MS. Auct. D. 1. 20

Provenance and Acquisition

This manuscript is associated with a group produced in the Lake Constance area around the middle of the ninth century, recently discussed in relation to Cod. Don. 191 by Peter Burkhart, Die Vorromanischen Handschriften Der Wurttembergischen Landesbibliothek Stuttgart (2016). The group includes Vienna, ONB Cod. 1815, with which our manuscript is textually related (see Deshusses, von Euw). The production of the Vienna manuscript has been associated both with St Gall and Reichenau (description by Michael Kautz). Production of the present manuscript at St Gall or by monks of St Gall has been argued on the basis of decoration, neums, the masses for St Gall in the sanctorale, and the presence of SS. Gall (16 Oct.) and Magnus (19. Aug) in the calendar. H. Hoffmann, Schreibschulen und Buchmalerei (2012), 201 seems to argue for a Reichenau origin.

It has frequently been argued that the present manuscript was produced for use at St Alban's, Mainz, since the calendar contains the deposition of St Alban (1 Mar.), the 'Dedicacio ecclesie S. Albani martyris' (1 Dec.), and the feast of SS. Aureus and Justinus (17 June). Deshusses argued that the manuscript was written at or for St Gall, then adapted for use at Mainz by the addition of four quires (fols. 2–33) containing the calendar, blessings and exultet. Watson and Bischoff argued that the manuscript was produced at St Gall but (possibly) intended for use at St Albans. More recently von Euw has raised the possibility that the manuscript was written at Mainz by scribes from St Gall temporarily active there. However, it should be noted that Heyne's detailed study of the calendar established that it was not especially close to other sources from Mainz; that Alban, Aureus, and Justinus were celebrated elsewhere in addition to Mainz; and that the calendar also has parallels with Fulda sources ('recordatio fratrum', 11 Oct., and translation of Boniface, 1 Nov.). Further study of the calendar may clarify its affiliations.

Most scholarship argues for a date in the middle or third quater of the ninth century, perhaps c. 850–860, on art-historical, palaeographical and liturgical grounds. Van Dijk argued that St Scholastica (10 Feb.) in the calendar did not appear until after 855. He noted the absence from the calendar of the octave of the Assumption, instituted by Leo IV (847–55), and the translation of St Lul, abbot of Mainz (852); but Heyne did not find the last feast celebrated in any Mainz sources, so its omission here is probably not significant.

In the upper margin of fol. 2: 'meginpreht vuolfmunt de ouuinga nisint[?]’, 10th century: unidentified. The medieval provenance of the manuscript after its production is unknown.

Sotheby's, 30 May 1840 ('... a valuable collection of rare and curious books ... and some important manuscripts, the whole consigned from Germany'), lot 288. Said in the sale catalogue to have been obtained from St Emmeram’s, Regensburg (cf. the description on fol. iii), but no other evidence for this provenance has been found. It is accepted by Gamber and Heyne but rejected by Bischoff and von Euw.

Purchased by or on behalf of the Bodleian.