Office Lectionary for the Sanctorale: MS McClean 114

Titles

Office Lectionary for the Sanctorale

Maker(s)

Artist: Master of the Cambridge Antiphoner
Artist: Master of MS lat. 42

Entities

• Other
• Cistercian Use

Categories

• Illuminated manuscript
• Manuscript

Description

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Parchment, iv modern paper flyleaves + 242 fols. + iv modern paper flyleaves, 440 x 300 mm (315 x 220 mm), two columns, 25 lines, ruled in plummet, written below the top line, catchwords

BINDING: twentieth century, red-brown cloth over pasteboards with leather spine and corner pieces.

CONTENTS: fols. 1r-242v Collects and Matins lessons, many from sermons by Fulgentius, Pseudo-Fulgentius, Jerome, Bede, Severianus, Augustine, Leo, Ambrose and others, for the Sanctorale (fols. 1r-62v Proper of Saints, winter cycle, Stephen to Ambrose; fols. 63r-208v Proper of Saints, summer cycle, Mark to Thomas; fols. 208v- 242v Common of Saints, incomplete, breaks off after the sixth Matins lesson for the commune in nativitate Virginum).

DECORATION: Nineteen historiated initials in graded blue on pink grounds or graded pink on blue grounds, extending to form partial borders with pink, green, blue and orange foliage on grounds in the same colour as the letter, for major feasts: fol. 1r St Stephen, [H, 9 ll.] Initial in sections of blue, pink and orange, in the upper compartment, God the Father and Son, in the lower, the stoning of Stephen; fol. 9v St John the Evangelist, [Q, 4 ll.] St John at his desk (compare Fitzwilliam Museum, MS Charles Fairfax Murray 6, fol. 84r, and note eagle wing and foot motif in border); fol. 22v Martyrdom of St Agnes, [S, 5 ll.] St Agnes holding a book; fol. 31r St Paul, [U, 5 ll.] St Paul, full-length, with sword; fol. 34r Purification, [H, 8 ll.] Presentation in the Temple; fol. 47r St Benedict, [F, 24 ll.] St Benedict and miracle of the poisoned chalice, with dragon motif in border (compare Fitzwilliam Museum, MS Charles Fairfax Murray 6, fol. 65r); fol. 52r Annunciation, [I, full height of page] Initial formed of six compartments formed of gold frames with punchwork, housing scenes from the life of Christ (Annunciation, Nativity, Epiphany, Flagellation, Crucifixion, Noli me tangere), on a ground of alternate blue and pink sections with foliate finials and gold discs; fol. 57r St Ambrose, [M, 5 ll.] St Ambrose’s vision of the death of St Martin; fol. 72r St John the Baptist, [S, 5 ll.] St John the Baptist holding a red disc with image of Lamb; fol. 76v Saints Peter and Paul, [A, 5 ll.] Saints Peter and Paul in conversation; fol. 109r St Laurence, [S, 4 ll.] Martyrdom of St Lawrence (compare Fitzwilliam Museum, MS Charles Fairfax Murray 6, fol. 113r); fol. 112r Assumption, [C, 5 ll.] Virgin in a mandorla surrounded by Apostles (compare Fitzwilliam Museum, MS Charles Fairfax Murray 6, fol. 119r); fol. 119r St Bernard of Clairvaux, [A, 6 ll.] St Bernard preaching to White Monks (compare Fitzwilliam Museum, MS Charles Fairfax Murray 6, fol. 125r); fol. 136r Birth of the Virgin, [A, 6 ll.] Virgin crowned, blessing; fol. 145r St Matthew, [F, 10 ll.] Christ and St Matthew share a meal together (compare Fitzwilliam Museum, MS Charles Fairfax Murray 6, fol. 45r); fol. 163r All Saints, [L, 8 ll.] Virgin with kneeling angel and saints; fol. 175v St Martin, [P. 18 ll.] St Martin divides his cloak (compare Fitzwilliam Museum, MS Charles Fairfax Murray 6, fol. 146r); fol. 202r St Thomas, [A, 6 ll.] St Thomas puts his hand in Christ’s side; fol. 208v Common of Apostles, [A, 6 ll.] Christ addresses the Apostles.

ORNAMENTATION: Three ornamental initials [4-7 ll.] in blue on square grounds of pink with white highlighting and infill of scrolling acanthus in pink, blue, green and orange: fol. 6v Saints Philip and James; fol. 15v Holy Innocents; fol. 185r St Andrew; one similar initial ornamented with vine-leaves for the start of the summer cycle (fol. 63r).

Eighteen parted initials [4-7 ll.] in red and blue, with scalloped pen flourishing in both colours forming partial borders: fol. 27r St Vincent; fol. 42r Cathedra sancti Petri; fol. 82r St Paul; fol. 86r Octave of St John the Baptist; fol. 89v Octave of the Apostles; fol. 95r St Mary Magdelene; fol. 110v St James; fol. 104v St Peter’s chains (parted initial, blue and blue); fol. 106v Life of St Stephen; fol. 132r Beheading of St John the Baptist; fol. 156r St Luke; fol. 192r St Nicholas of Myra; fol. 213r Birth of a Martyr; fols. 218r, 224r, 226v Birth of several martyrs; fol. 233r Birth of a Confessor; fol. 241r Birth of a Virgin.

Alternate blue and red penwork initials [4-5 ll.] with contrasting scalloped flourishing for new texts within one feast; alternate red and blue penwork initials [2-3 ll.], with simple pen flourishing in contrasting colour for divisions within texts.

Notes

History note: Cistercian abbey in Lombardy (Ferrari 1980, 283, no. 93); possibly part of the collection of Francesco Giovio (1796-1873) (Ferrari 1993, 304); sold by U. Hoepli, Milan, catalogue no. 83 (1883), no. 65; bought by Frank McClean (1837-1904) in Milan in 1892; his bequest, 1904.