Details

Subject(s)

• Catholic Church—Prayers and devotions—Early works to 1800 [Browse]
• Manuscripts, Latin (Medieval and modern)—Germany [Browse]
• Manuscripts, Latin (Medieval and modern)—New Jersey—Princeton [Browse]
• Illumination of books and manuscripts [Browse]

Former owner

• Adler, Elmer, 1884-1962 [Browse]

Related name

• Princeton University. Library. Manuscript. Princeton MS. 69. [Browse]

Notes

• Script: Cursiva libraria.
• Decoration: Devotion on the life and passion of Christ opens on fol. 5r with a 7-line gold initial D with purple and green pen-flourished decoration extending into the inside margin. The Hours of Eternal Wisdom open on fol. 95r with a 4-line blue initial A with certain areas left unpainted to create geometric patterns, and red pen flourishes extending into the inside margin. The section of prayers before communion opens on fol. 112r with a similar 4-line blue initial U with red pen flourishes, but now much abraded. On fol. 162r, the Pater noster section opens with an 8-line silver (oxidized?) initial O with purple and green pen flourishes, which extends into the inside margin; opposite on fol. 161v is a matching purple pen-flourished frame, perhaps intended for an unexecuted full-page miniature. The Marian prayers open on fol. 223r with a similar 10-line silver with purple, green, and a small amount of red pen flourishes.

Binding note

Germany, 15th or 16th century. Blind-tooled calf, decorated with lozenge-shaped fleur-de-lis and round Agnus Dei stamps; wooden (oak?) boards (5-6 mm thick); sewn on 3 split thongs; braided endbands, gilt edges; rebacked; catchplate on front board, closed with replacement catch on replacement strap of goatskin; front pastedown of reused parchment, with 4 partial lines of a devotional manuscript with a text ending “vespera bene mori. Amen.”

Provenance

Princeton MS. 69 is of unknown early provenance but was possibly produced in northeastern Germany. The preponderance of female saints in the group of prayers to saints (14 of 30), emphasis on Marian devotion, and several female forms in prayers (e.g., fols. 129v, 208v, 317v, 318r) suggest that it was written by or for a woman, possibly a member of a religious order. Intermediate provenance is unknown. The manuscript was no. 3 in the collection of Elmer Adler (1884-1962). Adler established and directed the Department of Graphic Arts in the Princeton University Library from 1940 to 1952. The Adler collection was acquired by Princeton University Library between 1945 and 1955.

References

Medieval & Renaissance manuscripts in the Princeton University Library, volume 2, pages 272-276.

Cite as

Princeton MS. 69, Manuscripts Division, Department of Rare Books and Special Collections, Princeton University Library.

OCLC

1107739100

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