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

MS. D'Orville 11

Summary Catalogue no.: 16889

Contents

1.
Cicero, Epistolae ad familiares

In 16 books, with each book headed by a coloured capital

Language(s): Latin
2. (fol. 225)
Bernard Silvestris, Epistola rei familiaris

Beginning lost.

Incipit: ||Vende bladum dum satis valet […] De Superbia. Superbia contra inimicum
Explicit: damnabilis senectutis

Followed without a break, as if part of the original text, by 'De filia': 'Filie tibi sunt: noli faciem tuam hilarem ... nec de seueritate sis honori[sic] nec de familiaritate. Vale.' (= Bernard of Clairvaux, De consideratione, IV.6.21-2).

Language(s): Latin

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: paper
Extent: i + 227 leaves
Dimensions (binding): 11.875 × 8 in.

Hand(s)

Humanistic script by the same scribe as part of MS. Canon. Class. Lat. 228 (Pächt and Alexander ii. 617)

Decoration

Pächt and Alexander ii. 617, Pl. LX

Fine historiated border (retouched), perhaps added to the original manuscript. Fol. 1r: Full architectural border (retouched) with two putti, arms of Jacomo Zabarella, d. 1589 (?) and a cardinal's arms

Fine initials of Ferrarese style

History

Origin: 15th century, third quarter ; Italy, Padua

Provenance and Acquisition

Owned by 'Iacobus Zabarella Pat(avinus) Com(es) Pal(atii),' whose arms, motto ('Sapiens dominabitur astris') and coloured titlepage (16th century) are on fol. 1. This appears to be the philosopher Jacobus Zabarella, senior (d. 1589). "A cardinal's arms appear above and perhaps connect with the original owner whose arms are probably overpainted" (Pächt and Alexander). See MS. D'Orville 75

Jacques Phillippe D'Orville of Amsterdam (1690–1751)

Jean D'Orville, b. 1734, his son, by descent

Jean D'Orville, son of Jean, by descent

Sold to the Rev. John Cleaver Banks (1765/1766–1845): purchased from him by the Bodleian

Acquired by the Bodleian in 1804

Record Sources

Description adapted (March 2024) by Stewart J. Brookes and Matthew Holford from the Summary Catalogue (1897) with additional description of art. 2. Decoration, localization and date follow Pächt and Alexander (1970)

Digital Images

Digital Bodleian (3 images from 35mm slides)

Last Substantive Revision

2024-03-25: Description revised to incorporate all the information in the Summary Catalogue (1897)