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14th century leaf from an Italian gradual. Begins the Introit for Mass for the Feast of Corpus Christi, "Ego sum panis ...;" reverse (true recto) contains the Gradual for the first Sunday after Pentecost.

Source: Philadelphia, Free Library of Philadelphia, Rare Book Department,  Lewis E M 072:12

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One leaf and its reverse from a 14th century Italian gradual. Begins the Introit for the feast of Corpus Christi, "Cibauit eos ex adipe frumenti alleluia ...;" text continues on reverse. Was fol. 144. In Festo SS. Trin[i]tis c. 1712 written in right margin in 18th century hand.

Script: Rotunda Artist: Niccolò di ser Sozzo Figurative Decoration: historiated initial Other Decoration: foliate extensions Notes: This cutting can be dated to before 1363.

Source: Philadelphia, Free Library of Philadelphia, Rare Book Department,  Lewis E M 069:09

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A beautiful example of a 14th century antiphonal from Tuscany.

Script: Formal gothic liturgical book hand. Artist: Niccolò di ser Sozzo Music: Square notation on 4-line red staves. Figurative Decoration: Four historiated initials. Other Decoration: Painted and flourished initials.

Contains the common of saints, and the feasts of Corpus Christi, the translation of Francis (25 May), and Anthony of Padua (13 June).

Source: New York, Columbia University, Barnard College Library,  MS 1

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Two leaves from a 15th century Bavarian missal. Decoration associated with a traveling illuminator, active ca. 1435-70, in Bavaria and Austria, on many liturgical books and a Gutenberg Bible.

Source: New York, New York Public Library, Manuscripts and Archives Division,  NYPL MA 112

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Fragment from an Italian antiphoner dated 1512.

Artist: Giovanni Battista Cavalletto and his son Scipione Cavalletto, in the style of.

Figurative Decoration: Large illuminated initial on fol. 100r in the design of a classical vase; very large historiated initial on fol. 1r (about 105 mm. square) showing the Annunciation, within an elaborate classical surround and with full illuminated border including classical vases and birds (very cropped).

Other Decoration: Rubrics in red, some calligraphic initials with decorative penwork including human profiles, etc.; large and small initials throughout in alternating blue with purple penwork and red with blue penwork.

Source: Bloomington, Indiana University, Bloomington, Lilly Library at Indiana University,  Poole 17

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Check out some more Nagelschrift! Remember that? It’s the musical notation where some of the neumes look like horseshoe nails.

This fragment comes from a 15th century German Missal.

Source: New York, Columbia University, Burke Library at Union Theological Seminary,  UTS MS 003

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From the pontifical made for Charles-Orland, son of Charles VIII and Anne de Bretagne (but d. at age 3 in 1496); probably to Geoffroy de Pompadour (d. 1514); Frederick Perkins; Sir Leicester Harmsworth; Estelle Doheny. This leaf and three other leaves missing from the volume presumably already when owned by Estelle Doheny.

Fragment from a 15th century French pontifical (a book containing the forms for the sacraments and other rites and ceremonies to be performed by bishops).

Decoration: a capital "I" shaped border design, with strips across top and bottom margins and between the columns, of painted gold ground with strawberries, flowers, acanthus and a bird.

Incipit: et post septem psalmos penitenciales in benedictione Explicit: qui venturus est iudicare vivos et

Source: New York, Fordham University, Walsh Library, Archives and Special Collections,  MS Item 05

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More puzzle initials!

Though this is a--for lack of a better word--modern manuscript, it nonetheless contains some stunning decorations.

These are leaves from an 18th century Portuguese gradual. 

Music: Square notation on 4-line red staves; done in different hand Figurative Decoration: Full-page watercolors of flowers and birds. 8 historiated initials. Other Decoration: Red and blue initials. Larger puzzle-style red, gold and blue initials. Simple border designs around watercolors.

Title: Divo Gregorio Pontifici Maximo Ecclesiae Doctori Magno et Cantus Ecclesiastici Institutori.

Incipit: Gloria Pontificum decus immortale senatus Explicit: Agnus dei qui tollis peccata mundi miserere nobis miserere nobis.

Source: New York, New York Public Library, Spencer Collection,  NYPL Spencer 162

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Part 3 of 3.

This 15th century Italian antiphonal manuscript contains some gorgeous examples of gold painted initials, floral infilling, and foliation.

Source: Oberlin, Oberlin College, Main Library, Special Collections,  sine numero

[cantusilluminatus]

Part 2 of 3.

This 15th century Italian antiphonal manuscript contains some gorgeous examples of gold painted initials, floral infilling, and foliation.

Source: Oberlin, Oberlin College, Main Library, Special Collections,  sine numero

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Part 1 of 3.

This 15th century Italian antiphonal manuscript contains some gorgeous examples of gold painted initials, floral infilling, and foliation.

Source: Oberlin, Oberlin College, Main Library, Special Collections,  sine numero

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15th century leaf and its reverse from a gradual from the Netherlands. 

Decoration: Decorative initials, height of text plus staff: one initial in red embellished with brown filigree pen work filled in with green, pen flourishes extending into the lateral margin; other initials in blue, red, or black with pen flourishes.

Notes: On recto, some text cancelled and rewritten in later humanist miniscule; on verso outside lateral margin in red: .lvii. Latin

Source: Pittsburgh, PA, University of Pittsburgh, Special Collections,  PITT MS 3:C

[cantusilluminatus]

Beautiful leaf and its reverse from a 15th century gradual from the Netherlands with decorative initials, height of text plus staff: one initial in red embellished with brown filigree pen work filled in with green, pen flourishes extending into the lateral margin; other initials in blue, red, or black with pen flourishes.

Source: Pittsburgh, PA, University of Pittsburgh, Special Collections,  PITT MS 3:D

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From Spain to you: fragments from a 16th century antiphonary. I love the calligraphic initials.

Source: St. Louis, Saint Louis University, Pius XII Memorial Library, Special Collections,  VFL MS 020

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Pages from 16th century antiphonal originating from Spain.

Incipit: Creator alme syderum, Eterna lux credentium Explicit: vere tu exitus es, nam et loqueta tua manifestum fe facit. Magnificat.

Source: New York, New York Public Library, Manuscripts and Archives Division,  NYPL MA 093

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Teaching moment! So, a few of my posts have had “cadelled initials” as a feature. While there are several ways of describing the decorations used in medieval manuscripts, this term has eluded me. I finally found a definition that satisfied me:

Cadel: from a Dutch or French word ("cadel," "cadeau") for a little gift, something "extra"; it is used to refer to "extra" items, such as pen-drawn faces or grotesques, added to an initial letter. [Source]

14th century processional from Flanders, intended for use in a convent of Franciscan women.

Scribe: Iohannes de Havere Script: Gothic Music: Square notation on 4-line red staves with custos. Figurative Decoration: 1 initial containing a full-length figure of St. Clare.

Source: New York, Columbia University, Rare Book and Manuscript Library,  Plimpton MS 034

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16th century German gradual. 

Music: Nagelschrift notation on 5-line staves. (Remember what nagelschrift is? The individual neumes look like horseshoe nails (Nagel = nail, schrift = writing).

Other Decoration: Illuminated initials.

Source: New York, Columbia University, Burke Library at Union Theological Seminary,  UTS MS 015