XL homiliarum in Evangelia libri duo
Ms. homilies on the gospels by Gregory the Great; written and illuminated in Rhineland in the second half of the 12th century.
Decoration: 22 marginal drawings; approximately 100 large painted initials, in red; over 500 small red initials; some decorative line-fillers.
The subjects of the marginal drawings are: 1. the head of a bishop (fol. 2r) -- 2. a man lying in bed with a large bolster pillow (fol. 2r) -- 3. a fishing-rod, line and hook (fol. 69r) -- 4. an arm brooch (fol. 69r) -- 5-9. differnt kinds of plant and tree (fols. 73v, 94v, 101v, 105v, and 112v) -- 10. a dove (fol. 83r) -- 11. a mountain (fol. 84v) -- 12. a spade (fol. 85v) -- 13. a monster (the spirit of evil) riding on the back of a hunched-up man holding and spilling a pair of scales (fol. 87v) -- 14. a nude man (fol. 87v) -- 15. the head of a monk with a cross behind him (fol. 88r) -- 16. a castle and dome, representing the Kingdom of Heaven (fol. 98r) --17. a chest with a lock and 6 metal fittings (fol. 108r) -- 18. a pair of shackels (fol. 109v) -- 19. a boat (fol. 113r) -- 20. the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem (fol. 116v) -- 21. a broad sword (fol. 118v) -- 22. Dives sticking out his parched tongue (fol. 123r).
Scribe: Written in brown and red ink by two main scribes (changing after fol. 54v).
The marginal drawings and the script resemble the work of the scriptorum of the house of Augustinian canons at Frankenthal, diocese of Worms.--Cf. Sotheby's, 2001.
Collation:125 leaves (plus original pastedown), i8 [of 8+1, original i now the pastedown, original ix (fol.8) a single sheet], ii-v8, vi7 [of 8, ii cancelled], vii7 [of 8, viii cancelled], viii-xi8, xii7 [of 8, v cancelled], xiii-xv8, xvi-xvii4, with quire signatures from [.i.] in the second part only (i.e. from quire 8).