Berkeley, Bancroft Library, 106 (vol. 1)

[Part 1]

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General information

Folios191
LanguageLanguage object (3)
Approx. datec. 1250 to 1275
Date notesDate suggested by the Lancelot-Graal project. Confirmed by Jonas. Arthurian Fictions has 1240 to 1260. Digital Scriptorium suggests 1285 to 1300. The writing supports a date in the third quarter of the 13th c.
Place(s) of productionJumièges
Place suggested by the Lancelot-Graal project. Arthurian fiction has Paris.
First words of second recto folio
First words of last recto folio
Incipit[1ra] Ici comence la yie des Peres / D ??.?? .ij. ??....??tes dont li ??...?? / ??.??ha??. en fornicacion /  AIde dex rois jh(es)u c(ri)st / pere filz (et) seins / esperit / Dex qui tout / pues (et) tot crias /
Explicit[f. 191vb] fine force a aiost(re) al estoire du sei(n)t g(ra)al . por ce q(ue) / branche en est (et) i apartie(n)t . Si com(en)ce m(er)lin Rob(er)s / de borro(n) / en tel na / niere . / M(u)lt fu / irez li enemis //

Material

Material:Material object (4)
Watermark:
Condition:One folio missing after f. 79 (Digital Scriptorium)

Structure

Collation:
Quire structure:
Quire marks:
Catchwords:
Catchword disposition:MSCatchwordDisposition object (16)

Physical description

General description:This is the olim Phillipps 3643 MS. Originally one codex, it is now bound in two volumes. The description of illustration and decoration applies to both volumes.
No. of illustrations:26
General illustration:Four miniatures (e.g. ff. 145v, 191v, in the 'Estoire del Saint Graal' portion of the MSS). Miniatures are framed in red and blue bars traced in black ink. Backgrounds are blue and scarlet. The single-column miniature on f. 145v portrays scenes from Genesis in two registers (height: 20 lines). The single-column image at the end of the 'Estoire' (f. 191r, height: 11 lines) shows the harrowing of hell, associated with the beginning of 'Merlin'. Twenty-two historiated initials (e.g. vol. 1, ff. 1r., 126r, 134r, 145v). Volume 1 opens with an historiated initial (f. 1ra, height: 12 lines), illustration in three registers, portraying the crucifixion and scenes from the saints' lives. The initial is purple, ornamented with white flourishings on a blue field decorated with goldleaf and orange. The 'Estoire del Saint Graal' begins with a similar historiated initial (f. 117r, height: 9 lines) showing a hermit copying the text provided by an angel.
General decoration:In the first volume, chapters are indicated by puzzle initials (height: 4-6 lines), blue and red, with flourishings in the same colours. These parti-coloured letters are accompanied by J-borders in blue and red. These initials also mark the beginning of new texts, which are also preceded by rubricated tituli. Further subdivisions are marked by pen-decorated initials (height: 2 lines), alternatingly blue and red with flourishings in the other colour. In the 'Estoire' part of the codex, major subdivisions are marked by historiated initials and foliate initials (e.g. f.134r, height: 3 lines), paragraphs indicated by pen-decorated initials (height: 2 lines).
Evidence of readership:On f. 1r, in the lower margin, faded text. Four lines of verse (copied as one phrase) added in the lower margin of f. 191v. by a hand which is contemporary to that of the scribe: 'Tant as tant vaus . (et) ie ta(n)t teim . Seignor (et) ami te claim . Q(ua)nt tu rien nas nient ne te pris . plus as de pare(n)s q(ue) damis'. The first line ('tant...teim'), possibly a fixed expression - is also found in the 'Contes de fole larguece' by the Picard poet Philippe de Remy de Beaumanoir (c. 1210-1265).
Foliations description:Modern foliation in arabic numerals in the upper right corner of the recto.

Mise en page

Description 1Layout for the verse texts on ff. 1r to 116v. (Digital Scriptorium)
Page sampled
LayoutMSLayout object (4)
Page dimensions332x226 (mm)
Justification (mm)
Columns3
mm between columns
Column ruling present in Colours object (4) (RulingMaterials object (3) )
Lines48
Line ruling present in Colours object (4) (RulingMaterials object (3) )
RubricationTituli in red ink. Directions to the rubricator in the lower margin (e.g. f. 47r).
Writing above top line?False
Sample page layout:

Description 2Layout for the 'Estoire del Saint Graal' , ff. 117r-155v. (Digital Scriptorium)
Page sampled
LayoutMSLayout object (3)
Page dimensions332x226 (mm)
Justification (mm)
Columns2
mm between columns
Column ruling present in Colours object (4) (RulingMaterials object (3) )
Lines48
Line ruling present in Colours object (4) (RulingMaterials object (3) )
Rubrication No tituli in the Lancelot-Grail part of the codex.
Writing above top line?False
Sample page layout:

Hand(s)

Level of Execution:Execution object (4)
ScriptScript object (4)
Folio rangeFrom 1ra to 191v
Datec. 1250 to 1300
Scribe description:Northern textualis with two-compartment 'a', the upper compartment of which is open, clubbed ascenders on 'b', 'h', 'l', 'k', 'e' with tongue, 8-like 'g' the lower lobe of which descends below the baseline, diacritic on 'i' in minim group, limbs of 'm' and 'n' end on the baseline, straight 's' in final position, vertical stroke of 't' does not extend above the baseline, 3-like 'z'. Fusion of 'de', 'o' and round 'r', 'po'. Relatively few abbreviations, including crossed tironian 'et', superscript vowels, 'us' abbreviation. Punctuation: punctus and punctus elevatus.
Notes