Lancelot-Grail Intranet Site-Project Manuscripts

PROJECT MANUSCRIPTS: SPECIFICATIONS 
© Alison Stones, assisted by Michael Gullick

Images will be posted when a copyright agreement has been reached with the British Library

London, British Library, MS Royal 14.E.III (hereafter Royal)
Estoire (ending incomplete), Queste, Mort Artu (ending incomplete); Merlin and Lancelot missing.
1 volume, ii+162+ii ff. ff. 1, 2, and 162, are ruled with 18 lines in 2 cols, blank intercolumnar space: 400x240. The rest, numbered ff. 3-161, measure 480-4x338(342x242)mm.  Quires: A-D 12, E 8, F 10, G 12, H 6, I 2, J 12, K 10, L-M 12, N 9, O 10, P 8, ending incomplete.  Occasional catchwords.

Written in textualis formata
in 3 columns, 51 lines, in black ink.  Three scribes.  A: ff. 3-88v, 90v col. a, line 7-139ra, line 20.  B: ff. 89-90va line 6; C: ff. 139a line 21-161v.  All scribes good, aspect and rhythm even.  A and B are closer in general aspect to each other than to C.  All wrote formally, the formality of A and B is comparable to that of the rubricators of the Add. MSS.  Rubrics on ff. 3r, 7r, 11v,  appear to be by one scribe, and ff. 101v and 109 another.

Penflourished initials, three lines high, in gold and blue-mauve, alternating with red and blue, all with flourished borders, many with tiny flowers in the flourishing of the initial.  Champie initials without miniatures or rubrics in Mort Artu on ff. 143v, 146v, 148, 150, 152, 154v, 156v, 158, 160; champie initials accompany miniatures on ff. 87 (the first miniature in the last quire (I) of Estoire); ff. 142v, 146, 151v, 152v, 156v, 158v, 159, 161 (Mort Artu, but champies do not accompany miniatures on ff. 140, 150, 153v, 155).

Four-line initials containing figures or heads on ff. 3, 89, 140, for the openings of Estoire, Queste, and Mort Artu, with borders and animals, hybrids, figures, above or below; 116 miniatures in one column, most preceded by two-line spaces left blank for rubrics, all illustrated by one artist; outer fillets in gold throughout.  Most miniatures accompanied by penflourished initials, except those accompanied by champies as noted above, and those followed by plain ink capitals, on ff. 3, 89 col. c, 90. Many notes written in leadpoint in the bottom margin on illustrated pages.  Rubrics on ff. 3, 7, 11v, 101v, 109 only; rubric spaces elsewhere except with opening miniatures.

Estoire:ff. 3-88v, col. c, line 51 (last line) ( [S I; Pon]).  No opening rubric.  Text inc.   Chil ki la hauteche et la signourie de si haute estoire comme est chele du Graal...  ([Pon I 1.1, cf. S I 3.1]), ending incomplete ...ke sil en eust eu a touchier a ses / ([S I 295.31; Pon II 575. 905. 5]); 63 miniatures by one illuminator, accompanied by a four-line historiated initial and border supporting figures on f. 3, the rest accompanied by penflourished initials and flourished borders except on f. 87-2 which has a champie initial; rubrics above miniatures on ff. 3, 7, 11v, spaces left black above most of the other miniatures.
Queste:ff. 89 col. a, line 1-139v col. a, line 48 ([S VI 1-199; Pau]).  No opening rubric.  Text inc.   A la ueille de la pentecouste... ([S VI 3.1; Pau1.2]).  Expl.  ...et Boort ot contees les auentures del saint Graal teles com il les auoit aveues si furent mises en escrit et gardees en labeie de Salebieres dont maistres Gautiers Map traist a faire son liure del saint Graal pour la mour del roi Henri son seigneur qui fist lestoire translater de latin en franchois. Si se taist atant li contes ke plus nen dist des auentures del saint Graal.  ([S VI 199.5; Pau 280.5]).  31 miniatures, accompanied by rubrics on ff. 101v, 109.
Mort Artu:ff. 140 col. a, line 1-161v col. f, line 51 (last line) ([S VI 203-295; F]).  No opening rubric. Text inc.   Apres  che que maistres Gautiers Map ot traitie des auentures del saint Graal asses sousfissaument si come il fu auis au roi Henri son seignor ke che quil auoit fait nen deoit pas souffrir sil ne racontoit la fin de chiaus dont il auoit deuant fait mention...  ([S V 203.1; F 1.1.1]).   Ending incomplete,  ...que dire non mie quil ait paour  /  ([S VI 295.25; F 140. 109. 19]).  12 miniatures accompanied by champie initials except on f. 140 which has an initial with a bishop s head and ff. 150, 153v which have a penflourished initial; spaces left blank for rubrics; 9 champie initials without miniatures or rubrics (listed above).

return to LG Project main page

return to Distribution List

return to Library List