Medieval Manuscripts

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  Cambridge Bible: Number 6

  Unknown

  St. Jerome translation of the Bible; Good condition.; Verses are shown in the simple style with red and blue ink typically associated with Bibles. There are also two decorated initials with complex swirls in red and blue.; Angular Gothic Script; This Bible is very similar to Ege 5 in style. The print is also impossibly small and there is a large amount of space which is left open for marginal comments though none were made.; Brown, red, and blue inks

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  Book of Hours: Number 31

  Unknown

  Good condition.; Floral imagery, many types of flowers and berries coming from a single stem.; Angular Gothic Script; Several historiated initials in red and blue with white filigree.; Flower imagery along the side, this is typical of books of hours.; Brown, blue, red, green, and gold inks

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  Livy's History of Rome: Number 39

  Livy

  Verso is in good condition, the ink on the recto has smudged, but is still easily legible.; Humanistic Script (Similar to some Carolingian Scripts); The vellum was prepared meticulously, it is incredibly smooth to the touch and looks almost as white as a sheet of paper. However, the lettering is very simple, with many corrections made. There are no images. It is likely that this book was made for academics, Italians were very interested in Ancient historians like Livy.; Brown ink

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  Breviary: Number 23

  Unknown

  Vellum is very worn, probably from heavy use.; Decorated initials with very elaborate filigree, some of the most impressive in Ege's collection especially considering how early it was made.; Angular Gothic Script; At the top of the page someone has written when to say the prayers, this is done in a different, simpler handwriting than the manuscript, it may have been done by an owner of the book. Similar writing is on some of the other pages, but in a different, more modern, handwriting.; Black, red, blue, gold, and green inks

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  Book of Hours: Number 29

  Unknown

  Spots have developed on the manuscript, one hole.; Decorative flowers along the side of the writing.; Angular Gothic Script; Several historiated initials in gold, surrounded by blocks of red and blue, spiralling white filigree on top.; Floral images. The thin style of the images is indicative of work from around the 1450s. Ege notes that older manuscripts had wider stems and late manuscripts and the leaves would have been more entangled.; Ege notes that the strawberries are indicative of Benedictine worship.; Along left side of writing on verso and recto.; Black, red, blue, and green inks

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  Bible: Number 44

  Unknown

  St. Jerome translation of the Bible; The vellum has yellowed, is wrinkled and bends easily.; Several decorated initials done in a simple style.; Semi-Gothic Script; Black, red, and blue inks

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  Bible: Number 9

  Unknown

  St. Jerome translation of the Bible; Very good condition.; Verses are shown in the simple style with red and blue ink typically associated with Bibles. There are also two decorated initials with complex swirls in red and blue.; Angular Gothic Script; This Bible is similar in style to Ege 5 and 6, however, it's size is much smaller and the print is smaller as well. The vellum is incredibly thin. Ege notes that this was almost certainly made by Dominican Friars, known as "wandering Friars." He also notes that these volumes were expensive and were meant to be used sparingly.; Black, red, and blue inks

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  Missal: Number 38

  Unknown

  The vellum has yellowed, otherwise it is in good condition.; Decorated initials, done with thin flourishes in red and black. These are particularly beautiful decorations. There is a lot of red ink and smaller writing here, suggesting that many errors were made by the original copyist.; Angular Gothic Script; Black, red, and blue inks

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  Lectionary: Number 3

  Unknown

  Very good condition.; Decorated initial on the left side of verso, done in a simple style with red and blue. At the bottom are stylized berries.; Carolingian Script; Large historiated "I" on verso and smaller historiated "I" on recto.; Brown, red, and blue inks

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  Book of Hours: Number 24

  Unknown

  Good condition.; Decorated initials with elaborate filigree. One historiated initial which is very small. Floral imagery comes out of the historiated initial, Ege notes that this is typically French. Between verses are simple decorations in red and blue ink.; Angular Gothic Script; Denison notes that this is a very early book of hours, in fact, it is the earliest in Ege's collection, they say that because of this the leaf displays few qualities typically associated with books of hours but displays many qualities typically associated with breviaries. This seems logical.; Black, red, blue, and gold inks

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  Oxford Bible: Number 13

  Unknown

  St. Jerome translation of the Bible; Some stains.; Verses are shown in the simple style with red and blue ink typically associated with Bibles. There are also two decorated initials with complex swirls in red and blue.; Angular Gothic Script; Ege notes that it is difficult to tell the difference between Bibles of the Dominican Friars from England and those from France (i.e. Ege 9). This one, though of high quality, took slightly less time than Ege 9, the script is larger (though still remarkably small) and the vellum is not of the same quality.; Brown, red, and blue inks

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  Psalter: Number 12

  Unknown

  Vellum is worn, otherwise good condition.; Angular Gothic Script; Historiated initial on both sides. These are each done without much skill, Ege says that it may have been made by monks beginning to learn the techniques of manuscript illumination; Black, blue, red, and gold inks

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  Epistolary: Number 37

  Unknown

  Purple ink has faded considerably.; Several decorated initials done in a simple style but with elaborate filigree.; Rotunda Gothic Script; Black, red, blue, and purple inks

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  Book of Hours: Number 30

  Unknown

  Good condition, though some wrinkling.; Floral imagery.; Angular Gothic Script; Very intricate decorated initials on verso and recto. "O" on verso and "H" on recto.; Flowers surround the text, they all come from a single stem, though the types of flowers vary. Ege notes that the flowers on the Verso have been carefully traced on the recto so that they could not be seen through the thin vellum.; Black, red, blue, gold, and green inks

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  Book of Hours: Number 28

  Rabanus Maurus

  Vellum is in poor condition, this is most likely because of the ageing of metal alloys used in the original production of the book.; Decorated initials with circular filigree. Floral, stem-like imagery. Separating the verses is a bar of red and blue with white filigree.; Angular Gothic Script; Brown, blue, red, silver, and gold inks

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  Missal: Number 26

  Unknown

  The vellum is in poor condition, there is a hole near the bottom of the page.; Decorated initials, three on the verso, none on the recto. These letters are done in gold, with red and blue as backgrounds and thin, circular decorations in white above them.; Angular Gothic Script, this font is difficult to read, especially now that the vellum is worn.; Both Denison and Jean Preston note that many leaves in this book have red underlining and this is quite original, ours, however, does not have this.; Black, red, blue, gold, and white inks. Ege notes that the black ink has a greenish undertone and that this was more typical in England than in France.

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  Missal: Number 22

  Unknown

  Vellum is in poor condition, it has stained and is very dark.; Lots of musical notation. Several simple decorated letters, one of which ("D") is particularly beautiful.; Transitional Early Gothic Notation; Brown, red, and blue inks

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  Psalter: Number 4

  Unknown

  Good condition; Caroline Minuscule (Donovan considers the script Gothic Transitional); Caroline Minuscule (Donovan considers the script Gothic Transitional); There are notes on the side put in by the original illuminator, these are not corrections but notes on the text.; Ege notes that this manuscript is the most perfect he has seen in terms of symmetry of letters and such. It is strange, however, that the guide lines seem so haphazardly drawn.; Black ink

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  Psalter: Number 34

  Unknown

  Good condition, though some of the ink has faded. Particularly the blues and the purples.; There are several decorated initials. The flourishes on the "P" on the verso is reminiscent of a musical staff. This is interesting considering that the music was not added until later, though, the Psalms are generally associated with music.; Rotunda Book Hand; Musical notation with a simple melody was added later. The handwriting is of a significantly lower quality that the other handwriting.; Ege tells us that this was made for a Carthusian monastery. The Carthusians were a small and particularly devout order. They were hermits, and take an oath of silence. Manuscripts from this order are rare. Also of interest in this manuscript is that there are two guide lines instead of one.; Black, red, blue, and purple inks

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  Psalter: Number 42

  St. Ambrose and Unknown

  Ink is smudged and the vellum has darkened.; Angular Gothic Script; This leaf is the largest in the collection. It is done in a very simple style. The musical notation is in a "free melody" style, the horseshoe notation indicates all the notes that is acceptable to sing.; Black, red, and blue inks

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  Writings of St. Jerome: Number 35

  St. Jerome

  Good condition, the vellum is very smooth.; Very small decorated initial.; Lettre de Somme; This type of script was particularly used among scholastics at the time. It was likely used for academic purposes. The writing is too small to be read in church, but the page is too large to be carried around.; Black, red, blue, brown, and gold inks

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  Psalter: Number 20

  Unknown

  Good condition.; There is a staff on the side of the Verso which is attached to the historiated letter "A."; Angular Gothic Script; The historiated initial "A" is one of the most impressive in the collection, inside the letter there is a small image of two birds dancing which is very impressive.; Two birds dancing.; Inside the historiated initial.; Very small, done in white ink, stylized.; Brown, red, blue, and gold inks

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  Bible: Number 14

  Unknown

  St. Jerome translation of the Bible; Very good condition.; Decorated initials done in red and blue with white filigree and touches of gold leaf. Staffs go up the sides, and are decorated in floral imagery. One has the head of a dog-like animal, similar to Ege 19.; Angular Gothic Script; Some markings in the marginalia. Verse written in red and blue above.; This Bible is unusual because it is significantly larger than the other Bibles in the collection. It was very well decorated also, which suggests that it was very expensive.; Black, red, blue, white, and gold inks

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  Missal: Number 33

  Unknown

  Good condition.; There are several decorated initials in a simple style with few flourishes.; Angular Gothic Script; Ege notes that this manuscript was made in Germany around the time when Gutenberg invented the printing press. Further, he writes that this manuscript and early printed books are very similar in style. He also displays that the script is not particularly well done, the illuminator had trouble with the different sized letters. Perhaps this scriptorium made this book quickly as a way to compete with the growing popularity of the printing press.; Black, red, and blue inks

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  Bible: Number 5

  Unknown

  St. Jerome translation of the Bible; There is significant amounts of dirt on the recto.; Verses are shown in the simple style typically associated with Bibles.; Angular Gothic Script; There is one instance of commentary marginalia, however, this was done in the same, intricate style of the rest of the manuscript suggesting that it was added by the original scriptorium because of an error.; The small, intricate script is what is most impressive about this manuscript. Ege says that the script imitates architectural movements of the time period. Jean Preston says that this script is typical of pocket Bibles from the time. However, the page that this is printed on is very large, one of the largest in the collection, with lots of open space for marginal comments.; Black, blue, and red inks