- 14
Three leaves from illuminated manuscripts on vellum [France, thirteenth and fourteenth century]
Estimate
3,000 - 5,000 GBP
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Description
- Vellum
3 leaves: (a) leaf from an early prayerbook in French and Latin, 130mm. by 92mm., with an 8-line historiated initial 'D' (opening "Deus in adiutorium meum ...") in grey-blue heightened with white penwork, enclosing Christ before Pontius Pilate on brightly burnished gold grounds, gold, pink and blue angular extensions in three margins terminating in coloured leaves and with a leaping hare and a hawk in the bas-de-page, 17 lines in red and black, 2-line initial in gold and colour with decorated foliate border on reverse, Metz, c.1340; (b) leaf from a large Bible, 330mm. by 230mm., with a historiated initial 'Q' (opening "Quoniam quidem multi ...", the beginning of Luke), with the evangelist in an orange robe pointing to the beginning of his text, and a large initial 'L' (12-line) enclosing a coloured sprig of foliage, and on reverse a historiated initial 'F' (opening "Fuit indiebus ...", Luke 1:5) enclosing Zechoriah in the temple, all with gold, pink and blue extensions up and down margins, double column, 40 lines, southern France, perhaps Bordeaux, c.1300; (c) leaf from a Breviary, 120mm. by 86mm. one 8-line initial 'I' (opening "In exitu Israel de egypto ...") in blue and gold, text frame on one side of text-block on recto in gold and blue with flowers and leaves, one-line initials in blue or gold with contrasting penwork, double column, 34 lines, probably France, c.1400; all in excellent condition in card mounts
Catalogue Note
Item (a) is from a fragment of a prayerbook published by Plotzek, Andachtsbücher des Mittelalters aus Privatbesitz, 1987, no.11, pp.89-91, and has been identified as by the Metz illuminator, the Master of the Boethius of Montpellier (named after Montpellier, Bibl. Municipale ms.43). Item (b) is from a splendid Bible, once Phillipps MS.2506, sold privately to Chester Beatty; his sale in our rooms, 24 June 1969, and dispersed by Duschnes of New York. Item (c) is from a fragment sold in our rooms, 14 July 1981, lot 27 (see Manion and de Hamel, Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts in New Zealand Collections, 1989, no.163, p.138).