The second part of the 'Montpellier Bible', containing the Book of Proverbs to the Book of Revelation
Description
This is the second of two volumes of one of the nine extant copies
of the Languedocian recension of the Latin Vulgate (see Berger,
Histoire de la Vulgate (1893), pp. 72-88), containing the Book of
Proverbs to the Book of Revelation. This Bible is known as the
‘Montpellier Bible', after the location of its 17th-century
owner, the chancellor of the University of Montpellier. The two
volumes were produced in the 1st quarter of the 12th century. They
were decorated by two artists: the first artist, who was influenced
by an Italian style, decorated the initials of the Old Testament
prefaces and the opening initial of the Book of Genesis. The
majority of the initials, however, were decorated by the second
artist. This artist’s work is marked by a great variety of
ornamental motifs, and zoomorphic, hybrid and anthropomorphic
figures in bright colours in a style that indicates that the
manuscript was produced in the region of Languedoc (see Cahn,
Romanesque Bible Illumination (1975), pp. 272-73 (no. 74)). This
seems to be confirmed by a number of prologues and original
marginal annotations in the first volume that refer to a work
entitled the ‘History of Lyon’ (‘historia lugdunensis’).
The references to this as of yet unidentified work suggest that the
scribes who copied this Bible compared their exemplar(s) to an
authoritative biblical work from the Archdiocese of Lyon and
perhaps were located there as well. Contents:f. 1r: A prologue to
the Book of Proverbs.ff. 1r-1v: A table of contents for the Book of
Proverbs. f. 1v: A prologue to the Book of Proverbs.ff. 1v-10r: The
Book of Proverbs.f. 10r: A table of contents for the Book of
Ecclesiastes.ff. 10r-13r: The Book of Ecclesiastes.ff. 13r-14v: The
Canticle of Canticles.f. 15r: A table of contents for the Book of
Wisdom.ff. 15r-21v: The Book of Wisdom.f. 21v: A prologue to the
Book of Sirach.ff. 21v-22v: A table of contents for the Book of
Sirach.ff. 22v-40v: The Book of Sirach.ff. 41r-41v: A prologue to
the Book of Job.f. 41v: A table of contents for the Book of Job.ff.
42r-52r: The Book of Job.ff. 52r-52v: A prologue to the Book of
Esdras.ff. 52v-62v: The Book of Esdras.f. 61v: A prologue to the
Book of Tobit.ff. 62r-65v: The Book of Tobit.f. 65v: A prologue to
the Book of Judith.ff. 65v-71r: The Book of Judith.f. 71r: A
prologue to the Book of Esther.ff. 71r-76r: The Book of Esther.ff.
76r-77r: A table of contents for the Book of 1 Maccabees.ff.
77r-90r: The Book of 1 Maccabees.ff. 90r-90v: A table of contents
for the Book of 2 Maccabees.ff. 90v-100r: The Book of 2
Maccabees.ff. 100v-101r: A prologue to the Gospels.ff. 101r-101v: A
prologue to the Gospels.f. 101v: A prologue to the Gospel of
Matthew.f. 101v-102r: A table of contents for the Gospel of
Matthew.ff. 102v-116v: The Gospel of Matthew. ff. 116v: A table of
contents for the Gospel of Mark.ff. 166v-117r: A prologue to the
Gospel of Mark.ff. 117r-125r: The Gospel of Mark.ff. 125r-125v: A
table of contents for the Gospel of Luke.ff. 125v-126r: A prologue
for the Gospel of Luke.ff. 126r-140v: The Gospel of Luke.ff.
140v-141r: A table of contents for the Gospel of John.f. 141r: A
prologue for the Gospel of John.ff. 141r-153r: The Gospel of
John.ff. 153r-157v: A lectionary.ff. 157v-158v: A prologue to the
Pauline Epistles.ff. 158v-164v: The Epistle to the Romans.f. 164v:
A prologue to the First Epistle to the Corinthians.ff. 164v-170v:
The First Epistle to the Corinthians.f. 170v: A prologue to The
Second Epistle to the Corinthians.ff. 170r-174v: The Second Epistle
to the Corinthians.f. 174v: A prologue to the Epistle to the
Galatians.f. 174v: A prologue to the Epistle to the Galatians.ff.
174v-176v: The Epistle to the Galatians.f. 176v: A prologue to the
Epistle to the Ephesians.ff. 176v-178v: The Epistle to the
Ephesians. ff. 178v: A prologue to the Epistle to the
Philippians.ff. 178v-180r: The Epistle to the Philippians.f. 180r:
A prologue to the Epistle to the Colossians.ff. 180r-181v: The
Epistle to the Colossians.f. 181v: The First Epistle to the
Thessalonians.ff. 181v-182v: The First Epistle to the
Thessalonians.ff. 182v-183r: A prologue to the Second Epistle to
the Thessalonians.ff. 183r-183v: The Second Epistle to the
Thessalonians.f. 183v: A prologue to the First Epistle to
Timothy.ff. 183v-185r: The First Epistle to Timothy.f. 185r: A
prologue to the Second Epistle to Timothy.f. 185r: A prologue to
the Second Epistle to Timothy.ff. 185r-186v: The Second Epistle to
Timothy.f. 186v: A prologue to the Epistle to Titus.ff. 186v-187r:
The Epistle to Titus.f. 187r: A prologue to the Epistle to
Philemon.ff. 187r-187v: The Epistle to Philemon.f. 187v: A prologue
to the Epistle to the Hebrews.ff. 187v-191v: The Epistle to the
Hebrews.ff. 191v-193r: The Epistle of James.ff. 193r-194v: The
First Epistle of Peter.ff. 194v-195v: The Second Epistle of
Peter.ff. 195v-197r: The First Epistle of John.ff. 197r-197v: The
Second Epistle of John. f. 197v: The Third Epistle of John.ff.
197v-198r: The Epistle of Jude. f. 198r: A prologue to the Acts of
the Apostles.ff. 198r-212r: The Acts of the Apostles.ff. 212r-218r:
The Book of Revelation.The manuscript contains a number of later
additions:The last lines of ff. 10v, 34v, 207r, 209r were lost and
have been rewritten, perhaps in the 14th or 15th century.
Decoration:1 large initial entirely zoomorphic (a bird or dragon
biting its own neck) in red and blue (f. 71r). 41 large initials
outlined by colours or gold, some with yellow or gold fillers, some
partly foliate or zoomorphic, some featuring zoomorphic and hybrid
figures inside their letters, some featuring knot-work, in gold,
yellow, red or blank frames with a background in blue or blue and
red (ff. 1v, 10r, 13r, 15r, 21v, 22v, 41r, 42r, 62r, 65v, 77r, 91r,
102v, 117r, 126r, 141r, 157v, 158v, 164v, 170v, 174v, 176v, 178v,
180r, 181v, 183r, 183v, 185r, 186v, 187r, 187v, 191v, 193r, 194v,
195v, 197r, 197v (2x), 198r, 198v, 212r). 20 large initials in red
or blue, or red and blue, with blue and red pen-work decoration
(ff. 1r, 1v, 52r, 52v, 61v, 65v, 100v, 101r, 116v, 125v, 126r,
141r, 174 (2x), 176v, 178v, 180r, 183v, 185r, 186v). Small initials
in red, some with simple pen-work decoration. Rubrics in large
letters of red and blue with pen-work decoration. Line-fillers and
numbers in red.
Place
Preferred form
Lyon (Rhône, France)
Original form
Lyon, France
Other form
Lyon (?)
France (Lyon ?).
France, Lyon
Lyon (Rhône)
Sud de la France (Lyon)
Lyon
Lió
Maître de l’Entrée (de François I), Lyon, and a collaborator
