Harley MS 4972

Contents:

ff. 1r-43r: Apocalypse in French prose, with prologue of Gilbert de la Porrée (a folio is missing between ff. 31 and 32);

ff. 43r-47v: Prophétie de la sibylle Tiburtine (Prophecy of the Tenth or Tiburtine Sibyl); the last folio of this text is now in Bodley MS Douce 308.

The text is in the dialect of Lorraine (see Emmerson and Lewis, 'Census and Bibliography, II' (1985) no. 72).

Decoration:

Partial bar border with a miniature in colours and gold, an illuminated initial, and grotesques in the bas-de page (f. 1r). 82 framed column miniatures in colours and gold of apocalyptic scenes (ff. 2r, 2v, 3r, 3v, 4r (x 2), 4v, 5r, 5v, 6r, 7r, 7v, 8r, 8v, 9r (x 2), 10r, 10v, 11r (x 2), 11v, 12r, 12v, 13r, 13v (x 2), 14r, 14v, 15r, 15v (x 2), 16r, 16v, 17r, 17v, 18r, 18v, 19r, 19v, 20r, 20v, 21r (x 2), 21v, 22r (x 2), 22v, 23r (x 2), 23v (x 2), 24v, 25v, 26r (x 2), 26v, 27r, 27v, 28r (x 2), 28v (x 2), 29v, 30r, 30v, 32v, 33r, 33v, 34r, 34v, 35r, 35v, 36v, 37r, 37v (x 2), 39r, 39v, 40v, 41r, 42r (x 2), 43v). 12 smaller framed column miniatures in colours and gold of grotesques, mermaids, birds, and animals (ff. 2r, 9v, 11v, 14r, 15r, 18r, 19r, 20r, 23r, 28r, 29r, 38v). Large initials in gold with red and blue pen-flourishing.

The subjects of the miniatures are:

f. 1r: John asleep on a boat with two beasts' heads as prows (left); the seven churches (right);

f. 2r: Hybrid creature with wings, tail and a human head, sprouting foliage from its mouth (left); John on the island of Patmos, seated at a lectern, writing on a scroll, instructed by an angel and with fish in the sea below (right) (Revelation I);

f. 2v: The Vision of Christ with a sword in his mouth and the seven candlesticks (Revelation I:13-16);

f. 3r: Christ blessing John, who kneels before him, with the seven candlesticks (Revelation I:17);

f. 3v: The Angel bids John write to the church at Ephesus and hands him a scroll from above ((Revelation II:1-7);

f. 4r: John writes to the Bishops of the churches of Smyrna (left) and Pergamos (right) (Revelation II:8-17);

f. 4v: John writes to the Bishop of the church of Thyatira (Revelation II:18-29);

f. 5r: Christ in the clouds instructing John;

f. 5v: John writes to the Bishop of the church of Philadelphia (Revelation II:7-13);

f. 6r: John writes to the Bishop of the church of Laodicea (Revelation III:14-22);

f. 7r: John climbs to the door of Heaven (Revelation IV:1);

f. 7v: The Vision of Heaven (Revelation IV:2-5);

f. 8r: Christ in a mandorla surrounded by the four beasts of the Apocalypse (Revelation IV:6-7);

f. 8v: The four beasts in the clouds, all with wings (Revelation IV:8-9);

f, 9r: The Adoration of Christ by the Elders (left); Christ and the Lamb enthroned, in a mandorla (right) (Revelation IV: 10-11);

f. 9v: Hybrid creature with wings, tail and a human head;

f. 10r: Christ and the Lamb enthroned, in a mandorla, with John watching them (Revelation V);

f. 10v: The First Seal: the rider on the white horse with a bow and arrow (Revelation VI:1-2);

f. 11r: The Second Seal: the rider with the sword (left): the Third Seal: the rider on the black horse with the scales (right) (Revelation VI:3-6);

f. 11v: A dog chasing a rabbit (left); the Fourth Seal: the rider on the pale horse with the mouth of hell behind him (right) (Revelation VI:7-8);

f. 12r: The Fifth Seal: the souls of the martyrs (Revelation VI:9-11);

f. 12v: The Sixth Seal: the earthquake (Revelation VI:12-17);

f. 13r: Angels holding the winds (Revelation VII:1);

f. 13v: The multitude worship God and the Lamb (left): the Elder explains to John (Revelation VII:9-17);

f. 14r: Hybrid creature with wings, tail and a human head with a flower in its mouth (left); the Seventh Seal: the giving of the trumpets (above right); the angel is given incense (below right) (Revelation VIII:1-3);

f. 14v: The First Trumpet: the rain of fire on the earth (Revelation VIII:6-7);

f. 15r: The Second Trumpet: the fire cast on the sea (left) (Revelation VIII:8-9); two hybrid creatures (right);

f. 15v: The Third Trumpet, with stars in Heaven (left); the Fourth Trumpet (right); (Revelation VIII:10-13);

f. 16r: The Fifth Trumpet: a star falls from Heaven (Revelation IX:9);

f. 16v: The locusts riding (Revelation IX:5-12);

f. 17r: The multitude of horsemen riding to destroy the people (Revelation IX:16-21);

f. 17v: The Great Angel appears clothed with a cloud (Revelation X:1);

f. 18r: Two hybrid creatures with wings, tail and a human head (left); the angel with one foot on the sea and one foot on the earth, lifting his hand up to heaven (right) (Revelation X:5);

f. 18v: The angel gives John the rod to measure the Temple (Revelation XI:1);

f. 19r: A dog attacking a deer (left); John measures the Temple (right) (Revelation XI:2);

f. 19v: The appearance of the two witnesses (above) and the death of the witnesses (below) (Revelation XI:3-7);

f. 20r: Two mermaids (left); the beast emerging from the bottomless pit (Revelation XI:7);

f. 20v: John addressing an angel who is blowing the Seventh Trumpet (Revelation XI:15);

f. 21r: The woman clothed with the sun (left); the Temple in Heaven (right) (Revelation XI:19);

f. 21v: The seven-headed dragon (Revelation XII:3);

f. 22r: The war in Heaven (left); the dragon cast into the earth (right) (Revelation XII:7-9);

f. 22v: The woman flies into the desert (Revelation XII:14);

f. 23r: The dragon casts out a flood (left) (Revelation XII:15-16); a large bird (right);

f. 23v: The beast rising from the sea (left); Worship of the dragon (right) (Revelation XIII:1-4);

f. 24v: The false prophet rising from the earth (Revelation XIII:4);

f. 25v: The angel on Mount Sion (Revelation XI:6-7);

f. 26r: A voice from heaven telling John to write (left); the Son of Man on a white cloud, holding a sickle (below) (Revelation XIV:13-4)

f. 26v: An angel appearing from the temple with a sickle (above) and harvesting the grapes (below) (Revelation XIV:17-18);

f. 27r: Seven angels coming out of the temple (Revelation XV:1);

f. 27v: The giving of the vials (Revelation XV:7);

f; 28r: The Fourth Vial poured on the sun (left); the Fifth Vial poured on the seat of the beast (above right) (Revelation XVI:8-11); a hybrid creature with a woman's head (below right);

f. 28v: The Sixth Vial poured on the Euphrates River (left); frogs come out of the mouths of the dragon, the beast and the false prophets (right) (Revelation XVI:12-13);

f. 29r: Two hybrid creatures arguing, one with a beard, one with a bonnet;

f. 29v: The Seventh Vial: the earthquake and destruction (Revelation XVI:17-21);

f. 30r: The angel of the waters speaking to John (Revelation XVI:5);

f. 30v: The woman of Babylon seated on the scarlet beast (Revelation XVII:3);

f. 32v: The Fall of Babylon (Revelation XVIII:1-3);

f. 33r: An angel casts the millstone into the sea (Revelation XVIII:21-24);

f. 33v: Triumph in Heaven (Revelation XIX:7);

f. 34r: An angel with a trumpet instructing John to write (Revelation XIX:9);

f. 34v: Christ coming down from Heaven on a white horse ((Revelation XIX:11);

f. 35r: An angel standing in the sun (Revelation XIX:17);

f. 35v: An angel coming down from Heaven with the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hands (Revelation XX:1);

f. 36v: Satan is released from prison after a thousand years (Revelation XX:3);

f. 37r: Christ enthroned as Judge (Revelation XX:11);

f. 37v: John's vision of the destruction of the waters (above); the creation of the new Jerusalem (below) (Revelation XXI: 13-XXI:1);

f. 38v: A rabbit with a drum and a woman holding a ?harp;

f. 39r: One of the seven angels showing John the holy city of Jerusalem descending from heaven (Revelation XX:2);

f. 39v: The new Jerusalem, with its walls studded with precious stones (Revelation XXI:19-20);

f. 40v: The blessed in the new Jerusalem (Revelation XXI:24);

f. 41r: An angel showing John the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and the Lamb (Revelation XXII:1);

f. 42r: John kneels before the Lamb on the altar (left); the angel speaks to John (right) (Revelation XXII:8-10);

f. 43v: The Tiburtine Sibyl holding two open scrolls (added in the margin).