MS. Laud Misc. 81
Summary Catalogue no.: 865
A Vita S. Bernardi; France, s. xiv; B Bernard of Clairvaux, Sermons; Germany (Eberbach), c. 1200
Physical Description
Binding
Brown tanned calf over laminated pulpboard for Abp. Laud, 1637–1639.
History
Provenance and Acquisition
Two fascicles of two different provenances (Mainz Charterhouse and Eberbach abbey), bound together in the course of the Laudian binding, in the late 1630s.
William Laud, 1573–1645: his ex libris, 1638, fol. 1r.
Given to the Bodleian as part of his third donation, dispatched on 28 June 1639.
MS. Laud Misc. 81 – Part A (fols. 1–128)
Contents
Physical Description
Layout
Ruling in ink, one column of 23 or 24 lines. Ruled space c. 174–85 × 108–14 mm.
Hand(s)
Regular French textualis formata (textus rotundus) by a single hand.
Decoration
Elaborate borders in red and blue, more or less framing the written space, with fine decoration.
Four- or five-line fleuronnée initials in red and blue, with split body and fine fleuronnée decoration in either red and blue or only blue inside and out. Two-line fleuronnée initials to minor textual units, alternately in blue and red, with fleuronnée decoration in opposite colour.
Scribal red rubrics; red and blue paraphs, often alternating.
History
Provenance
Written in France, by a Cistercian hand, s. xiv.
Mainz, Charterhouse St Michael: the 14th-century ex-libris inscriptions at the upper centre of fols. 2r & 124r, in the same hand.
MS. Laud Misc. 81 – Part B (fols. 129–264)
Contents
Sermons 2, 3 and 4.
Sermons 1 and 2.
Sermons 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6.
Sermons 1 and 2.
Sermons 1, 2 and 3.
Sermon 1 and 2.
Sermons 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5.
Sermons 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5.
Sermons 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5.
Physical Description
Layout
Ruling in faint lead point, one column of 27–29 lines. Ruled space c. 180–95 × 108–12 mm.
Hand(s)
German protogothic, above top line, by several Cistercian hands, likely from Eberbach abbey.
Decoration
Fine initials. A seven-line initial in red, parted; thereafter to each sermon simple three- to eight-line initials, often engaged or strung with beads, or decorated with foliate motif.
History
Provenance
Written in Germany, around 1200, likely in the scriptorium of Eberbach abbey, as suggested by the script.
Cistercian Abbey of Eberbach (see Palmer, Zisterzienser, 267 & 286).
Additional Information
Record Sources
Digital Images
Digital Bodleian (full digital facsimile)
Bibliography
Abbreviations
View list of abbreviations and editorial conventions.
Last Substantive Revision
2020-09-15: Description revised for Polonsky digitization project to include additional information from Mairhofer catalogue.