The Digital Walters is a branch of The Walters Art Museum Manuscripts Department.
This manuscript is an illuminated copy, dated 1473, of Guillaume de Tignonville's French version of The Dicts and Sayings of the Philosophers, a genre with origins in eleventh-century Arabic literature. The text is a compilation of teachings grouped under philosophers from Greek, biblical, and legendary traditions, with this manuscript offering twenty philosophers. Each chapter begins with a half-page miniature depicting one of the philosophers with a three-quarters foliate border. At the end of the manuscript is an early nineteenth-century index of the philosophers (fol. 74v) and description of the manuscript, which affiliates it with William Caxton's printing of an English translation (fol. 75r). The nineteenth-century red velvet binding bears the crowned escutcheon of William Tyssen-Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst of Hackney.
Support: Parchment; Extent: iv+75+xlix; 276 x 200 mm bound to 290 x 220 mm; Foliation: Modern foliation in pencil, lower right recto; Collation: Structure uncertain; Catchwords: Horizontal catchwords in ink, lower right verso, mostly trimmed away, except for one visible on fol. 32v
One column of thirty-three lines; frame-ruled in red ink; written area: 190 x 140 mm
Bâtarde
Twenty large arched miniatures of philosophers appear at the beginnings of chapters, with foliate borders surrounding three quarters of the page (fol. 1r, Sedechias speaking with disciples; fol. 4r, Hermes; fol. 10v, Tac seated, pulling a castle toward him by means of an inscribed band; fol. 12r, Zaqualquin writing his books; fol. 14r, Homer embracing a maiden holding the scales of justice in one hand and a mirror of nature in another; fol. 15v, Zalon with disciples; fol. 17v, Hippocras seated; fol. 21r, Diogenes writing his books; fol. 24r, Socrates standing outside the city; fol. 31r, Plato speaking; fol. 37v, Aristotle possible receiving divine wisdom; fol. 43v, Alexander the Great displaying his book; fol. 57v, Ptolemy speaking; fol. 58v, Assaron speaking; fol. 52r, Overse (Onese) speaking; fol. 62v, Cardage (Macdarge) speaking; fol. 64v, Thales (Thesile) with his books; fol. 66v, Saint Gregory the Great reading; fol. 68r, Galen with open texts behind him; fol. 71r, Protege speaking); the name Alexandre is written in larger letters at the beginning of paragraphs in the Alexander chapter (fols. 43v-55v; in other Dits moraulx manuscripts (cf. Houghton Library MS Typ 207), these passages are themselves illustrated); blank sheets of paper have been tipped in facing each miniature, likely when the manuscript was rebound in the nineteenth century
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.
A section of fol. 24 has been cut out and patched with a new piece of parchment, which is coming loose. Some smudging and wear to the borders and miniatures
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.
Bourges, France
1473 April 1
Nineteenth-century red velvet with clasps; on the upper cover is the silver escutcheon, crowned, of William Amhert Tyssen-Amherst, Baron Amherst of Hackney (1835-1909)
Middle French (ca. 1400-1600)
Canopy above the philosopher Assaron shows a date: "FAIT LAN MIL CCCC LXXIII I APVRIL" (fol. 58v); the band held by the philosopher Tac is inscribed, though mostly illegible: the last word is "Floren[?]" (fol. 10v); Pierre de la Vacherie, secretary of Louis XI of France (ca. 1473; owner inscription, Pierre de la Vacherye Secretaire du Roy, fol. 15r); Mr. Meyrick ( sold June 1806), and assessed by "B.N." on back flyleaf; William Amherst Tyssen-Amherst, Baron Amherst of Hackney (1835-1909; silver crowned escutcheon on upper cover, bookplate with motto Victoria Concorde Crescit inside upper cover); other signatures on front flyleaf include Oliver Anderdon and Dr. Ferriar, possibly the doctor and antiquarian John Ferriar (1761-1815); given to the Free Library of Philadelphia by Lydia. T. Morris, February 1928 (stamp designating the manuscript as a gift of Miss Lydia T. Morris and Free Library stamped accession number 321774)
Bourges, France
1473 April 1
Middle French (ca. 1400-1600)
Canopy above the philosopher Assaron shows a date: "FAIT LAN MIL CCCC LXXIII I APVRIL" ; the band held by the philosopher Tac is inscribed, though mostly illegible: the last word is "Floren[?]" (fol. 10v); Pierre de la Vacherie, secretary of Louis XI of France (ca. 1473; owner inscription, Pierre de la Vacherye Secretaire du Roy, fol. 15r); Mr. Meyrick ( sold June 1806), and assessed by "B.N." on back flyleaf; William Amherst Tyssen-Amherst, Baron Amherst of Hackney (1835-1909; silver crowned escutcheon on upper cover, bookplate with motto Victoria Concorde Crescit inside upper cover); other signatures on front flyleaf include Oliver Anderdon and Dr. Ferriar, possibly the doctor and antiquarian John Ferriar (1761-1815); given to the Free Library of Philadelphia by Lydia. T. Morris, February 1928 (stamp designating the manuscript as a gift of Miss Lydia T. Morris and Free Library stamped accession number 321774) (provenance)
This manuscript is an illuminated copy, dated 1473, of Guillaume de Tignonville's French version of The Dicts and Sayings of the Philosophers, a genre with origins in eleventh-century Arabic literature. The text is a compilation of teachings grouped under philosophers from Greek, biblical, and legendary traditions, with this manuscript offering twenty philosophers. Each chapter begins with a half-page miniature depicting one of the philosophers with a three-quarters foliate border. At the end of the manuscript is an early nineteenth-century index of the philosophers (fol. 74v) and description of the manuscript, which affiliates it with William Caxton's printing of an English translation (fol. 75r). The nineteenth-century red velvet binding bears the crowned escutcheon of William Tyssen-Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst of Hackney.
A section of fol. 24 has been cut out and patched with a new piece of parchment, which is coming loose. Some smudging and wear to the borders and miniatures
Bâtarde
Twenty large arched miniatures of philosophers appear at the beginnings of chapters, with foliate borders surrounding three quarters of the page (fol. 1r, Sedechias speaking with disciples; fol. 4r, Hermes; fol. 10v, Tac seated, pulling a castle toward him by means of an inscribed band; fol. 12r, Zaqualquin writing his books; fol. 14r, Homer embracing a maiden holding the scales of justice in one hand and a mirror of nature in another; fol. 15v, Zalon with disciples; fol. 17v, Hippocras seated; fol. 21r, Diogenes writing his books; fol. 24r, Socrates standing outside the city; fol. 31r, Plato speaking; fol. 37v, Aristotle possible receiving divine wisdom; fol. 43v, Alexander the Great displaying his book; fol. 57v, Ptolemy speaking; fol. 58v, Assaron speaking; fol. 52r, Overse (Onese) speaking; fol. 62v, Cardage (Macdarge) speaking; fol. 64v, Thales (Thesile) with his books; fol. 66v, Saint Gregory the Great reading; fol. 68r, Galen with open texts behind him; fol. 71r, Protege speaking); the name Alexandre is written in larger letters at the beginning of paragraphs in the Alexander chapter (fols. 43v-55v; in other Dits moraulx manuscripts (cf. Houghton Library MS Typ 207), these passages are themselves illustrated); blank sheets of paper have been tipped in facing each miniature, likely when the manuscript was rebound in the nineteenth century
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.
Clear All
