[New Testament Gospel Lectionary].

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.

Colophon (fol. 260r): To paron theion kai ieron, euangelion egrafē, dia cheiros, emou tou ta, peinou, oukoblachias, Louka Di ezodou Antoniou gramma-, tikou tou trismakaristou, Radoula Voevoda kai, epedothē en tē cheiri autou kai oi anaginōskontes ...

Colophon (fol. 260r): Τὸ παρὸν Θει̃ον καὶ ̔ιερὸν, εὐαγγέλιον ἐγράφη, διὰ χειρὸς, εμου̃ του̃ τα, πεινου̃, οὐκοβλαχίας, Λουκα̃ Δι̕ ̕εζόδου ̕αντωνίου γραμμα-, τικου̃ του̃ τρισμακαρίστου, ̔ράδουλα Βοεβόδα καὶ, ἐπεδόθη ἐν τη̜̃ χειρὶ αὐτου̃ καὶ οι ́αναγιγνώσκοντες, εὔχεσθ.., ̔ημω̃ν διὰ τὸν κ[ύριο]ν έτους, ζρλε.

Layout: Written in 2 columns of 26 lines.

Script: The script is a very neat and fine minuscule. The manuscript was written by the scribe Lucas Buzau.

Decoration: Black, red and gold are used for the text; gold for punctuation. Every reading has an elaborately floriate and sometimes zoomorphic initial in bright greens, reds, oranges, the whole outlined in gold paint. Occasionally one can see the preliminary work of the rubricator (Lucas?) in plumb. He does not always keep to the original plan for the intitials, however. Nevertheless, they are superbly executed. The headpieces vary in size from largish rectangular pieces to smaller free-form bar ornaments that separate the sections in the Menologion.

Title cataloged from existing description.

This manuscript was written for an official of the Voivode Radu, or perhaps for the Voivode himself, in 1627. Three princes of the House of Radu held the office of Voivode of Moldavia or Wallachia at about this time. Present-day Wallachia is the region in southern Romania between the Transylvanian Alps and the Danube. The Gospel lectionary also includes the Gospels of the Menologion.

Binding: Byzantine binding sewn in chain-link type stitch, originally covered with red velvet and metal furniture. Now without the cloth covering and none of the metal furniture; paper pastedowns have a watermark of a shield and bar sinistre surmounted by a fleur-de-lis with the initials WRJ at the base.