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Harley MS 3807

Record Id:

040-002049640

Hierarchy Root Ancestor Record Id:

036-002049631

MDARK:

ark:/81055/vdc_100000000807.0x00013c

LARK:

SLARK:

Format:

ISAD(G)

Reference (shelfmark):

Harley MS 3807

Title:

Jacques Despars, Commentary on Avicenna, Canon Medicinae, Book 3, Fen XVI-XVIII

Scope & Content:

The manuscript is the ninth volume of the 11-volume set containing the commentary by Jacques Despars (c. 1380-1458) on the medical summa by Ibn Sīnā, Abú 'Ali Al-Husain ibn 'Abd Allah (Avicenna) (d. 1037), in the Latin translation by Gerardus Cremonensis (Gerard of Cremona) (c. 1113/4-1187).

The volume include the commentary on Avicenna, Canon Medicinae, Book 3, Fen XVI-XVIII. Avicenna's text: table of contents rubric (f. 1r) 'Fen sextedecime de dispositionibus / ficteris et intestinorum sunt .v. tractatus', incipit: 'Tractatus primus de anathomia intestinorum / et solutione ventris in generali', explicit: 'Capitulum .xi. de cura casus proiectionis super ventrem', rubric (f. 1v) 'Fen sextedecime de dispositionibus ficteris / et intestinorum sunt .v. tractatus. Tractatus primus / de anathomia intestinorum et fluxu ventris in genera/li sunt iiii. capitula. Capitulum primum de anathomia intestinorum', main text incipit: 'Creator sub/limis propter / premissionem / sue benigne', explicit: (f. 188r) 'proprie / campestres cum aqua ciceris et / oleo cartami'. Commentary: incipit (f. 1v): 'Creator sublimis. In hoc capitulo / primo agit de creatione intestinorum', explicit (f. 188r): 'cum aqua nigrorum ciceruni et oleo car/tami vel anetini si non reperias id de cartamo// Explicit fen xviii.a tercij / canonis avicenne ', rubric 'Finito libro sit laus et gloria Christo'. The text corresponds to Fen XVI (ff. 1r-127r), XVII (ff. 128r-147r), XVIII (ff. 147v-188r), preceded by tables of contents (ff. 1r, 127v, 147v) .

Decoration:

Three large historiated initials in gold on blue or red ground with white tracery and spray borders in colours and gold with foliate tendrils, small leaves, flowers and berries: 'C'(reator) of a physician pointing at a sectioned corpse (f. 1v); 'S'(cias) of a physician talking to his patient (f. 128r); 'C'(reati) of a doctor lecturing (f. 147v). The historiated initials are in the style of the Master of Jacques de Besançon. Puzzle initials in red and blue (ff. 37r, 67r, 84r, 114v, 154v). Initials and paraphs in alternating blue and red. Sentence initials touched in yellow. Rubrics in red throughout.

Collection Area:

Western Manuscripts

Project / Collection:

Harley Collection
Harley Science Project

Hierarchy Record Ids:

032-002045828
036-002049631
040-002049640

Is part of:

Harley MS 1-7661 : Harley Manuscripts
Harley MSS 3799-3809 : Jacques Despars, Commentary on Avicenna, Canon Medicinae.

Harley MS 3807 : Jacques Despars, Commentary on Avicenna, Canon Medicinae, Book 3, Fen XVI-XVIII

Hierarchy:

032-002045828[3800]/036-002049631[0009]/040-002049640

Container:

View / search within Archive / Collection: Harley MS 1-7661

Record Type (Level):

File

Extent:

189 folios.

Digitised Content:

http://www.bl.uk/manuscripts/FullDisplay.aspx?ref=Harley_MS_3807 (digital images currently unavailable)

Thumbnail:

Languages:

Latin

Scripts:

Latin

Start Date:

1475

End Date:

1475

Date Range:

1475

Era:

Access:

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User Conditions:

Physical Characteristics:

Materials: Parchment codex.

Dimensions: 395 x 280 mm (text space: 285 x 180 mm).

Foliation: ff. v + 1* + 288 (f. 1* is the original upper parchment pastedown pasted onto a paper leaf; the flyleaves include 3 parchment leaves, 1 of which is pasted onto a paper leaf and 2 modern paper leaves). Modern foliation in pencil '1-188' (including first flyleaf as f. 1*; f. 188v blank).

Collation: i-xv¹², xvi⁸.

Layout: Pricked from recto and ruled in red ink (single vertical bounding lines, with extra double vertical and horizontal lines in the margins) for double columns of 65 lines. Text below top line.

Script: Gothic hybrid.

Binding: British Museum/British Library binding with the Harley arms and motto gilt at the centre of the covers.

Custodial History:

Origin: France (Paris). The manuscript belongs to a set of 11 volumes (Harley MS 3799-3809) completed on 22 Dec. 1475 (see Harley 3809, f. 284r).

Provenance:

Parchment label from the original binding glued onto f. 1*v and bearing the title 'Expositio domini Jacobi / despars in xvi.tam xvii.am / et xviij.am fen tercij / canonis Avicenne', late 15th century (f. 1*v).

No. '204' (old shelfmark?) in brown ink at the lower right corner of f. ii recto.

Gui II Arbaleste (d. 1570), counsellor in the Parliament of Paris and bibliophile: his arms and motto 'Ingenium superat vires' (f. 1v, superimposed within decorated lower border).

Pierre Séguier (index Seguier) (b. 1588, d. 1672), count of Gien, chancellor of France from 1635 (see Wright and Wright 1966, Wright 1972).

Andrew Hay (d. 1754?), dealer: sold to Edward Harley together with other manuscripts from the Séguier collection on 5 September 1720 (see Wright and Wright 1966, Wright 1972).

The Harley Collection, formed by Robert Harley (b. 1661, d. 1724), 1st earl of Oxford and Mortimer, politician, and Edward Harley (b. 1689, d. 1741), 2nd earl of Oxford and Mortimer, book collector and patron of the arts, inscribed as usual by their librarian, Humfrey Wanley ‘5 Septembris, 1720’ (unfoliated flyleaf before f. 1).

Edward Harley bequeathed the library to his widow, Henrietta, née Cavendish Holles (b. 1694, d. 1755) during her lifetime and thereafter to their daughter, Margaret Cavendish Bentinck (b. 1715, d. 1785), duchess of Portland; the manuscripts were sold by the Countess and the Duchess in 1753 to the nation for £10,000 (a fraction of their contemporary value) under the Act of Parliament that also established the British Museum; the Harley manuscripts form one of the foundation collections of the British Library. Harley shelfmarks in brown ink '120.C.9 / 3807', and '2/III E' in pencil (f. ii recto).

Material Type:

Archives and Manuscripts

Legal Status:

Not Public Record(s)