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

MS. Douce 48

Summary Catalogue no.: 21622

Portable Psalter, Franciscan Calendar and Added Hours, Use of Metz; France, Paris (?), Metz; 13th century, between 1235 and 1255 (?), and 14th century, early

Physical Description

Secundo Folio: reges eos in uirga (psalter, fol. 28r)
Form: codex
Support: parchment; paper fly-leaves
Extent: 276 leaves
Dimensions (leaf): c. 139 × 93 mm.
Leaves were trimmed in rebinding, occasionally causing the loss of text and decoration.
Foliation: modern, in pencil; i–v + 1–271.

Collation

(fols. i–v) fol. i is a paper fly-leaf conjoint with the upper pastedown; fols. ii–v are a quire of two paper bifolia | (fols. 1–12) I (12) | (fols. 13–22) II (12−1) missing 3, originally conjoint with 11 (fol. 21) | (fols. 23–26) III (4) | (fols. 27–122) IV–XI (12) | (fols. 123–138) XII (16) | (fols. 139–186) XIII–XVI (12) | (fols. 187–190) XVII (6−2 (?)) four single leaves, bound out of order, text missing at the end | (fols. 191–222) XVIII–XXI (8) | (fols. 223–226) XXII (4) | (fols. 227–266) XXIII–XXVII (8) | (fols. 267–271) fols. 267–270 are a quire of two paper bifolia; fol. 271 is a paper fly-leaf conjoint with the lower pastedown. Catchwords survive in the 14th-century section.

Binding

Red morocco over pasteboard, late 18th or early 19th century, French (?). Triple gilt fillet line border with gilt circlets in the corners round the outer edge of the upper and lower covers. Gilt floral corner-pieces. Four raised bands on spine decorated with gilt designs. Panels between the bands have gilt floral designs and gilt double fillet line borders. Green leather label on spine with gilt double fillet line border and gilt lettering: ‘HEURES || GOTHIQUE’ [sic]. Fragment of (the Bodleian?) paper label on spine. Gilt edges of textblock. A design made of gilt stripes on turn-ins and edges of covers. Marbled paper pastedowns and fly-leaves. Further fly-leaves made of laid paper, contemporary with the binding, with fragmentary watermarks (a bunch of grapes (?) in a shield).

History

Provenance and Acquisition

Psalter made in northern France, probably Paris, in the second quarter of the 13th century; doubtless for a Franciscan patron, to judge by the calendar, perhaps in Rouen, to judge by the high placement of Maurilius in the litany.

Bound up with a book of hours for the use of Metz (fols. 191–266) of the early 14th century. A similar Metz book of hours was sold by Christie’s, 28 November 1960, lot 49; compare also MS. Douce 39, Book of Hours, use of Metz.

Letters ‘a’ and ‘abcd’ written in ink (fol. 1r), 16th century (?).

‘Webb, Jr (?), with Spanish-Green ... Book’ (fol. 269r), in pencil, possibly relating to the book’s current binding.

‘no 14/0’, a book-seller’s (?) note in pale ink (fol. 271r).

Book-sellers’ (?) pencil notes and marks: ‘14 Miniatures || Life of Joseph || & Calendar’, ‘P3/-/-’, ‘15’ encircled, ‘535’ (fols. i verso–ii recto).

Thomas Payne (1752–1831), London bookseller and publisher, see ODNB: no. 1079 in his 1830 catalogue of manuscripts, price £14. 14s. 0d, described as ‘Psalterium written in England early 15th c., 14 very richly and peculiarly painted miniatures, the Life of Joseph ...’. The catalogue number and price are written in pencil on fol. ii recto.

Francis Douce (1757–1834), see ODNB: bookplate on the upper pastedown. Bought from Payne; entered in his ‘Collecta’, a list of his acquisitions and exchanges (Oxford, Bodleian Library MS. Douce e. 68), for February 1830 as ‘English psalter cent(ur)y 24o etc’ (fol. 14v).

Bodleian Library: received in 1834 with bequest of Douce.

MS. Douce 48 – fols. 1-190

Contents

Psalter

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

[item 1 occupies quire I]

1. (fols. 1r–12v)

Franciscan calendar, laid out one month per leaf, written in red, blue and black, approximately half full, graded to 9 lessons. Franciscan saints in red including Francis (‘Natalis sancti francisci confessori de ordine fratrum minorum’, 4 October) with octave; the translation of Francis (‘festum duplex’, 25 May); and Anthony of Padua (‘Natalis sancti antonii confessori de ordine fratrum minorum’, 13 June) with octave. The presence of Elizabeth of Hungary (17 November) suggests a date for the production of the psalter after her canonization in 1235, and certainly after her death in 1231. The absence of Clare of Assisi suggests a date before her canonization in 1255 and perhaps before her death in 1253. The calendar also includes Gilbert of Sempringham (4 February), Dominic (5 August), Cerbonius (10 October) and Vivianus (2 December). Each leaf is headed with a note on the length of the solar and lunar month. The calendar contains the following additions in a 14th-century (?) hand: Dorothy (6 February), ‘decem milium martyrum’ (22 June), ‘divisio apostolorum’, ‘xi millia virginum’ (21 October) and ‘Conceptio beate marie’ (8 December). Crosses, added in black ink, mark various dates throughout the calendar.

[item 2 occupies quires II–III]

2. (fols. 13r–26v)

Miniatures, painted on one side of each leaf with the other side left blank (see ‘Decoration’). Sewing holes in the upper margins of the miniatures indicate that at some point they were probably covered with a protective fabric, still preserved on the initial on fol. 77v.

[items 3–6 occupy quires IV–XVII]

3. (fols. 27r–173r)

Psalms 1–150, written with each verse starting on a new line, without titles or numbers. Punctuated throughout, with punctus used to mark the ends of verses, punctus elevatus used to mark metrum, and punctus or punctus elevatus used to mark minor pauses. The psalms are in the biblical order; the subdivisions within psalms are not indicated, apart from psalm 118, subdivided into twenty-two 8-verse units. There are textual divisions at psalms 26, 38, 51, 52, 68, 80, 97, 109 and 143. Verse 4 of psalm 97 is marked with a larger initial (‘Iubilate deo ...’, fol. 121v). Fol. 138r contains the last verse of psalm 108; the rest of the page and fol. 138v are left blank, with psalm 109 starting on a new leaf (fol. 139r). Psalms 149 and 150 are written as a single text without a break (fol. 172v).

4. (fol. 173r–181v)

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. 181v–187v)

Daily canticles, prayers and creeds, without titles:

  • (1) Benedicite omnia opera (fol. 181v);
  • (2) Benedictus dominus deus (fol. 182v);
  • (3) Magnificat (fol. 183r);
  • (4) Nunc dimittis (fol. 183v);
  • (5) Te deum laudamus (fol. 183v);
  • (6) Gloria in excelsis (fol. 184v);
  • (7) Pater noster (fol. 185r);
  • (8) Apostles’ Creed (Credo in deum ...) (fol. 185v);
  • (9) Athanasian Creed (Quicumque uult ...) (fol. 185v).

6. (fols. 188r–190v)

Litany, imperfect at the end. The leaves are bound out of order: fol. 189 should follow fol. 190. One or two leaves, which may have originally contained the collects, are missing at the end. The litany is not obviously Franciscan, but contains saints venerated in northern France: Maurilius (of Rouen (?)) is the first among the confessors, and others include Clarus (of Nantes (?)), Lupus (of Troyes or Sens (?)), Samson (of Dol (?)), Julian (of Le Mans (?)), Albinus (of Angers (?)), Paternus (of Avranches (?)), Florentius (of Bonnet (?)) and Philibert (of Jumièges (?)); Columba (of Sens (?)) is among the virgins.

Language(s): Latin

Physical Description

Layout

Ruled in plummet, with double vertical and single horizontal bounding lines, extending the full height and width of page, and with a further horizontal bounding line in the lower margin, near the foot of the page; 19 lines per page (fols. 27–50, 139–150) and 18 lines per page (fols. 51–190); written below the top line; written space: c. 96 × 63 mm. (fols. 27–50) and c. 91 × 63 mm. (fols. 51–190).

Hand(s)

Formal Gothic book hand, black ink.

Decoration

The work of two artists, of the Guines atelier and Vie de St Denis atelier (Branner, 1977), one responsible for the full-page miniatures and the other for the illumination in the calendar and psalter.

Calendar: Gold KL monograms on blue and pink backgrounds, decorated with white and red floral designs.

Labours of the Months, set in medallions, are on the recto of each page, whereas the Signs of the Zodiac, also set in medallions, are on the verso of each page; gold backgrounds: January: Janus drinking out of two cups; Aquarius February: man warming himself by the fire; Pisces March: man pruning a tree; Aries April: man carrying branches in his right hand and a nest with birds in his left; Taurus May: man on horseback with a hawk on his hand; Gemini (naked figures embracing (?)) June: man mowing hay with a scythe; Cancer July: man reaping grain; Leo August: man threshing grain; Virgo (a woman holding a heraldic fleur-de-lis) September: two men, one treading and eating grapes, another carrying grapes in a basket; Libra (woman with scales) October: man sowing; Scorpio November: man knocking down acorns for a pig; Sagittarius December: man slaughtering a pig before a fireplace with a cooking-pot; Capricorn.

Fourteen full-page prefatory miniatures illustrating the life of Joseph (fols. 13v–26v). Each page has four medallions with scenes on gold background (on the layout of the miniatures see Oliver, 1988, vol. 1, p. 151 n. 23; Maekawa, 2000, p. 66). Other psalters with prefatory cycles consisting only of the Old Testament subjects are the Isabella Psalter (Cambridge, Fitzwilliam Museum MS. 300) and the St Louis Psalter (Paris, Bibliothèque nationale MS. lat. 10525) (Maekawa, 2000, p. 39 n. 58). Originally there may have been more miniatures: a leaf is missing after fol. 14 and fol. 22 is a singleton.

  • fol. 13v (1) Joseph dreaming in bed; the subjects of the dream are shown above. (2) Joseph recounting the dream to his father. (3) Joseph asking the way to his brothers. (4) Six brothers conspiring.
  • fol. 14r (1) Ten brothers cast Joseph into pit. (2) Three brothers kill a kid. (3) Brothers sell Joseph to Potiphar, who is holding a purse. (4) Brothers bring Joseph’s stained coat to Jacob.
  • fol. 15r (1) Joseph with Potiphar’s wife. (2) Potiphar’s wife holding Joseph’s mantle as he flees. (3) Joseph, his hands tied, being hustled away by servants. (4) Potiphar’s wife showing her husband Joseph’s mantle.
  • fol. 16v (1) Potiphar sending a servant or gaoler to conduct Joseph to gaol. (2) Joseph taken to prison by a man with a stick. (3) Pharaoh asleep in bed. (4) The seven fat kine.
  • fol. 17r (1) The seven lean kine. (2) Butler restored to favour, hands cup to Pharaoh. (3) Pharaoh passing judgement, condemning baker. (4) Baker, blindfolded and clad in white, hangs from gibbet.
  • fol. 18v (1) Joseph kneeling before Pharaoh, receiving office of trust. (2) Pharaoh dismisses Joseph, who is more brightly clad and carries staff. (3) Joseph and military attendant in four-wheeled cart. (4) Horses and rider.
  • fol. 19r (1) Joseph instructs workman carrying sack of grain. (2) Workers pouring grain into granaries. (3) Joseph ordering worker to drop wheat into river to show relatives that there is grain in Egypt. (4) Workers throw wheat into river.
  • fol. 20v (1) Jacob sends Benjamin to Egypt. (2) Departure of two brothers. (3) Brothers before seated Joseph. (4) Joseph sends servant to hide cup in Benjamin’s sack.
  • fol. 21r (1) Servant hides cup in Benjamin’s sack. (2) Brothers departing on their horses. (3) Joseph’s servant finds cup in Benjamin’s sack. (3) Brothers brought before Joseph, seated.
  • fol. 22v (1) Brothers before Joseph; one raises cup in one hand and holds Benjamin by his arm. (2) Joseph makes himself known to his brothers and kisses Benjamin. (3) Brothers mounted, leaving Egypt. (4) Small figure, probably Benjamin, on horse pulling cart.
  • fol. 23r (1) Brothers with their oxen. (2) Jacob seated in wagon drawn by a horse with a rider. (3) Brothers on horseback. (4) Joseph reunited with his father in presence of brothers.
  • fol. 24v (1) Joseph holding his father’s hands, conducts him to Pharaoh. (2) Pharaoh seated with an attendant standing behind. (3) Joseph and Jacob kneel before seated Pharaoh. (4) Joseph and Jacob in a cart drawn by a horse.
  • fol. 25r (1) Brothers mounted, departing for their new home. (2) Building, probably the new home. (3) Jacob with crossed arms blesses Manasseh and Ephraim. (4) Brothers gather around Jacob on bed.
  • fol. 26v (1) Brothers on horseback accompany Jacob’s body to burial. (2) Jacob’s dead body in shroud on wagon. (3) Shrouded body being placed in coffin, surrounded by mourners. (4) Joseph, seated, speaks to his brothers.

Psalter: 5- to 10-line historiated initials, on gold background, decorated with coiled tendrils, foliage, grotesques and animal masks at liturgical divisions:

  • fol. 27r Psalm 1 (initial B(eatus)) King David playing harp in the upper part of the initial; David and Goliath in the lower part.
  • fol. 49r Psalm 26 (initial D(ominus)) David and Samuel (?): a young man kneeling before a bearded man.
  • fol. 64r Psalm 38 (initial D(ixit)) [sic] David, pointing to his mouth, looking up at half-figure of an angel above.
  • fol. 76v Psalm 51 (initial Q(uid)) King David speaking to an angel, holding a scroll.
  • fol. 77v Psalm 52 (initial D(ixit)) A balding man (not crowned) speaking to the Fool, who is wearing a short tunic, holding a club and eating bread.
  • fol. 90r Psalm 68 (initial S(aluum)) Half-figure of nude King David with raised hands in the lower part of the initial; half-figure of Christ with cruciform halo, holding an orb, in the upper part of the initial.
  • fol. 106v Psalm 80 (initial E(xultate)) King David playing bells.
  • fol. 121v Psalm 97 (initial C(antate)) Three tonsured clerics singing from a book open on a lectern.
  • fol. 139r Psalm 109 (initial D(ixit)) Trinity: two seated figures with cruciform halos, holding books; nimbed white dove descending from above.

3- to 4-line initials, decorated with coiled tendrils and foliage on gold backgrounds, at the beginnings of psalm 143 (fol. 167v) and weekly canticles (fol. 173r).

2-line gold initials on pink and blue background with white tracery at the beginnings of psalms, canticles and prayers.

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

Gold, and red and blue penwork borders on every page.

Line-endings with gold, and red and blue penwork designs, including foliage, grotesques, beasts, birds, fish and animal heads.

History

Origin: 1235–1255 (?) ; French, Paris

MS. Douce 48 – fols. 191-265

Contents

Book of Hours, Use of Metz,

[item 7 occupies quires XVIII–XXII]

7. (fols. 191r–225r)

The Office of the Virgin, use of Metz, with three lessons at Matins, short rubrics and psalms written out in full. Each of the hours starts with a historiated initial. Fol. 225r contains the last line of the office, and is otherwise ruled but blank. Fols. 225v–226v are ruled, but blank.

[item 8 occupies quire XXIII]

8. (fols. 227r–234v)

Penitential Psalms 6, 31, 37, 50, 101, 129 and 142, without numbers, with rubrics ‘psalmus’ or ‘psalmus dauid’. Psalm 142 ends at the top of fol. 234v, most of which is left blank.

[item 9 occupies quires XXIV–XXVII]

9. (fols. 235r–265v)

Office of the Dead, use of Metz, with short rubrics, psalms written out in full and 9 lessons at Matins. Fol. 266r is ruled but blank; fol. 266v is blank; fols. 267–271 are paper fly-leaves, blank apart from modern notes (see ‘Provenance’).

Language(s): Latin

Physical Description

Form: codex

Layout

Ruled in ink, with single vertical and double horizontal bounding lines, extending the full height and width of page; 18 lines per page; written below the top line; written space: c. 87 × 63 mm.

Hand(s)

Formal Gothic book hand, black and brown ink.

Decoration

5- to 8-line historiated initials on gold backgrounds and borders at the Canonical Hours:

  • fol. 191r Matins (initial S(ancta)) Annunciation; Gabriel kneeling, holding one end of a scroll, the Dove holding the other end in its beak.
  • fol. 198v Lauds (initial D(eus)) Visitation.
  • fol. 205v Prime (initial D(eus)) Nativity; Joseph holding the Child.
  • fol. 209r Terce (initial D(eus)) Annunciation to the Shepherds.
  • fol. 211v Sext (initial D(eus)) Adoration of the Magi; star in the upper left corner of the border.
  • fol. 214r None (initial D(eus)) Presentation in the Temple (defaced).
  • fol. 216v Vespers (initial D(eus)) Dormition of the Virgin: the Virgin Mary lying on a bed; Christ holding her soul; apostles mourning.
  • fol. 221v Compline (initial C(onuerte)) Coronation of the Virgin.

Borders:

  • fol. 191r (full border) Seated man; ape; angel blowing a trumpet with a standard (red cross on white background); grotesque.
  • fol. 198v (border, upper, left and lower margins) John the Baptist (?) (nimbed, with furry (?) cloak) kneeling before Christ, who is standing and blessing; grotesque; beast; rabbit; animal head.
  • fol. 205v (border, upper, left and lower margins) Angels playing musical instruments; rabbit; grotesque; beast.
  • fol. 209r (full border) Angel blowing a trumpet; dog chasing a fox carrying a lamb; man urging the dog (? rubbed); grotesque.
  • fol. 211v (border, upper, left and lower margins) Man with a grotesque on a leash; grotesques.
  • fol. 214r (full border) Dogs attacking a deer; grotesque.
  • fol. 216v (border, left and lower margins) Man with a bear (?) on a leash; grotesques; beasts.
  • fol. 221v (border, left, upper and lower margins) Unicorn piercing a lion with its horn; grotesque.

Penitential Psalms (14th century): 6-line initial on gold background. fol. 227r Psalm 6 (initial D(omine)) Christ, seated, holding an orb and blessing.

fol. 227r (full border) Angel with a harp; beasts; grotesques.

Office of the Dead (14th century): 6-line initial on gold background. fol. 235r Vespers (initial D(ilexi)) Funeral service: a priest reading from a book over a covered coffin; two mourners (defaced).

fol. 235r (full border) Angel playing psaltery (defaced); man piercing a boar with a stick (defaced); grotesque.

2-line gold initials on blue and pink backgrounds at the beginning of each of the Penitential Psalms and sections of the offices.

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

Gold, and red and blue penwork borders on every page.

Rubrics in red ink.

History

Origin: 14th century, beginning ; French, Metz

Additional Information

Record Sources

Adapted (April 2024) from Elizabeth Solopova, Latin Liturgical Psalters in the Bodleian Library: A Select Catalogue (Oxford, 2013), pp. 270–80. Previously described in the Summary Catalogue.

Digital Images

Digital Bodleian (43 images from 35mm slides)

Bibliography

    Select bibliography to 2009:

    Summary catalogue, vol. 4, no. 21622.
    Frere, no. 441.
    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), p. 88.
    Cockerell, S. C., James, M. R. and Ffoulkes, C. J., Book of Old Testament illustrations of the middle of the thirteenth century: sent by Cardinal Bernard Maciejowski to Shah Abbas the Great, king of Persia, now in the Pierpont Morgan Library at New York (Cambridge: Printed by W. Lewis at the University Press for the Roxburghe Club, 1927), p. 38 (referred to as Douce 40).
    Willard, J. F., ‘Occupations of the months in medieval calendars’, BQR 7 (1932), pp. 33–9, at pp. 34, 38.
    Latin liturgical manuscripts (1952), no. 51.
    Nordenfalk, C., ‘En medeltida bönbok från Metz i Linköpings stifts- och landsbibliotek’, Linköpings biblioteks handlingar, Ny serie Band IV. 3 (1953), pp. 65–88.
    S. J. P. van Dijk, Latin Liturgical Manuscripts in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, vol. 2: Office Books (typescript, 1957), p. 76
    Randall, L. M. C., Images in the margins of Gothic manuscripts (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1966), p. 31, fig. 253 (fol. 211v) and refs. in ‘Index of Subjects’.
    Pächt and Alexander (1966–73), vol. 1, no. 532, pl. XL and no. 579, pl. XLIII.
    The Bodleian Library and its Friends: catalogue of an exhibition held 1969–1970 (Oxford: Bodleian Library, 1969).
    Branner, R., Manuscript painting in Paris during the reign of Saint Louis: a study of styles (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1977), pp. 10 n. 45, 13, 14, 69, 88, 91, 139 (fig. 132), 211, 226; figs. 248a, b; pl. vii.
    Riddle, M., ‘Illustration of the “Triumph” of Joseph the Patriarch’ in E. Jeffreys, M. Jeffreys and A. Moffatt (eds.), Byzantine papers: proceedings of the First Australian Byzantine Studies Conference, Canberra, 17–19 May 1978 (Canberra: Humanities Research Centre, Australian National University, 1981), pp. 71, 79 n. 22.
    The Douce legacy: an exhibition to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the bequest of Francis Douce (1757– 1834) (Oxford: Bodleian Library, 1984), no. 237.
    Krieger, M. (commentary), Gotische Bilderbibel: Faksimile der Handschrift Cod. Ser. n. 2611, fol. 1–22 der Österreichischen Nationalbibliothek, 2 vols. (Stuttgart: Verlag Müller and Schindler, 1988), vol. 2, p. 50, fig. 5.
    In beeld geprezen: miniaturen uit Maaslandse devotieboeken 1250–1350 [Provinciaal Museum voor Religieuze Kunst, Begijnhofkerk – Sint Truiden, 10 August–12 November 1989] (Leuven: Peeters, 1989), p. 22.
    Maekawa, K., Narrative and experience: innovations in thirteenth-century picture books (Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang, 2000), pp. 39 n. 58, 62 n. 98, 66, 90–1, 222, 226, pl. 30.
    Zeileis, F. G., ‘Più ridon le carte’: Buchmalerei aus Mittelalter und Renaissance: katalog einer Privatsammlung, 2 vols. (Gallspach: F. G. Zeileis, 2001–02), vol. 2, p. 341.
    Gauthier-Walter, M.-D., L’Histoire de Joseph: les fondaments d’une iconographie et son développement dans l’art monumental français du XIIIe siècle (Bern: Peter Lang, 2003), pp. 321, 330–1, 335–6, 338, 347, 352–3.
    Morgan (2009), pp. 64–5, 73 nn. 14, 16.

Last Substantive Revision

2024-04: Adapt full description from Solopova catalogue.