Illuminated leaf from a manuscript of Gratian’s Decretum with the Glossa ordinaria of Bartolomeo da Brescia: Marlay cutting It. 5

Titles

Illuminated leaf from a manuscript of Gratian’s Decretum with the Glossa ordinaria of Bartolomeo da Brescia

Maker(s)

Artist: The Marlay Gratian atelier
Author: Gratian
Author: Brescia, Bartolomeo da

Entities

• Leaf (manuscript)
• Other

Categories

• Illuminated manuscript
• Manuscript

Description

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Parchment, columns and lines ruled in plummet, running headers. 457 x 274 mm (recto 373 x 229 mm, verso 368 x 280 mm), two text columns of 62 lines and two gloss columns of 86 lines on recto, two text columns of 60 lines and two gloss columns of 87 lines on reverse (original recto).

CONTENTS: Gratian, Decretum, Part II. Causa XII-Causa XIII (Clergy sue to recover tithes paid to a new diocese by those driven from their homes by war; Melnikas 1975, II, 433-61).

DECORATION: Marlay cutting It. 5r: One-column miniature: Peasants bearing sacks offer them to the priest who stands behind one altar, while another priest behind an adjacent altar in a darkened church stands alone and lifts his hands in prayer.

ORNAMENTATION:
Main text: Inhabited initials with half-length portraits, letters painted in graded pink or grey on gold grounds and extending into acanthus sprays to form partial borders, for Causae: Marlay cutting It. 5r [D, 6 ll.] Tonsured head, [Q, 4 ll.] Head; Marlay cutting It. 5v [T, 4 ll.] Male bust;

Gloss: Foliate initials [3-8 ll.] in pink or grey on blue grounds with small acanthus extensions, for major divisions (corresponding to both large and small inhabited initials in the main text); alternate red and blue initials [2 ll.] embedded within column with blue or red pen flourishing for minor divisions (corresponding to pen-flourished initials in the main text); voided paraph marks with alternate red and blue display capitals [2-gloss ll.] with minor flourishing in blue or red (guide letters in upper margin) for quaestiones; alternate red and blue paraph marks; simple geometric line-fillers in brown ink to even up gloss columns at the end of Causae.

Inter-column decoration: The space between text and gloss columns is decorated with foliate, acanthus and gold disc partial borders and zoomorphic motifs: Marlay cutting It. 5r Stretched out man; Marlay cutting It. 5v Small border.