St Birgitta, Revelations (fragment)

15th century, first half

parchment

i, 10, i' leaves

235–335 × 240 mm

Latin

1 (ff. 1ra–10vb) Birgitta Birgersdotter, Fragments of the Revelations, Books 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6.

Incipit: heliia 3:us mons erat fortitudo sampsonis

Explicit: cognicionem voluntatis mee quam si mandata non

Note: This collection consists of ten leaves from the same codex. The leaves belong to the following books of the Revelations:f. 1: Rev. 1, 51:7-52:12; f. 2: Rev. 1, 4:9-6:2; f. 3: Rev. 1, 10:15-10:33; f. 4: Rev. 2, 6:24-7:28; f. 5: Rev. 5, 15:44-16:21; f. 6: Rev. 6, 93:2-97:10; f. 7: Rev. 6, 12:7-15:17; f. 8: Rev. 4, 106:2-107:25; f. 9: Rev. 4, 102:9-106:2; f. 10: Rev. 6, 16:1-19:27.

Physical Description

Support

Binding/Endleaves

Locus: ff. LCI, SL1r–SL1v, SR1r–SR1v, RCI

Support: Western paper

Leaf dimensions: 335 × 240 mm

Textblock

Locus: ff. 1r–6v

Leaf dimensions: 330 × 240 mm

Locus: ff. 7r–10v

Leaf dimensions: 235 × 240 mm

Support: Parchment

Note: The leaves have been trimmed to a varying degree.

Foliation

Modern foliation in pencil.

ff. 1–6: Running titles in red ink.

Condition

Textblock

The leaves are stained and torn. Text still legible. ff. 7r–10v: text missing at top and bottom because of trimming.

Layout

Locus: ff. 1r–6v

Columns: 2

Written lines: 38–40

Written area: 240 × 170 mm

Note: Guidelines in ink.

Script

Textblock

Hand 1

Gothic cursive

Additions

Binding/Endleaves

(LCI) Top left corner: National Library book label with the current signum.

(f. SL1v) Top of page in dark ink by a modern hand: ‘Omslag från Räkenskaper i Malmö rådhus arkiv. Aflemnade till K. Bibl. Oktober 1884.’

Textblock

(ff. 1r–10v) Notes in the margins in ink by late medieval/early-modern hands. These notes pertain to the late use of the fragments as wrappings/covers for financial accounts.

Decorations

Textblock

Description:

Main text in dark brown ink.

Initials:

(ff. 1v–10v): plain initials over 2-3 lines (+ extending below the line) in red, green or blue.

Binding

Description:

Modern binding. Marbled carboard binding. Spine, printed on label: ‘Fragmentum Revelationum S. Birgittae’.

Binding dimensions: 340 × 250 × 15 mm

History

Origin

15th century, first half.

Provenance

Origin and early provenance unknown. At some point the codex, which the fragments belonged to, ended up in Malmö, where it was dismembered and the fragments used as covers/wrappings for financial accounts. This happened sometime before 1553, the year noted on f. 2v. The accounts belonged to the church and the hospital in Malmö. Later they were kept at the archive of Malmö town hall (‘Malmö rådhusarkiv’).