Manuscript

Bodleian Library, MS. Douce 151

Codicology

Produced: France (?), 13th-14th century
Current Location: Bodleian Library, Oxford, England, UK
Manuscript Type: Bestiary
Bestiary Family: Second
Aviary Group: Aberdeen
Language: Latin
Folios: 90
Illustrated: Yes
Media: Parchment
Script: Court hand
Dimensions: Height: 25.4 cm Width: 19.1 cm
Folio 80v

Description

Incipit liber de naturis bestiarum... The bestiary is preceded by an imperfect copy of the first chapter of Genesis on folio 1r. There is some correspondence between this bestiary text and the text ascribed to Hugh of St Victor, books 2 and 3. Begins Leo fortissimus bestiarum ... Bestiarum vocabulum proprie conuenit leonibus. Ends imperfectly in the chapter on the crocodile. There are many colored illustrations, framed but with no backgrounds.

Also includes excerpts from the De avibus of Hugh of Fouilloy, with17 full color illustrations.

Clark aviary group: Aberdeen.

This manuscript is iconographically paired with Bodleian Library MS. Ashmole 1511; McCulloch calls Douce 151 "a poor copy" of Ashmole 1511, and says it is of the 14th century (the Bodleian Summary Catalog says 13th century).

Bodleian Summary Catalog number 21725.

Additional Descriptions

Additional description 1
Additional description 2 (digitized summary catalog)
Additional description 3 (page 298)

Editions and Facsimiles

Digital facsimiles

Bodleian Library (partial, mostly extracted images, many folios missing)