Wolfenbuttel, Herzog August Bibliothek, Guelf. 18.16 Aug 4o

Hyginus, De astronomia

Parchment — — South Germany / Austria — s. XII²/s. XIII^1/4

Support: The first four quires are regular quaterniones: ff.1-8; ff.9-16; ff.17-24; ff.25-32; f. 33 is a singleton; ff. 34-35 is a bifolium.

Layout: 30-31 long lines.

History: The protogothic script and the iconography (cf. Blume) suggest the manuscript was written in s. XII²/s. XIII^1/4 in South Germany or Austria. Viré (1981), who studied the readings, classified the manuscript in the second sub-group of the ε group together with London, British Library, Arundel Ms 339, both depending from one model. — Bunte reported that Schönemann (prefect of the Herzog August Library 1830-1854) informed him that the manuscript belonged once to Weissenburg. Heinemann managed to read the erased ownership note on f. 1r, as: 'Iste liber [pertinet ad sanctum Georium in Pepingen] Liupoldis' and considered Bunte's suggestion as false. Blume et al. noted that the prayer on ff. 35r-v are found also in Kremsmünster and Herzogenburg.

Selected literature: Bunte, Bernhard, ed. Hygini Astronomica, 1875, pp. 13-14. — Heinemann, Otto von. Die Augusteischen Handschriften. Vol. 4. Cod.Guelf. 77.4 Aug. 2º bis 34 Aug. 4º. Frankfurt am Main: Klostermann, 1900, pp. 247-248. — Viré, Ghislaine. ‘La transmission du De astronomia d’Hygin jusqu’au XIIIe siècle’. Revue d’histoire des textes 11 (1981): 159–276, esp. 246-248. — Sternbilder des Mittelalters, pp. 559-561. — LeBoeuffle, André, ed. Hyginus. L’astronomie. 2nd ed. Collection Des Universités de France. Paris: Les Belles Lettres, 2002, p. LV.

1r-35r Hyginus: De astronomia Illustrations of the constellations to the second book in red ink, no stars marked; some initials to open paragraphs and more elaborated ones at the beginning of books; marginal headings for separate sections (e.g. De lacteo circulo). Illustrations drawn probably after the text was written (in some cases the red ink traced over the brown ink of the text).

35r-v Later addition: two prayers.

Abreviated Literature:

Sternbilder des Mittelalters

Blume, Dieter, Mechthild Haffner, and Wolfgang Metzger. Sternbilder des Mittelalters: der gemalte Himmel zwischen Wissenschaft und Phantasie. Vol. I, 1: Text und Katalog der Handschriften. Berlin: Akademie Verlag, 2012.

Catalogued by: Ivana Dobcheva

(draft version: 2019-03-18)

How to quote: Ivana Dobcheva, 'Wolfenbuttel, Herzog August Bibliothek, Guelf. 18.16 Aug 4o - Aratea Digital' (https://github.com/ivanadob/aratea-data/blob/master/data/descriptions/desc__wolfenbuettel_hab_guelf_18_16_aug_4o.xml last update: 2019-03-18).