National Library of Sweden, A 168
Bible
France, 13th century, middle of
Parchment
vii, 609, vi' leaves
120 × 75 mm
Latin
Secundo folio
misterio absconditurSupport
Binding/Endleaves
Foliation
Condition
Textblock
Edges trimmed, resulting in partial loss of running titles.Layout
Script
Textblock
Hand 1
Textualis.Additions
Binding/Endleaves
Decorations
Textblock
Main text in brown in, rubrics in red, capitals touched in red.
Each indivdual book is introduced by a historiated initial over 5 lines. The initials are outlined in black, painted in a mauve with white highlights. They are placed on a background of blue with black outlines. The enclosed space contains the historiated image related to the Bible book it introduces. The marginal stems expand from the initials in rather straight shapes, contain meander patterns and running dog scrolls, ends by split leaves and are sometimes furnished with dragons, e.g. f. 43vb and f. 175va.
Besides the beginning of each new book the opening prologue also features a historiated initial. The Psalms contain 8 historiated initials;
f. 4va: opening initial ‘I’, extending along the entire page;
f. 453ra: Historiated initial ‘L’ over 23 lines introducing the New Testament. The prologues are introduced by decorated initials over 5 lines, which feature animal and foliate ornaments. The prologue to Proverbs on f. 276ra contains the largest and most advanced form of this type of initial.
Individual paragraphs are introduced by plain initials over 2 lines in alternating blue and red with flourishing in the contrasting colour. The initials and their flourishing often extend along the margin to create a border, e.g. f. 454r.
Fore more on the iconography of the initials, see Lindqvist Sandgren.
Fore-edge, in ink: ‘26.28’.
Binding
Later medieval or early modern binding. Dark brown leather over wooden boards. 5 double raised bands and endbands. 2 straps with decorated hooked clasps, decorated studs on catchplates and strap attachments. Spine, Stamped in gold: ‘BIBLIA LATINA’ and ‘A 168’.
Blind tooled decoration consisting of panels and complex knot work. The design appears Italian in origin.
Origin
France, 13th century, middle of. The decoration points to norhern France, and has similarities with the Soissons atelier (active c. 1230-60) and the Vie de Saint Denis atelier (active c. 1230-60).
Provenance
Early provenance unknown. In the late 16th century the manuscript belonged to Paul Pétau.
Acquisition
The manuscript was then acquired from Pétau's collection by Queen Christina in 1650 (not included in Vossius's catalogue of 1651). Later, the manuscript ended up in the National Archives. Transferred from the National Archives to the National Library in 1883-06-08.
- Gyllene böcker (1952), p. 36, no. 36.
- Illuminated manuscripts (1963), p. 12.
