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Yates Thompson MS 51
- Record Id:
- 040-002360083
- Hierarchy Root Ancestor Record Id:
- 032-002354332
- MDARK:
- ark:/81055/vdc_100000000926.0x0000af
- LARK:
- ark:/81055/vdc_100165175869.0x000001
- SLARK:
- Format:
- ISAD(G)
- Reference (shelfmark):
- Yates Thompson MS 51
- Title:
-
Skazanie o Mamaevom Poboishche
- Scope & Content:
-
This manuscript contains a copy of the Skazanie o Mamaevom Poboishche (The Tale of the Rout of Mamai). The Skazanie is a romance in Russian Church Slavonic, composed in the 15th century, relating the struggle of the Muscovian Grand Prince, Dmitri Donskoi [Дмитрий Иванович Донской] (b. 1350, d. 1389), against his Tartar opponent, Mamai (d. 1380), the military commander of the Blue Horde and Golden Horde. The central focus is the battle of Kulikovo (1380) at which Mamai was routed. The victory is presented in the context of a crusade and is couched in terms reminiscent of the contest between Gideon and the Midianites (Judges 7).
This manuscript is incomplete; another part of it, containing a copy of the 'Alexandiia', is Dublin, Chester Beatty Library, MS W 151 (see Cleminson, Catalogue (1988), no. 26).
Decoration:
64 tinted drawings, in colours (ff. 2r, 2v, 4r, 5r, 6r, 6v, 7v, 8v, 9r, 10r, 10v, 11v, 12r, 13r, 14r, 14v, 15v, 16r, 17r, 17v, 18r, 19r, 19v, 20r, 21r, 21v, 22r, 23r, 23v, 24v, 25, 25v, 26v, 27r, 27v, 28r, 29r, 29v, 30r, 30v, 31v, 32r, 33r, 34r, 35r, 36r, 36v, 37v, 38v, 39r, 39v, 40v, 41r, 42r, 42v, 43r, 44r, 44v, 45v, 46r, 46v, 47r, 47v, 48r).
Display script.
Drawings coloured in after repairs were carried out probably in 18th century (Cleminson, Catalogue (1988)).
The subjects of the drawings are:
f. 2r: Mamai crossing the river Volga with his armies.
f. 2v: Oleg of Riazan sending his messengers to Mamai with a letter and gifts.
f. 4r: Olgerd of Lithuania sending his messengers to Mamai with letters and assurance of great esteem.
f. 5r: The messengers of Oleg of Riazan and Olgerd of Lithuania arriving presenting Mamai with their letters and gifts.
f. 6r: Messengers arriving to give the news of Mamai's secret invasion of Russia to Grand Duke Dimitrii.
f. 6v: Grand Duke Dmitrii in his shrine, kneeling in prayer before an icon.
f. 7v: Grand Duke Dmitrii and his brother visiting the Metropolitan Cyprian [Kiprian].
f. 8v: Grand Duke Dmitrii sending Zakharii Tuchtoff [Tuchkov] as an envoy to Mamai with many gifts of gold.
f. 9r: Grand Duke Dmitrii and his brother visiting the Metropolitan Cyprian.
f. 10r: Grand Duke Dmitrii sending his young stalwarts and chosen captains to guard the approaches to his city.
f. 10v: Miniature of messengers arriving before Grand Duke Dmitrii with news of Mamai's secret expedition against Russia.
f. 11v: Grand Duke Dmitrii being joined by the princes of Bieloozero [Beloozero].
f. 12r: The saintly Sergius [Sergii] blessing the Grand Duke and his army.
f. 13r: Sergius sprinkling the Grand Duke and his army with holy water.
f. 14r: Grand Duke Dmitrii and his brother visiting the Metropolitan Cyprian.
f. 14v: Grand Duke Dmitrii and his brother, Vladimir, praying before an icon of Christ.
f. 15v: Grand Duke Dmitrii and his brother, Vladimir, visiting the tomb of the miracle-worker Peter, and prostrating themselves in prayer.
f. 16r: Grand Duke Dmitrii and his brother, Vladimir, being blessed by Cyprian.
f. 17r: Grand Duchess Eudokiia and her ladies taking leave of their menfolk.
f. 17v: Grand Duke Dmitri and his army riding away, as the sun breaks through to shine on them.
f. 18r: Grand Duchess Evdokiia and her daughter-in-law gazing out of the window of their palace.
f. 19r: Prince Vladimir Andrcevich crossing the river Moskva on his brother's boat.
f. 19v: The Bishop of Kolomna meeting the Grand Duke at the gates of the city, with life-bearing crosses.
f. 20r: Grand Duke Dmitrii ordering his captains to ride out into the fields of Kolomna with drums, horns, and trumpets.
f. 21r: Grand Duke Dmitrii starting from Kursk with his army.
f. 21v: Grand Duke Dmitrii and his army moving towards the invaded region.
f. 22r: Olgerd, having collected an army of Lithuanians, Varangians, and 'Zhamoti,' hastening to the aid of Mamai.
f. 23r: Prince Andrei of Polotsk sending a written message by messenger to his brother, Prince Dimitrii of Briansk.
f. 23v: Prince Dimitrii of Briansk receiving a letter from his brother, Prince Andreш of Polotsk.
f. 24v: Prince Dimitrii of Briansk and his brother, Prince Andrei of Polotsk coming before the Grand Duke.
f. 25r: Messengers arriving before Cyprian with the news that the Olgerdovichi are arriving with their help.
f. 25v: An envoy sent by the head of the Church being brought before Grand Duke Dmitrii.
f. 26v: Grand Duke Dmitrii crossing the river Don by boat with all his forces.
f. 27r: Wolves gathered in a field howling fiercely as they hear the sounds of a battle.
f. 27v: Ravens and eagles flocking to the site of a battle.
f. 28r: Melik and his company riding forth, but retiring upon seeing the enemy.
f. 29r: Grand Duke Dmitrii placing his army into battle array.
f. 29v: Grand Duke Dmitrii, with his brother, Vladimir, climbing a hill to survey his army below, at the battle of Kulikovo (1380).
f. 30r: Grand Duke Dmitrii dismounting from his horse and praying, as an army approaches.
f. 30v: Grand Duke Dmitrii on horseback, delivering a speech to his princes and captains.
f. 31v: Grand Duke Dmitrii ordering his army to advance along the river under the cover of the forest.
f. 32r: Grand Duke Dmitrii advancing as far as the Kulikovo Pole before halting.
f. 33r: Prince Dmitrii Volynets forseeing the outcome of the battle and communicating it to the Grand Duke.
f. 34r: Fema the Brigand having a vision of two young warriors defeating a pagan army.
f. 35r: Two armies preparing themselves for battle.
f. 36r: Scriptures sent by Igumen Sergius [Sergii] of Radonezh being brought before Grand Duke Dmitrii.
f. 36v: Grand Duke Dmitrii mounting his horse and giving the signal to his army to begin the battle.
f. 37v: Mikula Vasilievich being posted with his detachment on the right wing.
f. 38v: Horseman doing battle with the Pecheneg.
f. 39r: Grand Duke Dmitrii and his army attacking the heathen Tartars.
f. 39v: Battle between Christians and the heathen Tartars.
f. 40v: The vision of one of Prince Vladimir's men, of a group of armed men on horseback, with hands above holding wreaths.
f. 41r: Prince Vladimir's men telling Grand Duke Dmitrii of the Prince's vision.
f. 42r: The Metropolitan blessing Grand Duke Dmitrii and sprinkling him with holy water.
f. 42v: Grand Duke Dmitrii and his escort going into a monastery to pray before an icon.
f. 43r: Grand Duke Dmitrii shedding tears and addressing his chiefs, discussing the unfavourable aspects of the recent battle.
f. 44r: Prince Vladimir's regiment remaining stationary until the eighth hour.
f. 44v: Prince Vladimir's regiment taking the offensive against the heathens.
f. 45v: Christian forces overcoming the pagan forces in battle.
f. 46r: Grand Duke Dmitrii remaining on the field of battle for eight days to bury the dead.
f. 46v: The body of Mamai being recognized by some merchants.
f. 47r: Grand Duke Dmitrii and his army crossing the river Severka.
f. 47v: News of the military victory being brought to the Grand Duchess.
f. 48r: Father Sergius meeting Grand Duke Dmitrii and blessing him.
- Collection Area:
- Western Manuscripts
- Project / Collection:
- Yates Thompson Collection
- Hierarchy Record Ids:
- 032-002354332
040-002360083 - Is part of:
- Yates Thompson MS 1-59 : Yates Thompson Manuscripts
Yates Thompson MS 51 : Skazanie o Mamaevom Poboishche - Hierarchy:
- 032-002354332[0056]/040-002360083
- Container:
- View / search within Archive / Collection: Yates Thompson MS 1-59
- Record Type (Level):
- File
- Extent:
-
1 volume
- Digitised Content:
- https://iiif.bl.uk/uv/#?manifest=https://bl.digirati.io/iiif/ark:/81055/vdc_100165175869.0x000001
- Thumbnail:
-
- Languages:
- Russian
- Scripts:
- Cyrillic
Cyrillic (Old Church Slavonic variant) - Start Date:
- 1600
- End Date:
- 1699
- Date Range:
- 17th century
- 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:
-
Material: Paper.
Dimensions: 290 x 185mm (220 x 140mm).
Foliation: ff. 48 (+ 2 unfoliated paper flyleaves: 1 at the beginning, and 1 at the end). the order of leaves after f. 40 should be: ff. 41, 44, 45 (missing portion of the text), 43, 46 (missing portion of the text), 47, 42, 48. Traces of previous foliation and nearly illegible inscriptions apparently referring to the ordering or re-ordering of the leaves (see Cleminson, Catalogue (1988)).
Script: Great Russian bookhand.
Binding: Post-1600. Original wooden upper board with traces of leather and remains of two clasps; lower board and leather spine more recent.
- Custodial History:
-
Origin: Russia.
Provenance:
Originally, the manuscript formed one volume with Dublin, Chester Beatty Library, MS W 151, containing the Slavonic version of the Alexander Romance. The Chester Beatty manuscript was the first part (bearing original Slavonic folio numbers 1-155) and the Yates Thompson manuscript was the second part (with Slavonic folio numbers 156-).
Both parts:
? Thomas Phillips, 18th century: Cyrillic inscription 'Philip' (f. 19r, on the miniature).
Davis & Orioli, booksellers of Florence and London: acquired by them in Florence, included in their sale catalogue of 1922, lot 6. There are conflicting reports about how David & Orioli acquired the volume. According to personal statement given to Elisabeth Hill by a certain Boris de Hruschev, a friend of Yates Thompson, the Yates Thompson part of the manuscript was 'removed by the Italian army during the First World War from the region of Galicia' (or Halizia), Austria-Hungary, now western Ukraine (see Hill, A British Museum Illuminated Manuscript (1958), p. 2). However, in a letter to Beatty dated 2 January 1923, Davis claimed that Orioli purchased Beatty’s part of the manuscript in Florence from a Russian refugee, ‘in whose family it had been for many years’. In a previous letter to Beatty dated 19 December 1922, Davis mentioned that he had recently sold a similar manuscript to someone else, presumably Yates Thompson (Dublin, Chester Beatty Library, Chester Beatty Papers, Davis and Orioli file). In the light of the provenance of the Chester Beatty part, it looks more likely that the manuscript as a whole was taken from Russia to Florence by Russian refugees during the Russian Civil War (1917-1922) and sold to Orioli. The two halves were probably separated by the dealers, who rebound and sold them separately to Yates Thompson and then to Chester Beatty, removing all apparent signs of their belonging together.
The second part, Yates Thompson MS 51:
Henry Yates Thompson (b. 1838, d. 1928), collector of illuminated manuscripts and newspaper proprietor: acquired his part of the volume from Davis and Orioli on 28 Nov 1922. His book-plate inscribed 'ae.e.e [i.e. £40.0.0] / [bought from] Davis and Orioli / Nov: 28 / 1922' (inside upper cover), and pencil note of Yates Thompson's Portman Square address and price of £60 (1st flyleaf [f. ii] recto).
Bequeathed to the British Museum in 1941 by Mrs Henry Yates Thompson.
The first part, Chester Beatty MS W 151:
Sir (Alfred) Chester Beatty (b. 1875, d. 1968), mining engineer and art collector: acquired his part of the volume from Davis and Orioli in January 1923 (now Dublin, Chester Beatty Library, MS W 151).
- Information About Copies:
-
Full digital coverage available for this manuscript, see Digitised Manuscripts http://www.bl.uk/manuscripts/.
Select digital coverage available for this manuscript, see Catalogue of Illuminated Manuscripts http://www.bl.uk/catalogues/illuminatedmanuscripts/welcome.htm.
- Publications:
-
Elizabeth Hill, A British Museum Illuminated Manuscript of an Early Russian Literary Work: An Encomium to the Grand Prince Dimitri Ivanovich and to his Brother Prince Vladimir Andreyevich, the Tale of the Battle of the Don in the Year 6889, IV International Congress of Slavists, Moscow 1958 (Cambridge: University Press, 1958).
L. A. Dmitriev, 'Londonskij licevoj spisok Skanzanija o Mamaevom poboišce', TODRL, 28 (1974), 155-79.
Ralph Cleminson, A Union Catalogue of Cyrillic Manuscripts in British and Irish Collections, The Anne Pennington Catalogue (London: University of London, 1988), no. 118, pp. 176-78.
F Veselov, 'К вопросу атрибуции миниатюр Лондонского списка Сказания о Мамаевом побоище', Rossica Antiqua 6 (2012), pp. 167-188.
F Veselov, 'Depicting a Prayer before the Battle: On the Reader's Marginalia Drawing in the Old Rus' Manuscript from the British Library', Scrinium 16 (2020), pp. 135-45.
Alexander the Great: The Making of a Myth, ed. by Richard Stoneman (London: British Library, 2022), p. 137, no. 59.
- Exhibitions:
- Alexander the Great: The Making of a Myth, British Library, London, 21 October 2022 - 19 February 2022
- Material Type:
- Archives and Manuscripts
- Legal Status:
- Not Public Record(s)