Saint George, full-page miniature on a leaf from an illuminated manuscript Book of Hours on vellum

a single leaf, 200 mm. by 135 mm., full-page miniature on the verso, 155 mm. by 90 mm., George as a soldier in silver armour, with the red cross on a white ground on his surcoat, banner and shield, holding a lance and a red sword with gold pommel, standing against a ground tessellations in blue and pale red framed in gold and above a floor of a swirl of tiles in blue, pale red and burnished gold, coats-of-arms extending from each corner in quadrilobed compartments, further extensions with sprays of coloured and burnished gold leaves, recto ruled for 23 lines, text from a suffrage to Saint Laurence (whose miniature would have been on the previous verso), 2 illuminated initials and three-quarter border, a plain red coat-of-arms hanging in the right-hand margin, early addition at foot of the recto with a suffrage to Saint Patrick (rare, "Servus christi patricius genere britannia ..." and "Deus qui beatum patricium hiberniencium elegisti ..."), slight oxidisation of the silver, in gilt frame

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."

Bought by Eric Korner from Rudolf Wien, 1952, with a companion miniature of Saint Saturinus, which was lot 32 in the Korner sale in our rooms, 19 June 1990, and was afterwards W. M. Voelkle and R. S. Wieck, The Bernard H. Breslauer Collection of Manuscript Illuminations, 1992, pp. 92-3, no. 17.

This is probably the finest miniature from this extraordinary manuscript, and it is the only English saint in the series.  This was the image reproduced by Quaritch, A Catalogue of Illuminated and Other Manuscripts, 1931, no. 56, when the volume was still intact, and had the bookplate of Thomas Boycott, 1761.  It had previously been sold in our rooms, 3 June 1918, lot 259.  The book was recatalogued by Quaritch, cat. 478 (1933), no. 3, and was sold by them to H. P. Kraus in 1941 and by him to Wien, who had broken it up by 9 February 1948, when two leaves were sold in these rooms, lot 215 (Saint Bartholomew, afterwards Sir John Pope-Hennessy's sale, Christie's, New York, 10 January 1996, lot 4) and lot 216 (Saint Margaret).  Other miniatures include Saint Andrew and Saint Thomas (now both in the Los Angeles County Museum, acc. M.74.100); Saint James and Saint Matthew (now both in the John and Mabel Ringling Museum, Sarasota, Florida, nos. 730-31); and Saint Nicholas, which was sold in our rooms, 21 June 1994, lot 25 (afterwards Ferrini, catalogue 3, 1995, no. 18, with no. 19, Saint Barnabas, both now in the Berger Collection, Denver Art Museum).

 

The drunken and glorious kaleidoscope of colour here, swirling giddily around the feet of the patron saint of England, appears to be without exact parallel in fourteenth-century art.  The suffrage to Saint Patrick on the other side of the present leaf might suggest a medieval Irish owner or even a possible origin in Ireland.