Peter Riga (d. 1209)
A leaf from Aurora, in Latin, decorated manuscript on vellum [France or England, 2nd quarter or middle of 13th century].
An extremely popular and influential paraphrase and commentary on the Bible, written in verse.

c.235 × 175mm. Preserving prickings, ruled in plummet for 2 columns of 46 lines, above top line, initials alternately green or red, the text (‘Nam precursor erat nulli peccata relaxans […] Et largis redimunt facta priora bonis’) including some of the most famous gospel events and parables, such as the Miracle of the Loaves and Fish, and the parable of the Rich Man and the Camel (apparently recovered from use as a flyleaf, with some resulting wear and creasing, but still fully legible).

Provenance:
(1) The script appears to be French, but the use of alternating red and green initials (rather than red and blue) suggests England as a possible country of origin.
(2) Colker MS 136; acquired in 1967 from Maggs.

An interesting but little-explored topic is the influence of the Aurora on iconography (especially of apocryphal material) in illuminated manuscripts and other media, including sculpture and stained glass: see Nigel Morgan, ‘Old Testament Illustration in Thirteenth-Century England’, in The Bible in the Middle Ages: Its Influence on Literature and Art, ed. by B.S. Levy, Medieval & Renaissance Texts & Studies (Binghamton, 1992), pp. 149–98.

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