CAROLINGIAN SACRAMENTARY: two fragmentary leaves, in Latin, manuscript on vellum [France (Auxerre?), 9th century (middle decades)]

CAROLINGIAN SACRAMENTARY: two fragmentary leaves, in Latin, manuscript on vellum

[France (Auxerre?), 9th century (middle decades)]

two cropped leaves, c. 210 × 135mm and c. 185 × 110mm, blind-ruled for 22 lines, written in a fine Carolingian minuscule script with triangular broadening tops to ascenders, and forms of a, g, r, s, and x characteristic of Auxerre, with rubrics in red Rustic Capitals; recovered from use in a bookbinding with consequent damage: one side of each leaf not easily illegible, the other sides worn, the larger fragment with small holes and tears, the smaller fragment lacking the lowermost line and a few letters at the beginning of each line, and with a hole; despite their condition these are interesting palaeographical and liturgical specimens; loose in a blue cloth-covered folder, with gilt leather title-piece.

PROVENANCE

1. The script suggests that the parent manuscript was written at Auxerre in the middle decades of the 9th century: a period when the cathedral was acquiring a fine library and the abbey of St Germain was a major centre of learning under Heiric of Auxerre (841–876/7), who studied under Haimo of Auxerre (d. c. 865), and went on to become the teacher of Remigius of Auxerre (d. 908).
2. Bernard Quaritch, Catalogue 1270 (2000), no. 66; bought by:
3. The Boehlen Collection, Bern, MS 807

TEXT

The larger fragment begins in the Secret (‘[Alta]re tuum domine deus muneribus cumulamus oblatis …’), followed by the Postcommunion and Super populo for the vigil of All Saints (31 October); followed by the Collect for All Saints day (1 November) (‘[O]mnipotens sempiterne deus qui nos omnium sanctorum …’), and a reading from Revelation 7:2–9 (‘[Ecce] ego Iohannes vidi alterum angelum … ante thronum’).

The more legible side of the smaller fragment has a reading from Revelation 5:6–13 (‘[sta]ntem tamquam occisum … Amen.’); the other side can be partially read under natural light (e.g. the end of a prayer, ‘ab omnibus adversitatibus protegat et defendat’), and could probably be fully recovered with the aid of UV light and digital image enhancement.

REFERENCES

Bernard Quaritch Ltd, Catalogue 1270: Bookhands of the Middle Ages, Part VI (2000), no. 66.