Two leaves from a noted Breviary, in Latin, manuscript on vellum [France, c.1300]

Square notation
Two leaves from a noted Breviary, in Latin, manuscript on vellum [France, c.1300]
From an attractive French noted Breviary with elegant coloured initials.

c.194 x 135mm, two leaves, 2 columns of 42 lines written in black ink in a very fine rotunda Gothic bookhand in two sizes, square notation on a 4-line brown stave, rubrics in red, penwork initials in red, green or blue, a few later doodles and pentrials (some trimming and a few stains and wormholes, recovered from a binding and consequently one side of each leaf somewhat worn). Bound in grey buckram at the Quaritch bindery.

Provenance:
(1) Bernard Quaritch, Bookhands V, cat.1147 (1991), no 62, acquired in 1991 by:

(2) Schøyen Collection, MS 1378.

Text:
The leaves contain text from the Services for Quinquagesima and Sexagesima Sundays and for the Following Weekdays, the first leaf beginning '[sed fallaces] divitias appellat. Fallaces enim sunt' and ending 'Quod autem cecidit in terram bonam [hi sunt qui in corde bono]'; the second leaf 'quaesumus Domine' followed by the antiphon for Quinquagesima Sunday 'Tradetur enim gentibus', ending 'genuit filios et filias. Vixitque [Thare septuaginta annis]'.