[Menaion for the month of April].

Forms part of the Kenneth Willis Clark Collection of Greek Manuscripts (David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University)

Format: Manuscript codex.

Title supplied by cataloger.

Dedication on fol.1v (translated): Dedicated in the Temple of the Holy Mother of God, not man-made, Kosinitza, by me, Demetrias, the brother of George the Notary of the Great Church and if anyone should propose to remove this book from this sacred temple, let his part be joined with that of Judas, 1544. Indiction B' August 28.

Layout: Written in 1 column of 21 lines; ruled, prickings visible.

Script: Written by three scribes; Scribe I (fol. 2r-143v, fol. 145v-153v) writes mostly in a very neat regular, and small uncial; Scribe II takes up in the middle of the flow of writing on fol. 144r and continues through to the bottom of fol. 145r. It has many of the same features as does Scribe I, except that it is larger in size; Scribe III completed the last two leaves of the manuscript. His work is scratchy, slants to the right, full of ligatures and shows considerable contrast in inking.

Decoration: Ornamental headpiece (16 x 98 mm) of three double leaves on running curvilinear vine work, with the two at either end emerging from the vine at the top of the frame and the one in the middle emerging from the bottom; void, background in medium red; with finials set on the diagonal at the upper corners of very flat ovals progressively decreasing in size, and an extended bottom bar with a small loop on the fore edge side of the double ruled frame headpiece in red at the beginning. Ornamental penwork and Initials in red; guide letters for the red initials are preserved in the margins at the fore edge of many of the leaves; rubrics in red ink.

Title cataloged from existing description.

Binding: Bound in the early sixteenth century in red dyed goatskin over chestnut boards, tooled in a simple diaper pattern with triple fillets with double annules at the intersections of the diagonals. The surface has been quartered and each quarter quartered again. Diagonals are drawn through the intersection of the quartering; the whole is outlined in the same triple fillet around the perimeter of the surface of the board. Originally there were two triple-interlaced leather clasp anchored near the fore edge of the tail in a line and drawn through the board and the turn-in. The turn-in corners are mitered and the edges cut evenly with a knife. On the inside of the upper cover in black ink in the upper corner near the head is the number "6, 000" and nearer the bottom is "1544." Inside the lower cover in capital letters in red ink is "M. K." (=Monh Kosinivtsh?).