundy, purple and yellow floral designs (carta bassanese). Further fly-leaves made of 18th-century laid paper; no watermarks.

History

Origin: 13th century, third quater ; French, North-Central (?)

Provenance and Acquisition

Made in north-central France (?). The calendar has many saints venerated in France, but is not particularly specific. Morgan (2009) suggests the Oise region as a possible place of origin. Pächt and Alexander (1966–73) point out that the style of illumination is related to Honoré’s atelier, but this is rejected by Morgan (2009). Vitzthum (1907) argues that the illumination is related to a group of manuscripts which he located in Reims.

A 16th-century Italian owner foliated the volume, numbered psalms in Arabic numerals and wrote a note on fol. 236r, recording folio numbers for the seven Penitential Psalms: ‘Modo & numero datrouare esette salmi penitentiali ...’. The psalter also contains added psalm numbers in Roman numerals, which may be in the same or possibly an earlier hand.

Jacopo Soranzo (1686–1761): binding. After Soranzo’s death by about 1780 at Cá Cornèr at San Maurizio (Mitchell, 1969).

A description of the manuscript in Latin on a strip of paper pasted to fol. ii verso (fol. iii). The description is in an Italian, 18th-century (?) hand, but not the hand of Canonici or any of the earlier owners and librarians whose handwriting is illustrated in Mitchell (1969). Similar descriptions in the same hand are also found in MS. Canon. Bibl. Lat. 42, MS. Canon. Bibl. Lat. 85, MS. Canon. Pat. Lat. 88, MS. Add. D. 47, MS. Canon. Liturg. 155, MS. Canon. Liturg. 377 and MS. Canon. Liturg. 393.

Matteo Luigi Canonici of Venice (1727–c. 1806): bought soon after 1780.

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

Record Sources

Elizabeth Solopova, Latin Liturgical Psalters in the Bodleian Library: A Select Catalogue (Oxford, 2013), pp. 292–7. Previously described in the Summary Catalogue.

Summary Catalogue, vol. 4, p. 342

Digital Images

Digital Bodleian (1 image from 35mm slides)

Bibliography

Select bibliography to 2009:

Summary catalogue, vol. 4, no. 19259.

Frere, no. 462.

Vitzthum von Eckstaedt, B. G., Die Pariser Miniaturmalerei von der Zeit des hl. Ludwig bis zu Philipp von Valois und ihr Verhältnis zur Malerei in Nordwesteuropa (Leipzig: Verlag von Quelle & Meyer, 1907), pp. 66–7.

Nordenfalk, C., ‘Insulare und kontinentale Psalterillustrationen aus dem XIII. Jahrhundert’, Acta archaeologica 10 (1939), pp. 107–20, at p. 120.

S. J. P. van Dijk, Latin Liturgical Manuscripts in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, vol. 2: Office Books (typescript, 1957), p. 73

Millar, E. G., The Parisian miniaturist Honoré (London: Faber and Faber, 1959).

Pächt and Alexander (1966–73), vol. 1, no. 539, pl. XLI.

Folda, J., Crusader manuscript illumination at Saint-Jean d’Acre, 1275–1291 (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1976), p. 148 n. 139.

Morgan (2009), pp. 64, 65, 67, 72 n. 12.

Abbreviations

View list of abbreviations and editorial conventions.

Last Substantive Revision

2024-06: Encode full description from Solopova catalogue.

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