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St Adhelm: De Laude Virginitatis | MS 197

ST. ALDHELM OF MALMESBURY: DE LAUDE VIRGINITATIS

MS 197
Text ST. ALDHELM OF MALMESBURY: DE LAUDE VIRGINITATIS, CH. 47, 49, 50
Description MS in Latin on vellum, Worcester?, England, ca. 800, 2 ff., 18x13 cm, single column, (14x10 cm), 22 lines in a handsome calligraphic and very early Anglo-Saxon minuscule, 17 glosses in Old English (10th c.) in Carolingian minuscule by 2 scribes, 20 initials infilled in red and silver, illuminated initial monogram "GL", calligraphically drawn in black infilled and surrounded by red and silver dots.
Binding London, 1910-20, orange niger morocco, title gilt, by C.&C. McLeish.
Context 38 ff. of originally ca. 90 ff. survive: 28 ff. Yale University Beinecke Library, Beinecke 401; 2 ff. Cambridge University Library, Add.MS.3330; 1 f. British Library, Add.MS.50483 K; 4 ff. Bodleian Lat.th.d.24 & MS.Don.f.458; 1 f. Free Library of Philadelphia, Lewis Collection, ET. 121.
Provenance 1. Worcester? (ca. 800-); 2. Canterbury?, Kent (ca. 950 or earlier); 3. Bookseller, Brighton (until ca. 1827); 4. James Tregaskis, London (until 1921); 5. Wilfred Merton, Slindon, MS 41 (from 1921); 6. Bernard Breslauer Cat. 90(1958):3; 7. H.P. Kraus Cat. 88(1958):5, and Cat. 95(1961):3; 8. Sammlung Ludwig, Aachen and Köln, MS XI 5 (until 1983); 9. The J. Paul Getty Museum, Malibu, California (1983-1988); 10. Sotheby's 6.12.1988:33. 11. De-accessioned Sotheby’s 10.7.2012:26
Commentary The MS is contemporary with the Book of Kells, and is part of the oldest extant MS by the earliest major English author. There are only 4 more MSS in Anglo-Saxon language in private ownership: MSS 600 and 1354 in The Schøyen Collection, and the Blickling Homilies and the Aethelgifu will, both in the Scheide library, Princeton. The Anglo-Saxon gloss, "clangetug", on f. 2r. is unique, not otherwise known in the Old English language.
Exhibited Comité International de Palaéographie Latin (CIPL) at Senate House, University of London, 3 September 2008.
Place of origin Worcester?, England
Dates ca 800 AD