Two leaves from twelfth-century manuscripts, in Latin and Armenian, on vellum

two leaves, (a) single leaf, 346mm. by 245mm., from a manuscript of Gilbert de la Porée's Media Glossatura on the Pauline Epistles, double column, ruled for 28 lines of main text in a fine and professional early Gothic bookhand, with commentary following relevant section of main text in smaller script, quotations underlined in red, seven 1-line initials in blue or red, titles and numbers in red and blue, one large initial 'I' (opening "In primus dicendum ..."), 159mm. in height, in burnished gold with orange foliage entwined around it, on blue ground, one large initial 'M' (opening "Multifariam multis ..." a quotation from Hebrews 1:1), 34mm. in height, in burnished gold with scrolling foliate infill and animal masks (the largest of which damaged by flaking of paint) on blue ground with accompanying text panel of liquid gold letters on pale blue, early silk covers for initials still attached, overall in good condition, northern France of French Flanders  (perhaps Cambron Abbey), third quarter of twelfth century; (b) single leaf, 275mm. by 210mm., from an Armenian Evangeliary, double column, 17 lines main text in black ink in a formal bookhand, on recto: large initial, 60mm. in height, in blue, green and red edged in liquid gold, with single line of gold letters (now somewhat damaged on left by damp-stain and modern repair), and large border decoration, 80mm. in height, of green and blue foliage on liquid gold ground, next to single 1-line initial in liquid gold in text column, some staining and wear, Armenia, perhaps twelfth or thirteenth century; both in card mounts

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."

Item a is apparently from the same manuscript as a leaf sold in our rooms, 2 December 1997, lot 46, and identified there as from the Abbey of Cambron, near Mons, in the diocese of Tournai. All the known leaves from this manuscript stem from a small clutch bought by Sir Thomas Phillipps, probably in Belgium in 1827-9, with other manuscripts from Cambron. Almost all the others were bought en bloc from the Phillipps collection by the Belgium Government, and are now Brussels (BR. II. 939-67). A few leaves, however, remained unnumbered and dispersed throughout the remainder of the Phillipps collection, and of those one has since been bought by the Bodleian (now MS. lat.misc.a.3), another was owned by Doheny and is now in private hands in Tokyo (catalogue and reproduced on pp.37-8 of C. de Hamel "Philllipps Fragments in Tokyo" in The Medieval Book and a Modern Collector, 2004, eds. T. Matsuda, R. Linenthal and J. Scahill), and the three remaining leaves (including this one) were sold in the Phillipps sale in our rooms, 26 November 1975, lot 821 to Maggs, one later re-emerging in our rooms, 2 December 1997, lot 46.  The text here is that of the Media Glossatura on St. Paul's epistle to the Hebrews, by the scholar and glossator Gilbert de la Porée (1076-1154), and unusually is set out according to the form of the more common Gloss of Peter Lombard. Item b is a highly decorative example of an Armenian liturgical book, perhaps from the same period.  A close comparison can be made to Walters Art Gallery, W.538, a copy of the Gospels made in 1193 (see S. Der Nersessian, Armenian Manuscripts in the Walters Art Gallery, 1973, pp. 6-9, pls. 27-28).

Both from the collection of the late Dr F. Jossi.