DPL Reed MMF47

Lectionary, Latin. England, late twelfth century

Part of a single leaf. 275 by 178mm. Double column, at least 33 lines originally, ruled in leadpoint, written space at least 255 by 158mm; Romanesque liturgical hand.

Text: Parts of Luke 21:11–19; John 15:12–25; Ecclesiastes 50:1–8; and Proverbs 3:13–20.
Decoration: Rubrics in red; three 2-line initials in red (a fourth added later).
Provenance: From an album of fragments from Oxford bindings and elsewhere compiled by Philip Bliss (1787–1857). It sold in his sale, Sotheby’s, 21 August 1858, lot 100, and entered into the collection of Sir Thomas Phillipps (1792–1872). The album (probably Phillipps MS.15659) was lot 390 in the Phillipps sale, Sotheby’s, 24 April 1911, bought by E. H. Dring (d. 1928), managing director of Quaritch. This fragment and others were inherited by E. M. Dring (d. 1990), who donated some to the Bodleian and sold the remaining manuscripts to Quaritch. These binding fragments were mostly dispersed by Quaritch in 1984 and 1985. Verso inscribed ‘H. G.’ and ‘1563’, doubtless the ownership marks of the book in which the Reed leaf was used as the front pastedown. Purchased from Quaritch catalogue 1036 (1984), no. 9.
References: Manion, Vines, de Hamel no. 109; Reed Early Bibles no. 23.
Shelfmark: RMM Fragment 47.

Description reproduced from Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts in New Zealand Collections (London, 1989) by permission of the authors (Christopher de Hamel, Margaret Manion, and the family of Vera F. Vines).