The first part of the ‘Montpellier Bible’, containing the Book of Genesis to the Book of Malachi.
Description
This is the first 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
Genesis to the Book of Malachi. 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 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:ff. 1r-4v: The Letter
of St Jerome to Paul. ff. 3v-4r: St Jerome, Prologue on the
Pentateuch. ff. 4r-4v: A table of contents.ff. 4v-27v: The Book of
Genesis. f. 27v: A table of contents.ff. 27v-46r: The Book of
Exodus.ff. 46v-47r: A table of contents.ff. 47r-60v: The Book of
Leviticus.ff. 60v-61r: A table of contents. ff. 61r-81r: The Book
of Numbers. ff. 81r-98v: The Book of Deuteronomy.f. 98v: St Jerome,
Prologue to the Book of Joshua.ff. 98v-99r: A table of contents for
the Book of Joshua.ff. 99r-108v: The Book of Joshua.f. 108v: A
table of contents.ff. 108v-120v: The Book of Judges.ff. 120v-122r:
The Book of Ruth.ff. 122-123r: St Jerome, Prologue to the Book of
Kings.ff. 123r-124r: A table of contents for the Book of 1
Kings.ff. 124r-139v: The Book of 1 Kings.ff. 139v-140r: A table of
contents for the Book of 2 Kings.ff. 140r-159r: The Book of 2
Kings.ff. 153r-169r: The Book of 3 Kings.ff. 169r-184r: The Book of
4 Kings.f. 184v: St Jerome, Prologue to the Book of Isaiah.f. 184v:
A prologue about Isaiah.ff. 184v-209r: The Book of Isaiah. ff.
209r-209v: St Jerome, Prologue to the Book of Jeremiah.ff.
209v-237v: The Book of Jeremiah.ff. 237v-240r: The Lamentations of
Jeremiah the Prophet.f. 240r: Prologue to the Book of Baruch
(written in in the right margin). ff. 240r-243v: The Book of
Baruch, with a reference to the ‘istoria lugdunensi’ in a
marginal annotation.f. 243v: St Jerome, Prologue to the Book of
Ezekiel. ff. 243v-268v: The Book of Ezekiel.ff. 268v-269v: St
Jerome, Prologue to the Book of Daniel.ff. 269v-280r: The Book of
Daniel.f. 280r: Prologue to the Twelve Minor Prophets.ff.
280r-284v: The Book of Hosea.f. 284v: St Jerome, Prologue to Joel,
with a reference to the ‘lugdunensi istoria’ in a marginal
annotation. ff. 283v-285r: The Book of Joel.f. 285r: Prologue to
the Book of Amos.f. 285r: Argumentum of the Book of Amos.ff.
285r-288r: The Book of Amos.f. 288r: Prologue to the Book of
Obadiah.ff. 288r-288v: The Book of Obadiah.ff. 288v-289r: Prologue
to the Book of Jonah.ff. 289r-290r: The Book of Jonah.f. 290r:
Prologue to the Book of Micah.ff. 290r-292r: The Book of Micah.f.
292r: St Jerome, Prologue to the Book of Nahum.ff. 292r-293r: The
Book of Nahum.f. 293r: Prologue to the Book of Habakkuk.ff.
293r-294r: The Book of Habakkuk.ff. 294r-294v: Prologue to the Book
of Zephaniah. ff. 294v-295v: The Book of Zephaniah.f. 295v:
Prologue to the Book of Haggai.f. 295v: Argumentum for the Book of
Haggai.ff. 295v-296v: The Book of Haggai.f. 296v: Prologue for the
Book of Zechariah.f. 296v: Argumentum for the Book of Zechariah.ff.
296v-300v: The Book of Zechariah.f. 300v: Argumentum for the Book
of Malachi.f. 300v: Prologue to the Book of Malachi.ff. 300v-301v:
The Book of Malachi.The manuscript contains a number of later
additions:The last lines on f. 152r, f. 153v, 184v, 193r, 194v,
195r, 200v, 205, 216v have been rewritten, apparently in the 14th
or 15th century. Decoration:2 large historiated initials in gold
with zoomorphic and anthropomorphic figures coloured with red
(inside the letters), and zoomorphic figures in gold, hybrid
figures in green, and foliate decoration in red and green, with
text in gold, outside the letters, in gold and red frames with a
blue background (ff. 1r, 5r). 26 large historiated and decorated
initials in yellow, and anthropomorphic, zoomorphic and hybrid
figures and foliate decoration in colours, some with knot-work and
foliate interlace, in blue or red frames with a blue background (f.
27v, 47r, 61v, 99r, 108v, 120v, 124r, 140v [with gold], 153v, 169r
[a griffon], 185r, 240r [a hybrid figure, possibly a griffon],
244r, 269v, 280r, 283v, 285v, 288r [foliate decoration], 289r,
290r, 292r [foliate decoration], 293v, 294v [a zoomorphic figure
and foliate decoration], 296r [zoomorphic heads with foliate
decoration], 297r [zoomorphic heads with foliate decoration],
300v). 1 large historiated initial in grey and gold, with foliate
interlace in green-blue and red, and zoomorphic figures in colours,
in a yellow and cyan frame with a blue background (f. 81r [with
gold]). 1 large decorated initial with red interlace decoration
against a gold background inside the letter, and zoomorphic figures
(birds) in gold outside the letter, in a red frame with a blue
background on f. 3v. The subjects of the miniatures in the
historiated initials, largely following the identifications by
Walter Cahn (see Romanesque Manuscripts (1996), II, pp. 60-61 (no.
40)), are as follows: f. 1r: An angel with a cross staff and book.
f. 5r: A six-compartment miniature illustrating the Days of
Creation. f. 27r: Two unidentified figures fighting. f. 47r: God
speaking to Moses. f. 61v: Moses and the burning bush. f. 81r: A
seated figure holding a staff with two men before him, possibly
Moses and Aaron before Pharaoh. f. 99r: God speaking to Joshua. f.
108v: God speaking to two kneeling Israelites. f. 120v: Ruth and
Elimech on their journey to Moab. f. 124r: God speaking to Hannah.
f. 140v: The Murder of Eglon. f. 153v: Abisag comforting King
David. f. 185r: The prophet Isaiah holding a book. f. 209v: The
prophet Jeremiah holding a staff. f. 244r: The prophet Ezekiel
pointing to the sky. f. 269v: Daniel in the lion’s den. f. 280r:
The prophet Hosea holding a book. f. 283v: The prophet Joel holding
a book, standing on an animal (possibly a griphon). f. 285v: The
prophet Amos holding a book. f. 289r: The prophet Jonah emerging
from the whale. f. 290r: The prophet Micah holding a book. f. 293v:
A prophet holding a book and a staff. f. 300v: The prophet Malachi
holding a book.Small display capitals outlined in a bar of brown
ink with red fillers follow many of the historiated and decorated
initials. Red display capitals in varying sizes, small red
capitals, some with foliate pen-work decoration, rubrics (some
oxidized), running titles in red, and red line-fillers (e.g. 184r)
and numbers throughout the manuscript. The margins contain
manicules (eg. f. 28v) and crucifixes in brown ink throughout the
manuscript.
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
