MSS 12

MSS 12

Leaf from a Book of Hours: Lectio Septima from the Office of the Dead, Third Nocturne

Italy

c. 1475 (?)

Latin

143 x 104 mm (70 x 50 mm)

Italian Gothic Book Script

Parchment

The ruled lines on the verso side have nearly faded entirely save for a single vertical line that extends to the left margin of the text. On the recto side however, the ruling lines are much more distinct. The lines appear to have been ruled in drypoint. Script begins below top line.

Fol. 1r:
13 lines of text in single column. Clear ruling lines and pronounced smudging around all sides of the text. Significant amount of forward slashes throughout the text and especially towards the ends of certain lines. Initials are embellished slightly but lack further decoration (no ink or gold leaf). Compressed script. Large margins on all sides of the text.

Fol. 1v:
13 lines of text in single column. Minimal spacing between successive lines with significant margins; much of the page is left blank. Significant initials and shorthand symbol at the beginning of the eight line: the Responsum abbreviation (Rx). Both of these are written in gold leaf. The capital ‘P’ initial is bordered by small blue lines on either side and in the white center of the ‘P’. No other portion of the text is written in gold leaf. Written vertically along the page is the following inscription: me.V.De. This phrase stands for Versiculum Deu. Because of its position on the page the phrase could denote a catchword, or it could indicate that one of the scribes erred and subsequently completed this portion of the text on the same page. A brown smudge appears just above this inscription.

Fol. 1r:
None.

Fol. 1v:
The only notable elements of decoration are the initials that appear on the eighth line. Burnished in gold leaf. The first symbol is the Responsum abbreviation. The second symbol i.e. the capital ‘P’ is framed by thin blue lines. Some lines have unfilled blue c’s attached to them so as to resemble branches or leaves. The inscription that is written in the bottom right corner has two symbols that are unidentifiable at the moment; could be considered decoration given the fact that it is written vertically, nearly along the right most ruling line.

Fol. 1r:
The following number appears in the bottom right corner in modern hand in pencil: 09813-20. This is call number given by Pirages to identify/keep track of the leaf. Interestingly enough, this number does not contain the STI prefix like other leaves purchased from Pirages. No other marginalia is present.

Fol. 1v:
None.

Acquired from Pirages, 2016. (California Book Fair Purchase)

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