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Harley MS 3999

Record Id:

040-002049836

Hierarchy Root Ancestor Record Id:

040-002049836

MDARK:

ark:/81055/vdc_100000000807.0x0001ff

LARK:

SLARK:

Format:

ISAD(G)

Reference (shelfmark):

Harley MS 3999

Title:

Collection of devotional texts

Scope & Content:

The manuscript includes a miscellany of devotional texts produced in one campaign as a collection:

ff. 1r-24r: Le trésor attributed to Jean de Meun, rubric: 'Icy commence le tresor maistre Jehan de Mehun', incipit: 'O glorieuse trinite'.

ff. 25r-65v: Pierre de Nesson, Les vigiles des morts, rubric: 'Parce michi Domine nichil enim sunt dies mei', incipit: 'Pardonne moy beau sire dieux'; for the modern edition of this text see Pierre de Nesson, Les vigiles des morts, ed. by Alain Collet, 'Les classiques français du Moyen Âge', 141 (Paris: Champion, 2002).

ff. 66r-66v: A religious poem known as Le Sentier de Paradis, a variant of La Voie de Paradis, incipit: 'Qui veult en paradis aler / pour avoir joye sans finer', see Jean Sonet, Répertoire d'incipit de prières en ancien français (Geneva: Droz, 1956), no. 1749.

ff. 67r-77r: A devotional tract, rubric: 'Sensuyt ung petit traitie pour sadresser a dieu le cuer desuoye', incipit: 'Dieu misericors et juste.'

ff. 77v-81r: A devotional tract, incipit: 'Saint Bernard dit ainsi. Qui bien vouldroit considerer ceste poure vie.'

Decoration:

8 large miniatures (ff. 1r, 5v, 6v, 13v, 15v, 18v, 21r, 25r) with large decorated or historiated initials (ff. 1r, 7r, 21r, 25r, 67r) and full foliate borders including small figures and scenes, in colours and gold, at the beginning of texts. Small initials in gold on red and blue grounds with foliate extensions into the margins. Decorated cadels.

The subjects of the miniatures are:

f. 1r: The Throne of Grace, with a Holy Spirit represented as an angel (Le trésor).

f. 1r: Initial 'O' of three angels reading (Le trésor).

f. 5v: The Nativity of Christ (Le trésor, 'Premier article de la nature nostre seigneur').

f. 6v: The Baptism of Christ (Le trésor, 'Second article du batesme nostre seigneur').

f. 7r: Initial 'O' of a man being baptised in a river.

f. 13v: The Harrowing of Hell (Le trésor, 'IIII article de la descendue nostre seigneur ou limbe').

f. 15v: The Resurrection of Christ; in the lower margin: Jonas emerging from the fish (Le trésor, 'Cinq article de la resurrection nostre seigneur').

f. 18v: The Ascension (Le trésor, 'VI article de lascencion nostre seigneur').

f. 21r: The Last Judgement; in the lower margin: the Mouth of Hell (Le trésor, 'VII article de la venu nostre seigneur au jugement').

f. 21r: Initial 'C'(est) of the commendation of a soul.

f. 25r: The Rising of Lazarus (Les vigiles des morts).

f. 25r: Initial 'P'(ardonne) of a funeral (Les vigiles des morts).

f. 67r: A man in prayer ('ung petit traitie pour sadresser a dieu le cuer desuoye').

Collection Area:

Western Manuscripts

Project / Collection:

Harley Collection

Hierarchy Tree:

[{ "id" : "040-002049836", "parent" : "#", "text" : "Harley MS 3999: Collection of devotional texts" , "li_attr" : {"class": "orderable"} }]

Hierarchy Record Ids:

032-002045828
040-002049836

Is part of:

Harley MS 1-7661 : Harley Manuscripts

Harley MS 3999 : Collection of devotional texts

Hierarchy:

032-002045828[3992]/040-002049836

Container:

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

Record Type (Level):

File

Extent:

1 volume

Digitised Content:

Languages:

French

Scripts:

Latin

Start Date:

1425

End Date:

1455

Date Range:

c 1430-c 1450

Era:

Access:

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User Conditions:

Letter of introduction required to view this manuscript

Physical Characteristics:

Materials: Parchment.

Dimensions: 215 x 150 mm (text space: 120 x 80 mm).

Foliation: f. 81 (+ 11 unfoliated flyleaves: 4 modern paper and 2 parchment leaves at the beginning and 1 parchment and 4 modern paper leaves at the end; + 3 unfoliated blank parchment leaves: 1 after f. 24 and 2 after f. 66). Catchwords.

Script: Gothic hybrid.

Binding: British Museum/British Library in-house binding. Gold-tooled brown leather; marbled endpapers.

Custodial History:

Origin:

France (Normandy).

Provenance:

Unidentified owner, late 15th century: his arms: argent, three barrels gules, two in chief and one in base (f. 15v), and impaled with or a lion rampant sable (ff. 5v, 25); the first arms are perhaps those of the Boutillac family, Champage (see for the 17th century, François-Abel de Boutillac, marquis d'Arson in Louis-Urbain Le Fèvre de Caumartin, Procès-verbal de la recherche de la noblesse de Champagne (J. Seneuze, 1673), no. 47).

Partially visible ownership inscription of Louis Dovigny (of de Vigny?), inscribed 'Ex libris Ludovici Dovigny (de Vigny?)', 15th/16th century (f. [vi] verso).

Nicholas Joseph Foucault (b. 1643, d. 1721), marquis de Magny, statesman and archaeologist: his book-plate with the legend 'EX BIBLIOTHECA | NICOLAI JOSEPH FOUCAULT | COMITIS CONSISTORIANI' with his arms: sable a lion rampant, dexter, crowned argent, as supporters two lions argent; a couronne de marquis surmounting the shield (f. [v] verso). A group of Foucault manuscripts was purchased by Harley at T. Ballard's sale at Paul's Coffee House, London, on 20 February 1720/21, but this manuscript does not include Humfrey Wanley's inscription recording the date of acquisition (see Wright, Fontes 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.

Edward Harley bequeathed the library to his widow, Henrietta Cavendish, née 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.

Administrative Context:

France (Normandy).

Information About Copies:

Select digital coverage available for this manuscript, see Catalogue of Illuminated Manuscripts http://www.bl.uk/catalogues/illuminatedmanuscripts/welcome.htm.

Publications:

A Catalogue of the Harleian Manuscripts in the British Museum, 4 vols (London, 1808-12), III (1808) , no. 3999.

Walter de Gray Birch and Henry Jenner, Early Drawings and Illuminations: An Introduction to the Study of Illustrated Manuscripts (London: Bagster and Sons, 1879), p. 18.

Cyril Ernest Wright, Fontes Harleiani: A Study of the Sources of the Harleian Collection of Manuscripts in the British Museum (London: British Museum, 1972), p. 155.

Material Type:

Archives and Manuscripts

Legal Status:

Not Public Record(s)

Names:

Bentinck, Margaret Cavendish, duchess of Portland, née Harley, collector of art and natural history specimens and patron of arts and sciences, 11 Feb 1715-17 Jul 1785,
   see also http://isni.org/isni/0000000115857160,
   see also http://viaf.org/viaf/2356861
Foucault, Nicolas Joseph, marquis de Magny, 1643-1721
Harley, Edward, second earl of Oxford and Mortimer, book collector and patron of the arts, 2 Jun 1689-16 Jun 1741,
   see also http://isni.org/isni/0000000108078249,
   see also http://viaf.org/viaf/160524259
Harley, Henrietta Cavendish, Countess of Oxford and Mortimer, née Holles, patron of architecture, 4 Feb 1694-9 Dec 1755,
   see also http://isni.org/isni/0000000030125833,
   see also http://viaf.org/viaf/6045563
Harley, Robert, first Earl of Oxford and Mortimer, politician, 5 Dec 1661-21 May 1724,
   see also http://isni.org/isni/0000000083423906
Meun, Jean, poet, c 1240-c 1305
Nesson, de, Pierre, poet, 15th century