MS. Canon. Liturg. 72
Summary Catalogue no.: 19252
Portable Psalter with Antiphons; Italy, Venice, c. 1470–1480
Contents
Psalms 1–150 (Roman version), in the biblical order, some with titles ‘psalmus dauid’, without numbers, with antiphons. There are textual divisions at psalms 26, 38, 52, 80, 91, 94, 97 and 109. Subdivisions within psalms are marked with 2- or 3-line initials at 17: 26 (fol. 13v, rubric ‘diuisio’), 103: 25 (fol. 97r), 105: 32 (fol. 101r), 106: 25 (102v) and 144: 10 (fol. 132r). Psalm 118 is subdivided into twenty-two 8-verse units. Punctus is occasionally used to mark the ends of verses and metrum on fols. 1–70r and 111r–135v; punctus elevatus or colon is used to mark the ends of verses and metrum on fols. 70v–110v; occasionally an arrangement of three points is used at the end of verses, particularly the last verse of a psalm.
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).
Daily canticles, without titles:
- (1) Benedicite omnia opera (fol. 143v);
- (2) Benedictus dominus deus (fol. 144v);
- (3) Athanasian Creed (Quicumque uult ... ) (fol. 145r).
Hymnal, divided into combined temporale and sanctorale, and the common (fol. 163r). Includes hymns to Sts Stephen, John the Evangelist, Agnes, John the Baptist, Peter and Paul, Mary Magdalene, Lawrence, Michael Archangel, Luke, Martin and Andrew. Conditor alme (Chevalier, no. 3733), Intende qui regis (Chevalier, no. 8989), Procedit e thalamo (Chevalier, no. 15525), Erixa [sic] est puerpera quem gabriel (Chevalier, no. 5491), A solis ortu cardine (Chevalier, no. 26), Stephani primi martyri (Chevalier, no. 19487), O preferenda gloria (Chevalier, no. 13430), Amore christi nobilis et filius (Chevalier, no. 1010), In principio (Chevalier, no. 8736), Illuminans altissimus micantium (Chevalier, no. 8390), Agnes beate uirginis (Chevalier, no. 735), Aras nefandi (Chevalier, no. 3733), Misterium ecclesia (Chevalier, no. 11828), Uere gratia plena es (Chevalier, no. 21408), Ave maris stella (Chevalier, no. 1889), O quam glorifica (Chevalier, no. 13516), Agathe sacre uirginis (Chevalier, no. 716), Sisti iubet (Chevalier, no. 19038), Summi largitor premij spes (Chevalier, no. 19716), Audi benigne conditor (Chevalier, no. 1449), Hymnum dicamus domino (Chevalier, no. 8266), Denariorum numero (Chevalier, no. 4351), Crux fidelis (Chevalier, no. 4018), Uexilla regis (Chevalier, no. 21481), Magnum salutis gaudium (Chevalier, no. 11028), Ramos uirentes (Chevalier, no. 17008), Iam surgit hora (Chevalier, no. 9400), Hic est dies uerus dei (Chevalier, no. 7793), Misterium mirable ut abluat (Chevalier, no. 11831), Ad cenam agni prouidi (Chevalier, no. 110), Chorus noue ierusalem (Chevalier, no. 2824), followed by the opening lines of hymns for the feast of the Cross, Optatus uotis (Chevalier, no. 14177), Grande cunctis gaudium (Chevalier, no. 13071), Iesu nostra redempcio (Chevalier, no. 9582), Eterne rex altissime (Chevalier, no. 654), Iam christus astra (Chevalier, no. 9215), Impleta gaudens uiscera (Chevalier, no. 8506), Beata nobis gaudia (Chevalier, no. 2339), Ueni creator spiritus (Chevalier, no. 21204), Almi prophete progenies (Chevalier, no. 915), Asertor equi (Chevalier, no. 1361), Apostolorum passio (Chevalier, no. 1231), Uerso crucis uestigio (Chevalier, no. 21440), followed by the opening lines of hymns for the feast of Mary Magdalene, Apostolorum supparem laurencium (Chevalier, no. 1237), Post triduum iussus (Chevalier, no. 15185), Mysteriorum signifer (Chevalier, no. 11826), Ascendant nostre protinus (Chevalier, no. 1349), Christum rogemus et patrem (Chevalier, no. 3203), Iesu saluator seculi redemptis (Chevalier, no. 9677), Sanctorum meritis inclita gaudia (Chevalier, no. 18607), Bellator armis (Chevalier, no. 2414), Prophana dum succenderet (Chevalier, no. 15549), Post petrum principem (Chevalier, no. 15179), Fallax ad patibulum (Chevalier, no. 5951), Eterna christi munera et martirum uictorias (Chevalier, no. 598), Tradunt igni martires (Chevalier, no. 20529), Deus tuorum militum (Chevalier, no. 4533), Penas cucurrit fortiter (Chevalier, no. 15118), Ihesu corona celsior (Chevalier, no. 9494), Te christe rex piissime (Chevalier, no. 20044), Iesu corona uirginum (Chevalier, no. 9507), Quocumque pergis uirgines (Chevalier, no. 16876), Christe cunctorum dominator (Chevalier, no. 2854), Hic locus tempe uocitatur (Chevalier, no. 7809), Uerbum supernum prodiens a patre (Chevalier, no. 29391), Uox clara ecce intonat (Chevalier, no. 22199). Fols. 166r–169v are ruled but otherwise blank; fols. 170–172 are fly-leaves.
Physical Description
Collation
Layout
Ruled in pale brown ink with single vertical bounding lines extending the full height of page; 20–23 lines per page; written above the top line; written space: c. 105 × 70 mm.
Hand(s)
The work of several scribes, a change of scribe at fols. 51r, 70v, 111r; formal Gothic book hands; antiphons in a smaller script; black and brown ink
Decoration
Closely related to the style of the Master of Aristotle, printed by Andrea Torresani, Venice, 1483 (New York, Pierpont Morgan Library, E. 41. A, E. 2. 78B), and tentatively identified as Jacometto Veneziano (P&A ii. no. 559 and pp. 44–5).
8-line Beatus initial, 7-line initial at psalm 97, 6-line initials at psalms 80 and 109, and 4-line initials at other liturgical divisions; borders on three sides decorated with foliage, flowers and gold discs.
- fol. 1r, Psalm 1 (initial B(eatus)), Gold initial with King David in prayer; laurel wreath with the arms of Bononi family, Venice, flanked by two eagles standing on bodies of two deer in a landscape in the lower margin; medallion with doe couchant in the right margin.
- fol. 21v, Psalm 26 (initial D(ominus)), Half-figure of nimbed King David, pointing to his eyes.
- fol. 35r, Psalm 38 (initial D(ixi)), Half-figure of nimbed King David, pointing to his mouth.
- fol. 48r, Psalm 52 (initial D(ixit)), Half-figure of the Fool, holding a club.
- fol. 77v, Psalm 80 (initial E(xultate)), Half-figure of a tonsured cleric and lay figure ringing two bells.
- fol. 87v, Psalm 91 (initial B(onum)), Profile half-figure of a tonsured saint.
- fol. 89v, Psalm 94 (initial U(enite)), Profile half-figure of a bearded saint in prayer.
- fol. 92ar, Psalm 97 (initial C(antate)), Half-figures of two tonsured clerics singing from a music book on a lectern.
- fol. 106r, Psalm 109 (initial D(ixit)), Half-figure of a bearded saint with a landscape of trees in the background, right hand pointing to the text; half-figure of God in clouds above.
- fol. 147v, Hymnal (initial C(onditor)), 5-line initial with a bust of a bearded saint.
Borders: see above.
2- to 4-line alternating red initials with purple penwork and blue initials with red penwork at the beginnings of psalms, canticles and hymns.
1-line plain alternating red and blue initials at the beginnings of verses and periods.
Rubrics in red ink, most not filled in.
Binding
17th century ?, Italian: pasteboards?; red velvet (spine very worn), plain, possibly overlying an earlier decorated cover; impress-marks on the fabric of each cover from two semi-circular filigree clasp-fittings and four circular bosses, all removed; edges gilt, gauffered. 174–175 × 121 × c. 42–44 mm. (book closed).
15th century, Italian (as MS.?): paste-downs and flyleaves of purple parchment, presumably inherited from the original binding.
18th century, Italian: further paste-downs (pasted over the purple) and flyleaves of fine ‘Dutch gilt paper’, block-printed in gold on a green ground with floral and interlace patterns including birds, vases, etc., added in Italy probably after the removal of the metalwork.
History
Provenance and Acquisition
Made for Bononi family, Venice: coat of arms on fol. 1r. The arms are stated erroneously to be those of Mistelbach on fol. i verso. The manuscript is listed as of Mistelbach provenance in Krämer (1989). According to van Dijk (1958), ‘The division of the psalter is similar to that of the Cluniacs but it is secular and the series of antiphons is different from any monastic psalter’ (fol. 6).
Matteo Luigi Canonici of Venice (1727–c. 1806), but not from the libraries of Soranzo or Trevisan.
Bodleian Library: bought in 1817 from Canonici’s nephew Giovanni Perissinotti. Earlier shelfmark: ‘Miscell. Liturg. Bibl. Bodl. 72’ (fol. ii verso and iii recto).
Record Sources
Digital Images
Digital Bodleian (2 images from 35mm slides)
Bibliography
Select bibliography to 1989:
Abbreviations
View list of abbreviations and editorial conventions.
Last Substantive Revision
2024-07: Encode full description from Solopova catalogue.