National Library of Sweden, A 173
Missal
Bohemia, c. 1390
Parchment
186 leaves
250–260 × 170 mm
Latin
Notable feasts:
f. 2r: translation of St Cunigunde (3 Mar.);
f. 2r: translation of St Wenceslaus (4 Mar.);
f. 2r: Sts Cyril and Methodius (9 Mar., addition);
f. 2v: dedication of the church (16 Apr.);
f. 3r: St Sigismund (2 May; addition);
f. 3r: translation of St Nicholas (9 May);
f. 4r: St Procopius (4 July);
f. 4r: St Henry (12 July);
f. 5r: St Genebald (5 Sep.);
f. 5r: St Cunigunde (9 Sep.);
f. 5r: St Wenceslaus (28 Sep.);
f. 5v: St Coloman (13 Oct.);
f. 6r: St Ludmilla (10 Nov.);
f. 6r: Benedict and companions (12 Nov.).
The Ordo begins with an instruction for the celebration of Holy Communion followed by prefaces (ff. 7r–13v). The Canon begins on f. 16r; no crucifixion image appears to have been included.
f. 14 is a singleton which has been inserted into the quire; the recto exhibits a drawing of the Virgin Mary with the Christ Child (see Decorations). The verso contains the final part of the blessing of the wine for the feast of St John the Apostle (Benedictio amoris sancti Iohannis); it begins at ‘potencia ac benediccione qua in vltima temporali cena’ and ends with ‘Bibite et inebriamini dilecti dei ebrietate salutis et prosperitatis corporum et animarum vestrarum et pociamur victoria sempiterna In nomine patris et filii et spriritus sancti amen ’.
On f. 13v, a different medieval hand has added three prayers for the blessing of water and salt (inc. ‘Deus qui ad salutem humani generis maxima queque sacramenta in aquarum substantia condidisti’), and on f. 24r, the same hand has added three exorcisms for the blessing of water and salt (inc. ‘Exorciso te creatura salis in nomine dei’).
The Proper of time begins with Advent Sunday and ends with Trinity Sunday.
The folium after f. 55has been torn out resulting in loss of text.
The section includes the following votive masses: ‘de sancto spiritu’ (f. 63v), ‘De sancta cruce’ (f. 64r), ‘De domina’ (f. 65r), ‘De Angelis’ (f. 66v), ‘pro pace’ (f. 67v), ‘pro peccatis’ (f. 68r), ‘pro tribulatione’ (f. 69r), ‘pro humilitate’ (f. 69v), of which ‘pro pace’, ‘pro tribulatione’, and ‘pro humilitate’ contain the three proper prayers only.
Four leaves are missing after f. 68 resulting in loss of text.
The Proper of saints begins with the feast of St Andrew (30 November) and ends with the commemoration of St Linus (26 November).
For the majority of Saints' feasts, only the three proper prayers are included.
Notable feasts:
f. 108v: translation of St Wenceslaus (4 Mar.);
f. 111v: St Adalbert (23 Apr.);
f. 114r: St Sigismund (2 May; added in margin);
f. 115r: St Stanislaus (7 May);
f. 118r: St Potentinus (18 June);
f. 124v: St Procopius (4 July);
f. 136r: St Genebald (5 Sep.);
f. 136Ar: St Cunigunde (9 Sep.);
f. 139v: St Wenceslaus (28 Sep.);
f. 146r: St Ludmilla (10 Nov.);
f. 146v: St Benedict and companions (12 Nov.).
Miscellaneous mass items (e.g. gospel readings and prayers) in at least 5 different hands.
A leaf is missing after f. 183 resulting in loss of text.
Foliation
Collation
Condition
Binding/Endleaves
LCI, pastedown heavily worn; wooden boards visible in places, e.g. around the backs of the now-missing boss studs. RCI, boards and board attachments visible due to the detached pastedown. Holes and rust stains left by the bosses.Textblock
Some holes, stains, and dirt, in particular around the edges and lower corners. Some water damage to ff. 36–38, ff. 64–66, ff. 101–102, ff. 158–159, and ff. 162–164, though only minor damage to the legibility of the text. Minor loss of text in the marginal additions reveals that the leaves have been trimmed.Layout
Layout 2
Layout 3
Layout 4
Layout 5
Layout 6
Script
Textblock
Gothic textualis. Identification of individual hands tentative.
Hand 4
(p. 14v)Textualis.Hand 7
(f. 183r)Textualis.Hand 8
(f. 183r)Textualis.Hand 10
(f. 184r)Textualis.Hand 11
(f. 184v)Textualis.Hand 12
(f. 184v)Gothic cursive.Additions
Binding/Endleaves
Textblock
Decorations
Textblock
Main text in brown and black ink; rubrics in red; capitals touched in red, some with additional penwork.
(f. 16r): puzzle section initial ‘T’ over 6 lines in brown and red ink with flourishing in red in counterspace and from top to bottom of margin. (f. 24v): puzzle section initial ‘A’ (in foliage patterns) over 9 lines in brown and red ink with flourishing in red and brown in counterspace and from top to bottom of margin.
(ff. 7r–183r): plain initials over 1-7 lines in red ink, a few with flourishing in brown ink (e.g. (f. 22v)).
(ff. 176v–177r): plain initials in brown or black ink, one with penwork.
(f. 14): drawing in the Bohemian Beautiful Style in black ink and red, ocher and brown washes: the Virgin Mary seated with the Christ Child on her lap; standing behind them, a young duke Wenceslaus, armed with sword and shield, girded and dressed in a cloak and mail. All three figures haloed. The name ‘Wenczeslaus’ in red in top right corner with the outline of a leaf in black and red below. The drawing is dated by Kletzl to the 1370s ( Kletzl, p. 149). For further discussion of the decoration, see Lindqvist Sandgren.
Musical Notation
Binding
Medieval binding; red leather over wooden boards. 4 raised bands and endbands. Originally, metal corner and centre bosses, front and back. Originally, 2 straps with hooked clasps; decorated metal catchplates on LCO. Spine: in brown ink on a paper label, ‘Missale Romanum ex Bohemia No 19 in 4o ’; in brown ink on a paper label, ‘e. 30. 6. 12’.
LCO, panel with blind-tooled pattern of double-line lozenges, lines coloured in with brown ink. RCO, panel with blind-tooled pattern of single-line lozenges, lines coloured in with brown ink.
Origin
The calendar - written by the same hand as the missal rubrics - and contents of the missal indicates Bohemia as the place of origin; St Wenceslaus is celebrated as festum fori, which, according to Grotefend, occurs only in Wrocław, Kraków, Olomouc, and Prague (Grotefend (1898), p. 180). As in Wrocław and Kraków, St Wenceslaus is also celebrated as festum duplex (Olomouc: solemne); his translation - also observed in Wrocław, Kraków, Olomouc, and Prague - is celebrated on March 8 as festum semiduplex. Notably, however, neither the Passio Ludmille characteristic of Prague and Olomouc (September 16), nor the Ossium recollectio of St Wenceslaus characteristic of Prague (June 27) is included. As in Wrocław and Olomouc, the feast of St Cunigunde is celebrated September 9, but as both festum duplex and festum fori, as are the two feasts of St Augustine (August 28 and October 11). The Dedicatio ecclesie is celebrated on April 16.
Notable is also the inclusion in calendar and missal of St Potentinus (June 18), patron saint of Steinfeld Abbey, and St Genebald (September 5), 6th-century bishop of Laon, both associated with the Premonstratensians (Grotefend (1898), p. 106, 155).
In a letter to the National Library dated 1924-02-20, Professor Wilhelm Pinder, dates the drawing on f. 14r to around 1380. Eva Lindqvist Sandgren notes, however, that the artistic style in question still flourished in Bohemia around the year 1400.
Dr Jaroslav Polc of the Pontifical Lateran University dates the manuscript to c. 1390 (note to the National Library stamped 1979-09-28), noting that the feast of Sts Cyril and Methodius, which is an addition to the calendar, was instituted in that time, and that the feast of the Visitation, instituted in 1389, is also an addition. Finally, the feast of St Sigismund, a later addition both to the calendar and the missal text, was instituted in 1356 but not, according to Polc, observed until later.
Finally, in addition to the Dedicatio ecclesie, April 16 is listed in the calendar as Dominica Iubilate, which suggests that the missal was produced in a year when Easter Sunday occurred on March 26, which would mean either 1391 or 1402.
Acquisition
It is not known how the manuscript came to the National Library. Drake Boehm and Fajt suggest that it was brought to Sweden by Queen Christina (Drake Boehm and Fajt, p. 143), but this has not been able to be confirmed. It is listed as ‘No. 19’ in the catalogue of 1734 (U 125e), and as ‘e. 30. 6. 12.’ in Hammarsköld's catalogue of the 19th century (U 133).
- Prague: The Crown of Bohemia 1347–1437, p. 143 (According to the authors, the missal includes texts by Jan of Jenštejn, archbishop of Prague 1379 to 1396. These texts have not been identified.).
- Karel IV. Císař z Boží milosti, p. 57.
- Gyllene böcker, p. 62, no. 112.
- Illuminated Manuscripts, p. 13.
