National Library of Sweden, A 142
Glossed Psalter
France, 12th century
parchment
i, 191, i' leaves
255 × 160–170 mm
Latin
The first part of the text of the Psalter is missing; it begins in the middle of Psalm 16:4.
Between f. 180 and f. 181 two leaves have been torn out resulting in loss of text; the glossed text of the Psalter thus ends in the middle of Psalm 145:4. Enclosed within the covers is a photocopy of one of the missing leaves (ff. Photocopy_1r–Photocopy_1v), which was found in the Royal Danish Library (Fragm. 3136) by former librarian Oscar Wieselgren in 1919; it bears the text and gloss of Psalm 9:7–18.
The text corresponds to 1 Samuel 2:1–10.
‘canticum annae’ added in margin.
Secundo folio
Ego autem in iusticiaSupport
Foliation
Condition
Layout
The manuscipt has the traditional layout of an early 12th century glossed book of the Bible (see De Hamel, pp. 14–18), with a central column for the Bible text (60 mm), and two surrounding columns for the glosses (outer column 45-50 mm; inner column 35-45 mm). ff. 1r–96v, blind ruling of central column, 18 lines per column, pricking intermittently visible; ff. 97r–191v 16 lines per central column. From ff. 76r–89r and ff. 97r–191v the ruling extends to the spaces intended for the gloss, i.e. the inner and outer columns - and in some cases also the upper margin (e.g. f. 79r) as well as a few lines below the bottom line of the central column - at a height of three lines of commentary for each line of Bible text. From ff. 161r–191v, ruling of the spaces intended for the gloss is intermittent.
Script
Textblock
Additions
Binding/Endleaves
Textblock
Decorations
Textblock
Main text in black or brown ink. Rubrics in red.
First word up to entire first line of psalm in display script.
(ff. 1r–80v) Plain psalm initials over 2 lines in a regular pattern of one blue with red flourishing, one red, and one green. (ff. 1r–80v) Plain verse initials over 1 line alternating between red, green and blue. (ff. 82r–131v), (ff. 141v–189v) Plain psalm initials over 2 lines alternating between one blue with red flourishing and one red. The colour scheme and decoration of the initial O on (f. 166r) differ from the rest and may have been added later. (ff. 81r–133r), (ff. 141r–189v) Plain verse initials over 1 line alternating between red and blue. (ff. 135r–139r) Two plain red and one plain green psalm initial over 2 lines. (ff. 133v–140v), (ff. 190r–191v) Plain verse initials over 1 line in red.
Binding
Early modern binding. Tan leather over cardboard. 4 raised bands and endbands. Spine, stamped in gold: ‘A 142’; remnants of paper label.
Blind tooled double-line borders and frames forming three rectangular panels; posterior panel blind tooled in a lozenge pattern, centre panel undecorated, and anterior panel plain with a blind tooled double line creating a triangle shape in each outer corner.
Origin
The late Carolingian/pregothic features of the script, the layout, and the contents indicate France, 12th century. The text of the gloss appears to belong to the tradition of the Glossa ordinaria on the Psalms, the earliest datable copy of which (Troyes, Bibliothèque municipale, 511) was donated to Clairvaux in 1145.
Provenance
The manuscript has belonged to the National Library since before the fire of 1697, at least. It is listed in Jaches's catalogue of 1698 (U 122) as ‘226’, its post-fire signum, which is found also on f. 1r.
One of the leaves which is missing from the manuscript was found in the Royal Danish Library by former librarian Oscar Wieselgren in 1919 (Fragm. 3136, ff. Photocopy_1r–Photocopy_1v). The fragment is catalogued there as possibly having been used as a wrapper for regional tax accounts.
- Gyllene böcker (1952), p. 28, no. 20.
