MSS 4

MSS 4

Psalms 72-73 Leaf from a Psalter

France

c. 1325 (?)

Latin

140 x 115 mm (115 x 75 mm)

Gothic Textualis Rotunda

Parchment

One can barely make out thin horizontal white ruling lines below some of the lines towards the middle of the page, but there is no other sign of pricking or ruling beyond this.

Fol. 1r:
Nineteen lines of gothic text in single column with substantial space between each successive line; colored initials slightly larger than the rest of the text begin each new verse of the psalm and each new sentence. Additionally, the text towards the right of the page on the first through six lines has been damaged significantly. Initials alternate between blue ink and gold leaf. As with this leaf’s companion piece, the raised binding agent for the initials prepared with gold leaf can be seen where some of the gold has faded.. Appears to be the hair side of the folio. Both the upper right and bottom right corners have been torn/damaged significantly, with portions of the text missing as a result. The damage on the bottom right corner is more severe than the upper right corner. Not counting the initials that have been partially destroyed/cleaved, there are eleven total on this side.

Fol. 1v:
Nineteen lines of gothic text with substantial space between each successive line; colored initials slightly larger than the rest of the text begin each new verse of the psalm and, in the case of psalm 73, each sentence (regardless if it begins a new verse in the psalm or not). There are twelve total initials that alternate between blue ink and gold leaf. As in the recto side of the folio, the first gold initial has suffered significant damage and as a result one notices the binding layer underneath the gold letter. A phrase rubricated in red appears on the eleventh line to indicate the conclusion of Psalm 70. There may be an indication here that the full manuscript was composed by more than one rubricator/scribe. In Item 2 of this collection (the companion piece to this leaf), the same rubrication is present after the conclusion of Psalm 70, but it does not include a period after the letters ps. This small but significant distinction leads me to believe that multiple rubricators/scribes may have worked on this larger manuscript or in the case that there is only one rubricator/scribe, they made a mistake on one of the rubrications. Appears to be the flesh side of the folio.

Decoration:
Fol. 1r:
None.

Fol. 1v:
On the twelfth line, the seventh initial on this side has been rendered with significant attention to detail. It comprises two lines and terminates at the top of the fourteenth line. The capital letter ‘U’ is written in gold leaf and is framed by a blue polygon that resembles an oversized ‘L.’ There is a red filled oval constructed between the two stems of the ‘U’ that is filled with intricate white floral designs. There is a small faded filled circle (same color as the oval within the ‘U’) in the upper left corner of the blue polygon; a red flourish with a swirl at its end extends from this circle. A similar blue flourish appears on the bottom right corner of the polygon.

Fol. 1r:
In the bottom left corner the dealer number appears: STI2462-3. To the right of this number is the following: $150. Above the portion of the leaf that has been torn in the bottom right corner is the number 36. This number is replicated in the upper right corner. These pieces of marginalia are all written in light pencil presumably by Pirages.

Fol. 1v:
In the bottom right corner the letter ‘A’ has been written. It has almost entirely faded. To the right of the rubrication the number 73 is written in pencil to indicate the beginning of the subsequent Psalm.

Acquired from Pirages c. 2013.

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