Add MS 82955

Contents:

ff. 1-245r: Liber Animalium, consisting of 245 pen-and-ink drawings of different species of animals and mythical creatures, each accompanied by a description, beginning 'Cui rei data est fabula ut hoc ita accidat aquile quonia cu[m] olim homo esset sospiti iniuria'. The descriptions include details of the anatomy, development and behaviour of the creatures, and are based on Aristotle, Historia animalium, Pliny the Elder, Naturalis historia, Aeliani, De historia animalium and Albertus Magnus, De natura animalibus.

ff. 115-173 have been cropped with the loss of some marginal notes.

The description of the basilisk (f. 129r) is based on the works of the Roman authors Claudius Aelianus and Pliny the Elder. According to Aelianus, the basilisk was only the width of a palm but it could kill someone instantly with its stare, touch and breath. Pliny claimed that the basilisk could be killed using the scent of a weasel.

ff. 245v-247v: A drawing and description of Hercules and the Greek Muses; the source for the description is Lilio Gregorio Giraldi, Herculis Vita, originally published Basel, 1539.

ff. 248r-255v: Index animalium, two alphabetical lists of flying ('volucres') and terrestrial ('terrestria') animals.

Decoration:

245 pen-and-ink drawings of different animals, numbered 2-247 in ink, signed by the artist, ‘Idonius’.

The subjects of the images include:

f. 1r: An eagle ('aquila') with a cherub on its back flying over a landscape;

f. 2r: Three eagles, one killing a hare, ('Morphita Aquila');

f. 3r: Large birds, including eagles, perched and flying, one grasping a hare with its beak;

f. 5r: Owls ('ulula');

f. 6r: Large birds, one a kite ('milvus');

f. 7r: Two birds, ('asteria', a heron-like bird, in a landscape with an island ('Sa[n] Sebastia[n]') and ships;

f. 8r: Ossifrages or bearded vultures, one flying with a bone in its beak ('ossifraga'), in a rocky coastal landscape with ships;

f. 9r: Geese, ('anser'), some swimming in a river, with a landscape including a town and ship;

f. 12r: Ducks ('anas'), one held by a seated cherub;

f. 14r: Calidris and kingfishers ('alcedo');

f. 15r: The island of Sicily ('Trinacria') with kingfishers ('halcyones') and a volcano in the background;

f. 16r: Tetrax or bustard;

f. 17r: Vultures ('vultur'), some feeding on a carcass; an insect ('nympha');

f. 18r: A mountain goat with nightjars ('caprimulgus') and a flying insect ('ephemerus');

f. 20r: Parrots ('psittacus');

f. 21r: Flies ('musca') with a castle in the background;

f. 25: Owls ('bubo');

f. 26r: Wading birds ('carulus') and coots ('fulica');

f. 27r: Birds and harpies ('harpa') nesting in trees;

f. 28r: Jackdaws ('monedula');

f. 29r: A loon with a tower, a city on a promontory and a fleet of ships in a harbour behind;

f. 30r: A robin ('rubecula'), warblers ('atricapilla' and 'ruticilla') and flycatcher ('ficedula');

ff. 31r, 32r: Cicadas;

f. 33r: Cranes ('grues');

f. 34r: Finches ('fringilla');

f. 35r: Birds, including an ocelot ('pardalus') and starling ('sturnus'), and butterflies ('papilio');

ff. 36r, 37r, 38r: Chickens ('gallina', 'gallinaceus');

f. 39r: A cock fight ('gallus pelle');

f. 44r: Mythical 'chalcis' birds and diving petrels ('urinatrix');

ff. 45r, 46r, 47r: Swallows ('hirundo');

ff. 48r, 49r: Locusts eating a tall plant;

f. 50r: A griffon ('gryphus');

f. 51r: Crows ('graccuius');

f. 53r: Peacocks ('pavo');

f. 55r, 58r: Cuckoos ('cuculus');

f. 57r: Swans ('olor', 'cignus');

ff. 59r, 60r, 62r, 63r, 63, 64r, 65r: Bees ('apes');

f. 67r: A blue jay ('scopes');

f. 69r: Birds, including martins ('riparia'), and a large raptor ('aesalus');

f. 70: Heron ('ardeola');

f. 71r: Hooded crow ('cornix');

f. 74r: Pheasants ('phasianus');

ff. 75r, 76r: Woodpeckers ('picus martius') and their chicks ('pipo');

ff. 77r, 79r, 80r: Doves ('columbes');

f. 78r: A man feeding pigeons ('vinago');

f. 81r: Mythical stymphalian birds ('stimphalides');

f. 82r: Landscape with warblers ('cerulec') and wasps ('vespa');

f. 83r: Dippers ('cinclus'), finches ('carduelus') and wagtails ('motacilla');

f. 84r: Bats ('vespertillo');

ff. 85r, 86r: Owls;

ff. 87r:, 88r, 89r Partridges ('perdix');

f. 90r: Francolin ('Francolin');

f. 91r: An armed rider on horseback with dogs hunting quail ('coturnix');

f. 92r: Jacamars ('galbula'), one on a nest;

f. 93r: Herons ('ardea');

ff. 94r, 95r: Turtle doves ('turtur');

f. 96r: Hoopoes ('upupa');

f. 97r: Crows ('corvus');

f. 100r: Storks ('ciconia');

f. 101r: Magpies ('pica');

f. 102r: Turdus ('thrush');

f. 104r: Geese ('anser minor');

f. 106r: Bustard ('tarda');

f. 107r: Ibises ('ibes');

f. 108r: Sparrows ('passer');

f. 111r: A hyena chasing a man;

f. 114r: A hydra;

f. 121r: Frogs and spiders;

ff. 122r, 125r, 126r: Dragons;

f. 129r: A basilisk;

f. 130r: A chameleon ('camaleon');

f. 131r: A salamander;

ff. 135r, 136r: Lions ('leo');

f. 139r: Bison ('bonasius');

f. 140r-146r: Bulls, bull-like creatures and cows;

f. 147r: Weasel ('mustella');

f. 148r: Hedgehogs ('Herinaceus');

f. 150r: Otters ('lutria');

ff. 151r-158r; Horses and riders;

ff. 159r-161r : Elephants with a young woman and cherubs;

ff. 163r-164r: Wild boars ('aper');

f. 165r: Rabbits ('cuniculus')

ff. 166r-168r: Wolves ('lupus');

f. 169r: Lynx ('lupus cervarius');

f. 170r: Panther ('lupus canarius');

f. 172r: Rhinocerous;

f. 173r-174r: Foxes ('vulpis');

f. 175r: Tigers ('tigris');

f. 176r: Leopards ('pardalis sive panthera');

f. 177r: Wolves ('semivulpa');

f. 178r: Apes ('simia');

f. 179r: Monkeys ('cercopithecus');

f. 180r: A celtic deer ('alce celtica');

f. 181r: A wild goat or antelope ('tragelahpo');

f. 182r: Cats catching mice ('felis')

f. 183r: Wild cats ('cato silvestre');

f. 184r: A porcupine ('histri');

f. 185r: 'Cepus' , a mythical dog-like creature;

f. 186r: An antelope ('orix');

f. 187r: A centaur with bow and arrow ('onocetaurus');

f. 189r: Squirrels ('scyurus');

f. 190r: Beavers ('castor');

f. 191r: A unicorn ('monoceros');

f. 192r: Mice ('mus');

f. 194r: A dormouse ('glirus');

f. 195r: Badgers ('daxus');

f. 196r: Snails ('coclea');

f. 197r, 198r, 199r: Bears ('ursus'), one being stabbed by a man, one carrying cubs;

f. 200r: Ants ('formicis'), with a castle on an island;

f. 201r: Scarab beetles ('scarabeus');

f. 202r: A zebra ('zebra sive mula syria');

f. 203r, 204r, 205r: Hares ('lepus'), one chased by a hound;

f. 206r-210r: Dogs of different breeds ('canis');

ff. 211r-214r: Deer ('cervus');

f. 216r, 217r: Ostriches ('structio camelis');

f. 218r, 291r: Camels ('camelus');

f. 220r: A giraffe ('camelus pardalis');

f. 221r-223r: Donkeys ('asinus') one with a man, woman and children;

f. 224: Wild ass ('onager');

f. 225-227r: Mules ('mulus');

f. 228r-230r, 235r: Goats ('hircus ', 'capra');

f. 231r-234r: Sheep ('oves');

f. 235r: A mole ('talpa');

f. 236r: A pine marten ('martis sive marcarus');

f. 237r: A weasel ('mustella') and a civet ('viverra'), with a pegasus in the background;

f. 238r-240r: Tortoises ('testudo');

f. 242r: A snake ('aspis');

f. 243r: A crocodile ('crocodilius');

f. 244r: Dog-like creatures fighting ('Cinocephalus');

f. 245r: Satyrs in a pastoral landscape watching a group of hunters with dogs;

f. 246r: Hercules and the Greek muses.

f. 256r: The wheel of Fortune, with the legend ‘En ego fortuna si starem sorte sub una et non mutarer nunquam fortuna vocarer.