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Bible Lewis E 29
Free Library of Philadelphia
Manuscript Overview
References
Binding Images

Abstract

This manuscript contains a fragmentary copy of the Latin Vulgate Bible. It was made in Oxford circa 1230-1240, and the miniatures are attributed to celebrated English illuminator William de Brailes. There are thirty-nine historiated or inhabited initials, featuring figures or scenes relevant to the text they accompany. On fol. 81r, for example, Psalm 13 begins with an inhabited initial D showing a fool (the text reads 'The fool hath said in his heart: there is no God'). God is shown speaking to the prophets Hosea (fol. 113r), Amos (115v), Obadiah (118r), and Zephaniah (112v) in initials at the start of each of their books, and the two books of Maccabees begin with initials showing knights (fols. 127r and 137r). Occasionally, the decorated terminals of these initials have been excised (fols. 1r, 30v, 61r, 137r, and 153v). Many leaves are missing from this manuscript. Fourteen are known to be in the Lilly Library at Indiana University (Ricketts MSS C1, III:25, and III:53) and a number of others are dispersed among private collections elsewhere. Fols. 157-160 in the present volume are entirely detached and kept separately from the book itself, and others are partly loose within the sixteenth-century binding.

Physical Description

Support: Parchment; Extent: ii+160+ii; 185 x 126 mm bound to 190 x 130 mm; Foliation: Modern foliation in pencil, upper right recto and lower right recto; Collation: Uncertain (fragile, some leaves partly detached); Signatures: Contemporary quire signatures in Roman numerals on fols. 3v, 19v, 35v, 51v, 67v, 80v, and 94v

Layout

Two columns of fifty-two lines; ruled in brown ink; written area: 118 x 75 mm

Script

Gothic--textualis semi-quadrata

Decoration

Thirty-nine inhabited initials with biblical figures or scenes; forty-seven illuminated initials, some with marginal extensions/borders terminating in dragons or other figures

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.

Notes

Fragile; binding structure exposed; many leaves torn and damaged

Four single leaves kept separately (fols. 157-160)

Fourteen leaves from this manuscript are in the Lilly Library at Indiana University (Ricketts MSS C1, III:25, and III:53)

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.

Spine

Fore edge

Top edge

Bottom edge

Keywords
13th century
English
England
Bible
Illustration
Miniature
Illumination
Christian
Missing leaves
Free Library of Philadelphia

Place of Origin

Oxford, England

Date

Circa 1230-1240

Binding

Sixteenth century (?); worn red leather over exposed oak boards; remains of two clasps; boards slightly too narrow for text block

Language

Latin

Provenance

James Tregaskis, bookseller, London (1909); John Frederick Lewis, Philadelphia; given by his widow, Anne Baker Lewis, to the Free Library of Philadelphia in 1936

return to search Bible Lewis E 29

Place of Origin

Oxford, England

Date

Circa 1230-1240

Language

Latin

Provenance

James Tregaskis, bookseller, London

Manuscript Overview

Abstract

This manuscript contains a fragmentary copy of the Latin Vulgate Bible. It was made in Oxford circa 1230-1240, and the miniatures are attributed to celebrated English illuminator William de Brailes. There are thirty-nine historiated or inhabited initials, featuring figures or scenes relevant to the text they accompany. On fol. 81r, for example, Psalm 13 begins with an inhabited initial D showing a fool (the text reads 'The fool hath said in his heart: there is no God'). God is shown speaking to the prophets Hosea (fol. 113r), Amos (115v), Obadiah (118r), and Zephaniah (112v) in initials at the start of each of their books, and the two books of Maccabees begin with initials showing knights (fols. 127r and 137r). Occasionally, the decorated terminals of these initials have been excised (fols. 1r, 30v, 61r, 137r, and 153v). Many leaves are missing from this manuscript. Fourteen are known to be in the Lilly Library at Indiana University (Ricketts MSS C1, III:25, and III:53) and a number of others are dispersed among private collections elsewhere. Fols. 157-160 in the present volume are entirely detached and kept separately from the book itself, and others are partly loose within the sixteenth-century binding.

Notes

Fragile; binding structure exposed; many leaves torn and damaged

Four single leaves kept separately (fols. 157-160)

Fourteen leaves from this manuscript are in the Lilly Library at Indiana University (Ricketts MSS C1, III:25, and III:53)

Script note

Gothic--textualis semi-quadrata

Decoration Note

Thirty-nine inhabited initials with biblical figures or scenes; forty-seven illuminated initials, some with marginal extensions/borders terminating in dragons or other figures

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.

References
Binding Images

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.

Spine

Fore edge

Top edge

Bottom edge

Keywords
13th century
English
England
Bible
Illustration
Miniature
Christian
Missing leaves
Free Library of Philadelphia
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