National Library of Sweden, A 165
Bible, Old and New Testament
France, Paris, 14th century, middle
Parchment
i, 672 leaves
370 × 250–260 mm
Latin
RB, no. 285.
Leaf after f. 4 missing.
Support
Foliation
Collation
Condition
Layout
Script
Textblock
Hand 1
Textualis.Additions
Binding/Endleaves
Decorations
Textblock
Main text in dark ink; rubrics in red; capitals touched in red. The decoration is identified by Roosval (1948) and Avril (1972), p. 102 as stemming from the Parisian school of Jean Pucelle; for a detailed discussion, see their respective op. cit.
The manuscript has a rich and well-preserved decoration consisting of one miniature, 80 large historiated initials and a similar number of large decorated foliate initials, with vine and ivy border decorations, furnished at numerous instances with dragons and with drolleries. Drolleries, often in the form of hunting scenes (e.g. f. 59r) occasionally occur in the lower marginal border. The marginal decoration is inhabited by dragons (e.g. f. 95v, f. 450v) and occasionally birds (f. 2r).The polychromy and gold is well preserved. The marginal decoration and the initials are painted with white highlights and black contours. The drolleries are modelled with shadows and bright colours without contour lines. For further description of the decoration, see Eva Lindqvist Sandgren.
Each book of the Bible is introduced by a historiated initial over 6-9 lines with letter bodies in mauve or blue, often made up of knot work and grotesques in rose with highlights in white and outlines in black. (For loci, see Contents.) The backgrounds of the figures/scenes are in various chequered, geometric or foliate patterns with gold. The numerous historiated and large foliated initials are accompanied by rich vine and ivy marginal borders in blue, mauve, and gold, with highlights in white and black contours in the first part of the manuscript. A large number of smaller initials (2-3 lines) in red, blue or gold, with contrasting pen-flourishes decorate the running text.
f. 120rb: Miniature in quatrefoil: Elimelech and Noemi carrying their luggage.
Binding
Late medieval or early modern binding. Brown leather over bevelled wooden boards. 10 double raised bands and endbands. 2 hooked clasps. Brass corner and centre pieces with bosses.
LCO, two concentric blind-tooled frames, the outer decorated with floral patterns and the inner with flowers alternating with diamond-shaped medallions containing an eagle with spread wings, the centre panel decorated with a pattern of small blind-stamped flowers and dots filled in with gold paint (some of the paint worn off). Inside the upper part of the inner frame, the title ‘BIBLIA TEXT[--- 2 chars ---] ’ in ink. RCO, three concentric blind-tooled frames, the outer decorated with blind-stamped foliage and diamond-shaped medallions containing a bird with spread wings, the middle panel with blind-stamped dots in sets of threes filled in with gold paint (some of the paint worn off), and the inner panel with floral patterns; the centre panel is decorated with two sets of floral shapes made up blind-stamped dots filled in with gold paint (some of the paint worn off) and a flower at the centre, also filled with gold paint. The corner and centre studs, as well as the catchplates and clasps are decorated with engraved patterns and embossments, and the edges of the studs are lined by a row of drilled holes which create a dentelle-like pattern.
Origin
France, Paris, 14th century, middle. Roosval (1948) and Avril (1972) place the style of decoration as stemming from the school of Jean Pucelle, who was active at Paris in the early 14th century. Avril identifies the artist as active there in the middle of the 14th century. Avril does not lend any credence to the addition on f. 1r, which states that the manuscript was produced at Rome (Avril (1972), p. 102, n. 3) and could be interpreted as giving the date 1062. Roosval believes that ‘Mlxii’ is, rather, an abbreviation of 1362, which would fit with the dating of the decoration / identified artist (Roosval (1948), p. 75).
Provenance
Provenance unknown.
Acquisition
The manuscript is listed as no. 10 in Jaches's catalogue of 1695 (U 118:10), with the date on f. 1r interpreted as 1112, and as no. 1 in Jaches's catalogue of 1698 (U 122), with the date on f. 1r interpreted as 1062. It is listed as no. 1 on shelf 2, bookcase 30, in Hammarsköld's catalogue of the 19th century (U 133). According to Roosval, the manuscript was purchased by Queen Christina in Paris in the middle of the 17th century (Roosval (1972), p. 68), but while the manuscript had become part of the Royal Library by 1695, it is not listed in Vossius's catalogue of 1651 (U 202:1).
- Roosval (1948).
- Gyllene böcker (1952), p. 55, no. 93.
- Illuminated manuscripts (1963), pp. 11–12.
- Avril (1972), p. 102.
