| General illustration: | The 'Queste' opens with a single-column miniature (height: 12 lines), framed in blue and scarlet bars, decorated with white flourishings, corners gilt. The image, on gilt grounds, had been badly damaged. It portrays a group of knights and footsoldiers leaving a castle. The miniature is followed by a foliate initial (height: 11 lines), scarlet on blue and gilt grounds, decorated with blue and scarlet tendrils, with a partial border. Historiated initial (height: 9 lines), blue with white flourishings on gilt background at the start of 'Dancus Rex' (f. 83ra). In this text and the following treatise on falconry, litterae notabiliores, alternatingly red and blue, in the text. Historiated initials at the beginning of the Books of Latini's 'Tresor' (ff. 90v, 139v, f. 191r). All three show Latini writing. The images on ff. 139 and 191 are by another artist and have decorative partial borders of blue and scarlet angular baguettes, decorated with goldleaf and white flourishings. A similarly decorated historiated initials (height: 10 lines) at the beginning of the gospel translations (f. 233r, 254r, 268v, 293r). Similarly historiated initials at the beginning of the dialogue between father and son (f. 344r), the
'Livre de moralités' (f. 376r) as illustrations in Philippe de Novare's four ages of man (f. 387r, 390r, 395r, 401v) and at the beginning of the 'Fables' at the end of the MS (f. 408r). |
| General decoration: | In the 'Queste', chapters ('Or dit li contes') are marked with large puzzle initials (height: 6-10 lines), blue and red, with flourishings in the same colours and j-borders in blue and red. Pen-decorated initials (height: 2 lines), alternatingly blue and red with flourishings in the other colour mark the beginning of paragraphs.In 'Dancus Rex' (f. 83ra) and the following texts pen-decorated initials at paragraphs and litterae notabiliores, alternatingly red and blue, in the text. The Brunetto Latini part of the MS (ff. 89r), has decorated tables of contents, with pen-decorated initials, red and blue letters at the beginning of entries and chapter numbers in red ink. Rubricated tituli and pen-decorated initials in the text. The paratextual programme of rubrics and decorated letters in the gospel translation (f. 233 and following) is similar. Characteristic are the horizontal initials 'J' on ff. 257v and 262r. After the gospels, on f. 311ra, a rubric: 'Ci apres est vne priere de n(ot)re dame.' Given that the text that follows is the 'Plantefolie' this rubric is misplaced. It may refer to the text on ff. 371-372. The 'Plantefolie' begins with a pen-decorated puzzle initial (height: 4 lines), blue and red with flourishings in the same colour. Paragraphs marked by pen-decorated initials. Litterae notabiliores (height: 1 line) in blue and red in the text. The 'Lucidaire' is decorated with gilt initials, with flourishings in blue ink (height: 3 lines). Pen-flourished initials in blue and red (height: lines). Red and blue paragraph signs in the text. Line-fillers in red ink. The text is incomplete at the beginning. Large decorated initial (height: 5 lines), gilt on blue and pink grounds decorated with white flourishings at the beginning of the son's part in the father-son dialogue (f. 344v). Latin proverbs and indications of speaker in red ink. Pen-decorated initials (height: 2 lines) and paragraph signs in red and blue ink in the text. Line-fillers in red ink. A large puzzle initial (height: 10 lines), blue and red with flourishings in the same colours marks the beginning of the description of the Holy Land (f. 360r). Furthers division with pen-decorated initials. Faces in the eye of the letter (ff. 365rb, 365va). Quotes in Latin in red ink. The legend of the Holy Cross also opens with a puzzle initial (f. 366ra, height: 9 lines), decorated with flourishings in blue and red ink and j-borders in the same colours. At the end of the text 'explicit lucidarius'. A similar opening, but without the j-border, for the 'Disticha Catonis' (f. 368v) and the following texts (ff. 371vb, 372va, 373vb) |
| Evidence of readership: | On f. 87rb, at the end of the treatise on falconry, a 15th c. hand has added an explicit. On folio 108v, in the outer margin, cropped 15th c. annotation. Annotations in Italian (ff. 174r, 176r,177v, 187r, 189r, 353v). On f. 183v, erased note in the lower margin. On f. 249r, in the upper margin 'dantristo'. On f. 280r, in the upper margin 'patr??e?? nosta'. On 337v , in the lower margin, faded annotation. |
| Foliations description: | Modern foliation in arabic numerals in the upper right corner of the recto. |
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