Latin Manuscripts : Colonna Missal IV [III]

Sixteenth-century ink foliation in Roman numerals.

One column, 15 lines to the page, written below the top line.

Folios 41v, 68 and 86 are blank.

The decoration (fully listed below) can be subdivided into three types: miniatures, initials and marginal borders, in the style of Italian Renaissance.

Miniatures

Initials

The initials are beautifully illuminated, filled with intricate designs and colour. They often contain detailed artwork, such as figures, plants, or other symbolic elements.

It contains 97 large initials and 88 smaller ones.

Forty 3-line illuminated initials, inhabited, floriated and historiated, in colours on a gold ground or vice versa, with margins decorated with a border of foliate and figural ornaments, at the beginning of prayers and readings.

Borders

Borders run along the side of the initials and are decorated with similar intricate designs. These borders often include floral or geometric patterns, animals, and sometimes religious or symbolic imagery.

Folios 1r-16v (Missa in aurora): work by the second artist of volumes I-II (B). Folios 17r-68v (secunda missa): work by the third artist (C). Folios 69r-87v (maior missa): work by the second artist (B).

Red leather, with gold tooling, uniform with volumes II, IV and V. Arms in centre of each side. Shield of three parts per pale, 1. Dexter, six stars of six points within a border. 2. Keys in saltire with cord connecting them, intersected by an umbrella-shaped canopy on a staff. 3. Sinister, column. Surmounted by cross crosslet and cardinal's hat.

Binding height: 390 mm, width: 278 mm, depth: 48 mm.

▪ Cardinal Pompeo di Girolamo Colonna (1479-1532), noble, condottiero, and politician

▪ Colonna family

This volume is part of a set commissioned by Cardinal Pompeo Colonna, though its decoration was not completed until approximately twenty-three years after his death. By descent, the manuscript passed to other members of the Colonna family.

The Colonna arms appear on the binding as well as in other volumes that form the rest of the set, Latin MSS 32–37. Notably, Latin MS 32: folio 77r, which contains the inscription: DIVO POMPEIO | CARDINALI COLUMNAE.

The present manuscript is inscribed N4 in eighteenth(?) century ink on the inner front cover, while the companion volumes (Latin MSS 32a–37) are similarly marked N1-N3 | N5–N7. These volumes were reportedly seen in the Sciarra Colonna library in Rome in 1874 by John William Bradley (1830–1916), librarian and manuscript scholar. However, this date must be incorrect, as the Rylands volumes were acquired by Lord Crawford in June 1868 (see James and Taylor, 1980, page 19*).

▪ Alexander Lindsay, 25th Earl of Crawford (1812–1880), book collector and writer on art

▪ James Ludovic Lindsay, 26th Earl of Crawford (1847-1913), astronomer and book collector

The inner front cover bears the armorial bookplate (Ex Libris) identifying the codex as having once been part of the Bibliotheca Lindesiana, the private library of the Lindsay family Earls of Crawford and Balcarres.

Armorial bookplate (Ex Libris) | Arms: Quarterly, 1st and 4th, Gules a fess chequy Argent and Azure; 2nd and 3rd, Or a lion rampant Gules, debruised of a ribbon in bend Sable. Crest: a swan’s head, neck, and wings proper, issuing from an antique ducal coronet Or. Supporters: two lions, rampant guardant Gules. Motto in Latin: Endure fort (Endure bravely) | Bibliotheca Lindesiana | pencilled F/1. Written on upper left corner: Rylands Latin MS. | No. 34 | Crawford | Written on the inner front cover of is N4.

James states (i. 87) that these six volumes were in the Sciarra-Colonna Library at Rome until 1874 at least and that they were seen there in that year by John William Bradley (1830-1916). (Incidentally, letters and notes by Bradley relating to them were forwarded by the Rylands to James in May and June 1911 (RLL).) But according to the Crawford Library correspondence, the bookseller Thomas Boone of New Bond St. drew Lord Lindsay's attention to them ('the Missal of the Cardinal Pompeio Colonna .... 6 vols. Folio'; etc.) in a letter of 19th June 1868 [sic] and there described them as being then 'in my possession'. He informed Lord Lindsay that he had first offered them to the British Museum, whose funds 'could not admit of the purchase without a special grant', whereupon the Museum had enquired if they could be separated. In order to keep all 6 together, Boone then offered them to Lord Lindsay at the reduced price of £1500. The sale was agreed on 23rd June 1868, Lord Lindsay stating that as he 'has many things on his hands just now he would propose to pay £500 on say the 1st or 2nd of August, £500 on the 1st or 2nd of October and the remaining £500 on the 1st or 2nd of January next' (CLL, June-Dec. 1868, nos. 277-82, 295). In a letter of 14th July 1868 (wrongly bound in CLL, June-Dec. 1864, no. 327) Boone stated that the manuscripts 'came lastly from the Colonna Sciarra branch of the family' (but see below). In fact, Lord Lindsay actually paid Boone £1000 on 5th October 1868 and £500 (the 'Balance of the sum of Fifteen Hundred Pounds in payment for the Colonna Missal') on 9th January 1869 (CLR, 1863-70, nos. 1297, 1305).

Following an enquiry about provenance from Lord Crawford, the booksellers Ellis and White Ellis and White, successors to Messrs. Boone and Son, wrote to him on 30th June 1882 to say: 'Mr. Boone tells us that the whole of his business correspondence was destroyed some years ago. He purchased the Colonna manuscript from the late Mr. Payne (formerly of the firm of Payne and Foss of Pall Mall), who bought it in Rome, where he had resided many years, but Mr. Boone does not know from whom' (CLL, 1881-82, no. 90)

▪ Enriqueta Rylands (1843–1908), philanthropist and founder of The John Rylands Library

Purchased by Mrs Rylands in 1901 from James Ludovic Lindsay, 26th Earl of Crawford (1847-1913).

Bequeathed by Enriqueta Rylands (1843–1908) in 1908 to The John Rylands Library.