×

Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, fonds français 1635

Ci coum(en)ce / lestoire dou / roi alixandre / com(en)t il / conquist / .xii. roiaau / mes . (et) fut / sires do mo(n)de /

General information

Folios97
LanguageNone
Approx. datec. 1275 to 1300
Date notesHarf-Lancner 2011, 211 'end of the thirteenth century'.
Place(s) of productionBurgundy or Lorraine
Busby 2002, 265. The illustration (f. 85r) would rather point towards the North of France. Possibly the localisation is based on the decoration of the first part of the manuscript?
First words of second recto folio[f. 86ra] T  restoute eust la terrre . qui puet est(re) abitee /
First words of last recto folio[f. 181ra] E  n la fin le wel lauoir (cou)m(en)t v(ous) le saueiz /
Incipit[f. 85ra] Ci coum(en)ce / lestoire dou / roi alixandre / com(en)t il / conquist / .xii. roiaau / mes . (et) fut / sires do mo(n)de / QVi vers de / riche estoire / wet ente(n)d(re) (et) oyr . / P  or panrre bon essample . por proesse acoillir / D  e (con)noistre raison damer (et) de hayr / D  es anemis greu(er) . quil ne(n) puist esclarcir / D  es laidures ueng(er) . (et) des b(ie)n faiz merir / D  e hast(er) q(ua)nt lex ert . et a t(er)me / soffrir /
Explicit[f. 181vb] S ire ce dit li gars m(er)ueilles dirai g(ra)nt / Ja s(o)nt ce .ij. puceles qui enuie(n)ne(n)t cha(n)tant / C  ouuert de ci quau piez dun paile escarima(n)t / (Et)  cheuauche .i. palefroi amblant /

Material

Material:Material object (4)
Watermark:na
Condition:Medium quality vellum with a single hole (f. 98) and some stitches (f. 100, f. 161, f. 162, f. 165). Not all folios are of the same size and in many instances the edges of the skin coincide with those of the leaf or are badly cut (f. 104, f. 111, f. 112, f. 113, f. 114, f. 129, f. 130, f. 136, f. 137, f. 139, f. 143, f. 144, f. 146, f. 151, f. 152, f. 154, f. 162,f. 163, f. 164, f. 170, f. 171, f. 181) Generally in good condition, but the final folios are worn.

Structure

Collation:

1-68 76 88 93 10-138

Quire structure:This part of the manuscript is generally built of quaternions. Quire 7 (f. 133 to 138) is a sexternion. Quire 9 is an irregular quire of three folios. The catchword on the last folio, 181v, indicates that quires have been lost at the end of the manuscript.
Quire marks:MSQuiremarkDisposition object (21)
Catchwords:
Catchword disposition:MSCatchwordDisposition object (10)

Physical description

General description:Quires are missing after f. 181v (ends at III, 441 verse 4)
No. of illustrations:1
General illustration:The text opens with a frontispiece consisting of a historiated initial (height: 11 lines), blue with white flourishings on a field of scarlet with yellow border. The image shows Aristotle (seated on the left) teaching the young prince Alexander (seated on the right, holding a book). The initial extends into an L-border of blue and red baguettes inhabited by a hound hunting a rabbit.
General decoration:Large initials (4 lines) indicate major subdivisions of the text (e.g. f. 130va=III,6, f. 134ra=III,30). Pen-decorated puzzle-initial with pen-flourishings and red and blue j-borders at f. 150ra=III.164. The beginning of laisses is marked by pen-decorated initials (height: 2 lines) alternating between blue and red with flourishings in the contrasting colour (these flourishings stop at f. 125). As from f. 128v only red initials without further decoration; as from f. 148v blue initials return and as from f. 150 also the decoration of the initials returns1. Rubricated tituli (directions in the margins) are distributed unevenly in the text, but many of them have not been executed (e.g. f. 96v, f. 100r, to f. 124; f. 155v to 158r; f. 165 to )
Evidence of readership:f. 94v: in the lower margin, 15th. c, 'lxx' f. 125v: in the lower margin, 15th c., 'lxviii' f. 135v: in the lower margin, 15th. c, 'lxx' f. 141r: annotation in the lower margin ''Amico silo' f. 145v: annotation in the upper margin; copy of the first lines of the folio 'Puis q(ui)l letient Ahonte' f. 180v: annotation in the lower margin 'in omnib(us) aj xxxx' 'paginas f. 181v: annotations in the lower margin As from f. 141 v aj marks in the upper and lower margin. As from f. 154v four consecutive hooks in the margins Annotations on the first flyleaf at the end of the manuscript: r: Cum fessus fuit (?con?)rad?..? se no(?..?) / Confessuorio (con)rad?ri?me v: 'Dietz blasons et comptes diuers / Ensemble lhystoire du grand / Roy allexandre' 'Imp(er)ator aj ij' ' 'qr dato (et) sumno ?t?onate / vob(is) esset data potestat aj ?vuj? (?cum?) Imp(er) aj xv / solue idij (et) ligau/ndij aui?.??.?as'
Foliations description:Modern foliation in arabic numerals in the upper right corner of the recto (f. 85 to f. 181). Older (probably 15th c.) foliation in roman numerals centered in the upper margin of the recto (f. II=f. 86 to f. LXXV=f.159).

Mise en page

Description 1Separate column for the majuscule letters at the beginning of the verseline. Horizontal throughlines frame the first and last line of the folio and one line in the middle (l. 20).
Page sampledf. 86r
LayoutNone
Page dimensions259x187 (mm)
Justification201x142 (mm)
Columns2
7mm between columns
Column ruling present in Colours object (4) (RulingMaterials object (3) )
Lines35
Line ruling present in Colours object (4) (RulingMaterials object (3) )
RubricationRed ink is used for pen-decorated initials, to highlight the majuscules at the beginning of the folio (f. 85r) and for rubricated tituli.
Writing above top line?False
Sample page layout:

Hand(s)

Level of Execution:Execution object (4)
ScriptScript object (4)
Folio rangeFrom f. 85ra to f. 181vb
Datec. 1275 to 1300
Scribe description:Northern textualis with two-compartment 'a' with open upper compartment, some instances of closed upper compartment (double-bow 'a'). Tongued 'e', especially marked at the end of the verseline. Round 's' in final position. 3-like 'z'. Abbreviations include nasal bar, also for q(ue), apostrophe, -us abbreviation, -com abbreviation, 'p' with crossed descender, superscript vowels, crossed tironian 'et' (ampersand is used in the majuscule column). Litterae elongatae at the top and bottom of the column.
Notes