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...
Harley MS 4773
- Record Id:
- 040-002050616
- Hierarchy Root Ancestor Record Id:
- 040-002050616
- MDARK:
- ark:/81055/vdc_100000000859.0x000123
- LARK:
- ark:/81055/vdc_100064571939.0x000001
- SLARK:
- Format:
- ISAD(G)
- Reference (shelfmark):
- Harley MS 4773
- Title:
-
The second part of the 'Montpellier Bible', containing the Book of Proverbs to the Book of Revelation
- Scope & Content:
-
This is the second of two volumes of one of the nine extant copies of the Languedocian recension of the Latin Vulgate (see Berger, Histoire de la Vulgate (1893), pp. 72-88), containing the Book of Proverbs to the Book of Revelation. This Bible is known as the ‘Montpellier Bible', after the location of its 17th-century owner, the chancellor of the University of Montpellier. The two volumes were produced in the 1st quarter of the 12th century. They were decorated by two artists: the first artist, who was influenced by an Italian style, decorated the initials of the Old Testament prefaces and the opening initial of the Book of Genesis. The majority of the initials, however, were decorated by the second artist. This artist’s work is marked by a great variety of ornamental motifs, and zoomorphic, hybrid and anthropomorphic figures in bright colours in a style that indicates that the manuscript was produced in the region of Languedoc (see Cahn, Romanesque Bible Illumination (1975), pp. 272-73 (no. 74)). This seems to be confirmed by a number of prologues and original marginal annotations in the first volume that refer to a work entitled the ‘History of Lyon’ (‘historia lugdunensis’). The references to this as of yet unidentified work suggest that the scribes who copied this Bible compared their exemplar(s) to an authoritative biblical work from the Archdiocese of Lyon and perhaps were located there as well.
Contents:
f. 1r: A prologue to the Book of Proverbs.
ff. 1r-1v: A table of contents for the Book of Proverbs.
f. 1v: A prologue to the Book of Proverbs.
ff. 1v-10r: The Book of Proverbs.
f. 10r: A table of contents for the Book of Ecclesiastes.
ff. 10r-13r: The Book of Ecclesiastes.
ff. 13r-14v: The Canticle of Canticles.
f. 15r: A table of contents for the Book of Wisdom.
ff. 15r-21v: The Book of Wisdom.
f. 21v: A prologue to the Book of Sirach.
ff. 21v-22v: A table of contents for the Book of Sirach.
ff. 22v-40v: The Book of Sirach.
ff. 41r-41v: A prologue to the Book of Job.
f. 41v: A table of contents for the Book of Job.
ff. 42r-52r: The Book of Job.
ff. 52r-52v: A prologue to the Book of Esdras.
ff. 52v-62v: The Book of Esdras.
f. 61v: A prologue to the Book of Tobit.
ff. 62r-65v: The Book of Tobit.
f. 65v: A prologue to the Book of Judith.
ff. 65v-71r: The Book of Judith.
f. 71r: A prologue to the Book of Esther.
ff. 71r-76r: The Book of Esther.
ff. 76r-77r: A table of contents for the Book of 1 Maccabees.
ff. 77r-90r: The Book of 1 Maccabees.
ff. 90r-90v: A table of contents for the Book of 2 Maccabees.
ff. 90v-100r: The Book of 2 Maccabees.
ff. 100v-101r: A prologue to the Gospels.
ff. 101r-101v: A prologue to the Gospels.
f. 101v: A prologue to the Gospel of Matthew.
f. 101v-102r: A table of contents for the Gospel of Matthew.
ff. 102v-116v: The Gospel of Matthew.
ff. 116v: A table of contents for the Gospel of Mark.
ff. 166v-117r: A prologue to the Gospel of Mark.
ff. 117r-125r: The Gospel of Mark.
ff. 125r-125v: A table of contents for the Gospel of Luke.
ff. 125v-126r: A prologue for the Gospel of Luke.
ff. 126r-140v: The Gospel of Luke.
ff. 140v-141r: A table of contents for the Gospel of John.
f. 141r: A prologue for the Gospel of John.
ff. 141r-153r: The Gospel of John.
ff. 153r-157v: A lectionary.
ff. 157v-158v: A prologue to the Pauline Epistles.
ff. 158v-164v: The Epistle to the Romans.
f. 164v: A prologue to the First Epistle to the Corinthians.
ff. 164v-170v: The First Epistle to the Corinthians.
f. 170v: A prologue to The Second Epistle to the Corinthians.
ff. 170r-174v: The Second Epistle to the Corinthians.
f. 174v: A prologue to the Epistle to the Galatians.
f. 174v: A prologue to the Epistle to the Galatians.
ff. 174v-176v: The Epistle to the Galatians.
f. 176v: A prologue to the Epistle to the Ephesians.
ff. 176v-178v: The Epistle to the Ephesians.
ff. 178v: A prologue to the Epistle to the Philippians.
ff. 178v-180r: The Epistle to the Philippians.
f. 180r: A prologue to the Epistle to the Colossians.
ff. 180r-181v: The Epistle to the Colossians.
f. 181v: The First Epistle to the Thessalonians.
ff. 181v-182v: The First Epistle to the Thessalonians.
ff. 182v-183r: A prologue to the Second Epistle to the Thessalonians.
ff. 183r-183v: The Second Epistle to the Thessalonians.
f. 183v: A prologue to the First Epistle to Timothy.
ff. 183v-185r: The First Epistle to Timothy.
f. 185r: A prologue to the Second Epistle to Timothy.
f. 185r: A prologue to the Second Epistle to Timothy.
ff. 185r-186v: The Second Epistle to Timothy.
f. 186v: A prologue to the Epistle to Titus.
ff. 186v-187r: The Epistle to Titus.
f. 187r: A prologue to the Epistle to Philemon.
ff. 187r-187v: The Epistle to Philemon.
f. 187v: A prologue to the Epistle to the Hebrews.
ff. 187v-191v: The Epistle to the Hebrews.
ff. 191v-193r: The Epistle of James.
ff. 193r-194v: The First Epistle of Peter.
ff. 194v-195v: The Second Epistle of Peter.
ff. 195v-197r: The First Epistle of John.
ff. 197r-197v: The Second Epistle of John.
f. 197v: The Third Epistle of John.
ff. 197v-198r: The Epistle of Jude.
f. 198r: A prologue to the Acts of the Apostles.
ff. 198r-212r: The Acts of the Apostles.
ff. 212r-218r: The Book of Revelation.
The manuscript contains a number of later additions:
The last lines of ff. 10v, 34v, 207r, 209r were lost and have been rewritten, perhaps in the 14th or 15th century.
Decoration:
1 large initial entirely zoomorphic (a bird or dragon biting its own neck) in red and blue (f. 71r). 41 large initials outlined by colours or gold, some with yellow or gold fillers, some partly foliate or zoomorphic, some featuring zoomorphic and hybrid figures inside their letters, some featuring knot-work, in gold, yellow, red or blank frames with a background in blue or blue and red (ff. 1v, 10r, 13r, 15r, 21v, 22v, 41r, 42r, 62r, 65v, 77r, 91r, 102v, 117r, 126r, 141r, 157v, 158v, 164v, 170v, 174v, 176v, 178v, 180r, 181v, 183r, 183v, 185r, 186v, 187r, 187v, 191v, 193r, 194v, 195v, 197r, 197v (2x), 198r, 198v, 212r). 20 large initials in red or blue, or red and blue, with blue and red pen-work decoration (ff. 1r, 1v, 52r, 52v, 61v, 65v, 100v, 101r, 116v, 125v, 126r, 141r, 174 (2x), 176v, 178v, 180r, 183v, 185r, 186v). Small initials in red, some with simple pen-work decoration. Rubrics in large letters of red and blue with pen-work decoration. Line-fillers and numbers in red.
- Collection Area:
- Western Manuscripts
- Project / Collection:
- England and France 700-1200 Project
Harley Collection - Hierarchy Tree:
- [{ "id" : "040-002050616", "parent" : "#", "text" : "Harley MS 4773: The second part of the 'Montpellier Bible', containing the Book of Proverbs to the Book of Revelation" , "li_attr" : {"class": "orderable"} }]
- Hierarchy Record Ids:
- 032-002045828
040-002050616 - Is part of:
- Harley MS 1-7661 : Harley Manuscripts
Harley MS 4773 : The second part of the 'Montpellier Bible', containing the Book of Proverbs to the Book of Revelation - Hierarchy:
- 032-002045828[4772]/040-002050616
- Container:
- View / search within Archive / Collection: Harley MS 1-7661
- Record Type (Level):
- File
- Extent:
- A parchment codex
- Digitised Content:
- https://iiif.bl.uk/uv/#?manifest=https://bl.digirati.io/iiif/ark:/81055/vdc_100064571939.0x000001
- Thumbnail:
-
- Languages:
- Latin
- Scripts:
- Latin
- Start Date:
- 1100
- End Date:
- 1124
- Date Range:
- 1st quarter of the 12th century
- Era:
- CE
- 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:
- Physical Characteristics:
-
Materials: Parchment.
Dimensions: 510 x 360 mm (text space: 410 x 240 mm, in 2 columns).
Foliation: ff. 218 ( + 3 modern paper flyleaves at the beginning + 3 at the end); parchment strips from the lower margins of ff. 10, 29, 34, 89, 129, 169, 170, 207, 209 have been removed, and replaced with new parchment; marbled endpapers; medieval foliation in roman numbers is present in the right margin on rectos.
Script: Protogothic.
Binding: Post-1600. British Museum/British Library in-house. Black gold-tooled half leather binding with Harley’s bookplate gold-stamped on the upper and lower covers, the spine inscribed in gold at the British Museum: ‘BIBLIA LATINA. VOL. II’.
- Custodial History:
-
Origin: ?Lyon, Southeastern France.
François Ranchin (b.1564, d.1641), chancellor of the University of Montpellier, in 1621: his name inscribed in the lower margin of f. 1r (‘Francisci Ranchini cancellarij universitatis medic. monsp.’); perhaps his 16th or 17th (?)-century marginal annotations in Latin and French (‘monsieur’) on f. 45r; given to the Capuchins at Montpellier in 1621.
The Capuchin monastery, Montpellier in 1621: inscribed 'ad usum fratrum [capucinorum conventus Monspetiensis] ordinis sancti Francisci’ (partially legible due to cropping; a complete inscription on f.1* recto and f. 1r of Harley MS 4773) with the catalogue number ‘B' and date ‘Die 1 mensis Januarij anno 1621’ (f. 1r).
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 ‘.
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.
- Information About Copies:
-
Full digital coverage available for this manuscript: see Digitised Manuscripts at http://www.bl.uk.manuscripts/.
Select digital coverage available for this manuscript: see Catalogue of Illuminated Manuscripts at http://www.bl.uk/catalogues/illuminatedmanuscripts/welcome.htm.
Select digital coverage available for this manuscript; see the Catalogue of Illuminated Manuscripts, https://bl.uk/catalogues/illuminatedmanuscripts/.
- Publications:
-
A Catalogue of the Harleian Manuscripts in the British Museum, 4 vols (London: Eyre and Strahan, 1808-1812), III (1808), p. 203.
Samuel Berger, Histoire de la Vulgate pendant les premiers siècles du moyen âge (Paris: Hachette et cie, 1893), pp. 76, 388.
Frederick Henry Ambrose Scrivener, A Plain Introduction to the Criticism of the New Testament, 4th edn, ed. by Edward Miller, 2 vols (London: Bell, 1894), II, p. 67.
Meyer Schapiro, 'New Documents on Saint-Gilles', Art Bulletin, 17 (1935), 414-31 (pp. 426-31, figs 1, 16).
Meyer Schapiro, 'From Mozarabic to Romanesque in Silo', Art Bulletin, 21 (1939), 313-374 (p. 323 n. 14).
Derek Howard Turner, Romanesque Illuminated Manuscripts in the British Museum (London: British Museum, 1966), p. 26, pl. 15.
Claus Michael Kauffmann, Romanesque Manuscripts 1066-1190, Survey of Manuscripts Illuminated in the British Isles, 3 (London: Miller, 1975), p. 34.
Walter Cahn, Romanesque Bible Illumination (Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1982), pp. 272-73 (no. 74) [with additional bibliography].
François Avril, 'Les arts de la couleur', in Le Monde Roman 1060-1200, ed. by François Avril, Xavier Barral I Altet, and Danielle Gaborit-Chopin, 2 vols (Paris: Gallimard, 1983), I: Les Royaumes d’Occident, pp. 159-259 (pp. 187-88, pl. 154).
Walter Cahn, Romanesque Manuscripts: The Twelfth Century (London: Miller, 1996), I, p. 23; II, pp. 59, 60-61 (no. 49), 66 [with additional bibliography].
Janet Backhouse, The Illuminated Page: Ten Centuries of Manuscript Painting in the British Library (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1997), p. 42 (no. 27).
John Lowden, The Making of the Bibles Moralisées, 2 vols (University Park: Pennsylvania State University Press, 2000), II: The Book of Ruth, p. 28, fig. 12.
Scot McKendrick and Kathleen Doyle, Bible Manuscripts: 1400 Years of Scribes and Scripture (London: British Library, 2007), p. 80 (no. 67).
- Material Type:
- Archives and Manuscripts
- Legal Status:
- Not Public Record(s)
- Notes:
- This manuscript is part of The Polonsky Foundation England and France Project: Manuscripts from the British Library and the Bibliothèque nationale de France, 700-1200.