Beschreibung:

PONTIFICAL, Vallombrosan use, in Latin. ILLUMINATED MANUSCRIPT ON VELLUM. [Florence], 1518. 290 x 210 mm. 84 leaves: 1-7 1 0 8 8 9 6, COMPLETE. 21 lines written in black and red ink in a round Italian gothic script between 2 vertical and 22 horizontal lines ruled in pale brown ink, justification: 190 x 125 mm. 66 pages with up to four staves of music consisting of three or four lines ruled in red with square black neumes. Liturgical instructions in red, paragraph signs in blue, line-fillers of fine black pen-work tracery sometimes washed green or yellow, one-line text initials with fine black pen-tracery often washed yellow or green, one-line Lombard initials alternately in red and blue, numerous two-line Lombards alternately red and blue with elaborate pen-flourishing in the opposite color often extending the height of the page, five Lombards in burnished gold with blue or red-and-blue pen-work, FIVE LARGE ILLUMINATED HISTORIATED INITIALS AND THREE ILLUMINATED INITIALS in colors and liquid gold and silver on burnished gold grounds or in burnished gold on colored grounds, TWO PORTRAIT ROUNDELS with burnished gold grounds, classical border on f. 1r consisting of blue foliage inhabited by grotesque faces and cherubs on a burnished gold ground surrounded by tiny burnished gold dots each with fine black pen-work tracery. (The silver oxydized, some rubbing to burnished gold, slight darkening to historiated initials on ff. 1r and 61r, minor finger-soiling to extreme lower margins, some flaking of ink from flesh sides.) Binding : contemporary Italian goatskin over wooden boards, blind-tooled to a double frame pattern, the central compartment with gold-tooled arabesques and YHS symbol, two clasps consisting of leather straps with chased and hinged brass strap-ends catching on pins on back cover, gilt edges, red and green silk endbands (minor wear to extremities, discreet restoration to leather straps, one strap separated but the detached piece with strap end present); modern drop- back cloth box. Provenance : copied in 1518, when Dianora de Maclavellis was abbess, at the command of Sister Leonarda de Masis, for use by the nuns at the monastery of St. John the Evangelist of the order of Vallombrosa at the gate of Faenza in Florence: colophon, f. 84v ( Deo et genitrice gloriose virgini Marie et Beate Humilitati, librum istum scribere feci Soror Leonarda de Masis devotione ducta, pro monasterio sancti Johannis evangeliste, ordinis Vallisumbrose ad portam Faventie, anno domini M o.ccccc o.x oviij o, Domina Dianora de Maclavellis existente eiusdem monasterii abbatissa ) -- occasional marginal annotations including an additional prayer for the blessing of the ring (f. 16v) -- [unidentified sale, 3/6/46: catalogue clipping attached to pastedown] -- W. A. Foyle, Beeleigh Abbey: bookplate -- [Lathrop Harper 1976] Contents : rite for the reception and clothing of a novice: Ordo ad induendam novitiam puellam secundum ordinem vallis umbrose (ff. 1r-6r); rite for the consecration of a virgin: De benedictione et consecratione virginum secundum ordinem vallumbrose (ff. 6v-43v); rite for the installation of an abbess: Ordo ad eligendam confirmandam et benedicendam novam abbatissam (ff. 44r-60r); proper for the office of St. John the Evangelist (ff. 60v); ceremonial for a pontifical mass (ff. 61r-83v); proper for an unidentified office (f. 84r); colophon (f. 84v). The monastery of St. John the Evangelist at the gate of Faenza in Florence, founded in 1282, was one of the earliest communities of Vallombrosan nuns. St. Humilitas, who established the order between 1262 and 1266, chose the dedication because of her particular devotion to St. John the Evangelist. She died at the monastery 1310 and was buried beside its altar. The convent is said to have attracted the patronage and the professions of Florentine noblewomen and was clearly enjoying a period of prosperity in the early 16th century when this pontifical was commissioned. In 1527, the orig