Add MS 59863

ST LEO THE GREAT: collection of sermons of St Leo, written by the scribe Angelus and illuminated, probably in Florence; 3rd quarter of 15th cent. Latin. Included are 88 out of the 96 sermons printed in P.L. 54.142-468, together with one further genuine sermon (P.L. 54.517). The collection begins (ff. 1-6v) with a letter from St Leo to Flavian, Patriarch of Constantinople (P.L. 54.755) and concludes (ff. 184-186v) with a sermon 'De Absalom'(P.L. 56.1151) sometimes attributed to St Leo, but here given to Peter of Ravenna. The sermons are mostly arranged in groups corresponding to the major feasts of the liturgical year. See J. J. G. Alexander and A. C. de la Mare, The Italian Manuscripts in the Library of Major J. R. Abbey (1969), pp. 54-55, pls XXIb, XXII. Explicit in red capitals, f. 186v: 'Finis sermonum beati Leonis Papae primi: cui virgo Maria manum restituit: ut patet in cronicis. Cuius festum celebratur in vigilia apostolorum. Foeliciter. Angelus'. Arms, apparently original, f. 1: per fess, or and checky argent and or, in chief an eagle displayed. Bookstamp of the Minutoli Tigrimi library, of Lucca, dispersed in 1871, ff. 1, 87, 186v. Ex-libris of and note by C. H. St John Hornby, f. iii (his MS. 45). Armorial bookplate of Major J. R. Abbey, dated 1933, f. ii, who bought the volume from Maggs Bros. of London in 1929 (J.A. 3916). Purchased of Alan G. Thomas, 14 March 1977.

Vellum; ff. iv+189. Sec. fol.: 'virginitate concepit'. 285 x 200mm. Contemporary vellum pastedown and flyleaf to front. Gatherings (19) of 10, the last leaf used for the pastedown. Pricked and ruled with a hard point for single columns of 27 lines within double bounding lines. Written space: 170 x 110mm. Written in brown ink in a round, formal humanistic hand. Vertical catchwords between four dots. Contemporary Florentine binding (repaired) of wooden boards covered with tooled dark brown leather with traces of gilding. Fore-edges gilded and tooled. Four metal clasps, three of which are complete with modern leather straps. Sewn on four cords.

The decoration includes (f. 1) a white vine border on three sides with two gold-haloed putti in the lower border supporting a gold circle enclosing arms (described above). A separate 10-line gold initial 'D' with white vine decoration (f. 1) encloses an illuminated portrait of St Leo, mitred, seated in a landscape, holding a book. Each of the other sermons begin with a gold initial with white vine decoration.