Saints Elizabeth, Margaret, and Katherine, historiated initial cut from an Antiphonary, in Latin [southern Germany or Austria (perhaps Salzburg), c.1460-90]

cutting, c.94x87mm, vellum, historiated initial ‘A’, reverse with part of 3 lines of text and music in Hufnagelschrift on five-line staves (rastrum c.17mm), gold very slightly rubbed, cut to shape, framed

Provenance: (1) Johann Friedrich, Freiherr von Ferstel (1828–83), of Vienna. (2) FRANZ TRAU (d.1905), of Vienna, his sale, Gilhofer and Rauschburg, Vienna, 27 October 1905, lot 100. (3) Rudolf Wien, New York, bought together with a companion cutting of All Saints by: (4) ERIK KORNER (1893–1980), his nos. 53 and 54 (the present cutting), his sale in our rooms, 19 June 1990, lots 36 and 37 (the present cutting), bought by H.P. Kraus. (5) Sold in our rooms, 7 December 2004, lot 24, to the present owner.

The style is comparable to the work of Ulrich Schreier (fl.1457–c.1490), of Salzburg. A complete leaf with a miniature of the Birth of the Virgin, apparently from the same manuscript, was in L'Art Ancien, cat.47, no.12 with plate.