Add MS 47682

A biblical picture book with explanatory text of varying length, sometimes in rhyming couplets, in Anglo-Norman French, with some English. The material covers Genesis from Creation to Noah (ff. 1-9), the Life of Christ from the Annunciation (preceded by genealogies of Mary and Jesus) to the Ascension (ff. 10-38) and the fifteen signs of the Day of Judgement with some introductory material (ff. 39-42), (Dean, Anglo-Norman Literature, 1999, no. 472).

Decoration: 231 miniatures or tinted drawings, mostly two per page. The explanatory text is generally written above the relevant image, rarely below or incorporated in the miniature. Some miniatures have a background of red diaperwork with fleur-de-lis, flowers and vine and oak leaves (ff. 2r-9r). Initials in red or blue with penwork decoration (ff. 2r-9r) and capitals highlighted in red.

The subjects of the miniatures are:

f. 1r, A Dominican friar as patron instructing a secular artist: 'Ore feres bien e nettement car mustre serra a riche gent' ('Now do it well and carefully, for it will be shown to important people'). An angel watching from above.

f. 1v, Lady Fortune turns her wheel: a king sits at the top; he falls to the right, his crown and sceptre slipping from him; he crawls at the bottom before rising again.

f. 2r, God the Creator with his architect's compasses in a ring, surrounded by heaven and angels above and hell-fire below.

f. 2v, God, surrounded by animals, creating the birds.

f. 3r, The creation of Adam, above, and Eve, below.

f. 3v, The fruit of the Tree of Knowledge is forbidden to Adam and Eve by God.

f. 4r, Adam and Eve eat the forbidden fruit while the serpent, with a woman's head, watches. The Expulsion by an angel with a fiery sword.

f. 4v, The Angel stands, sword in hand, barring the gate to the Garden of Eden. Adam digs, and Eve spins.

f. 5r, Cain and Abel making sacrifices and Adam instructing his sons as they work in the fields.

f. 5v, The murder of Abel.

f. 6r, Cain and his descendants toiling.

f. 6v, The slaying of Cain by his blind descendant, Lamech and Lamech's son.

f. 7r, Lamech kills his son and Noah is warned of the flood by God.

f. 7v, Noah builds the ark, instructed by God and later boards it, carrying animals, followed by his family.

f. 8r, The dove and the raven released by Noah, with drowning people and animals in the water beneath the ark.

f. 8v, The ark is perched on top of the mountain, while Noah disembarks to cultivate vines and build an altar.

f. 9r, The grape harvest with Noah pressing grapes; Noah's drunkenness.

f. 10r, Jesse Tree with the twelve Old Testament prophets and the Virgin.

f. 10v, Jesse Tree showing the descent of Christ from Abraham, with St Matthew on the left holding a scroll and writing on it in cursive script.

f. 11r, St Mark writing on a scroll with a winged lion holding a small scroll; St Luke starting to write on a scroll, with a winged bull holding a small scroll.

f. 11v, St John writing on a scroll which is being held at the other end by an eagle in its beak; Satan arguing with Christ; the Annunciation.

f. 12r, St Joseph taunted by his neighbours; St Joseph asks the Virgin Mary about her pregnancy; an angel appears to Joseph; Joseph begs Mary's forgiveness.

f. 12v, The Visitation; St Joseph and the Virgin Mary at the inn; the Nativity.

f. 13r, The shepherds and the angel; the shepherds pay homage to the Christ Child, lying in bed with the Virgin Mary.

f. 13v, The Circumcision; the journey of the Magi, including their visit to Herod.

f. 14r, St Joseph warned by an angel; the Flight into Egypt; robbers seize the Virgin Mary's cloak and St Joseph's tools.

f. 14v, Miracles during the journey to Egypt (from the gospel of Pseudo-Matthew): the holy family pass by two men sowing corn; the miracle of the growing corn, with Herod's soldiers interrogating the sower while the corn has already grown.

f. 15r, Three further miracles during the Flight, from Pseudo-Matthew: the episodes of the bitter water, the bowing date-palm tree, and the falling idols.

f. 15v, Five miracles of Christ's infancy: the miraculous spring provides water for the Virgin Mary, the Christ child revives a boy who has fallen from a tower, while the father offers a vessel to Mary; Christ climbs a mountain of water; Christ seated on a sunbeam; Christ mends broken pots (source noted in Hassall, The Holkham Bible Picture Book (1954), p. 96, as the Arabic Gospel of the Infancy, xxiv).

f. 16r, Two further miracles from Christ's childhood: children turned into pigs when they are hidden in an oven; Christ dyes cloth different colours (source noted in Hassall, The Holkham Bible Picture Book (1954), p. 98, as the Arabic Gospel of the Infancy, xi; vernacular sources for these versions of the Infancy stories given in Altenglische Legenden, ed. by Carl Horstmann (1875), pp. 36, 38-39).

f. 16v, Herod kills his sons; he falls ill; he imprisons the nobles.

f. 17r, Herod's suicide; the death of the nobles; the succession of Archelaus; the Holy Family warned to return; the Virgin and Child with an apple.

f. 17v, The return from Egypt; St Joseph and the Virgin Mary seeking Christ; Christ among the doctors in the temple.

f. 18r, Christ as an obedient son, helping his parents; John the Baptist's birth foretold in the temple.

f. 18v, St John's birth, naming and circumcision; wearing an animal skin; baptisms in the river Jordan.

f. 19r, St John the Baptist preaching to five scholars and to wealthy nobles; the baptism of Christ; the Devil tempting Christ.

f. 19v, The second and third temptations; angels ministering to Christ; St John the Baptist leading two men to Christ.

f. 20r, The calling of the first disciples; Christ driving merchants from the Temple.

f. 20v, Christ and Nicodemus; St John the Evangelist summons Christ and the Virgin Mary to a marriage; the marriage at Cana with the water turned to wine and served to guests.

f. 21r, St John the Baptist imprisoned by Herod and his daughter, Salome; Christ is informed of it by two disciples while he is healing the sick and lame.

f. 21v, Salome's dance; the death of St John the Baptist; his head is brought before Herod and Salome on a platter.

f. 22r, Christ hails three disciples in a fishing boat; Christ preaching from a boat; the miraculous catch.

f. 22v, Christ charges St Peter to spread the Gospel; Christ reading in the synagogue; Christ and his twelve disciples, preaching to a crowd of followers, perhaps with St Mary Magdalene on the left.

f. 23r, The Sermon on the Mount; three miracles of healing.

f. 23v, The healing of St Peter's mother-in-law; of the widow's son of Nain; casting out devils; the rejection of a great doctor of the Law in favour of younger disciples.

f. 24r, The calming of the storm; the devils are cast out and enter the Gadarene swine, who are then drowned.

f. 24v, The healing of the paralysed man; Christ rests by a well; the woman of Samaria; the disciples eat but Christ will not.

f. 25r, Christ dines at St Matthew's house; the raising of Jairus's daughter; the woman with a flow of blood; healing blind men.

f. 25v, The casting out of demons; St Mary Magdalene washing Christ's feet at table; Martha and Mary.

f. 26r, The entry into Jerusalem; Christ weeps over the state of city; he again casts out merchants and money-changers from the temple.

f. 26v, The Pharisee and the publican; Christ preaching; Christ receiving the word of God from an angel ; Christ in the Temple, throwing out the Pharisees.

f. 27r. Three parables: the farm workers killing the farmer's son; the stone rejected by the builders; the king's wedding feast.

f. 27v, Three successive attempts to trap Christ in argument: by Saracens, Sadducees and Pharisees, the latter wearing phylacteries, or scriptural quotations, on their foreheads.

f. 28r, Christ and the disciples entering a city gate; the Last Supper with the washing of the feet.

f. 28v, Christ among the twelve disciples; the disciples sleeping in the garden of Gethsemane.

f. 29r, Judas is paid, his betrayal of Christ; the arrest of Christ; Christ before the High Priest.

f. 29v, Christ mocked and scourged; St Peter's denial before the cock crows.

f. 30r, Judas returns the thirty pieces of silver; the death of Judas; Christ before Pilate and before Herod.

f. 30v, Christ before Herod and before Pilate; Herod washes his hands; the flagellation of Christ.

f. 31r, Christ on the road to Calvary; holes are drilled in the cross; the nails for the Crucifixion are forged by the smith and his wife.

f. 31v, Christ nailed to the cross, with the two thieves watching; Christ's garments divided among knights casting lots; Pilate writes his superscription 'Ih[es]u de Nazarez, rey de iuyis'.

f. 32r, The Crucifixion, with Christ on a green cross and the thieves either side.

f. 32v, The Crucifixion: Christ's loins are covered by the Virgin Mary, his blood is collected in a chalice by a woman rising from her grave, and the two thieves on either side of Christ have their legs broken by soldiers.

f. 33r, The Deposition: Christ is taken down from the cross by Nicodemus, St John and the women; St Joseph lamenting; Joseph of Arimathea asking Pilate for permission to bury Christ.

f. 33v, Soldiers are ordered by a man of law to guard the tomb; Christ's body is wrapped in a shroud and laid in the tomb.

f. 34r, The Harrowing of Hell; St Joseph and Nicodemus imprisoned and rescued.

f. 34v, The Resurrection: Christ rises from the tomb; the women and the angel at the empty tomb.

f. 35r, The women are told by angels to seek Christ in Galilee; St Mary Magdalene gives the news to St Peter and St John; they inspect the empty tomb.

f. 35v, St Mary Magdalene meets Christ, disguised as a gardener; he shows his wounds; the guards are bribed by men to deny the resurrection.

f. 35r, The women meet the risen Christ; Christ meets the pilgrims at Emmaus; he dines with them; they return to Jerusalem to tell the Apostles what has happened.

f. 36v, Christ's two appearances at Jerusalem; St Thomas touches Christ's wounds.

f. 37r, Christ's appearance by the lake; the fish being prepared.

f. 37v, Christ asks St Peter to build his Church; St Peter calls the other disciples to join them; Christ's appearance in Galilee.

f. 38r, The Ascension, watched by the three women (the Virgin in the centre) and eleven Apostles.

ff. 39r-42v: Following a blank page (f. 38v), this final section contains the 'Last Things' which precede the Second Coming (derived from Historia Scholastica, In Evangelia, cxxxiv-cxli).

f. 39r, Christ indicates the nature of hypocrites by pointing to a richly decorated tomb which is putrid within (as suggested by the man wearing a tallith who holds his nose to avoid the stench); Zachariah martyred; Christ prophesies to the people of Jerusalem; Christ addresses the disciples.

f. 39v, The temple is destroyed; Jerusalem is attacked; Heaven is darkened; the prophet of doom. (This episode, based on the Historia Scholastica, refers to the thrid desecration of the Temple by Emperor Hadrian).

f. 40r, Two mounted kings and their knights do battle against one another; below, the commoners fight each other with bucklers, swords, sticks and axes.

f. 40v, The first five signs preceding Judgement Day (i.e. the Fifteen Signs attributed to St Jerome - see Hassell, The Holkham Bible Picture Book (1954), pp. 152-53): the sea rises, subsides, the fish bellow to the heavens, the sea burns, and plants turn to blood (days 1-5).

f. 41r, Four further signs preceding Judgement Day: buildings collapse, rocks are split apart, the orbs of the earth and the firmament fuse into one, pushed by the hand of God (days 6-9).

f. 41v, Four more signs of Judgement Day: the demented emerge from the earth, the dead rise from their tombs, the stars fall to earth, all men and women die and rise for their judgement (days 10-13).

f. 42r, The New Heaven and the New Earth; Christ returns; the last trumpet sounds.

f. 42v, The Last Judgement, Christ enthroned with the just on his right and the damned on his left; the blessed enter the gates of heaven and the damned are tortured in hell.