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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 180 x 210 mm
More about the Current Condition

The leaf was recovered from a binding, where it was used as a wrapper. On the 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 first column and part of the second column are largely illegible. There are also remnants of printed text visible on the top-left of the verso. Both sides are soiled.

Book Decoration and Musical Notation

Description

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

Content

  • Content Item
    • Content Description

      The leaf contains the end of Chapter XV and continues through to the beginning of Chapter XIX from Book II of De proprietatibus rerum (On the Properties of Things), an encyclopedic work by Franciscan monk 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). In Chapter XIX, for which the leaf only contains the beginning, Anglicus describes the properties of demons, referred to here as malus angelus. 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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