Description
CAROLINGIAN COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS, in Latin, two bifolia from a MANUSCRIPT ON VELLUM [Italy, 9th century] 280 x 380mm. 4 leaves (2 bifolia), ruled in blind, preserving most of two columns per page, each with 27 lines written in Carolingian minuscule in brown ink, numerous initials in two sizes in red (recovered from a binding, and thus very worn on one side of each bifolium, and with significant losses on three sides). In an archival folder. Provenance: Sotheby’s, 19 June 1990, lot 1. Legible passages of text consist of short phrases of Psalm 67: verses 6, 9-14, 16-17, 19, 22, and 25, presented as short lemmata interspersed by passages of commentary. The eight pages appear to be textually consecutive and would therefore originally have been the central two bifolia of their gathering. THE COMMENTARY IS THUS FAR UNIDENTIFIED, AND PERHAPS NOT PREVIOUSLY RECORDED. In the 9th century there were three main commentaries on the Psalms: Augustine’s Ennarationes in Psalmos, Cassiodorus’s Expositio Psalmorum, and Pseudo-Jerome’s Breviarium; the present fragment is none of these. Other much rarer ones were the Glossa ex traditionum seniorum, Bede’s Titulatio, and the commentary found in the Mondsee Psalter. See M. Gibson, ‘Carolingian Glossed Psalters’, in R. Gameson, ed., The Early Medieval Bible: Its Production, Decoration and Use, Cambridge, 1994, esp. pp.96
Reference #
MS_BZ_1002
Civilization
Byzantine
Size
L. 28 cm, W. 38 cm
Condition
Fine Condition
Price
Price available upon request
Provenance
Baidun Collection, Christies sale November 2013
Frequently Asked Questions
The Carolingian Commentary on the Psalms is a Latin manuscript consisting of two bifolia on vellum, featuring text from Psalm 67 with accompanying commentary. It is written in Carolingian minuscule and dates from the 9th century, preserving a rare and possibly previously unrecorded commentary on the Psalms.
The manuscript consists of four leaves (two bifolia) measuring 280 x 380 mm, ruled in blind with two columns per page and 27 lines each. It is written in brown ink with numerous red initials and shows signs of wear due to being recovered from a binding, with some losses on three sides.
The manuscript contains short phrases from Psalm 67, specifically verses 6, 9-14, 16-17, 19, 22, and 25, presented as lemmata interspersed with commentary. The eight pages appear to be textually consecutive and likely formed the central bifolia of their original gathering.
No, the commentary in this manuscript is unidentified and possibly not previously recorded. It differs from the three main known 9th-century commentaries by Augustine, Cassiodorus, and Pseudo-Jerome, as well as from rarer commentaries like those by Bede or found in the Mondsee Psalter.
The manuscript was part of the Baidun Collection and was sold at Christie's in November 2013. It was also previously sold at Sotheby's on 19 June 1990, lot 1. It is currently preserved in an archival folder.
The manuscript is in fine condition despite being worn on one side of each bifolium and having significant losses on three sides due to its recovery from a binding. The text remains legible and the vellum is well preserved.
This manuscript is significant because it contains a rare and possibly previously unrecorded Carolingian commentary on the Psalms, offering new insights into 9th-century biblical exegesis and the diversity of Psalm commentaries beyond the well-known authors of the period.
