Peter Lombard, Glossatura Magna in Psalmos, the Great Gloss on the Psalms, in Latin, illuminated manuscript on vellum

213 leaves (last blank), 439 mm. by 311 mm., complete, collation: i-xi^{12, xii11 [complete, a leaf cancelled after fol. 139], xiii-xvii12, xviii10, with horizontal catchwords and ad hoc leaf signatures in plummet, modern pencil foliation (followed here) repeats '203', double column, the gloss in 57 lines, the Psalms in blocks of text aligned to the left of each column and written in every second ruled line, ruled in plummet, written-space 248 mm. by 162 mm., text beginning below top ruled line, written in dark brown ink in two sizes of an early gothic bookhand, lemmata in the gloss underlined in red, citations of sources in the margins in red, versal initials in gloss alternately red and blue, versal initials in Psalms in red or blue with penwork in the contrasting colour}, approximately 335 large illuminated initials in highly burnished gold on blue and pinky-brown grounds with white tracery, fifty-one pages with full illuminated frame borders in highly burnished gold in bars broken by quatrefoils or quinquefoils and with similar flower heads or flamboyant fleurs-de-lys in each corner (one as a goat's head on fol. 1r, others as dragons on fol. 2r), nine large historiated initials in full colours and highly burnished gold, some contemporary sidenotes and other signs of careful use, some negligible rubbing and thumbing, generally in extremely fine condition with vast margins, massive medieval binding of slightly bevelled wooden boards sewn on 7 double thongs, covered with white tawed leather, sides ruled with treble lines into a frame and saltire pattern, blind-stamped in each lozenge with a fleur-de-lys in a rectangle surrounded by an orbit of tiny circular stamps of stars or 6-petalled flower heads, medieval vellum title label "psalteriu[m] glosatu[m]" in gothic script towards top of lower cover secured by 8 metal pins, 2 clasp straps secured by metal fittings (different) on edge of upper cover reaching to corresponding metal pins on lower cover, metal catches and all metal bosses on covers removed, old vellum endleaves, binding scuffed and worn, spine repaired

provenance

(1) Undoubtedly written in Paris.  Many readers' notes in the margins cite the opinions of 'G', who may be the master whose classes the owner attended, such as Guillaume d'Auvergne (c.1180-1249), of Paris.  (It might also simply be 'Glossator'.)  There is a medieval name 'Matheus" at the end of the last page.

(2) The library of the marquises of Astorga, in north-west Spain, probably founded by Álvaro Pérez Osorio, created first marquès in 1465, died in 1480 and buried in Astorga cathedral; and by descent to the 17th marquès, Vicente Isabel Osorio de Moscoso y Álvarez de Toledo (1777-1837).  The library was sold in London in 1826.  Some books went to Richard Heber, nearly 4000 printed books to the National Library of Scotland, and others were dispersed by auction at Evans, 2 March 1826 (cf. Munby, Phillipps Studies, III, 1954, p. 149; and J H. Louden, 'The Astorga Collection', Le IIIème congrès international de bibliophilie, Actes et communications, Barcelona, 1971, pp. 89-93).

(3) Late nineteenth-century armorial bookplate of C. L. and E. Knight; perhaps in their sale in our rooms, 6 June 1889.

(4) Francis Crawford Burkitt (1864-1935), Professor of Divinity at Cambridge, with his signature; by descent to his son, Miles Crawford Burkitt (1890-1971), F.S.A.; his sale in these rooms, 7 December 1964, lot 154, to Traylen.

(5) Bought then by a private collector, and by decent to the present owner.

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing where appropriate
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."

text

This is a luxury copy of a Psalter commentary on a vast scale.  Peter Lombard (c.1100-1160) was probably the first truly magisterial teacher of the emerging schools of Paris, which had become by the early thirteenth century the greatest of all medieval universities.  Peter Lombard massively revised two volumes of the old Gloss, those for the Psalms and for the Epistles of Saint Paul.  The Commentaria in Psalterium, or Magna Glossatura in Psalmos, was probably begun around 1135 but was not apparently released for copying until about 1155 or even 1158-9, when the author was forced to give up teaching on becoming bishop of Paris.  It is a book of immense technical complexity and innovation, with the Psalm texts in short pieces clinging to the left of a column while the catena commentary runs continuously beside them and around them, like a waterfall tumbling around rocks, without one ever getting out of step with the other.  This is one of the first texts to use footnotes, or at least a system of citing sources by patterns of red dots, which refer to the names of authorities in the upper margins, here mainly Cassiodorus (two vertical dots), Jerome (one dot), Augustine (two diagonal dots) and Remigius (three dots).  Cf. I. Brady, Magistri Petri Lombardi Sententiae, I, 1971, p. 58*; Stegmüller, Repertorium Biblicum, IV, 1989, pp. 319-25, no. 6637; M. L. Colish, 'Psalterium Scholasticorum: Peter Lombard and the Emergence of Scholastic Exegesis', Speculum, 67, 1992, pp. 531-48 (reprinted in her Studies in Scolasticism, 2006); and P. W. Rosemann, Peter Lombard, 2004.

The text opens with Peter Lombard's prologue, "Cum omnes prophetas ...", and ends on fol. 211v, "... omnis spiritus laudet dominum".

illumination

The nine miniatures are characteristic products of the "Vie de Saint Denis atelier" in Paris, one of the most prolific workshops in Paris from about 1230 to 1250, between the early Bible Moralisée style and the mid-century.  The present manuscript shows all hallmarks of the style, including distinctive colouring and neat curling hair lines.   The choice of subjects for the Psalm pictures corresponds exactly with those in Paris, Bibliothèque de Ste-Geneviève, ms 2690, illuminated in this workshop (cf. R. Branner, Manuscript Painting in Paris during the Reign of Saint Louis, 1977, pp. 87-93, 192 and 224-27).  The manuscript is of extremely high quality, with huge margins and gold burnished to a mirror finish.   The full burnished gold borders are very unusual, applied in facing pairs but seemingly at random.  It is possible that these are contemporary Spanish additions.  Many books like this were brought from Paris to cathedrals and great monastic libraries of Europe.  The manuscript was probably in Spain by the late Middle Ages, and it may have been brought there when new.   Although we know of no precise parallels, illuminated bar borders are not unknown in Spain.  The initials are:

1, Folio 1r, Peter Lombard seated writing a manuscript on a lectern, historiated initial 'C' ("Cum omnes", prologue), 12-line, 53 mm. by 45 mm.

2, Folio 2r, David seated playing the harp, historiated initial 'B' ("Beatus vir", psalm 1), 9-line, 35 mm. by 33 mm.

3, Folio 36r, The anointing of David, historiated initial 'D' ("Dominus illuminatio", psalm 26), 8-line, 27 mm. by 29 mm.

4, Folio 57r, David pointing to his mouth as Christ blesses him, historiated initial 'D' ("Dixi custodiam", psalm 38), 29 mm. by 26 mm.

5, Folio 75r, David watching the fool with club and loaf of bread, historiated initial 'D' ("Dixit insipiens", psalm 52), 28 mm. by 27 mm.

6, Folio 95r, David in the water calling to God above, historiated initial 'S' ("Salvum me fac", psalm 68), 29 mm. by 30 mm.

7, Folio 119r, David seated playing the bells, historiated initial 'E' ("Exultate deo", psalm 80), 34 mm. by 30 mm.

8, Folio 159r, Two priests singing at a lectern, historiated initial 'C' ("Cantate domino", psalm 97), 36 mm. by 29 mm.

9, Folio 159v, The Trinity enthroned, with the Holy Dove above the Father and Son, historiated initial 'D' ("Dixit dominus", psalm 109), 34 mm. by 30 mm.