Western Manuscripts and Miniatures

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Lot 41
  • 41

Augustine of Hippo, Enarrationes in Psalmos CXX-CXXXIII, in Latin, decorated manuscript on vellum [Italy (probably Milan), mid-twelfth century]

Estimate
12,000 - 18,000 GBP
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Description

  • Vellum
99 leaves, 165mm. by 105mm., wanting a gathering of 8 leaves from the front of the volume, else complete, collation: i-xii8, xiii3(first leaf a singleton), single column, 24-25 lines in brown ink in a small early gothic hand (some letters in top lines with ornamental penstrokes reaching into margins), capitals touched in red, thirteen 3-line initials in red or green, some stains, minor cockling, else good condition, modern red leather over late medieval wooden boards

Provenance

provenance

1. The monastery of Santa Maria of Morimondo, near Milan; item 12 in their inventory: ex libris on fol.99v: "hic liber sancte marie de morimundo mediolan. dyoc. cist. ordinis in inventario No. XII"; no.18 in the late twelfth-century booklist of the house extant on the endleaf of Harvard, Houghton fMS Typ223, where it is described as"Augustini super psalterium tria volumina" (J. Leclercq, 'Textes et manuscrits cisterciens des bibliothèques des États-Unis', Traditio 17, 1961, p.178). This is most probably the middle of the three volumes, and perhaps the only part now surviving.

2. Apparently Bishop Paolo Giovio (1483-1552), the historian and humanist; sale by descendents, Christie's, 17 November 1976, lot 368, to Kraus.

3. Bergendal MS.18; bought by Joseph Pope from Laurence Witten in November 1981: Bergendal catalogue no.18; Stoneman, 'Guide', p.173; M. Ferrari, 'Biblioteche e scrittori' in Archivio ambrosiano 40, 1980, no.67; and 'Dopo Bernardo' in San Bernardo e l'Italia, 1993, p.269.

Catalogue Note

text

The text here begins, "... deliciis huius seculi", partway into Augustine's commentary on Psalm 120, continuing through to that for Psalm 133.