Collection of leaves from Books of Hours, from illuminated manuscripts, in Latin on vellum

5 leaves, including (a) single leaf, 180mm. by 140mm., with a large arch-topped miniature, 92mm. in height, of the Kiss of Judas by the Master of Marguerite d'Orleans or a close follower, with Christ and Judas in the centre of the composition (both with wear to faces, and perhaps some crude retouching to features), a mob of soldiers to the right, one of whom reaches around and seizes Christ (those in back somewhat smudged), another soldier and Christ's supporters to left, all within liquid gold frame with the master's distinctive 'instepped' edges to the top of the miniature where the arches begin, and wide text frames with scrolling foliage on a liquid gold ground, above a 4-line blue initial touched in white, infilled with coloured foliage, all on burnished gold ground, full border decoration of tightly packed foliage terminating in coloured and gold flowers and leaves, with sprays of foliage in each corner, 4 lines of text in black ink, on verso: 14 lines of text, some initials touched in yellow, two 2-line initials in burnished gold on coloured grounds, Brittany or the Loire Valley, c. 1430-50; (b) single leaf, 135mm. by 95mm., with a large arch-topped miniature, 82mm. in height, of the Presentation in the Temple by a follower of Maître François, with the Virgin kneeling before a stone altar in the act of handing the Christ Child to the priest, all surrounded by Joseph and numerous attendants, set within a Gothic interior, full border decoration acanthus-leaves, other foliage and two drollery creatures set on parti-coloured grounds in dull liquid gold (slightly rubbed, with paint flaked from Virgin's eyes and Christ Child's face), above a 3-line initial in blue on coloured ground, and 3 lines of text, on verso: 22 lines of text and a number of 1- and 2-line initials in liquid gold on coloured grounds, with single border panel, Paris, second half of fifteenth century; (c) single leaf, 122mm. by 82mm., with a full-page miniature of the Three Magi, the Virgin and Christ Child seated before the stable, with one magi kneeling before them his crown at his feet, the other two to the right, all with burnished gold haloes (slight damage to some of the faces, and some parts faded), full decorated border of acanthus-leaves, other foliage and gold bezants, on verso: 18 lines in Dutch, two initials in red and blue, southern Netherlands, third quarter of the fifteenth century; (d) single leaf, 153mm. by 103mm., with a large arch-topped miniature, 94mm. in height, of the Annunciation to the Shepherds, with three male and one female shepherds standing or sitting on a grassy landscape before a medieval city and a river, playing the bagpipes and petting lambs, as an angel with a banderole appears in the sky above them, three quarter decorated border of foliage on parti-coloured grounds in shapes of triangles and circles, separated by acanthus-leaves, 3-line brown initial on blue ground, and 3 lines of text, all somewhat rubbed with paint flaked from angel's face and banderole now illegible, verso with 17 lines, large and small initials and line-fillers, and a single border panel, northern France, third quarter of fifteenth century; plus two other leaves from northern French Books of Hours from the second half of the fifteenth century with small miniatures of Matthew writing with an angel at his side and SS. Genevieve and Anna, and a single leaf from a Calendar with two small roundels and a dragon-like drollery creature; all 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."

The Master of Marguerite d'Orleans is named after a Book of Hours (Paris, BnF. Latin. 1156B) made for Marguerite around 1430, soon after her marriage to Richard de Bretagne, Compte d'Etampes, most probably in Brittany. Of the published works by the master, the tightly packed border here compares most closely with a Book of Hours (now Morgan, M.190, c. 1450), illustrated and discussed in Plummer, Last Flowering, 1982, no. 29; other examples of the master's work are nos. 27 and 28.

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