MS. Canon. Liturg. 254

Summary Catalogue no.: 19357

Portable Psalter in Latin with Italian additions; Italy, 15th century, before 1440

Language(s): Latin, with additions in Italian

Portable Psalter

Fols. i verso–iii recto are paper fly-leaves, blank, apart from modern notes.

(fol. iii verso–iv recto)

Recipes in Italian, ‘given by the emperor of Hungary’ and dated 1440 (fol. iii verso).

Fols. iii recto and iv verso are blank, apart from modern notes.

1. (fols. 1r–144r)

Psalms 1–150 in the biblical order, without numbers, with short titles (‘psalmus’ or ‘psalmus dauid’), laid out as prose, punctuated throughout with punctus used to mark the ends of verses and metrum. There are textual divisions at psalms 26, 38, 52, 68, 80 and 109. Subdivisions within psalms are not indicated, apart from psalm 118, subdivided mostly into 8-verse units, though subdivisions at verses 57, 73 and 121 are not indicated. Pointing hands against psalms 26 (fol. 22v), 45 (fol. 43v), 68 (fol. 63r), 85 (fol. 82v), 105 (fol. 106r) and 128 (fol. 129r). Psalm 109 is singled out by a larger initial and rubric ‘psalmus dauid’ appearing on a separate line. The following text is missing because of the loss of leaves:

– one leaf missing after fol. ‘10–11’ (missing text 15: 2–16: 16);
– one leaf missing after fol. 29 (missing text 33: 14–34: 8);
– one leaf missing after fol. 96 (missing text 101: 9–28).

Psalm 54 is omitted (fol. 52r).

2. (fols. 144r–153r)

Weekly canticles with titles ‘psalmus’ or ‘psalmus dauid’:

(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).

3. (fol. 153r–159v)

Daily canticles, prayers and creeds, most with titles ‘psalmus’ or ‘psalmus dauid’:

(1) Benedicite omnia opera (fol. 153r);
(2) Benedictus dominus deus (fol. 154r);
(3) Magnificat (fol. 154v);
(4) Nunc dimittis (fol. 155r);
(5) Te deum laudamus (fol. 155v);
(6) Athanasian Creed (Quicumque uult ... ) (‘Simbolum athanasij’) (fol. 156v).

4. (fol. 160v)

Added prayer ‘Omnipotens deus nos famulos tuos destera potencie tue ...’ in a 16th-century hand.

5. (fol. 161r)

Added astrological notes in a mixture of Italian and Latin, recording dates, weekdays and hours of birth, and personal traits associated with them. The dates include 17 September 1405, 1429 and 15 February 1431. Fols. 160r and 161v are ruled but blank. Fols. 162 and 163 are paper fly-leaves, blank, apart from modern notes.

Physical Description

Secundo Folio: reges eos in uirga (psalter, fol. 2r)

Form: codex

Support: parchment; paper fly-leaves

Extent: 163 leaves

Dimensions (leaf): c. 95 × 70 mm.

Foliation: Modern, in pencil and ink; i–iv + 1–9 + ‘10–11’ + 12–29 + ‘30–31’ + 32–96 + ‘97–98’ + 99–156 + ‘157–158’ + 159–163. Fols. iii–1 are also numbered 1–3 in pencil.

Collation

(fols. i–iv) fol. i is a paper fly-leaf conjoint with the upper pastedown; fol. ii is a paper fly-leaf; fols. iii–iv are parchment and paper bifolia | (fols. 1–10/11) I (10) | (fols. 12–20) II (10−1) missing 1 | (fols. 21–29) III (10−1) missing 10 | (fols. 30/31–90) IV–IX (10) | (fols. 91–100) X (10−1) missing 7 | (fols. 101–110) XI (10) | (fols. 111–146) XII– XIV (12) | (fols. 147–161) XV (14) | (fols. 162–163) fol. 162 is a paper fly-leaf; fol. 163 is a paper fly-leaf conjoint with the lower pastedown. Catchwords and leaf signatures survive

Layout

Ruled in ink, with single vertical bounding lines extending the full height of page; 18 lines per page; written below the top line; written space: c. 61 × 45 mm.

Hand(s)

Gothic book hand, brown ink.

Decoration

7-line plain pale blue Beatus-initial (fol. 1r).

6-line plain red initial at the beginning of psalm 109 (fol. 110v).

3- to 4-line plain red and blue initials at liturgical divisions at psalms 26 (fol. 22v), 38 (fol. 36v), 52 (fol. 50r), 68 (fol. 63r) and 80 (fol. 79r).

2-line plain red or blue initials at the beginnings of psalms, canticles and prayers.

1-line plain alternating red and blue initials at the beginnings of verses and periods.

Rubrics in red ink.

Binding

Soranzo’s binding, parchment over pasteboard, small stiff flaps on the fore-edges of covers. ‘254’ in black ink on spine. Paper label on spine printed ‘Canonici || Liturg.’. Faint traces of Soranzo’s label (?) at the top of the spine. Sewn on four cords. Pastedowns and fly-leaves of paper with burgundy, purple and yellow floral designs (carta bassanese). Gilt edges of textblock with gauffering.

History

Origin: 15th century, before 1440 ; Italian

Provenance and Acquisition

Written in Italy: evidence of parchment and script. Erasure on fol. 1r.

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

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. 504–6. Previously described in the Summary Catalogue.

Summary Catalogue, vol. 4, p. 367

Bibliography

Printed descriptions:

Summary catalogue, vol. 4, no. 19357.

Frere, no. 464.

S. J. P. van Dijk, Latin Liturgical Manuscripts in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, vol. 2: Office Books (typescript, 1957), p. 86

Abbreviations

View list of abbreviations and editorial conventions.

Last Substantive Revision

2024-07: Encode full description from Solopova catalogue.

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