Northern Textualis

A Gr rubric on the back cover indicates that the fragment is probably from a gradual, but none of the chants have been identified.

Folio choir book.

The parchment was painted or dyed with a black colourant and possibly also washed off, causing damage to the text and creating a coarse surface. As a result of the damage, the text and notation on the non-visible and the visible sides overlap and blend together.

Red rubrics and lombards, as well as black cadels. 

The fragment is potentially from Germany, given the type of notation and the German provenance of the host volume. 

The host volume belonged to Herlufsholm Skole, a private Latin school located in Næstved, Sealand founded in 1565 on the grounds of a dissolved Benedictine monastery, St Peders Kloster. The old library of Herlufsholm was transferred to the University Library of Southern Denmark in 1968-69. This book is part of a donation made to the school by count Otto Thott (1703-1785), who became warden of the school in 1763 until his death in 1785. Well-known for his book collecting, he gave about 6000 volumes to Herlufsholm’s library in several shipments beginning in 1777.

Two pre-Thott owners have left their marks on or in the book: The binding is stamped "F W L" and "1650", and an inscription on the title page reads "M. Johannes Hilgard est possessor huius libri Anno 1673". The stamped initials remain unidentified. Johannes Hilgard is possibly a pastor of this name, at the church St Jacobi in Göttingen (1627-65) and later at St Marien (1666-71), although the GND lists 1665 as year he died. 

The book is in a half leather binding over wooden boards with corners made out of the same light leather as the spine. The light leather is decorated with a palmette roll as well as several other floral and geometric rolls and stamps. It is in a very poor state and needs conservation treatment.