Penn in Hand: Selected Manuscripts

[Herbal in the tradition of Dioscorides] [manuscript].

[Eastern Mediterranean, 14--]

121 leaves : paper, col. ill. ; 261 x 190 (210 x 130) mm. bound to 268 x 202 mm.

Greek.

Work on plants and their medicinal properties in 679 chapters, preceded by illustrations, a prologue, and a table of contents listing 697 chapters. The prologue attributes it to Dioscorides, Galen, and Isocrates; the work is very similar to the De materia medica of Dioscorides. With many notes added.

1. f.1r-10v: [Pen-and-wash drawings of medicinal plants and 2 drawings of Dioscorides]

2. f.11r-16r: [Prologue about plants and their medicinal virtues]

3. f.17r-30r: [Table of contents]

4. f.31r-121v: [Herbal]

Sold at auction at Sotheby's, 10 Dec. 1996, lot 61, to Lawrence J. Schoenberg.

Deposit by Lawrence J. Schoenberg and Barbara Brizdle, 2011.

Dioscorides Pedanius, of Anazarbos, attributed name.

Galen, attributed name.

Isocrates, attributed name.

Materia medica - Early works to 1800.

Botany, Medical - Early works to 1800.

Botany - Pictorial works - Early works to 1800.

Codices.

Herbals.

Pen-and-wash drawings.

Manuscripts, Greek (Medieval and modern) - 15th century.

Manuscripts, Renaissance.

Ms. codex.

Title supplied by cataloger.

Collation: Paper, 121; 1-2⁴ 3² 4⁸(-2) 5⁴ 6¹⁰ 7¹² 8²⁴(-1) 9¹⁰(-1) 10¹⁰(-4, outer 2 bifolia) 11⁸(-2) 12¹⁰(-2) 13⁸(-1) 14¹³(?) 15⁸(-2, central bifolium) 16¹; text of the herbal (f. 31-121) has early pagination in ink, 1-66, 69-90, 97-108, 113-114, 117-124, 127-146, 149-165, [v], 166-187, 192-199, upper outer corners.

Layout: Written in 20-36 long lines.

Script: Written in Greek cursive minuscule script.

Decoration: 71 pen-and-wash drawings of medicinal plants (f. 1r-10v); pen-and-wash illustrations of Dioscorides and a companion collecting plants in bags (f. 1v) and Dioscorides and Galen (f. 4v); headings, captions, small initials, and large initials (sometimes with flourishes and extensions; for example, f. 82 (p. 117-118)) in red.

Binding: Possibly 17th-century Greek blind-stamped calf over pasteboards; some leaves detached or almost detached.

Origin: Written in the eastern Mediterranean in the 15th century.

Described in Transformation of knowledge: early manuscripts from the collection of Lawrence J. Schoenberg (London: Paul Holberton, 2006), p. 100-101 (LJS 62).

LJS 62

Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts University of Pennsylvania LJS 62