Manuscript 90

Syracuse University Library, Department of Special Collections

Detailed Multilevel Description

Shelfmark	MS 90, Syracuse University Library, Department of Special Collections.
Composite MS?	No.
Total Folios	ff. i + 23
Outer Dimensions	31 x 23 cm.
Physical Issues/Binding	The binding is in poor and deteriorating condition. The boards which are covered with vellum, were made from pasted reused MS sheets. Evidence of two sets of holes in the front cover and three holes in back. Each quire consists of four bifolia.
Provenance	Leopold von Ranke (1795-1886).
Bibliography	Everson Museum of Art of Syracuse and Onondaga County. Medieval Art in Upstate New York. Syracuse, NY: Everson Museum of Art of Syracuse and Onondaga County, 1974. -- Muir, Edward. The Leopold von Ranke Manuscript Collection of Syracuse University: The Complete Catalogue. Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Press, 1983. -- Pennington, Kenneth. "The Libellus of Telesphorus and the Decretals of Gregory IX." The Courier 9, no. 1 (fall 1973): 17-26. -- Spence, Richard. "MS Syracuse University von Ranke 90 and the Libellus of Telesphorus of Cosenza." Scriptorium 33 (1979): 271-274. -- Syracuse University Libraries. The George Arents Research Library at Syracuse University. Syracuse, New York: Syracuse University Libraries, 1970.
Notes (Manuscript Level)	Now in the Ranke Collection of the Department of Special Collections of Syracuse University Library. Bookplate (f. iv) reads: "BIBLIOTHECA UNIVERSITATIS SYRACUSANAE / EX LIBRIS DR. LEOPOLDI DE RANKE. / DR. JOANNES M. REID ET CAROLINA S. REID / DONAVERUNT." Pennington speculates that the MS may have once belonged to the seminary library of the University of Padua and Ranke obtained it through Professor Francesco Francesconi of Padua.
Source(s)	Everson Museum of Art of Syracuse and Onondaga County. Medieval Art in Upstate New York. Syracuse, NY: Everson Museum of Art of Syracuse and Onondaga County, 1974. [p. 70]-- Muir, Edward. The Leopold von Ranke Manuscript Collection of Syracuse University: The Complete Catalogue. Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Press, 1983. [pp. 87-89] -- Pennington, Kenneth. "The Libellus of Telesphorus and the Decretals of Gregory IX." The Courier 9, no. 1 (fall 1973): 17-26. -- Spence, Richard. "MS Syracuse University von Ranke 90 and the Libellus of Telesphorus of Cosenza." Scriptorium 33 (1979): 271-274. -- Syracuse University Libraries. The George Arents Research Library at Syracuse University. Syracuse, New York: Syracuse University Libraries, 1970. [p. 9; caption]. ? Additional information derived from catalog description and observations of Jennifer Casten.
Inputter/Reviser	Jennifer Casten.
Part Number	Pt. I, Libellus of Telesphorus.
Support	Parchment.
Span of Folios for Part	ff. 1r-23v.
Country	France or Germany (based upon script, binding, illustration, and content).
Region	Tyrol? (based upon illustrations).
Document?	No.
Dated?	Yes.
Date	1391. (As dated in the MS).
Year-Month-Date	1391 [(year only) for Ranke MS 90].
Layout	Ink ruling. 42 horizontal and 2 vertical lines. One column of 41 rows. Rubrics are in red, with large capital (in blue, red, or both) following. Red and blue marks indicate beginnings of paragraphs.
Script	Littera gothica cursiva textualis.
Representational Decoration	The illustrations which are unfinished for the most part, are primitive pen and ink line drawings with complete or partial wash in red, blue, and brown. The seven include: a damaged illustration of the devil confronting a crowd and then confronting three kings (4r); an angelic pastor with hands bound being led from prison (16v); the two armies of Gog and Magog at war (20r), the slaying of a devil by an angel and the Holy Father/pope on horseback leading an army (20v); an angel with an open book (22v); an angel blowing a horn and the Holy Father as a monk with the people of God kneeling and facing him (23r); solider(s) crossing the bridge of a castle to kill the king, and death of the king, symbolizing death of the Antichrist (23v).
Other Decoration	Marginalia can be found in the form of fingers pointing to specific parts of the text (e.g., 19v) or doodling alongside the text (e.g., 19r) or cartoon-like figures scribbled on the folio (e.g., f. i recto).
Notes (Part Level)	Script style was identified by Spence. Pennington suggested that the script was influenced by forms used in chancellery and notarial documents. Although the text is Italian, the MS origin is northern Europe. The localization to France or Germany was a contribution of Richard Spence in his article cited above. Pennington suggested Tyrol as a more specific location. The date appears in the caption of the prefatory letter to the text. Illustration themes identified by Pennington and elaborated upon by J. Casten.
Span of Folios for Text	Prefatory letter to Antoniotto Adorno, Doge of Genoa; & Libellus: ff. 1r-23v (originally, ff 1-31).
Author	Telesphorus of Cosenza.
Other Associated Names	Antoniotto Adorno, Dodge of Genoa (d. 1398), to whom the prefatory letter to the book was addressed.
Title	Libellus of Telesphorus; Libellus fratris telesfori.
Status of Text	Original foliation: ff. 1-31. Missing are original folios 1, 2, 6, 19, 20, 22-24. The existing folios have been renumbered in pencil 1-23.
Incipit	"In nomine domini Ihesu Christi....Incipit libellus fratris Thelofori presbyteri heremite.... Item de summis pontificibus romane ecclesie...".
Language(s)	Latin.
Notes (Text Level)	Colophon: "Explicit liber fratris Thelofori presbyteri heremite de cognitatione presentis scismatis et statu universalis ecclesie usque ad finem seculi Deo gratias. Amen." This MS is one of the twenty MSS known to exist for the text of this work.
Additional Sources of Information	Donkel, Emil. "Studien uber die Prophezeiung des Fr. Telesforus von Consenza, O. F. M." Archivum Franciscanum Historicum 25 (1933): 25-104; 26 (1934): 282-91. Kamperas, Franz. Kaiserprophetieen and kaisersagen in mittelalter. Ein beitrag zur geschichte der deutschen kaiseridee. Munich: 1895. Reeves, Marjorie. The Influence of Prophecy in the Later Middle Ages: A Study in Joachimism. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1969.

MANUSCRIPT DESCRIPTIONS IN TABLE FORMAT

MS 1

MS 2

MS 3

MS 5

MS 6

MS 7

MS 11

MS 12

MS 27

MS 90