MSS 3

MSS 3

Psalms 70-71 Leaf from a Psalter

France

c. 1325 (?)

Latin

140 x 115 mm (120 x 75 mm)

Gothic Textualis Rotunda

Parchment

No visible signs of pricking or ruling save for the eleventh and thirteenth lines of the verso side of the leaf. Below the words on these lines is a very faint horizontal line in pencil/lead that can be most clearly seen when looking at the middle of the page.

Fol. 1r:
Nineteen lines of gothic text in single column with substantial space between each line; script covers nearly the whole page with small margins on all sides of the column. The upper right corner seems to have been shorn/rounded in some way, with the latter portions of the first and second lines entirely obscured by fire or water damage. Additionally, there is a small tear in this corner which attests to the damage that this manuscript has seen in its lifetime. There are eleven initials total that alternate between blue ink and gold leaf, which are also slightly larger than the remaining text; it is worth noting that each rubricated initial denotes the next line in psalm 70. Heavy browning on the top, bottom, and right sides of the page apparently from the fire/water damage.

Fol. 1v:
Nineteen lines of gothic text in single column with substantial space between each line; script covers nearly the whole page with small margins on all sides of the column. From the first to eleventh or so lines, much of the text on the left half of the page is unintelligible due to water/fire damage. There are ten initials total that alternate between gold leaf and blue ink. A phrase rubricated in red appears on the twelfth line to indicate the conclusion of Psalm 70. One is able to distinguish a red layer that exactly fits underneath the gold leaf initials; the clearest example of this is the first initial on this page. The binding agent used to facilitate the addition of gold leaf to the folio was often red in hue.

Decoration:
Fol. 1r:
None.

Fol. 1v:
2-line litter notabilior begins Psalm 71. The D is written in gold leaf and is framed by a blue square with white filigree located in the spaces between the D and the edge of the square. Within the space of the letter itself, there is a red background with white small floral designs. The square is accompanied to the left by two red lines with spiraled ends that extend two lines above and below the initial. The initial has faded somewhat over the years, but the bulk of the design and color remain intact.

Fol. 1r:
A very faint capital ‘M’ or ‘W’ appears in the upper left corner in pencil composed by a modern hand. In the bottom left corner the following dealer number is written: STI2462-6. To the right of this number at the bottom of the page is the following: $275--. In the upper right and bottom right corners on the page the number 34 is written in a small modern hand in pencil.

Fol. 1v:
After the rubrication on the twelfth line, the number 71 is written in pencil, apparently to indicate the beginning of the new chapter of the Psalm. Between the seventh and eight lines on the left side of the page is a nearly illegible word or phrase: an annotation from the Middle Ages. I can also identify at least two flourishes that appear around this potential gloss/annotation. In the upper right corner there is also the number 34 with the upper half of the three almost missing due to the damage that this corner suffered.

Acquired from Pirages c. 2013.

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