Hard-coded id of currently selected item: . JSON version of its record is available from Blacklight on e.g. ??

Metadata associated with selected item should appear here...

Add MS 16951

Record Id:

032-002094746

Hierarchy Root Ancestor Record Id:

032-002094746

MDARK:

ark:/81055/vdc_100000000044.0x000122

LARK:

SLARK:

Format:

ISAD(G)

Reference (shelfmark):

Add MS 16951

Title:

Old Testament books from a Dutch history Bible, featuring commentary from the Historia Scholastica by the French theologian Peter Comestor (d. 1179)

Scope & Content:

This manuscript contains Old Testament books, from the Book of Genesis until the Book of Ruth, in a Dutch History Bible in which the biblical text alternates with commentary from the Historia Scholastica by the French theologian Peter Comestor (d. 1179). In the 15th century the History Bible was one of the most popular books in the North Netherlands. This manuscript presents a version of the so-called 'Utrecht Bible': the work of an anonymous compiler who, in the second quarter of the 15th century, joined materials from the Dutch History Bible of 1360 (perhaps made at the Carthusian monastery of Herne) and the translations of the New Testament and Old Testament lessons that Johan Scutken (d. 1425), a lay brother at the Augustinian monastery of Windesheim, made around 1390. The 'Utrecht Bible' is so-called because the decoration in most of its copies is associated with artists in Utrecht. This manuscript, however, was copied in Noordwijk (South Holland), and decorated by the the so-called 'Master of the Haarlem Bible', an artist in Haarlem (fl. c. 1445 – 1474), whose work is identified in more than 25 manuscripts. This manuscript contains his last known work.

Contents:

ff. 3r-6v: Table of contents.

ff. 7r-8v: Prologue.

ff. 8v-85r: The Book of Genesis.

ff. 85r-134v: The Book of Exodus.

ff. 134v-157v: The Book of Leviticus.

ff. 157v- 193r: The Book of Numbers.

ff. 193r-221r The Book of Deuteronomy.

ff. 221r-240v: The Book of Joshua.

ff. 240v-262v: The Book of Judges.

ff. 262v-265v: The Book of Ruth.

Decoration:

The manuscript contains 39 miniatures with colours in golden frames at their relevant biblical passages. The subjects of the miniatures are as follows:

f. 10r: God creates night and day.

f. 10v: God creates the sky and sea.

f. 11v: God creates dry land and plants.

f. 12r: God creates the sun, moon, and stars.

f. 13r: God creates sea creatures and birds.

f. 14r: God creates animals and mankind.

f. 17r: The four rivers of Eden.

f. 18r: God with Adam and Eve.

f. 19r: Adam and Eve eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

f. 20r: Adam and Eve cast out of the garden of Eden by an angel.

f. 23r: Cain killing Abel.

f. 27v: Noah's Ark.

f. 32r: Noah drunk, found by his sons Ham, Japheth and Sem.

f. 39v: God speaking to Abraham.

f. 43r: Abraham circumcises Isaac.

f. 50v: Abraham sacrifices Isaac.

f. 75r: Jacob and his sons (Joseph prostrated).

f. 78v: Jacob instructed by God to go into Egypt.

f. 84r: Joseph at Jacob’s deathbed.

f. 87r: Moses breaking Pharaoh’s crown.

f. 100r: Moses and the Israelites crossing the Red Sea.

f. 101r: Moses changes water into blood.

f. 102v: Manna raining down from heaven onto the Israelites.

f. 103v: Moses striking water from the rock.

f. 105v: Moses receives the Ten Commandments.

f. 111r: Moses builds an altar.

f. 125r: Israelites venerating the golden calf.

f. 173v: Aaron ordained as priest.

f. 177v: A bronze snake a staff, made by Moses, curing snake bite.

f. 179v: Balaam on his donkey halted by an angel.

f. 182v: Moses hanging worshippers of Belphegor.

f. 182v: An Israelite with a Midianite woman killed by Phinehas.

f. 230r: Joshua defeats the king of Makkedah.

f. 244v: Jael kills her husband Heber in his sleep.

f. 248r: Gideon defeats the Midianites.

f. 255v: Samson tears the lion apart.

f. 256v: Samson defeats the Philistines.

f. 257r: Delilah betrays Samson.

f. 258r: Samson destroys the temple of Dagon.

9 large initials for opening books: 3 large initials in gold against a red and blue background with red, blue and green penwork (ff. 7r; 8v; 158r); 3 large initials in blue against a gold background with fruit and flowers drawn inside the letter in colours and partial (one- or three-sided borders) with foliate and zoomorphic decoration in colours (f. 85r; 134v; 241r); 3 large puzzle initials in red and blue with red penwork decoration (ff. 193v; 221v; 262v).

Numerous large initials in red and blue (some with blue and red penwork) for the opening of chapters.

Numerous small initials in red and blue for subsequent sections.

Collection Area:

Western Manuscripts

Project / Collection:

Additional Manuscripts

Hierarchy Tree:

[{ "id" : "032-002094746", "parent" : "#", "text" : "Add MS 16951: Old Testament books from a Dutch history Bible, featuring commentary from the Historia Scholastica by the French theologian Peter…" , "li_attr" : {"class": "orderable"} }]

Hierarchy Record Ids:

032-002094746

Is part of:

not applicable

Hierarchy:

032-002094746

Container:

not applicable

Record Type (Level):

Fonds

Extent:

1 volume

Digitised Content:

Languages:

Dutch
Dutch, Middle

Scripts:

Latin

Start Date:

1473

End Date:

1474

Date Range:

1473-1474

Era:

Access:

Please request the physical items you need using the online collection item request form.

Digitised items can be viewed online by clicking the thumbnail image or digitised content link.

Readers who have registered or renewed their pass since 21 March 2024 can request physical items prior to visiting the Library by completing
this request form.
Please enter the Reference (shelfmark) above on the request form.

If your Reader Pass was issued before this date, you will need to visit the Library in London or Yorkshire to renew it before you can request items online. All manuscripts and archives must be consulted at the Library in London.

This catalogue record may describe a collection of items which cannot all be requested together. Please use the hierarchy viewer to navigate to individual items. Some items may be in use or restricted for other reasons. If you would like to check the availability, contact our Reference Services team, quoting the Reference (shelfmark) above.

User Conditions:

Letter of introduction required to view this manuscript

Physical Characteristics:

Materials: Parchment.

Dimensions: 285 x 205 (text space: 205 x 140 mm), in 2 columns.

Foliation: ff. 265 (+ 2 unfoliated paper flyleaves at the beginning + 2 at the end); f. 2 is misfoliated as f. 3; also includes 15th-century foliation, which begins only after the table of contents.

Binding: British Museum/British Library in-house binding.

Custodial History:

Origins:

Netherlands, North.

Provenance:

Noordwijk, written in 1473-74 by ‘hughe gherijtz[oon?]’, a surgeon: his name, occupation, location and scribal work described in a colophon (f. 265v): ‘Dit buuc en[de] bibele is ghescreve[n] wt devocien en[de] minnen in tijt cortinghe van ene[n] geheten meester hughe gherijtz[oon?] surgijn tot noirtich en[de] is begonnen int jair ons heren dysent vierhondert ende drie en[de] tseventich op sinte cosmas damianus avo[n]t en[de] is voleyndt des daghes nae onser vrouwe[n] dach nativitas int jair van vier en[de] tseve[n]tich wilt den heer voir hem bidden om zalicheit sijnre zielen ame[n]’.

Unknown 15th- or 16th-century owner: illegible 15th- or 16th-century ownership notation, ‘Dit boeck hoert toe […]’ (f. 1r).

‘J. Hinszend’ [?]: his name inscribed (f. 1r).

‘V. P.’ in 1666: initials inscribed (f. 265v): ‘V. P. 1666 den 10 May. Dit is op 8 jaer nae 200 jaren out’.

‘Baro de Heiden’, 1729: Isaac Le long, Boek-zaal der Nederduytsche bybels (Amsterdam: Vieroot, 1732), no. 6 (p. 251) refers to the manuscript in the ‘Catal. Bibl. Baro de Heiden, Zutph. 5 October 1729, in Fol. N[o]. 16.’ (unidentified catalogue).

Jacob Marcus (b. 1702, d. 1750), Dutch merchant and book collector: the manuscript is listed in the Bibliotheca selectissima (Amsterdam: Schouten, 1750), manuscripts in folio, no. 6.

‘Doorewaard’: purchased the manuscript at the auction of the collection of Jacob Marcus (Biemans, Codices Manuscripti Sacrae Scripturae Neerlandicae Medii Aevi, p. 286).

Pieter B. van Damme (b. 1727, d. 1806), Dutch antiquarian: auction catalogue Catalogus van eene uytmuntende bibliotheek […] Nagelaten door Wylen de Geleerde en Beroemde Heeren Van Westphalen, Meyerus, Chiflets, Butkens Le Roy(&c.) (The Hague: Gaillard, 1764), p. 181 (no. 1252).

Cornelis Ploos van Amstel (b. 1726, d.1798), art collector in Amsterdam, between 1772 and 1798: his bookplate pasted and name inscribed on f. 265v: ‘uet de verzameling van Ploos van Amstel, J. C. in Amsterdam 1772’. He may have written the paper identifying the manuscript's miniatures and added the paper flyleaves featuring the introduction to the manuscript (f. [i] recto): the paper watermarks feature the city of Amsterdam’s coat of arms.

Purchased by Thomas Rodd (b. 1796, d. 1849), London bookseller: note on f. 1r.

The British Museum purchased the manuscript from him on 22 May 1847 for £16.

Publications:

H. Brugmans, Verslag van een onderzoek in Engeland naar archivalia, belangrijk voor de geschiedenis van Nederland in 1892 op last der regeering ingesteld (The Hague: Nijhoff, 1895), p. 422.

Karel de Flou and Edward Gaillard, Beschrijving van Middelnederlandse handschriften die in Engeland bewaard worden, Verslagen en Mededelingen van de Koninklijke Vlaamse Academie voor Taal- en Letterkunde, 3 vols (Ghent: Koninklijke Vlaamsche Academie voor Taal- en Letterkunde, 1895–1897), I (1895), pp. 52-54 (no. 5).

Robert Priebsch, Deutsche Handschriften in England, 2 vols (Erlangen: Junge, 1896–1901), II (1901), p. 160 (no. 180).

C. H. Ebbinge Wubben, Over middelnederlandsche vertalingen van het Oude Testament : bouwstoffen voor de geschiedenis der Nederlandsche bijbelvertaling (The Hague: Nijhoff, 1903), pp. 34-35.

Alexander Willem Byvanck and Godefridus Johannes Hoogewerff, Noord-Nederlandsche miniaturen in handschriften der 14e, 15e en 16e eeuwen, 3 vols (The Hague: Nijhoff, 1922-25), no. 129.

Jean Deschamps, Middelnederlandse handschriften uit Europese en Amerikaanse bibliotheken: Tentoonstelling ter gelegenheid van het honderjarige bestaan van de Koninklijke Zuidnederlandse Maatschappij voor Taal- en Letterkunde en Geschiedenis: Brussel, Koninklijke Bibliotheek Albert I, 24 Okt. – 24 Dec. 1970 (Leiden: Brill, 1972), p. 154.

Sandra Hindman, Textus et Imagines in Codicibus Sacrae Scripturae Neerlandicis Saec. XV Imaginibus Ornatis, Corpus Sacrae Scripturae Neerlandicae Medii Aevi, Miscellanea 1 (Leiden: Brill, 1977), pp. 137-38.

Jos A. A. Biemans, Codices Manuscripti Sacrae Scripturae Neerlandicae: Corpus Sacrae Scripturae Neerlandicae Medii Aevi, Catalogus (Leiden: Brill, 1984), pp. 285-86 (no. 274).

Henri L. M. Defoer and others, The Golden Age of Dutch manuscript Painting (New York: Braziller, 1990), pp. 233-34.

Johan Peter Gumbert, The Dutch and their Books in the Manuscript Age: The Panizzi Lectures 1989 (London: The British Library, 1990), p. 89, ns. 81.

Material Type:

Archives and Manuscripts

Legal Status:

Not Public Record(s)

Related Material:

From the Catalogue of Additions (1864): 'THE BOOKS of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges and Ruth, accompanied by a gloss or commentary, translated into Flemish, from the Scolastica Hijtoria of Petrus Comestor. A Table of chapters and preface are prefixed. A note at the end states that it was written by " Meester Hughe Gherijtz, eurgyn tot Noirticli," in the years 1473, 1474. On vellum; ornamented with miniatures. [See a notice of the present volume in the Boek- Zaal der Nederduytsche Bybels, door Isaac le Long, 1732, p. 251] Quarto. [16,951.]'