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Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, fonds français 792

[Part 2]

General information

Folios149
LanguageLanguage object (3)
Approx. date?1275 to 1300
Date notesHarf-Lancner 2011, 210 'end of the 13th century'
Place(s) of productionParis
Harf-Lancner 2011, 210 'a Parisian manuscript'. I do not see why this manuscript should be copied in Paris. There is linguistic evidence for a location in the North (but these may be substrates of course).
First words of second recto folio[f. 4ra] F  rere dist selec . Remanez
First words of last recto folio[f. 151ra] A  utranchant de lespee le traitor cercha
Incipit[f. 3ra] C  il quia cuer (et) vasselage / (et)  welt amer de bon corage / I  l doit oir (et) escouter / C  e que aymes welt raconter / A  ssez ipuet de bie(n) aprendre / Q  ui de bon cuer j welt ente(n)dre
Explicit[f. 151ra] M  (o)lt fu g(ra)ns li estors par deuant le do( n)ion / (Et)  marides apelle son houme sinadon / S  inadon or entent m(o)lt st(?.?) ligriu fellon / P  ris ont antipat(er) ?.?le nobile baron / (Et)  mis lont entel liu ou mais ne le v(er)ron / (Et)  cil li respondi (et) nous quel laferon //

Material

Material:Material object (4)
Watermark:na
Condition:The first folio (f. 3r) is heavily worn. Fair to lower quality (e.g. irregularities: f. 6, f. 30, f. 39, f. 82; stitches: f. 7, f. 120, f. 128). The first folios of the second quire (f. 11, f. 12) are worn as well, which may suggest that the manuscript was unbound for some time. The quality of the parchment in the 'Alexandre' part seems to be better, and this part of the manuscript seems to be in better shape.

Structure

Collation:

1-178 185 198

Quire structure:The quire marks stop at the end of Florimont. The manuscript is too tightly bound to confidently establish the quire structure of the 'Alexandre' part. However, it seems plausible that most of the quires are quaternions and that the last quire of the 'Alexandre' is irregular. The final quire of the manuscript in which the 'Vengeance' is copied (f. 144-151) is a regular quaternion.
Quire marks:MSQuiremarkDisposition object (30)
Catchwords:
Catchword disposition:MSCatchwordDisposition object (12)

Physical description

General description:Although the 'Florimont' and the 'Alexandre' were produced by the same professionals and were (bound) together at the beginning of the sixteenth century, the copies of both texts present themselves as seperate units. The mise-en-page of both texts is different. The 'Florimont' ends at the top of the first column of f. 50v, allowing the 'Alexandre' to start in a new quire. The foliation of the 'Florimont' (which admittedly may be of later date) is discontinued and so is the marking of the quires.
No. of illustrations:5
General illustration:The 'Florimont'-part opens with a frontispiece composed of a single-column miniature (height: 17 lines) and an L-border of red and blue bars decorated with goldleaf and presenting a scene of four figures in the lower margin. Historiated initials (height: 12 lines) on a field of pink and blue decorated with white flourishings in a gilt border on f. 9, and f. 16. In the 'Alexandre', the 'Voyage au Paradis Terrestre' is illustrated with two one-column miniatures. The first one (f. 136va) is very large (height: 22 lines) and represents Alexander sailing towards the wall of Paradise. The second image (f. 137ra) is similar but now Emenidus is at the gate, negotiating with and angel. Both miniatures are framed in a a broad red and blue border decorated with white flourishings and are similar in style to the painting introducing the Florimont.
General decoration:Each laisse starts with a pen-decorated initial (height: 2 lines) alternating between red and blue with flourishings in the contrasting colour. Larger subdivisions are indicated by pen-flourished puzzle initials. The 'Alexandre' opens with a large, pen-decorated puzzle initial (height: 10 lines) extending into a j-border. Other large pen-decorated puzzle initials at f. 92 (laisse III,1), f. 93 (laisse III,6), f. 96 (laisse III,34), f. 105 (laisse III, 148), f. 139 (laisse IV,1) and f. 144 (beginning of the 'Vengeance' by Guy de Cambrai).
Evidence of readership:f. 3ra: old shelfmarks in the upper margin f. 50v: 'Migaillot' 'Explicit listoire <+de Florimont pere> / de philippe de macedoine / pere du gra(n)t alexa(n)dre f. 51r: note by Migaillot: 'Le gra(n)t alexandre' f. 67va: 'com<+a>nce li fuerres gadres', note by Migaillot? (next to laisse II.1) f. 69ra: drawing of a girl's face in the bottom margin f. 70v: note in the lower margin i siniounet (15th c.) f. 135v: note by Migaillot f. 136r: 'le voyage de paradis terrestre'. Note by Migaillot in Latin (to be transcribed) Migaillot has also indicated the change of speaker in the conversation between Alexandre, Emenidus and Tholomer. f. 136v: 'histoire co(m)mant le gra(n)t alexandre ala deua(n)t paradis terrestre f. 151r: 'Migaillot' f. 151v: 'Ce p(rese)nt volume ouquel sont re(n)fermez deux histoir[es] me fut donne et envoy[e] par mon cousin Rob[ert] migaillot chanoine de la[on] et Rendu p(ar) moy le XXVIIeme jor de juing l'an de grace mil cinq cens et quinze'
Foliations description:Modern foliation in arabic numerals in the upper right corner of the recto. In the 'Florimont' part of the manuscript older foliation in arabic numerals also in the upper right corner of the recto. This foliation runs from 1 (=f. 3ra) to 48 (=f. 50ra). This foliation is not present in the 'Alexandre' part of the manuscript. This may indicate that, although the 'Florimont' and the 'Roman d'Alexandre' were produced by the same professionals, the transcriptions may have functioned seperately for some time. The notes by Migaillot prove, however, that the texts were bound together at the beginning of the sixteenth century.

Mise en page

Description 1This is the mise-en-page for the 'Florimont' part (f. 3r to f.50v) Separte column for majuscule letters at the beginning of the verseline. It is peculiar that the text is copied above top line
Page sampledf. 4r
LayoutNone
Page dimensions340x245 (mm)
Justification240x210 (mm)
Columns3
10mm between columns
Column ruling present in Colours object (4) (RulingMaterials object (3) )
Lines48
Line ruling present in Colours object (4) (RulingMaterials object (3) )
RubricationRed ink is only used for decorated initials.
Writing above top line?True
Sample page layout:

Description 2This is the mise-en-page for the 'Alexandre' part (f. 51r to f. 151r). Separate column for the majuscule letters at the beginning of the verseline. It is peculiar that the text is copied above top line.
Page sampledf. 106r
LayoutNone
Page dimensions340x245 (mm)
Justification190x245 (mm)
Columns2
5mm between columns
Column ruling present in Colours object (4) (RulingMaterials object (3) )
Lines50
Line ruling present in Colours object (4) (RulingMaterials object (3) )
RubricationRed ink is only used for pen-decorated initials.
Writing above top line?True
Sample page layout:

Hand(s)

Level of Execution:Execution object (4)
ScriptScript object (4)
Folio rangeFrom f. 3ra to f. 151ra
Datec. 1250 to 1300
Scribe description:Northern textualis with a two-compartment 'a' the upper compartment of which is open. Use of i-longa in final position. Straight 's' is used in final position. User of 'v' in initial position. Peculiar is the use of ampersand as majuscule for the 'et' abbreviation otherwise indicated by a crossed tironian note. Other abbreviations include nasal bar, apostrophe, superscript vowels, 'p' with crossed descender.
NotesProbably multiple hands with common characteristics.