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

MS. Douce d. 19

Summary Catalogue no.: Not in S.C.: late accession

Collection of illuminated and historiated initials cut from various MSS.

History

Provenance and Acquisition

Francis Douce, 1757–1834

Bequeathed to the Bodleian in 1834. Transferred to the Ashmolean Museum with Douce printed and engravings, 1863, and returned to the Library, 1915

MS. Douce d. 19 – Part 1

Contents

(fol. 2)
Statutes of England (cuttings)
Language(s): No linguistic content (?)

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: parchment

Decoration

Fine penwork initials (Pächt and Alexander iii.609).

History

Origin: 14th century, second quarter ; English

MS. Douce d. 19 – Part 2

Contents

(fol. 3)
Psalter (cuttings; MS. Douce b. 4 fol. 4a is from the same manuscript)
Language(s): No linguistic content (?)

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: parchment

Decoration

Fine historiated borders, initials. By the same hand as MS. Barlow 22, from Peterborough (Pächt and Alexander iii.574). Four initials showing: David playing bells and figure with portative organ; Seated angel playing psaltery; Angel playing rebec; Angel playing portative organ

History

Origin: c. 1320–30 ; English, Peterborough

MS. Douce d. 19 – Part 3

Contents

(fols. 5a-b)
Missal (cuttings)
Language(s): No linguistic content (?)

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: parchment

Decoration

Fine historiated initials (Pächt and Alexander iii.774, pl. LXXIV). Two initials showing the nativity, and adoration of the Magi.

History

Origin: c. 1400

MS. Douce d. 19 – Part 4

Contents

(fol. 5c-d)
Missal, Use of Sarum (cuttings)
Language(s): Latin

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: parchment

Decoration

Fine initials (Pächt and Alexander iii.837)

History

Origin: 15th century, beginning ; English

MS. Douce d. 19 – Part 5

Contents

(fols. 7–8)
Psalter (cuttings from a choir psalter)
Language(s): Latin

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: parchment

Decoration

Fine and good initials (Pächt and Alexander i.509).

Two illuminated and fifty-three flourished initials

History

Origin: 13th century, early ; French, North (?)

MS. Douce d. 19 – Part 6

Contents

(fols. 10–39)
Psalter with Hours (cuttings)

MS. Douce 381, fols. 63v-65v are from the same manuscript, and further cuttings are in Philadelphia Free Library, MS. Lewis 3, fols. 1–28 and MS. Lewis 8, fols. 1–4)

Three further cuttings with historiated initials in the Lilly Library, Bloomington, Indiana, are identified and discussed by Peter Kidd in a blogpost of May 2020 (original, archived)

Language(s): Latin, rubrics in Old French

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: parchment

Decoration

Fine borders, initials (Pächt and Alexander i.284 (as corrected in reading room copy), iii.459).

Six historiated initials showing (fol.10) : Monk writing, tempted by demon; Male and female martyrs executed by swordsmen; Virgins receiving book from seated monk with sword; (fol.11) Martyrdom of St. Catherine; (fol.12) Christ carrying the Cross; Resurrection;

245 illuminated initials in blue, white and rose on a gold ground, with many human, animal and grotesque figures, arranged alphabetically.

History

Origin: 13th century, third quarter ; Flemish, Liège

MS. Douce d. 19 – Part 7

Contents

(fols. 41–62)
Book of Hours (cuttings from a Book of Hours containing portions of (fol.41) Offices of the Virgin (Lauds); (fol.48) of the Cross; (fol.55) of the Holy Ghost; (fol.62) Penitential psalms
Language(s): Latin

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: parchment
Extent: twenty-two leaves
Dimensions (leaf): 170 × 120 mm.
Dimensions (written): 90 × 60 mm.

Layout

ruled in purple, 13 long lines

Decoration

Good historiated borders and initials (Pächt and Alexander i. 208, pl. XV).

Twenty-two leaves, each with a historiated initial and border of which the subjects are: (fol.41) Visitation, in border St. Catherine; (fol.42) Nativity, in border St. Geneviève (?); (fol.43) Angel and Shepherds, in border St. Peter; (fol.44) Adoration of the Magi, in border St. Appollonia; (fol.45) Flight into Egypt, in border St. George with dragon; (fol.46) Presentation in the Temple, in border St. Paul; (fol.47) Coronation of the Virgin, in border St. Anthony abbot; (fol.48) Betrayal of Christ, in border angel with cross; (fol. 49) Christ before Pilate, in border angel with hammer and nails; (fol.50) Christ crowned with thorns, in border angel with pillar and scourges; (fol.51) Scourging of Christ, in border angel with crown of thorns; (fol.52) Crucifixion, in border angel with sponge and pail; (fol.53) Deposition from the Cross, in border angel with thirty pieces of silver; (fol.54) Entombment, in border angel with torch and lantern; (fol.55) Trinity, in border St. John the Evangelist; (fol.56) Abraham and angels, in border St. Christopher; (fol.57) Vision of Ezechiel, in border St. Appollonia; (fol.58) Two angels holding body of Adam (?), Trinity above, in border St. Andrew; (fol.59) David with harp as psalmist, in border saint holding fish (?); (fol.60) Vision of Isaiah, in border St. James the less; (fol.61) Jeremiah, in border St. Thomas; (fol.62) Christ enthroned, blessing, in border saint holding bowl.

History

Origin: c. 1420–30 ; Dutch

MS. Douce d. 19 – Part 8

Contents

(fol.64)
Devotional work (referred to in the text as a ‘Dietarium’)
Incipit: Septimus tractatus qui dietetarium[sic] ferie secunde dicitur agit de sublimitate dominice ascensionis
Language(s): Latin

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: parchment
Extent: two leaves and 13 fragments
Dimensions (ruled): 135 × 75 mm.

Layout

31 long lines

History

Origin: 15th century ; German or Flemish

MS. Douce d. 19 – Part 9

Contents

(fol.70)
Legal treatise (cuttings)
Language(s): Middle French

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: paper

Decoration

Decorative initials (Pächt and Alexander i.381).

Eleven crude flourished initials in red and blue

History

Origin: 15th century, second half ; Flemish

MS. Douce d. 19 – Part 10

Contents

(fol.71)
Cuttings

From various MSS.

Language(s): No linguistic content (?)

MS. Douce d. 19 – Part 10a

Contents

(fol.71a)
Collectar (cutting)
Language(s): No linguistic content (?)

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: parchment

Decoration

Initial (Pächt and Alexander i.256)

History

Origin: c. 1500 ; Dutch (?)

Provenance

From MS. Douce 383, fol. 20

MS. Douce d. 19 – Part 10b

Contents

(fol.71b)
Book of Hours (fragment)
Language(s): No linguistic content (?)

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: parchment

Decoration

Fine miniatures.

Borders.

Initials, perhaps by Lievin van Lathem and also attributed to the Master of the London Passionary (Pächt and Alexander i.345, with MS. Douce 381, fols. 78–88).

History

Origin: 15th century, third quarter ; Dutch or Flemish

MS. Douce d. 19 – Part 10c

Contents

(fols. 71c-e)
Book of Hours (cuttings)
Language(s): No linguistic content (?)

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: parchment

Decoration

Good initials.

One with part of a miniature on the verso (Pächt and Alexander i.764)

History

Origin: 15th century, second half ; French

MS. Douce d. 19 – Part 11

Contents

(fol.72a)
Gradual (cutting)
Language(s): No linguistic content (?)

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: parchment

Decoration

Historiated initial (Pächt and Alexander i.259). Historiated initials showing the judgment of Solomon.

History

Origin: 16th century, beginning ; Dutch

MS. Douce d. 19 – Part 12

Contents

(fol.72b)
Choir book (cutting)
Language(s): No linguistic content (?)

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: paper

Decoration

Historiated initial (Pächt and Alexander i.398). Initial D incorporating grotesque head.

History

Origin: 16th century, beginning ; Flemish (?)

MS. Douce d. 19 – Part 13

Contents

(fol.73)
Breviary (?) (cuttings)
Language(s): No linguistic content (?)

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: paper

Decoration

Decorative initials (Pächt and Alexander i.257).

Nine red and blue flourished initials.

History

Origin: c. 1500 ; Dutch

MS. Douce d. 19 – Part 14

Contents

(fol.74)
Cuttings
Language(s): No linguistic content (?)

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: parchment

Decoration

Initials, probably from the same book as MS. Douce 381 fols. 89–103 (a Book of Hours in Dutch) (Pächt and Alexander i.226). Five initials in gold, blue, and rose

History

Origin: c. 1470–80 ; Dutch

MS. Douce d. 19 – Part 15

Contents

(fols. 75a, 75b)
Cutting from unidentified work
Language(s): No linguistic content (?)

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: parchment

Decoration

Penwork initial, fol. 75a.

Good initial, fol. 75b (Pächt and Alexander i.154).

History

Origin: 15th century, beginning ; Bohemian or Austrian (?)

MS. Douce d. 19 – Part 16

Contents

(fol. 75c)
Gradual (?) (cutting)
Language(s): No linguistic content (?)

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: parchment

Decoration

Fine decorative initial (Pächt and Alexander i.233).

History

Origin: 15th century, second half ; Dutch (?)

MS. Douce d. 19 – Part 17

Contents

(fol.77)
Book of Hours (one leaf)
Incipit: Benedictio dei patris omnipotentis cum angelis sui sui super me
Explicit: Nam et si ambulauero in medio tribulationis viuificabis me et super iram inimicorum||

Prayer; cf. e.g Horae ad usum Romanum (Paris, 1490, istc ih00365000), fol. 12r, after the Gospel pericopes.

A cutting from a border, formerly kept on this folio, was moved to MS. Douce a. 1, fol. 155b, in 1967.

Language(s): Latin

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: parchment

Decoration

Miniature. Bleeding wound of Christ in chalice decorated with nails of the Crucifixion, angel on either side.

Border on all sides with acanthus, flowers, strawberries and monogram 'T B' linked by love knot.

Decorative initials.

History

Origin: France Paris ; 15th century, late

Additional Information

Record Sources

Typescript description by Bodleian library staff, partly revised according to descriptions in Pächt and Alexander.

Digital Images

Digital Bodleian (31 images from 35mm slides)

Bibliography

    Printed descriptions:

    S. J. P. van Dijk, Latin Liturgical Manuscripts in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, vol. 5: Fragments - Mass Books (typescript, 1957), p. 231
    S. J. P. van Dijk, Latin Liturgical Manuscripts in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, vol. 6: Fragments - Office Books, Rituals, Directories (typescript, 1957), pp. 9, 19, 376

Last Substantive Revision

2019-12-19: Revised description of fol. 77.