25772 research outputs found
Sort by
no. 18, Breviarium
No full textCaption "The Breviary is one of the six official books used by the Roman Catholic Church in its liturgy. It is a book of prayers for the clergy, giving the directions for all of the various services of the Divine Hours throughout the year. The other five official books are the Pontifical, the Missal, the Ritual, the Martyrology, and the Ceremonial of the Bishops. The angular script in this leaf is executed with great skill and precision. The small and vigorous black initials and the hair line details found in many of the ascenders and terminal letters indicate the work of a superior calligrapher, skilled not only in writing but also in sharpening his quill. The initials and the dorsal decorations also represent the same high standard of craftsmanship. Strangely, the rubrications do not show as great a calligraphic skill. Usually it was the task of a superior scribe to insert the rubrics or directions for conducting the service." (written by Otto F. Ege) In Angular Gothic Script. This manuscript is probably from France.Vellum leaf from the collection of: Fifty Original Leaves From Medieval Manuscripts, Western Europe, XII-XVI Century, compiled by Otto F. Ege
no. 9, Biblia Sacra Latina, Versio Vulgata
No full textCaption "These miniature or portable manuscript copies of the Jerome version of the Bible were nearly all written by the young wandering friars of the newly founded order of Dominicans. With almost superhuman skill and patience, and without the aid of eyeglasses, an amazing number of these small Bibles were produced by writing with quills on uterine vellum or rabbit skins. No plausible reason has yet been advanced for such large scale production. They were used sparingly, as is evidenced by their still fine condition. Few people could afford to buy these volumes, which took the equivalent of two years' time to transcribe. Still fewer laymen could read or would dare to risk excommunication by the church. Pope Innocent III, some years earlier, had issued an edict forbidding the reading or even the touching of a Bible by persons not belonging to the clergy. The precision and beauty of the text letters and initials executed in so small a scale, twelve lines to an inch, with letters less than one-sixteenth of an inch high, are among the wonders in book history." (written by Otto F. Ege) In Latin Text; Minuscule Angular Gothic Script. This manuscript is probably from France.Vellum leaf from set number 37 of the collection of: Fifty Original Leaves From Medieval Manuscripts, Western Europe, XII-XVI Century, compiled by Otto F. Ege
no. 11, Biblia Sacra Latina, Versio Vulgata, Italy
No full textCaption "In 1217, St. Dominic, the founder of the order which bears his name, withdrew from France and settled in Italy. Here, in the next four and last years of his life, he founded sixty more chapters of the Dominican order. Many of the younger members of the order studied at the University of Bologna and, while there, produced a great number of these small portable Bibles, just as did their brothers at the University of Paris in France and the University of Oxford in England. There was a difference in the art of the scriptoria in the various countries. In England and France the ideal of craftsmanship was very high, while at this time, in Italy, a rather casual attitude prevailed. In the XIIIth century Italy was distraught by the long struggle between the papal and anti-imperialistic Guelphs and the autocratic and imperialistic Ghibellines. Little encouragement was given by either party to the arts. This leaf reveals, however, the skill and keen eyesight which were necessary for the writing of ten of these lines to the inch." (written by Otto F. Ege) In Rotunda Gothic Script. This manuscript is probably from Italy.Vellum leaf from set 37 of the collection of: Fifty Original Leaves From Medieval Manuscripts, Western Europe, XII-XVI Century, compiled by Otto F. Ege
no. 13, Biblia Sacra Latina, Versio Vulgata, England
No full textCaption "It is usually difficult to distinguish the miniature or portable Bibles made by the young Dominican friars in England from those written in France. At times the colophon tells us that a book was executed in the Sorbonne, the newly founded school of theology in Paris, or in the University Center at Oxford. The Dominican order was founded in 1216 A.D. and soon spread all over Europe. About 1219 A.D., King Alexander of Scotland met St. Dominic in Paris and persuaded him to send some members of his brotherhood to Scotland. From here they spread to England. The original master text was carelessly transcribed again and again. It may even have been incorrectly copied from the Alcuinian text written for Charlemagne. Therefore, "correctories" had to be made. In the latter part of the XIIIth century, Roger Bacon condemned unsparingly manuscripts which, although they were skillfully and beautifully written, transmitted inaccuracies of text." (written by Otto F. Ege) In Angular Gothic Script. This manuscript is probably from England.Vellum leaf from set number 37 of the collection of: Fifty Original Leaves From Medieval Manuscripts, Western Europe, XII-XVI Century, compiled by Otto F. Ege
no. 12, Psalterium
No full textCaption "This small Psalter leaf illustrates the fact that, although skilled scribes were available in many monasteries in the XIIIth century, some of the monks who attempted to apply and burnish the gold leaf were still struggling with many problems of illumination. The famous treatise De Arte illuminandi and Cennino Cennini's Trattato were both of later date. These works gave directions on how to prepare and use the glair of egg, Armenian bole, stag-horn glue, and hare's foot, and on how to burnish the gold with a suitable wolf's tooth. These books might not have been too helpful, however, for the author of the De Arte Illuminandi adds, "Since experience is worth more in all this than written documents, I am not taking any special pains to explain what I mean." (written by Otto F. Ege) In Angular Gothic Script. This manuscript is probably from France.Vellum leaf from set 37 of the collection of: Fifty Original Leaves From Medieval Manuscripts, Western Europe, XII-XVI Century, compiled by Otto F. Ege
no. 20, Psalterium
No full textCaption "Small Psalters of this period are comparatively rare, since Psalters were used primarily in the church services and not by the layman. Here, the letters and ornament still retain all the rigidity of the previous century and give no indication of the rounder type of letter or any beginning of the interest in nature that characterized the work of the scribes in France. The filigree decoration, as well as the line-finishing elements, show, however, more creative freedom than either the initial or the text letters. The small burnished gold letters display considerable skill on the part of the illuminator, for it is difficult to control small designs in the gesso used as a base for the raised gold leaf." (written by Otto F. Ege). This vellum leaf was created in Flanders. In Script.Vellum leaf from set 37 of the collection of: Fifty Original Leaves From Medieval Manuscripts, Western Europe, XII-XVI Century, compiled by Otto F. Ege
No. 10, Psalterium
No full textCaption "The line endings of a fish, elongated or shortened as the space required, and the grinning expression of the fish emblem have in some book circles given these German Psalters the nickname "Laughing Carp" Psalters. The fish, as is well known, was one of the earliest and most common symbols for Christ. An early acrostic, IESOUS CHRISTOS THEOU HUIOS SOTER (Jesus Christ, son of God, Savior), is based on the letters in the Greek word for fish, ICHTHUS. The lozenge heads on top of many of the vertical pen strokes are characteristic of German manuscripts." (written by Otto F. Ege) In Angular Gothic Script. This manuscript is probably from Germany.Vellum leaf from set 37 of the collection of: Fifty Original Leaves From Medieval Manuscripts, Western Europe, XII-XVI Century, compiled by Otto F. Ege
no. 6, Biblia Sacra Latina, Versio Vulgata
No full textCaption "The only Bible known to Western Europe for the thousand years from 400 to 1400 was this version by St. Jerome. In the early part of the XIIIth century it is almost impossible to distinguish the book hands of France from those of England. The decorative initials, color of ink, and texture of vellum are the clues which aid in assigning provenance, as in this instance. Not many fragments of this age and size are known to have survived the destruction and dispersal of English monastic libraries which was ordered by Henry VIII in the year 1539. This small size lettering, seven lines to the inch, is formed with the skill and precision that made the XIIIth century noted for the finest calligraphy of all time. To write seven lines to an inch, maintain evenness throughout, and have each letter clear and precise is a great achievement for any scribe, yet in the XIIIth century this was not an exceptional accomplishment." (written by Otto F. Ege). In Early Angular Gothic Script. This manuscript was probably from England.Vellum leaf from set number 37 of the collection of: Fifty Original Leaves From Medieval Manuscripts, Western Europe, XII-XVI Century, compiled by Otto F. Ege
no. 8, Graduale
No full textCaption "Graduals are the books containing the chants for the celebration of the mass. English manuscripts of this early date and small size are rare. This volume, with the uncertain strokes in the script, seems to indicate that the transcriber was unaccustomed to writing in this small scale. There are four and five line staves, and the "F" and "C" lines are indicated. Most of the various foms of written notes can be found on each leaf of this book. Those occurring more frequently are punctum (L. punctum, prick), a single note; virga (L. virga, rod), a square note with a thin line attached; podatus (L. pes, foot), two square notes, one above the other; climacus (L. climax, ladder), a virga note with two or more diamond shaped notes. There are other forms for particular nuances of expression. There are more than 2,300 chants which have come down to us from the Middle Ages. The majority of these, however, can be reduced to a relatively few melodic types- probably not exceeding fifty in all." (written by Otto F. Ege). In Early Angular Gothic Script, Square Gregorian Notation. This manuscript is probably from England.Vellum leaf from set number 37 of the collection of: Fifty Original Leaves From Medieval Manuscripts, Western Europe, XII-XVI Century, compiled by Otto F. Ege
no. 5, Biblia Sacra Latina, Versio Vulgata, France
No full textCaption "This translation of the Bible was made by Jerome at the request of Pope Damasus. It was begun in the year 382 A.D. and finished 16 years later. For his great scholarship more than for his eminent sanctity, Jerome was later made a saint. This version of the Bible was his most important work. The angular book hand, executed with amazing skill and precision, reflects the spirit of contemporary architecture of the early XIIIth century. Closely spaced perpendicular strokes and angular terminals have supplanted the open and round character of the preceding century. It is a beautiful book hand but exceedingly difficult to read. The quills used in writing were obtained from the wings of crows, wild geese, and eagles. To keep them sharp and their strokes of uniform width required skill and great sensitivity in hand pressure. It would be difficult to imitate or approximate the fine details even with the special steel lettering pens of today." (written by Otto F. Ege). In Early Angular Gothic Script. This manuscript is probably from FranceVellum leaf from the collection of: Fifty Original Leaves From Medieval Manuscripts, Western Europe, XII-XVI Century, compiled by Otto F. Ege