Indulgence--Franciscus de Sabaudia

Broadside, vellum, oblong (139 x 216mm)., with attached paper seal, 21 lines, printed with De Keysere type 1:97G, 2:102G (initial words); and three woodcut initials (U, M¹, M²), partially fulfilled, without name of recipient, but with supplied date, 8 June 1479

Probably from the Benedictine Abbey of Rheinau, near Schaffhausen; it has descended in a family who were secular custodians of the abbey in the 18th century.

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, where appropriate
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Unrecorded; the earliest dated printing of Arend de Keysere. Arend de Keysere is recorded as a printer first in Audenarde (Oudenaarde, East Flanders) from 1480 to 1482, and then in Ghent, about 15 miles to the north, from 1483 to 1488-9; his was the sole fifteeth-century printing shop in both towns. In Audenarde he produced only one book with a full, dated colophon, sermons of Hermannus de Petra (ISTC ih00072000), “Pressum aldenardi per me Arnoldum cesaris meosque sodales”, 1480. The same year he printed four settings of a crusade indulgence in favor of the Hospitallers of Rhodes (VE15 A-8/-11). As early as 1868 Henry Bradshaw had hypothesized that De Keysere began to print earlier than the attested date of 1480. This previously unknown indulgence, produced in or before 1479, now comes to light to prove his opinion.

The medieval hospice of Great St Bernard in the Saint Bernard Pass (Mont-Joux), served by canons regular, enjoyed a high reputation and royal patronage from many parts of Europe. At this time it was under the control of the dukes of Savoy, who appointed all its provosts in commendam. The provost of this indulgence, Franciscus de Sabaudia (1454-1490), was a son of Amedeo IX of Savoy. He gained papal nomination as provost of Great St Bernard at the age of five, and accrued over the years a large number of other lucrative church livings. In the 1480s Franciscus became administrator of the diocese of Geneva, and archbishop of Auch, but he resided principally at the court in Turin and other ducal residences, where he was governor of the young and short-lived dukes Carlo I and II, his nephew and great-nephew. He had himself a natural son, Joannes de Sabaudia, who in 1513 was instituted as bishop of Geneva, with papal dispensation for his illegitimacy. There is no obvious explanation of how De Keysere was commissioned to print this indulgence; the order of Great St Bernard had no hospices in the Low Countries. It may be relevant that in late 1475, within the Burgundian wars, Swiss troops from several cantons took possession of the Lower Valais, including the hospice of Great St Bernard, in victory over the armies of Savoy.

The seal, difficult to read clearly through its paper, appears to be of a type found in various fifteenth-century seals of the hospice: St Nicholas with a bishop’s crosier stands alongside St Bernard of Menthon, the credited founder of the hospice in the eleventh century, who holds a demon on a chain. By legend, this demon occupied a cave near the summit of the pass and terrorized travellers, but was mastered by Bernard.

Sotheby’s is grateful to the Gesamtkatalog der Wiegendrucke for its help.