Gradual: MS McClean 57

Entities

• Gradual
• Cistercian Use

Categories

• Illuminated manuscript
• Manuscript

Description

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Parchment, i parchment flyleaf + 96 fols. + i parchment flyleaf, 538 x 365 – 378 (408 – 416 x 235 – 243) mm, 10 long lines ruled in crayon, 10 four-line musical staves ruled in black ink, leaves lost before fol. 1 and between fols. 37 – 38.

BINDING: sixteenth century, brown leather over partially bevelled wooden boards, sewn on 7 double supports, blind-tooled central panel of foliate and geometric designs, metal shoes and heels at top and bottom of upper and lower covers, traces of two straps , cream endbands; repaired and rebacked

CONTENTS: fols. 1r – 2r End of Temporal with the end of the texts for the 22nd Sunday after Trinity and those for the 23rd Sunday; fols. 2v – 72r Sanctoral (from St Stephen, 26 Dec., to St Thomas Apostle, 21 Dec.); fols 72r – 75v Texts for Votive Masses; ff. 76r – 78r Texts for Masses for the dead; fols. 78v –87v Offices for the main feasts of the Temporal and Sanctoral; fols. 87v – 90v Hymns for major feasts; fols. 91r – 96r Texts for Guardian Angel, Transfiguration, Name of Jesus and other feasts (addition).

DECORATION: Fourteen historiated initials [6 ll.] formed of blue, pink or brushed gold branch work and acanthus, with three-sided strewn-flower borders, some compartmentalized and some with extensive acanthus motifs, for major feasts: fol. 2v Sanctoral, [E, 6 ll.] Martyrdom of St Stephen; fol. 4r [I, 6 ll.] St John the Evangelist blessing chalice with serpent; fol. 20r Purification, [S, 4 ll.] Presentation in the Temple; fol. 27v [B, 6 ll.] Annunciation; fol. 40r [D, 6 ll.] St John the Baptist holding book and pointing to lamb; fol. 43r [N, 6 ll.] Saints Peter and Paul; fol. 45r [G, 4 ll.] Visitation; fol. 46v [G, 6 l.] St Mary Magdalene; fol. 48r [G, 6 ll.] St Anne with the Virgin and Child; fol. 53r [C, 6 ll.] St Laurence; fol. 57r [G, 6 ll.] Assumption of the Virgin; fol. 65v [G, 6 ll.] St Ursula and the 11,000 Virgins; fol. 69v [G, 6 ll.] St Catherine, border with inscription VIRGO SANCTA KATHERINA : GRECIE GEMMA ALEXANDRIA : COSTI REGIS ERAT F[ILIA]; fol. 74r [S, 6 ll.] Virgin and Child clothed in the Sun, standing on crescent moon, crowned by angels.

ORNAMENTATION: Blue and red parted initials [4 – 6 ll.] on red and violet pen-flourished grounds, central part highlighted in green, for feasts of the Conversion of St Paul (fol. 17r), St George (fol. 29r), St Bernard (fol. 59r), St Michael (fol. 63v), Saints Simon and Jude (fol. 66v); blue, red or brown initials [1 – 2 ll.] with red, violet of brown pen-flourishing respectively, often incorporating grotesques, for lesser text divisions; red and brown penwork initials [2 ll.] for text divisions on fols. 91r – 96v.

Notes

History note: Purchased from Bernard Quaritch in 1894 by Frank McClean (1836 – 1904); his bequest, 1904.