Montréal, McGill University - Rare Books and Special Collections - Manuscript Collection, MS Medieval 0221

Cantus Siglum

CDN-Mrb MS Medieval 0221

Holding Institution

Montréal, McGill University - Rare Books and Special Collections - Manuscript Collection (CDN-Mrb)

Manuscript/Print

Manuscript

Summary

Antiphoner or breviary, one leaf, mid-16th century. No musical notation.

Description

Single leaf from a breviary or antiphoner with no musical notation. 530x332 mm., writing surface 435x250 mm.
Origins unknown and not derivable from chant contents.
Previously described by the library as a missal, but since the content is texts associated with the office, it is most likely from the hymn and canticle section of an antiphoner or breviary.
16 lines of text in a Prescissa (Spanish?) hand in black ink; rulings and margins in red, with red ink marking verse divisions, rubrics, and the opening verse of the Magnificat. Each verse opens with a large (exceeding the text rulings) Lombard-like initial alternating red and a somewhat greyish-blue; line fillers and majuscules touched in yellow. Red "192" in upper right of recto; considerable dirt (and repair) in righthand margin of recto.
Large (6 line) decorative initial M on recto, in red, blue, and yellow. The M is red and blue with white separation, in the manner of a puzzle initial, but with a yellow "buckle" in the middle of the M. The area within the M is filled with red and white foliage; outside, a blue floral motif with red highlights fills the interior of the initial's square frame. The frame's motifs, from inside out, are: squares outlined in blue with a red dot; a yellow scroll with red highlights on a red ground; squares outlines in blue containing a small red flower; and a yellow frame with outward scallops dotted in red.

Described by the library as follows: (https://mcgill.on.worldcat.org/oclc/1303565851):
"One vellum leaf from a mid-16th-century breviary written in Italy; texts in light-brown ink arranged in a single column of 16 lines; some capital letters in light-brown and yellow ink ; liturgical rubrics in red ; foliated in red ink (192) on the upper right corner of the recto side.

Decoration: Six-line initial (M) in red and grey, on square ground. Between the stems appear acanthus leaves shaped on the white ground, with light-red coloration, as well as scroll-like shapes, again in white, with red spots. The ground is framed (016 mm.). The frame contains a middle section with a spiral meander in yellow. The remaining two sections of the ground's frame are made of small white, grey framed, squares each containing a red dot ; first line of the canticle in red ink ; three interlaced line fillers.

Description Entered by

Anna de Bakker

Full/Partial Inventory

Full Inventory

Complete Source/Fragment

Fragment

Fragmentarium ID

F-1pqr

DACT ID

D-01pqr