Montréal, McGill University - Rare Books and Special Collections - Manuscript Collection, MS Medieval 0065 (fragment)

Siglum

CDN-Mlr MS Medieval 0065 (fragment)

Summary

One leaf from a gradual, late 14th-century Italian, on vellum. Square notation in black ink on red four-line staff. 531x317 mm.

Liturgical Occasions

De BMV.

Description

Fragmented leaf from a gradual.

Italian, late 14th century (15th century?), on vellum, with marginal decoration in a variety of inks, tempera and gold leaf.

Square notation on four-line, red ink-drawn staves. The fragment is framed and glued on a board. 7 staves, with large historiated initial S (the Virgin with monks) in lines 3-4.

According to Holland, the style, decoration, coloring and dimensions point to a common source with CDN-Mlr MS 0064, described by Leesti (Liturgical Manuscripts, p. 35, no 7). MS 0065 has been described by Farquhar-Montpetit in "Canada Collects the Middle-Ages," pp. 73-74, no 77.

The fragment contains part of the Introit for the Marian votive Mass from Purification to Advent: "Salve Sancta parens, enixa puerpera Regem qui celum terramque regit...".

Decoration: The large historiated initial is the first letter of the word Salve and contains the Virgin, in a blue-coloured mantle, protecting with it seven, white dressed, kneeling monks. Farquhar-Montpetit suggests a Cistercian origin. The figures stand on green ground while the white, scroll-containing initial lies on a square, with gold leaf contour.
A two and one half quarter border occupies part of the upper, the whole left and almost the whole of the lower margin. It is foliated, containing tweesting acanthus leaves in blue, light-blue, green, red, white and yellow colors. A large number of bezants, single or in triads, with short yellow comet tails, surround the decorated borders or stem from the foliated elements of it. From a green bud, in the lower border, stems a male head, seen from the front, wearing a blue hood-like head cover.

Selected Bibliography

• Compiled by Dionysios Hatzopoulos, ed. by Ann Marie Holland. “11. MS Medieval 65.” In Long Descriptions Ms Medieval Manuscript Antiphonals, Missals and Graduals, Digitization and Cataloguing Project- Antiphonals, Missals and Graduals, pp. 16-17. McGill Library—Rare Books and Special Collections. Updated 6 Dec 2018.


• Farquhar-Montpetit, Marie. In Canada Collects the Middle Ages/le Moyen Age Au Travers Des Collections Canadiennes. Regina, SK: MacKenzie Art Gallery, 1986.


• Leesti, Elizabeth. Les manuscrits liturgiques du Moyen âge. Liturgical Manuscripts of the Middle Ages. Montréal: Musée des Beaux-Arts de Montréal, 1987.


• de Ricci, Seymour, with the assistance of W. J. Wilson. "65." In Census of medieval and renaissance manuscripts in the United States and Canada. New York: H. W. Wilson, 1935-1940.

Notes on the Inventory

The inventory for CDN-Mlr MS 0065 (fragment) was prepared by Ilaria Culshaw, FoH (Dalhousie University), with proofreading by Alessandra Ignesti (McGill University).

Full Texts Entered by

Martha Culshaw

Melodies Entered by

Martha Culshaw

Complete/Partial Inventory

Complete Inventory

Full Source/Fragment

Fragment or Fragmented