Bible: MS McClean 14

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Bible

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• Bible

Categories

• Illuminated manuscript
• Manuscript

Description

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Parchment, i paper flyleaf + 544 fols. + vi parchment flyleaves + i paper flyleaf, 135 x 86 mm (94 x 59 mm), two columns, 49 lines, ruled in plummet, written below top line, running headers, catchwords, traces of quire and leaf signatures, Roman numerals in brown ink in lower margins as guides for chapter numbers

BINDING: sixteenth century, brown leather over oak boards, sewn on six double supports, blind stamped with rosettes, traces of two pairs of fastening devices on upper and lower covers, two holes from pins at centre of lower cover, gilt edges, repaired and rebacked

SECUNDO FOLIO: (hodie po)tant senosse

SCRIPT: Gothic bookhand (textualis)

CONTENTS
fols. 1r-498v Old and New Testaments with Prologues
fols. 499r-543r Interpretation of Hebrew Names
fols. 543v-544v Ferial Office with hymns (ends imperfectly, late thirteenth-century addition)

DECORATION
Thirteen historiated initials in pink and blue, ornamented in white, containing foliate motifs and occasional animal heads and dragons in pink, red, green and yellow, outlined in black, some with extensions as bar borders: fol. 1r General Prologue, [F, 8 ll.] St Jerome writing; fol. 4r Gen, [I, 60 ll.] Seven diamond-shaped scenes of the Days of Creation, including the Creation of Eve, terminating at the top and bottom with interlaced vines (the fifth and sixth scenes excised); fol. 102r I Kings, [F, 7 ll.] Hannah kneeling in prayer, Elkanah speaking to Eli at altar; fol. 152v I Par, [N, 8 ll.] Genealogy of Adam as seated figures; fol. 221v Ps 1, [B, 8 ll.] David playing fiddle, harp on ground; fol. 247r Prov, [P, 7 ll.] Solomon instructing Rehoboam (tonsured); fol. 283v Isai, [V, 7 ll.] Martyrdom of Isaiah; fol. 359r Osea, [V, 7 ll.] God appearing to Hosea and Gomer; fol. 378v I Macc, [E, 7 ll.] Soldiers besieging city; fol. 400r Matt, [L, 7 ll.] Tree of Jesse; fol. 444v Rom, [P, 7 ll.] St Paul seated with sword; fol. 472v Acts, [P, 7 ll.] Ascension of Christ with Virgin Mary; fol. 492v Apoc, [A, 7 ll.] St John on Patmos writing, towers of the seven churches behind.

ORNAMENTATION
Pink and blue initial [I, 35 ll.] ornamented in white and outlined in black, with foliate motifs, a mask in the centre and a dragon with protruding tongue at the top for prologue to Proverbs (fol. 247r); red and blue parted initials [3-14 ll.] filled or flourished with red and blue floral and foliate motifs, ‘saw-tooth’ ornament, and occasional eagles (e.g. fol. 367v) or dragons (fol. 258v) for other prologues, books, psalms and major subdivisions of the Interpretation of Hebrew Names; alternate red and blue initials [2 ll.] with blue or red pen flourishing respectively for lesser divisions of the Interpretation of Hebrew Names; alternate one-line red and blue capitals for running headers; alternate one-line red and blue Roman numerals for chapters; one-line red initials for added Ferial Office (fols. 543v-544v); capitals highlighted in red; running headers in alternate blue and red capitals (except for Psalms); red heraldic lion in lower margin (fol. 330v).

Notes

History note: Purchased from Leo Olschki by Frank McClean (1836-1904); his bequest, 1904.

Legal notes

Bequeathed by Frank McClean