Produced: England (York), 13th century

Language: Latin

Author: 
Illustrator: 
Scribe: 

Binding: 17th century dark brown leather
Media: Vellum
Script: Transitional protogothic bookhand/gothic textura

Folios: 106  Height: 29.3 cm   Width: 21 cm

Manuscript type: Bestiary

Location: St John's College (Oxford) Library (University of Oxford), Oxford, England, United Kingdom

Family: Second

 |  | Folio 103v

Illustrated bestiary, textually similar to Bodleian Library MS Ashmole 1511; also to the Pseudo-Hugh of St Victor De bestiis et aliis rebus book 3 text in  Migne, PL 177:83-136. The illustrations resemble those in Cambridge University Library MS Ii. 4. 26.

There are about 90 illustrations of the animals, with most chapters up to f. 69v illustrated, mostly on a gold background. Many have English captions in the margins, of ca. late 15th century. There are also five full-page illustrations: f. 1v - Creation, in four cartoons (God creating the birds and beasts; God creating Eve from Adam's side; the fall; the expulsion); f. 2r - Adam naming the animals; f. 3v - three lion illustrations; f. 68r - the salamander (man lying under a tree filled with salamanders poisoning the fruit); f. 103v - fire stones (lapides igniferi). Five additional full-page illustrations may have been on removed leaves (based on the related manuscripts): after f.23 - dogs (two pages); after f. 35 - eagles; after f. 72 - whale; after f. 85 - Isidore writing his book.

About five leaves missing; note on folio 1 says "This volume contains 103 folios now in 1816, about ten having been cut out at some former period by me P.B."

Additional description

None known