The Digital Walters is a branch of The Walters Art Museum Manuscripts Department.
This well-used manuscript on paper contains an anthology of lyrics for Christmas Carols, or Noels, written principally in French and dating to the beginning of the sixteenth century. The carols appear to be a combination of well-known songs published elsewhere or existing in other manuscript anthologies, such as Paris, BnF Rothschild ms. 2982, and unique or unrecorded texts. One carol, "Il fault mourir à ce coup cy" is attributed by an inscription to its author Olivier Maillard (fol. 41v). Most of the carols are introduced by lively inhabited penwork initials that have been tinted. Many of the carols are accompanied by pen-and-ink drawings of pastoral scenes in a rustic style, added after the transcription of the text and in the margins. The use of the regional Angevin term "nau" for Noël, as well as the notarial document re-used as a wrapper mentioning Nantes, point to the Western Loire Valley as a region of production and use. The manuscript can be dated to circa 1520-1530 on the basis of the style of the marginal images and costume, with later sixteenth-century additions to the text.
Support: Paper; Extent: 61; 264 x 185 mm; written area of varying dimensions depending on line length and number of stanzas per page bound to 271 x 194 mm; Foliation: Three separate hands have foliated the pages, one modern in pencil, two older in the upper and lower right corners; Collation: Structure uncertain
One column with varying number of lines; one frontispiece miniature; twenty-five vignettes in ink and watercolor; sixteen decorated and inhabited initials in ink and watercolor; three decorated ink and watercolor initials; seven initials in paint and gold
Bâtarde
One frontispiece miniature; twenty-five vignettes in ink and watercolor; sixteen decorated, inhabited initials in ink and watercolor; three decorated ink and watercolor initials; seven initials in paint and gold
For a full list of Decorations in this manuscript please see the Content and Decorations section by clicking on the [i] button in the top left corner of the image viewer above.
Water damage to center of pages in fols. 2r-16v and to upper outside corner throughout; edges of the paper are worn and fragile
Two scribes, the first responsible for fols. 1r-43v and 48r-51v; a later sixteenth-century hand has copied fols. 44r-47r and fol. 52r to the end; only the folios produced by the first scribe are decorated
At the top of fol. 9r, a contemporary note indicates a version of "L'Homme armé" as the melody: "Sur Et Robinet tu m'as t'amour donnée"; other melodies are suggested in notes contemporary on fols. 10r, 13r, 18r, 19r, 22r, 23v, 29v
Inscription in frame on fol. 1r reads: "REGINA CELI LETARE ALLELUYA QUIA QUEM MERUISTI PORTARE ALLILUYA RESURREXIT SICUT DIXIT ALLELUYA ORA PRO NOBIS DEUM ALLELUYA AMEN AMEN"
These are pages that we pulled aside that disrupted the flow of the manuscript reader. These may be bindings, inserts, bookmarks, and various other oddities.
France
Beginning of the sixteenth century
Sixteenth-century limp vellum binding, made from a notary document from Nantes; "Nantes" is inscribed in pencil on the inside front cover; illegible word beginning with B is written in pencil on the back
Latin; Middle French (ca. 1400-1600)
H. P. Kraus (Cat. 75, No. 77) to the Free Library of Philadelphia, June, 1955
France
Beginning of the sixteenth century
Latin; Middle French (ca. 1400-1600)
H. P. Kraus
This well-used manuscript on paper contains an anthology of lyrics for Christmas Carols, or Noels, written principally in French and dating to the beginning of the sixteenth century. The carols appear to be a combination of well-known songs published elsewhere or existing in other manuscript anthologies, such as Paris, BnF Rothschild ms. 2982, and unique or unrecorded texts. One carol, "Il fault mourir à ce coup cy" is attributed by an inscription to its author Olivier Maillard (fol. 41v). Most of the carols are introduced by lively inhabited penwork initials that have been tinted. Many of the carols are accompanied by pen-and-ink drawings of pastoral scenes in a rustic style, added after the transcription of the text and in the margins. The use of the regional Angevin term "nau" for Noël, as well as the notarial document re-used as a wrapper mentioning Nantes, point to the Western Loire Valley as a region of production and use. The manuscript can be dated to circa 1520-1530 on the basis of the style of the marginal images and costume, with later sixteenth-century additions to the text.
Water damage to center of pages in fols. 2r-16v and to upper outside corner throughout; edges of the paper are worn and fragile
Two scribes, the first responsible for fols. 1r-43v and 48r-51v; a later sixteenth-century hand has copied fols. 44r-47r and fol. 52r to the end; only the folios produced by the first scribe are decorated
At the top of fol. 9r, a contemporary note indicates a version of "L'Homme armé" as the melody: "Sur Et Robinet tu m'as t'amour donnée"; other melodies are suggested in notes contemporary on fols. 10r, 13r, 18r, 19r, 22r, 23v, 29v
Inscription in frame on fol. 1r reads: "REGINA CELI LETARE ALLELUYA QUIA QUEM MERUISTI PORTARE ALLILUYA RESURREXIT SICUT DIXIT ALLELUYA ORA PRO NOBIS DEUM ALLELUYA AMEN AMEN"
Bâtarde
One frontispiece miniature; twenty-five vignettes in ink and watercolor; sixteen decorated, inhabited initials in ink and watercolor; three decorated ink and watercolor initials; seven initials in paint and gold
For a full list of Decorations in this manuscript please see the Content and Decorations section by clicking on the [i] button in the top left corner of the image viewer above.
These are pages that we pulled aside that disrupted the flow of the manuscript reader. These may be bindings, inserts, bookmarks, and various other oddities.
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