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Royal MS 19 D II
- Record Id:
- 040-002107625
- Hierarchy Root Ancestor Record Id:
- 032-002105724
- MDARK:
- ark:/81055/vdc_100000000338.0x000393
- LARK:
- SLARK:
- Format:
- ISAD(G)
- Reference (shelfmark):
- Royal MS 19 D II
- Title:
- Guyard des Moulins, Bible historiale ('The Bible of John the Good')
- Scope & Content:
-
Guyard des Moulins, Bible historiale (Bible historiale complétée moyenne according to Berger 1884), a French adaptation of Petrus Comestor's Historia scholastica. Preface incipit: 'Pour ce que li deables'. The manuscript's content follows the general arrangement of the text of the Bible historiale except: 1. Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah and 3 Esdras are not included, and at the end of 4 Kings is a note 'Notez ci que listoire de Thobie devroit selonc le mestre en hystoires tantost siuir apres le quart livre des roys. Mais ie lai ci mis aprez le livre de cob (sic, for Iob) pour ce quil gist en la bible devant Thobie. Et nepourquant ne deussent il mie estre en cest liure. Car il ne sont mic livre hystorial. Ne li mestres nen traite mic en tel ordre comme il gist en la bible'. After this follows Grand Job, Petit Job, etc. The prayer of Jeremiah is omitted, the rubric at the end of Lamentations (f. 359v) being: 'Ci fine les lamentacions Ieremies et puis sensuit loroison qui est el kaier ou li prologue sont escript puis sensuit le prologue Baruc'; 2. There is no prologue prefixed to the Psalms (but a Litany with Norman saints is appended at the end), and the prologues of St Jerome are omitted, though the rubric above quoted seems to show that they were written on a separate quire, which is now lost. The rubrics announcing them are preserved in the case of Jeremiah and some of the Epistles, but the only prologues contained in the volume are that to Baruch, and a brief argument to the Epistle to the Romans (f. 477v).
Includes instructions for the running titles, and rubrics (e.g., ff. 397v, 398r, 399r, 400r, 400v, 520r).
Decoration: 2 large miniatures in colours and gold with foliate initials in gold and colours and full bar borders containing bas-de-page scenes, at the beginning of the prologue and Proverbs (ff. 1r, 273r). 87 one-column miniatures in colours and gold with foliate initials and partial borders, at the beginning of books and other major divisions. 4 historiated initials in colours and gold, at the beginning of some Psalms (ff. 254r, 257r, 260r, 263r). Numerous miniatures and historiated initials with notes indicating the colour (e.g., ff. 3v-5r), or pattern (f. 288v) of the background, some with numbers (e.g., ff. 110r, 117r, 174v), and some with instructions to the illuminator (ff. 482v, 487v, 492, 493v, 495v, 497v, 498v, 499v). Marginal drawing of a head (f. 37r). Foliate initials in colours and gold with ivy extensions. Initials in gold with blue pen-flourishing, or in blue with red pen-flourishing. Line-fillers in red and blue, or blue and gold. Running titles in gold and blue with blue and red pen-flourishing.
Illuminated by the Master of The Coronation Book of Charles V, Cotton Tiberius B VIII, ff. 35-80 (see Avril 1982). Two other manuscripts by this artist are Bibliothèque nationale de France, ms. fr. 2813, and ms. fr. 24287.
The subjects of the miniatures are:
f. 1r: God enthroned, with a triple tiara supported by two angels and red seraphim and blue cherubim in the background: the four Evangelists in separate compartments. In the border below, Samson with the gates of Gaza and Solomon setting the three sons to shoot at their father's corpse (prologue).
ff. 3v-5v, Days of Creation.
f. 7r, God placing Adam in Paradise.
f. 7v. God forbiding Adam to eat fruit from the tree, and God creating Eve.
f. 8r, The Fall.
f. 9r, Expulsion from Paradise.
f. 9v, Sacrifices of Cain and Abel.
f. 10v, Cain killing Abel.
f. 11r, Two groups of descendants.
f. 12v, Noah building the ark.
f. 13v, Entry into the ark.
f. 15r, The Sin of Ham.
f. 17r, The Call of Abraham.
f. 26r, Birth of Jacob and Esau.
f. 27v, Blessing of Jacob.
f. 28r, Rebecca speaking to Jacob.
f. 28v, Jacob's dream.
f. 33v, Joseph being sold by his brothers
f. 43v, Israelites going into bondage.
f. 68v, Building of the tabernacle.
f. 77v, Moses on the mount.
f. 95v, Moses instructing the people.
f. 110r, God choosing Joshua as ruler.
f. 117r, Samson carrying the gates of Gaza.
f. 124r, The shearing of Samson.
f. 128v, Offering of Elkanah.
f. 142r, David ordering the death of the Amalekite.
f. 155r Anointing of Solomon.
f. 174v, Elijah carried to heaven.
f. 195v, Job with his friends.
f. 206v, Job with his wife and friends.
f. 207v, Tobit in bed, his wife and Tobias with the angel.
f. 212r, Death of Gedaliah.
f. 217r, Judith slaying Holofernes.
f. 232v, Ahasuerus and Esther.
f. 237v, The death of Haman; Ahasuerus, Esther and Mordecai.
f. 242r, David with musical instruments.
f. 246r, David pointing to his eye (Psalm 26).
f. 249r, David pointing to his lips (Psalm 38).
f. 250v, Fool with loaf and bauble (Psalm 52).
f. 254r, David in water (Psalm 68).
f. 257r, David playing on four bells (Psalm 80).
f. 260r, Three singers at desk (Psalm 97).
f. 263r, God the Father and Christ (Psalm 109).
f. 273r, Four compartments: 1. Solomon instructing Rehoboam; 2. Judgement of Solomon; 3. The three sons appealing to Solomon, 4. Solomon and the three sons shooting at their father's corpse. A lion and ape, with grotesques, in the bottom border.
f. 284v, Solomon enthroned with a woman (Wisdom ?) on his right.
f. 288r, Christ standing, with cross, taking the Bride by the hand.
f. 289v, Solomon enthroned with a kneeling figure with sword and hornshaped cup.
f. 296v, Solomon enthroned with gold cup and pastoral staff.
f. 315r, Martyrdom of Isaiah.
f. 335v, Jeremiah with a herd of wild animals with God speaking to him.
f. 357v, Jeremiah mourning the destruction of Jerusalem.
f. 359v, Baruch holding a scroll.
f. 362v, Ezekiel and the four living creatures.
f. 381r, Daniel explaining Nebuchadnezzar's dream.
f. 388v, Hosea taking a wife.
f. 391r, Joel standing with flock of sheep and God speaking to him.
f. 392v, God speaking to Amos in his dream.
f. 394v, Obadiah holding a globe.
f. 395r, Jonah emerging from the fish's mouth.
f. 395v, Micah seated on ground and prophesising about the punishment of Samaria (?).
f. 397v, Nahum standing in water.
f. 398r, Habakkuk with food and a jug being carried by an angel.
f. 399r Zephaniah holding a book.
f. 400r, Haggai holding a scroll.
f. 400v, Zechariah holding a scroll with Gold talking to him.
f. 403v, Malachi holding tablets.
f. 404v, Beheading of Alexander, son of Aristobolus (?).
f. 416v, Messenger delivering the letter to the Jews of Egypt.
f. 426r, St Matthew receiving customs.
f. 440r, St Mark.
f. 450r, St Luke.
f. 466r, St John.
f. 477v, St Paul preaching to the Romans.
f. 482v, St Paul preaching, with an instruction reading: 'Comment un apostre presche au peuple de nostre seigneur et rent graces a dieu pour le peuple'.
f. 487v, St Paul preaching.
f. 490v, St Paul preaching.
f. 492r, St Paul preaching to the Ephesians, with an instruction reading: 'i. apostre qui presche as Ephesiens et tient un livre deuvangiles.'
f. 493v, St Paul preaching with a bishop and two others standing, with an instruction reading: 'Un apostre qui rent graces a dieu et raconte la parole de levangile as evesques et au peuple'.
f. 495v, St Paul preaching.
f. 496v, St Paul kneeling at the pulpit, with a congregation praying.
f. 497v, St Paul preaching.
f. 498v, St Paul preaching.
f. 499v, St Paul preaching with two bishops among the congregation.
f. 500v, St Paul preaching to the Hebrews.
f. 504r, St Luke preaching.
f. 516r, St James reading at a desk.
f. 517r, St Peter holding a key and a book.
f. 520r, St John's vision of the beast with seven heads and seven crowns on horns.
- Collection Area:
- Western Manuscripts
- Project / Collection:
- Royal Collection
Royal Manuscripts Digitisation Project - Hierarchy Record Ids:
- 032-002105724
040-002107625 - Is part of:
- Royal MS 1 A I-20 E X : Royal Manuscripts
Royal MS 19 D II : Guyard des Moulins, Bible historiale ('The Bible of John the Good') - Hierarchy:
- 032-002105724[1772]/040-002107625
- Container:
- View / search within Archive / Collection: Royal MS 1 A I-20 E X
- Record Type (Level):
- File
- Extent:
-
526 folios.
- Digitised Content:
- http://www.bl.uk/manuscripts/FullDisplay.aspx?ref=Royal_MS_19_D_II (digital images currently unavailable)
- Thumbnail:
-
- Languages:
- French
- Scripts:
- Latin
- Start Date:
- 1345
- End Date:
- 1356
- Date Range:
- c 1350-1356
- Era:
- CE
- Access:
- Restrictions to access apply please consult British Library staff
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- User Conditions:
- Letter of introduction required to view this manuscript.
- Physical Characteristics:
-
Materials: Parchment codex.
Dimensions: 420 x 285 mm (text space: 300 x 200 mm).
Foliation: ff.[ii] + i + 526 + [ii] (unfoliated flyleaves are 1 modern paper and 1 modern parchment leaf at the beginning and at the end; f. i is a medieval parchment flyleaf).
Collation: i-xix12 (ff. 1-228), xx12 +1 (ff. 229-241, f. 241 is a singleton), xxi-xxii12 (ff. 242-265), xxiii6+1 (ff. 266-272, f. 272 is a singleton), xxiv-xxxv12 (ff. 273-416), xxxvi8+1 (ff. 417-425), xxxvii-xliii12 (ff. 426-509), xliv8 (ff. 510-517), xlv8+1(ff. 518-526); f. 525 is misbound and should precede f. 519; catchwords.
Layout: Written in two columns of 49 lines.
Script: Gothic. Written by two scribes (ff. 1r-308r and ff. 309r-526v). According to Avril 1982, the second scribe can be identified with Henri de Trévou, libraire and écrivain du roi working for Charles V, active in Paris (1356-1395) (see Rouse 2000, II, pp. 51-52).
Binding: Post-1600. Royal library binding of brown leather with the royal arms and a date of 1757; gilt and gauffered edges.
- Custodial History:
-
Origin: France (Paris)
Provenance:
John II (John the Good) (b. 1319, d. 1364), king of France (1350-1364), made for him and seized by the English at the Battle of Poitiers in 1356: note in a late 14th-century hand, 'Cest livre fust pris oue le roy de Fraunce a la bataille de Peyters et le bon counte de Saresbirs / William Montagu la achata pur cent mars et le dona a sa compaigne Elizabeth la bone / countesse qe dieux assoile. Et est continus dedeins le Bible ent[er] oue tixt et glose le mestre / de histoires et incident tout en memes le volym la quele lyvre la dite countesse assigna / a ces executours de le vendre pur xl. Livers', (f. 1v). William Montagu [William de Montacute], 2nd earl of Salisbury (b. 1328, d. 1397), lord of Man and the Isle of Wight, purchased by him for 100 marks: see above inscription. Elizabeth, countess of Salisbury (b. 1343, d. 1415): given to her by her husband, William Montagu, and directed by her to be sold by her executors for 40 pounds: see above inscription. The Old Royal Library (the English Royal Library): perhaps to be identified with 'La Bible' included in the list of books at Richmond Palace of 1535, no. 73; and in the catalogue of 1666, Royal Appendix 71, f. 13r. Presented to the British Museum by George II in 1757 as part of the Old Royal Library.
- Information About Copies:
-
Full digital coverage available for this manuscript, see Digitised Manuscripts http://www.bl.uk/manuscripts/.
- Publications:
-
Léopold Delisle, Le Cabinet des Manuscrits de la Bibliothèque Impériale [Nationale]: Étude sur la formation de ce dépôt 3 vols. (Paris: Imprimerie Nationale, 1868-1881), I, 17 n. 2.
Walter de Gray Birch and Henry Jenner, Early Drawings and Illuminations: An Introduction to the Study of Ilustrated Manuscripts (London: Bagster and Sons, 1879), p. 9.
Samuel Berger, La bible française au moyen âge: Étude sur les plus anciennes versions de la bible écrites en prose de langue d'oïl (Paris: Champion, 1884), pp. 203, 214, 391-92.
H. Omont, 'Les manuscrits français des rois d'Angleterre au château de Richmond', in Etudes romanes dédiés à Gaston Paris (Paris: É. Bouillon, 1891), pp. 1-13 (p. 9).
Léopold Delisle and P. Meyer, L'Apocalypse en français au XIIIe siècle, (Bibl. Nat. Fr. 403), Société des anciens textes francais (Paris: Firmin Didot, 1901), p. CCXLV.
Léopold Delisle, Recherches sur la Librairie de Charles V, 2 vols (Paris: Champion, 1907), I, pp. 291, 330.
J. A. Herbert, Illuminated Manuscripts (London: Methuen, 1911), p. 239.
George F. Warner and Julius P. Gilson, Catalogue of Western Manuscripts in the Old Royal and King’s Collections, 4 vols (London: British Museum, 1921), II, pp. 341-42.
Eric G. Millar, Souvenir de l’exposition de manuscrits français à peintures organisée à la Grenville Library, British Museum, en janvier-mars, 1932 (Paris: Société Française de Reproductions de Manuscrits à Peintures, 1933), p. 29, pl. XXXV.
François Avril, 'Une Bible Historiale de Charles V', Jahrbuch der Hamburger Kunstsammlungen 14/15 (1970), 45-76 (pp. 67, n. 43, 68, n. 45).
François Avril, 'Un chef-d'oeuvre de l'enluminure sous la regne de Jean le Bon: La Bible moralisée manuscrit français 167 de la Bibliothèque nationale', Monuments et mémoires de la Fondation Eugène Piot, 58 (1972), 91-125 (p. 123, n. 4).
Fastes du Gothique: le siècle de Charles V, Galeries Nationales du Grand Palais (Paris: Réunion des musées nationaux, 1982), no. 277 (exhibition catalogue).
J. J. G. Alexander, 'Painting and Manuscript Illumination for Royal Patrons in the Later Middle Ages', in English Court Culture in the Later Middle Ages, ed. by V. J. Scattergood and J. W. Sherborne (London: Duckworth, 1983), 141-62 (p. 145).
Christopher De Hamel, A History of Illuminated Manuscripts, (Oxford : Phaidon, 1986), p. 148.
Susan H. Cavanaugh, 'Royal Books: King John to Richard II', The Library, 6th series, 10 (1988) 304-16 (p. 307, n. 17).
Jonathan J. G. Alexander, Medieval Illuminators and their Methods of Work (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1992), p. 161 n. 57, 164, n. 41.
Carra Ferguson O'Meara, Monarchy and Consent: The Coronation Book of Charles V of France: British Library MS Tiberius B VIII (London: Harvey Miller, 2001), pp. 209, 215, 217, 228, 261, 332, n. 1, 336, n. 10, ills 60, 96.
The Libraries of King Henry VIII, ed. by J. P. Carley, Corpus of British Medieval Library Catalogues, 7 (London: The British Library, 2000), H1.67.
Clive R. Sneddon, 'On the Creation of the 'Old French Bible'', Nottingham Mediaeval Studies 46 (2002), 25-44 (p. 35, n. 42).
Akiko Komada, 'Les illustrations de la Bible Historiale: les manuscrits réalisés dans le Nord', 4 vols (unpublished doctoral dissertation, Paris IV, 2000), III, no. 40.
John Lowden, The Making of the Bibles Moralisées, 2 vols (University Park: Pennsylvania State University Press, 2000), I: The Manuscripts, p. 240.
Richard H. Rouse and Mary A. Rouse, Manuscripts and Their Makers: Commercial Book Producers in Medieval Paris 1200-1500, 2 vols (Turnhout: Harvey Miller, 2000), I, p. 271; II, App.10C.
Scot McKendrick and Kathleen Doyle, Bible Manuscripts: 1400 Years of Scribes and Scripture (London: British Library, 2007), p. 133, fig. 120.
Kathleen L. Scott, Tradition and Innovation in Later Medieval English Manuscripts (London: British Library, 2007), p. 49.
Scot McKendrick, John Lowden, and Kathleen Doyle, Royal Manuscripts: The Genius of Illumination (London: British Library, 2011), no. 137 [exhibition catalogue].
Jeanette Patterson, 'Stolen Scriptures: The Bible Historiale and the Hundred Years’ War', Digital Philology: A Journal of Medieval Cultures, 2.2 (2013), 155-80 (pp. 162-64, 173, 176).
Kathryn A. Smith, ‘Found in Translation: Images Visionary and Visceral in the Welles-Ros Bible’, Gesta, 59: 2 (2020), 91-130 (p. 92).
- Material Type:
- Archives and Manuscripts
- Legal Status:
- Not Public Record(s)