Produced: France (?), 10th-11th century

Language: Latin

Author: 
Illustrator: 
Scribe: 

Binding: 
Media: Parchment / Paper
Script: Carolingian miniscule

Folios: 56  Height: 20 cm   Width: 14.5 cm

Manuscript type: Miscellany

Location: Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana (Vatican), Vatican City, Vatican

Family: First; B-Is

This is a two part manuscript.

Part one: 10th - 11th century, on parchment, contains the Latin Physiologus (folio 1r - 21r) and excerpts from Books 12 and 16 of the Etymologiae of Isidore of Seville (folio 21v - 22r), along with other unrelated theological works.

Part two, 16th century, paper, contains the Descriptio Nova Elephanti of Pierre Gilles. Folio 30r - 54r.

"A point of particular interest in this manuscript is that it shows how the large Second Family bestiary could have been composed. At the end of the entire Physiologus with its fixed passages from Isidore, the scribe has continued (f. 21v) De etimologiarun libro, and has apparently aimlessly copied and somewhat elaborated on Isidore's descriptions of the Psitacus, Ercine [sic], and Coturnix - birds totally unrelated to the old Physiologus contents. All that was then needed was a more systematic borrowing from Isidore, which would result in the highly organized Second Family bestiary..."  McCulloch, 1962 page 29, note 29

Additional description

None known