Jean de Bellegambe or immediate circle, The Nativity of Christ, very large historiated initial on a single leaf from the Gradual of Jeanne de Boubais, abbess of Flines, illuminated manuscript, in Latin, on vellum

single leaf, 492mm. by 343mm., 8 lines of black ink in a angular late Gothic hand with music on 4-line black stave, rubric and folio number 'xxii' in red, two initials on verso in green and yellow on coloured grounds, one elaborate calligraphic initial incorporating a bearded man's face on recto, full border decoration including naturalistic flower cuttings, two birds, a butterfly, a fly, and the arms of Jeanne de Boubais, abbess of Flines, all on dull burnished gold ground, an oblong miniature in the bas-de-page, 55mm. by 118mm., of Augustus and the Tiburian Sybil, the emperor kneeling on a grassy hill before his castle as the Sibyl points to a vision of the Virgin and Child in the sky (some wear), large historiated initial 'P' (opening "Puer est natus ..." the Introit for the Mass on Christmas Day), 180mm. by 140mm., formed of foliage in yellow-brown heightened with liquid gold, on pink ground with white brushstrokes, enclosing the Virgin and two angels kneeling in adoration around the Christ Child, shepherds with sticks and bagpipes approaching, Joseph in the distance, set in a classical ruin with the annunciation to the shepherds on hill in background (some minor wear), ink has eaten through vellum in some areas of text, modern repair to lower right-hand corner, else in good condition, in card mount

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."

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The arms are those of Abbess Jeanne de Boubais, of the Cistercian convent of Flines, near Douai, who held office from 5 December 1507. The compositions of the Virgin and angels around the Christ Child and Augustus and the Tiburian Sibyl both derive from the same subjects in the Grimani Breviary (published in facsimile in 1972, nos. 27-8). The borders are fine examples of the Ghent/Bruges style, and compare closely to those in the latter sections of the Grimani Breviary, and to a number of other contemporary commissions (see for example the miniature of St. Catherine on fol. 611v of the Mayer van der Bergh Breviary: M. Smeyers & J. Van der Stock, Flemish Illuminated MSS 1475-1550, 1996, pp. 110-11, and passim). She was evidently a patron of the arts, and is known to have commissioned panel-paintings from the artist Jean Bellegambe of Douai (1470-75/1535; see A. G. Pearson 'Nuns, Images, and the Ideals of Women's Monasticism', Renaissance Quarterly, 54, 2001, pp. 1356-1402; the triptych is now Metropolitan Museum, New York; the diptych now Pittsburgh, Frick Art Museum). In 1983 the present leaf was identified by the Bibl. Municipale de Douai as by the same artist or his pupil Jacquet d'Anvers, and it is closely related to an antiphoner commissioned by the abbey of Flines from the artists (now Bib. Mun. de Douai, 126) for which receipts still survive (Hautcoeur, Cartulaire de l'abbaye de Flines, ii, 927-31), recording the payment as 31s. for each historiated initial.

From the collection of the late Dr F. Jossi; bought in our rooms, 7 December 1982, lot 14.