The Mellini-Pinelli Hours, Use of Rome, in Latin [southern Netherlands (Bruges), 1480s]

174x120mm, vellum, ii+153+iii leaves, in 19 quires mostly of 8 leaves, with miniatures occasionally added on single leaves: i8-2 (first two blanks cancelled), ii8+2, iii8, iv8-1 (wanting vi), v8, vi8+1, vii8+1, viii8-1 (blank cancelled), ix8+2-1 (wanting after iii), x8+1, xi9-1 (wanting ii), xii8+1, xiii8, xiv8+1, xv8, xvi8, xvii8-1 (wanting i, text leaf), xviii8, xix6, 17 lines, 87x59m, 24 calendar roundels with three-sided borders, 11 full-page miniatures with full borders, partly added on single leaves, minor discolouration of the lower corner of the first few leaves, but generally in very fine, clean condition throughout, bound in an extremely fine Italian fanfare binding from c.1635, traces of two missing clasps, with very minor wear overall, but the upper joint beginning to weaken, modern fitted box

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."

A Book of Hours with fine miniatures by the Masters of Raphael de Marcatellis, with a distinguished provenance, and in a splendid 17th-century binding

provenance

(1) Written and illuminated probably in Bruges, as suggested by the style of illumination and the presence as a major feast in the calendar of St Donatian (14 October), to whom Bruges cathedral is dedicated.

(2) The coat of arms in the centre of the binding are these of Urbano III Mellini (1601-67) and Caterina Pinelli, a member of the noble house of Genoa. The manuscript was probably rebound around 1635 to be offered as a wedding present.

The Mellini collection enjoyed a considerable degree of celebrity in Rome during the 16th and 17th centuries, notably for sculptures and antiquities (see A. M. Corbo, ‘La committenza nelle famiglie romane a metà del secolo XV: il caso di Pietro Millini’, in Arte, committenza ed economia a Roma e nelle corti del Rinascimento, 1995; S. Santolini, ‘Pietro e Mario Mellini fondatori di una dinastia di collezionisti antiquari’, in Collezioni di antichità a Roma tra ‘400 e ‘500, pp.39-62, 2007). The Mellini are not renowned for having had an important library and the present manuscript is a rare exception. The binding of the Book of Hours is a remarkable example from the Roman school of the first half of the 17th century that stands out because of its extraordinary quality regarding the accuracy of the gilding and the multi-coloured leather inlays. It is the work of a binder who probably came from France and who worked only on a few precious volumes which can be dated between 1627 and 1635 (the most important examples are books bound for Antonio Barberini, see Christie’s, 15 June 2006, lot 328; il Principe Pignatelli, see Libreria Antiquaria Alberto Govi, List 3-2014; and Pope Urban VIII, see Legature papali da Eugenio IV a Paolo VI, 1977, no.209). This is the only known binding to include the Mellini-Pinelli coat of arms. The Cappella Mellini in Santa Maria del Popolo on the north side of the Piazza del Popolo contains a bust figure of Urbano III Mellini by the Roman sculptor Alessandro Algardi.

(3) Jean-Jaques Charron (1643-1718), of the Château de Menars, close to Blois, with his arms illuminated on the front flyleaf; this distinguished bibliophile bought the entire de Thou library in 1679; most of his manuscript collection is now in the BnF, Paris.

(4) James Thomas Gibson Craig (1789-1886), of Edinburgh; his sale in our rooms, 27 June 1887, and following days, lot 1278, bought by Quaritch for £75.

(5) Samuel Putnam Avery (1822-1904); his sale, Anderson, New York, 10 November 1919, lot 463.

(6) H. Bradley Martin (1906-1988); his sale in our New York rooms, 14 June 1990, lot 3352.

text and illumination

Calendar (f.1r); Hours of the Cross (f.8r); Hours of the Holy Spirit (f.15r); Mass of the Virgin (f.21r); Gospel extracts (f.26v); Hours of the Virgin, Use of Rome, with Matins (f.30r), Lauds (f.47r), Prime (f.57r), Terce (f.61r), Sext (f.66r), None (f.69r), Vespers (f.73r), Compline (f.80r), followed by the variants for Advent and other liturgical seasons (f.84r); Seven Penitential Psalms (f.92r), litany (f.102v); Office of the Dead, Use of Rome (f.109r); Obsecro te (f.146r); suffrages to Sts Michael, John the Baptist, Peter and Paul, Nicholas, Mary Magdalene, Barbara, Catherine, Margaret (f.149v).

The Masters of Raphael de Marcatellis illuminated manuscripts primarily for one of the greatest 15th-century Netherlandish patrons, the humanist Raphael de Marcatellis (1437-1508), abbot of St Bavo's in Ghent (see A. Derolez, The Library of Raphael de Marcatellis, 1979). He was one of the first scholars in the Netherlands to collect manuscripts of a markedly humanistic nature, and it is notable that the style of the Masters of Raphael de Marcatellis, symptomatic of this new taste, is not commonly found in Books of Hours. These illuminators construct solid figures with heavy-featured faces and the dramatic style of their miniatures contrasts with the traditional acanthus scroll borders (rather than the illusionistic borders which became fashionable in the mid-1470s in Ghent and Bruges). The finely painted miniatures here are largely the work of one hand. Most impressive is the artist’s painstaking attention to detail. Hair is indicated with precise single lines, while draperies are finely modelled with short dense brush strokes, often intensified by cross hatching. The vivid palette is intensified by the occasional inclusion of salmon pink and turquoise. The careful execution is also observed in the borders where one finds, among the many hybrids, delightfully rendered animals such as a small squirrel wearing a collar, a small lapdog resting between flowers, a mallard, and a colourful cockerel; small figures of pleurants appear in the lower borders and mark the beginning of the Penitential Psalms and the Office of the Dead.

The subjects of the full-page miniatures are: (1) f.7v, Crucifixion; (2) f.14v, Pentecost; (3) f.20v, Virgin and Child; (4) f.46v, Visitation; (5) f.56v, Nativity; (6) f.60v, Annunciation to the Shepherds; (7) f.65v, Presentation in the Temple; (8) f.72v, Massacre of the Innocents; (9) f.79v, Flight into Egypt; (10) f.91v, David in Penitence; (11) f.108v, Raising of Lazarus.