Jacobus de Voragine, Legenda aurea

14th century

parchment

ii, 277, i' leaves

260 × 175 mm

Latin

1 (ff. 1ra–1rb) Prologue

Rubric: Incipit prologus super legendas sanctorum quas compilauit frater jacobus nacione ianuensis de ordine fratrum predicatorum

Incipit: UNIuersum tempus presentis uite in quaturorum distinguitur

Explicit: representat ecclesia ab octaua pentecosten usque \ad/ aduentum domini

Final rubric: Explicit prologus super librum de legendis sanctorum in quaturom capitula distinctum

2 (ff. 1rb–2va) Table of contents

Note: Chapter 110 omitted in the list but found in the text, chapter 114 (‘De sancto Tyburtho’) is not found in the text.

3 (ff. 2va–277ra) Jacobus de Voragine, Legenda Aurea

Rubric: Incipit de aduentu domini

Incipit: Aduentus domini per quatuorum septimanas agitur

Explicit: Quod ipse nobis prestare dignetur qui uiuit et regnat deus per omnia secula seculorum Amen

Final rubric: Explicit legenda sanctorum

Note:

Under the final rubric a piece (possibly containing a colophon) has been cut out.

f. 277v: blank.

Edition: Maggioni (1998).

Physical Description

Support

Binding/Endleaves

Locus: ff. LCI, SL1r–SL1v, SR1r–SR1v, RCI

Support: Parchment

Locus: ff. SL2r–SL2v

Support: Western paper

Watermark 1

Note: Beehive surrounded by flying bees (Tumba bruk).

Leaf dimensions: 260 × 175 mm

Textblock

Locus: ff. 1r–277v

Support: Parchment

Leaf dimensions: 260 × 175 mm

Foliation

Modern foliation in pencil.

Chapter headings in red ink in top margin.

Collation

Note: VisColl collation

Formula: 1(1+12), 2(10), 3-7(12), 8(10), 9(1+12), 10(8), 11(12), 12(10), 13(12), 14(10), 15(12), 16(8), 17-21(12), 22(8), 23-24(12), 25(8, lacks 8)

Catchwords: Catchwords in black ink in black and brown frames.

Condition

Textblock

Holes in parchment, e.g. on f. 11, but no loss of text. Parchment repaired, e.g. on f. 16. Some leaves show signs of having been folded in the corners. f. 277: piece of the leaf cut out. f. 230v, Inner marign, bottom: plant remains, or scraps of wood.

Layout

Locus: ff. 1r–277r

Columns: 2

Ruled lines: 44

Written area: 185 × 130 mm

Note: Guidelines and ruling in lead.

Script

Textblock

Hand 1

Semitextualis

Additions

Binding/Endleaves

(LCI) Bottom of page in ink: ‘81 30?’.

(f. SL2r) Middle of the page in brown ink by an early-modern hand: ‘Legenda Sanctorum compilata a Jacobo a Voragine nacione Januensi, de ordine fratrum Predicatorum.’.

Textblock

(ff. 1r–275r) Mariginal additions by several different hands from different periods in the form of manicules, signs, corrections, and comments. The additions are not very frequent and usually only consist of one word. Many of the corrections appear to be by the scribe or a contemporary hand.

(f. 8rb) face added to letter A.

Decorations

Textblock

Description:

Main text in black ink, capitals touched in yellow, rubrics in red.

Initials:

(f. 1ra): Foliate initial U over 7 lines (+ extending in the margin). The letter is placed in a blue frame with gold edges, the counter space is gilded and filled with a curled vegetative shape with two leaves and fox’s (?) head. Part of the frame or letter extends along the inner margin and half of the bottom margin. Main colours pink, blue, and red. The inital is followed by a smaller capital penwork N over 2 lines in black and touched in yellow. (ff. 1rb–273rb): plain initals over 2-3 lines in blue or red with red, blue and/or green flourishing, which sometimes extends along the entire margin. The initial is followed by a capital touched in yellow, occasionally these capitals inlcude some penwork details, e.g. (f. 32va).

Binding

Description:

Medieval binding. Brown leather over wooden boards. 5 pairs of raised bands and 2 endbands. RCO, top of page, half of a medieval parchment lable with nails in it, text in black ink: ‘legenda’. Spine, ink on paper label: ‘N:o 21. Jac. Jannensis Legenda aurea Sanctorum’; stamped in gold: ‘A 158’; ink on paper label:‘ e. 30. 6. 13’.

The endleaves consist of 2 bifolia from Petrus Comestor’s Historia scholastica. These fragments seem to be written by the same or a similar hand as the main text

Binding dimensions: 270 × 195 × 85 mm

Condition: Leather heavily torn. Board visible on LCO. Remains of clasps (nails on LCO), corner and centre pieces. Wormholes all over covers. New leather added to

Contemporary: Unknown

History

Origin

14th century

Provenance

The manuscript is listed in Vossius’s catalogue from 1651 (U 202:1) and has belonged to the National Library since. It probably came to Sweden as spoils of war or was bought on the continent by Queen Christina. There are 3 signa on the Spine. The older signum ‘21’ is found in the catalogue from 1734 (U 125e); ‘e. 30.6.13.’ is found in Hammarsköld’s catalogue from the 19th century (U 133); ‘A 158’ (current signum).