Handlist to MS Ashmole 828

Summary Catalogue #7451

France /early 14th century (c. 1320–1330)

The manuscript has 100 folios containing Part I of Branch 3 of the Prose Lancelot. It is written in two columns with illuminated capitals, border flourishes and 37 miniatures. At least one miniature is missing on fol. 7, where nearly half of the page has been cut. Various human and animal heads, grotesques and hybrid forms are painted in the bas de pages and side margins.

Roll 354.1.

The illuminations from fols. 1r–19r (34 frames)

Frame #	Folio #
1–4	1	a) Conflation of two scenes. Scene 1: On the left, the two brothers: Ban de Benoyc and Bohort of Gaunes (S III 1/1–5). Scene 2: On the right, King Ban accompanied by Queen Elaine leaves the castle of Trebes to appeal to Arthur. They are accompanied by a squire holding the infant Lancelot and a young servant driving a packhorse laden with treasure (S III 7/20–37). b) Lower margin: Two knights jousting on horseback. c) Lower margin, right corner: Ape juggling with two sticks, second ape playing musical instrument (portative organ?).
5–7	3	a) Banin looking through the window at the top of a tower sees two hundred knights on horseback coming toward the castle, in parties of twenty (S III 9/5–10). b) Lower margin: Hybrid form with a human head wears a hat.
8–10	5	a) Conflation of two scenes. Scene 1: King Ban, on the hilltop, watches his castle burning (S III 12/29–38). Scene 2: In the left corner, the queen sees the damsel [Dame du Lac] carrying Lancelot into the lake. She tries to jump into the lake, but a squire restrains her (S III 14/39–15/3). b) In the lower margin: A hunter with a bow shoots at a rabbit. Between them a dog is running.
11–13	6v	a) Queen Evaine, wife of Bohort of Gannes, flees by ship from the Castle of Gannes with her two children. There are two horses on the boat, a squire on the left, and two persons on the queen's left (S III 17/1–4). Left margin: Human head wearing a hat. b) Lower margin: Animal (inscribed 'lupus') is jumping.
14–15	7r	Left lower margin: Ape ('simia' written above) holds a round shield and a sword.
16–18	7v	a) Right top margin: Squire thrusting a lance at a unicorn. b) Right lower margin: Ape playing bagpipe (conical) with possibly two chanters ornamented with a face on the pipe.
19–21	8v	Pharien with sword in hand surprises Claudas with his wife. Claudas escapes through a window (S III 23/1–3). b) Right lower margin: Bearded hybrid with a pointed hood.
22–24	10	a) Claudas leaves with a faithful servant, both on horseback, to visit Arthur in Great Britain (S III 28/34–36). b) Crowned head in profile in the letter C under the illumination. c) Lower margin: Two hybrids, one male and one female, wearing hats, look towards each other.
25–27	13	a) Lancelot is taught by a master to shoot a rabbit with bow and arrows. A lady watches from the castle window (S III 33/28–37). b) Lower margin: Hunter on the right aims with bow and arrow at a stag on the left. In the left corner, an ape is blowing a trumpet.
28–30	16	a) A friar dressed in black and accompanied by a squire, both on horseback, sees Queen Elaine lamenting at the place where she has lost her husband and her child (S III 41/10–14). On the right: The Royal Minster with a cock at the top of the bell-tower. b) Lower margin: A man aims a javelin at a rabbit.
31–33	17v	a) Adragain (the black friar) comes to Arthur's court and chastises him while he is at table (S III 45/17–22). On the left side of the miniature, a crowned head is looking at the picture. b) Right lower margin: Unicorn leaping to the right.
34–36	19	a...