Liturgical fragment, a pericope to be read on certain Sundays and feast days, in Syriac, on vellum, partly palimpsest [Near East, ninth or tenth century, with palimpsest underlayer perhaps sixth century]

8 leaves (a single gathering), 250mm. by 175mm., single column, 23 lines in brown ink in a fine and scrolling Estrangelo hand, rubrics in red, five leaves palimpsest with earlier double column text in smaller script easily visible upside down beneath later writing, edges of leaves torn, with losses to text in middle of first leaf, repaired at spine with strips from another Syriac manuscript, some threads from binding still present, traces of paper from label once glued to end of first leaf, overall in fair and presentable condition, in leather folding slipcase (worn and partly perished with one flap detached)

From the collection of Arnold Mettler-Specker of St Gallen: his bookplate in slipcase; by descent to his son, Arnold Mettler-Bener: his sale Parke-Bernet, New York, 29-30 November 1948, lot 306, for $50 to Dawson’s. Acquired soon after by the present owner.

The underlayer of palimpsest text shares a similarity of penstroke and high-striking ascenders with the under-text of the celebrated palimpsest Codex Syr.30 (cf. H.J. Vogels, Codicum Novi Testamenti Specimina, 1929, no.42), discovered at St. Catherine’s, Sinai, by the redoubtable twin sisters and early Bible hunters, Agnes Lewis (1843-1926) and Margaret Gibson (1843-1920), and may well be its near-contemporary.