Gripla - 2023, Blaðsíða 182
180 GRIPLA
The codicological analysis of AM 239 fol. presented below was con-
ducted following this type of syntactical description. By applying a qualita-
tive approach, all 109 leaves of AM 239 fol. were researched both from dig-
ital images and through in-situ analysis. The information gathered includes
the type of writing support, gathering sizes and structures, dimensions of
the leaves, text block and margins, pricking marks and ruling marks, colors
used for the illuminations, the presence or absence of rubrics, information
about the scribe(s), and contemporary and later corrections and additions.
In the following analysis, the characteristics of the individual production
units will be presented in this order.
Additional data was provided through pigment analysis performed by
Prof. Maurizio Aceto and Prof. Angelo Agostino, who performed FORS
(Fiber Optic Reflectance Spectroscopy) and XRF (X-Ray Fluorescence)
on selected initials contained in the manuscript at the Stofnun Árna
Magnússonar í íslenskum fræðum in Reykjavík in August 2021. Both
techniques are non-invasive and state-of-the-art methods used for the
identification of pigments and dyestuffs.
Codicological description
In the following analysis, the major production units dated to the late
fourteenth century are described in detail. The discussion of codico-
logical details underlines that these three units are, in fact, the products of
separate projects.
The first production unit (PU1)
PU1 begins on fol. 1 and ends with fol. 35v, which corresponds to the pre-
viously suggested division by Drechsler. Fol. 1r was originally left blank, a
copy of Tveggja postula saga Jóns ok Jakobs, begins on fol. 1v. There are sev-
eral lacunae within PU1, and fol. 35v does not coincide with the end of the
saga. After this leaf, another lacuna occurs. Therefore, in its present form,
the first production unit contains only one text, Tveggja postula saga Jóns ok
Jakobs, which is not preserved in its entirety. According to the previously
mentioned marginalia, there are at least forty-five leaves (or ninety pages)
Manuscript Description (the ‘Syntaxe Du Codex’ and More...),” Comparative Oriental
Manuscript Studies Bulletin 2.1–2 (2016): 75.