Hand: omega, Exeter 3500
- Name
- omega
- Manuscript
- Exeter 3500
- Script
- Unspecified
- Scribe
- Unspecified
- Date
- None
- Place
- None
EXON Project
This hand may be recognised by the tail of g, which is open and nearly straight, descending at about 45º; the lack of ampersand; the lack of Gallows mark; the small shape of et nota.
1. Letterforms
a.- Pointed shape, which may occasionally have a rounder appearance. Back does not reach over the bowl.
d.- Both round and straight-backed forms. The former has a very short ascender with rises at about 45º; the latter shows a much longer ascender with a forked top following the same format as those of b, l and h. Straight d only used in top line (where one round form is also found).
e.- Round back, small lower component and projecting tongue which is nearly horizontal.
g.- Most idiosyncratic form. Round head with projecting, horizontal stroke ligaturing with following letter. Tail starts in a vertical neck from the right side of the head and turns right in a sharp angle before looping downwards and descending in a nearly straight line at about 45º. It remains open.
h.- Forked ascender with approach stroke. Left leg straight on baseline, while right leg tucks in and may reach below baseline, esp. in the case of its capital form, when this is exaggerated/elongated. Shoulder on its right limb may be rather angular.
p.- Lobe is angular at the top. Descender is straight, though it turns left at the bottom in its capital form.
s.- Hood on the left. Head is rather small, it slopes but it doesn’t curl much. Shaft reaches below baseline.
t.- Curved shaft often cuts across the horizontal bar.
x.- Equal-limbed form, although left leg may occasionally reach below the baseline and finish on a flick up.
æ.- N/A.
2. Treatment of minims, ascenders & descenders
Minims .- About 1.5mm high. Horizontal approach stroke and footed by a finishing flick.
Ascenders.- About double minim height, though they may occasionally be higher. Approach stroke which often gives them a forked appearance.
Descenders.- Straight and reaching about 2mm long. No instances of q found.
3. Form of capitals
H. Enlarged minuscule form in which the right leg is extended below the baseline in a hairline.
P. Enlarged minim form with angular bowl. Body of the letter stands on the baseline, although descender is extended below in a hairline turning left.
4. Forms of punctuation
Punctus simplex seems to be only form of punctuation in use.
5. Form of paraph (gallows mark)
N/A.
6. Forms of abbreviation
Ampersand.- N/A.
et nota.- Cupped horizontal bar and short descender standing on the baseline and finished on a flick to the right.
Overline.- Tick-shaped: it strarts as a horizontal macron but in a single stroke it flicks upwards into a hairline. At times, it may look like a reverse c.
-ur.- N/A.
-us.- Open 9-shaped compendium. More like a down-facing c (528v1).
-orum.- N/A.
e cauda.- N/A.
pr- forms.- N/A.
other forms.- -bus: Semi-colon (528v2).
est.- est compendium with an overline with between two dots (528v7).
7. Forms of suspension
8. Ligatures
-ae-
-ct- ligature: 528v8 predicte.
-rt- ligature: N/A.
-st- ligature: N/A.
-or-: 528v1 cornugallie.
9. Method and form of annotation (signes de renvoi?)
N/A.
10. Method of correction and correction mark
N/A.
11. Treatment of numerals
Between dots. v (looped and with approach stroke in right limb) instead of u. Last in a sequence of minims is extended below baseline.
12. Proportions and measurements
.
Codicology
- Pricking.-
- Ruling.-
13. Other idiosyncrasies (preferred spellings, usages, …)
Use of straight d only on top line (two instances).
What does he write?
Fief Summaries I, Ecclesiastical (Co) – 528v1-8
Other relevant information
Capitals introducing lines 1, 4 and 8 are copied in the margin. In the case of line 1, this includes all elements of the abbreviated form for Sanctus (Sčs).
