Augustine, De civitate dei

Italy, 1433

Parchment

v, 355, iv' leaves

375–380 × 270 mm

Latin

1 (p. 1) Introduction

Incipit: Interea cvm roma gothorum irruptione

Explicit: dicunt filii israhel

Edition: Dombart (1905–1908), vol. 1, pp. 1–3.

2 (pp. 2–27) Table of contents

Note: p. 28: ruled, but no text.

3 (pp. 29–709) Augustine of Hippo, The City of God

Incipit: Gloriosissimam ciuitatem dei siue in hoc temporum cursu cum inter impios peregrinatur

Explicit: Videor mihi debitvm ingentis huius operis adiuuate (!) domino reddidisse quibus parum uel quibus nimivm est mihi ignoscant quibus autem satis est non mihi sed deo mecvm gratias congratulantes agant gloria et honor patri et filio et spiritui sancto omnipotenti deo in excelis in secula seculorum Amen

Final rubric: Finivnt libri xxii avrelii avgvstini doctoris eximii atqve sanctissimi contra adversarios nominis veri dei et de vtraque civitate divina S? et mvndana

Note:

Quire missing after p. 224. Gap in text between Book 8:20 and Book 9:16.

p. 710: blank

Colophon: p. 709Scriptvm per me roserivm de brvnchorst svb annis domini m^o ⟨c⟩ccc^o xxxiii^o

Edition: Dombart (1905–1908).

Physical Description

Support

Binding/Endleaves

Locus: LCI, ff. SL1–SL5, SR1–SR4, RCI

Support: Paper

Leaf dimensions: 380 × 270 mm

Textblock

Locus: pp. 1–710

Support: Parchment

Leaf dimensions: 375 × 270 mm

Foliation

Modern pagination (on the rectos only) in pencil.

Running titles in red ink.

Collation

Formula: 1(14), 2-7(10), 8(8), 9-32(10), 33(8), 34-35(10), 36(10, lacks 6-10)

Note: VisColl collation.

Catchwords: Catchwords in same ink and style as the main text (first occurence on p. 48).

Condition

Textblock

After p. 224 an entire quire is missing. This has not been noted in the modern foliation. Leaves missing in the last quire.

Layout

Locus: pp. 29–709

Columns: 1

Ruled lines: 36

Written area: 250 × 160 mm

Note: Blind ruling.

Script

Textblock

Hand 1

Humanist minuscule.

Additions

Binding/Endleaves

(f. SL5r) Centre page, in pencil by a modern hand: ‘Augustinus, Contra Adversarios Civitatis Dei Libri xxii 1433’;‘ Vapenskölden visar att hs. tillhört en medlem af den spansk-italienska släkten Dusmet’; bottom of page: ‘Handskriften anses av Mazzatinti möjligen ha tillhört de aragonesiska konungarnas bibliotek i Neapel (Mazzatinti, La Biblioteca dei Re d'Aragon)’

(Original_LCI) Top left corner, in black ink: ‘A 223’.; top of page, in pencil: ‘K.B. 1734 n. 19 in folio Theol.’

Decorations

Textblock

Description:

Main text in dark ink, rubrics in red.

Initials:

(p. 29): gold initial ‘G’ over 7 lines. Letter outlined in dark ink, and surrounded with a white vinestem pattern in blue, red, and green. Part of the vinestem extends into the margin and includes two putti outlined in ink awith pink highlights.

(pp. 56–657): gold chapter initials over 4 lines. Same style and colours as the opening initial (with the addition of a pinkish purple);

(pp. 1–706): plain initials over 2 lines in red at the begnning of ever paragraph. Guideletters in lead or ink written next to the initial.

Edges:

Gilded edges.

Binding

Binding 1

Description:

Modern binding. Modern undecorated parchment over cardboard. Spine, stamped: ‘Cod. Holm. A 223’. Current binding from 1977.

Binding dimensions: 390 × 290 × 100 mm

Contemporary: No

Binding 2

Description:

Medieval binding. Brown leather over wooden boards. Upper part of Original_RCO, traces of title in dark ink: ‘de civitate d’.

Tooling:

Concentric sets of panels, some of which are filled with complex knotwork ornaments. These ornaments are decorated with rope patterns. The centre panel contains a geometrical star-like pattern. Many of the tooled elements were gilded. Traces of the gold remain. The bookbinder notes that if the preserved binding is contemporary with the text, then it is one of the oldest preserved examples of gold stamped decoration on leather binding. Hobson states that the star-pattern ‘is the only known western gilt binding derived from the Mamluk geometrical style’ (cf Hobson (1989), p. 26).

Condition: The original binding was renovated in 1850 and removed in 1977. It is now stored separately from the manuscript. The leather is very worn, faded, and riddled with wormholes. Original_LCO, remains of four clasps with scallop-shaped brass rivets and red cloth inserts. Original_RCO, remains of nails and labels. The images Archive_photo_1 to Bookbinder_report_2 illustrate the different steps and results of the rebinding process.

Contemporary: Yes

History

Origin

Italy, 1433, see colophon on p. 710. According to Hobson (1989), p. 25, Albinia De la Mare suggests that the manuscript might be Venetian based on the decoration, but in a letter to librarian Harry Järv de la Mare guessses at a Florentine provenance (letter from 3 May 1967). On p. 29 there is a coat of arms, which according to Hedlund (1980), p. 20 belongs to the Dusmet family. However, this family does not seem to be established in Italy until the 18th century.

Provenance

On p. 710 there are some faint traces of text, now completely illegible. In 1935 these notes were photographed and deciphered by a ‘doc. Bäckström’. His reading was: ‘Hunc Augustinum De ciuitate dei donauit reverendissimus domnus (!) Baptista de Lignane patauiensis episcopus concordiensis congregationi regularium canonicorum lateranensium ut inprimis sit ad usum studiosorum anno ?Sancti Johannis pro eius anima deuote precare memineritis?.’ (The final part of the transcritpion is incomplete.)

Baptista de Legnano, also known as Joannes Baptista Legname was bishop of Concordia (Veneto) 1443-55.

Acquisition

The manuscript has been at the Nationa lIbrary since at least the 17th century. It is first attested in Jaches's catalogue of 1695 and that of 1698: ‘nr 25’, U 118; ‘193’, U 122. The note on Original_LCI ‘K.B. 1734 n. 19 in folio Theol’ refers to the catalogue of 1734 (U 125e).