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De proprietatibus rerum

Book II, Chapters XV-XIX

F-6lc5

Utopia, armarium codicum bibliophilorum, Private Collection, Canada, Fr.G1-5

Private Catalogue, Canada, 2024. (Born Digital)

General Information

Title De proprietatibus rerum (Book II, Chapters XV-XIX)
Material Parchment
Place of Origin France [?]

Current Condition

Dimensions 165 mm x 210 mm
More about the Current Condition

The leaf was recovered from a binding. On the upper recto are remnants of a paper label, which would have been visible on the spine of the host volume. On the verso, which was previously pasted down, the left-side column and part of the right-side column are largely illegible. Both sides are soiled.

Book Decoration and Musical Notation

Description

At the beginning of Chapter XVI (recto) and Chapter XIX (verso), S letters are drawn with intricate, contrasting red and blue penwork. A similar letter was likewise drawn at the beginning of Chapter XVII (recto), although it is obscured by the paper label. Rubrication is penned in red ink. 

Content

  • Content Item
    • Content Description

      The leaf contains Chapters XV-XIX from Book II of De proprietatibus rerum (On the Properties of Things), an encyclopedic work by the Franciscan friar Bartholomaeus Anglicus (c. 1203-1272). The chapters describe the properties of angels within the hierarchy of angels, namely virtues (Chapter XVI), archangels (Chapter XVII), and angels (Chapter XVIII). The final chapter within the leaf (Chapter XIX) introduces the properties of demons, described here as malus angelus (“bad angel[s]”). Medieval authorities, including Pseudo-Dionysus and Isidore of Seville, are referenced throughout the chapters.

History

Origin

The seller listed the leaf as dating approximately to the second-half of the fourteenth century and originating from France. The work enjoyed great popularity in France throughout the Middle Ages, partially owing to Bartholomaeus Anglicus having lectured at the University of Paris. Most extant, Latin manuscripts of De proprietatibus rerum originate from France.

Bibliography

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