Lot 5
  • 5

Collection of leaves and fragments from musical manuscripts, in Latin, on vellum and paper [eleventh to sixteenth century]

Estimate
3,000 - 5,000 GBP
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Description

  • Vellum and Paper
16 leaves and fragments: (a) 2 leaves from a Missal, trimmed at two edges, each approximately 170mm. by 125mm., written in a fine and angular Romanesque bookhand, with music in neumes arranged around a single red line marking the C clef, rubrics and simple initials in red, other initials in red or black penwork touched in green wash (evidently following ninth-century models), recovered from a binding, small stains, else good, probably French, late eleventh century or c.1100; (b) cutting from an Antiphonary, 275mm. by 100mm., with a large puzzle initial ‘D’, 65mm. square, in red and blue, with elaborate scrolling penwork infill filling up the space with tessellating circles in purple penwork, similar in red surrounding initial, extensions of initial in red and blue up and down border, remains of 6 lines in a fine angular bookhand with music on a 4-line red stave, two elaborate penwork initials, some folds and stains, else good, France, c.1300; (c) large fragment of a leaf from a Choirbook, 330mm. by 270mm., remains of 10 lines in a notably high-grade gothic bookhand, with music on a 4-line red stave, capitals touched in red, elaborate penwork initials and 3 large initials in red or blue with contrasting swirls of penwork, edges cut and torn, else good, France, late thirteenth or early fourteenth century; (d) 4 strips from a Missal or Breviary, each approximately 230mm. by 45mm., written in a prickly bookhand, music on a 4-line red stave, rubrics in red, recovered from a binding and in an envelope stamped “The County of Worcestershire 1889” and with nineteenth-century handwritten notes, “Parts of 2 leaves of a Sarum Book in 4 pieces”, most probably England, fifteenth century; (e) 2 German or Bohemian leaves: the first from a Missal, 335mm. by 235mm., with 2 columns of 17 lines with music on a 4-line black stave, simple red initials, cutting at base from catalogue of Erik von Scherling of Leiden (this leaf his Rotulus IV, Winter 1937, no.2028) held in place with brass clips, Germany or Bohemia, fourteenth century, and a leaf from a Missal, 400mm. by 280mm., 2 columns with 15 lines in an angular German bookhand, with music on a 4-line red stave, 3 large illuminated initials on burgundy and blue grounds touched with white penwork, 8 elaborate penwork initials, most with faces picked out in penwork (a braying animal, another poking its tongue out, a hook-nosed old woman, a man with his mouth opened wide and tongue lolling out and a grumpy faced monkey), recovered from a binding with some stains and small wormholes, fair condition, Germany, fifteenth century; plus two vellum fragments of Choirbooks (one French, thirteenth or fourteenth century with neumes; the other German and fifteenth century) and 4 leaves from a fifteenth- or early sixteenth-century German Choirbook on paper