St Dominic, large historiated initial, perhaps from an Antiphoner, in Latin [Alsace or south-west Germany (Strasbourg?), c.1430-50]

cutting, c.145x155mm, vellum, historiated initial 'P' (perhaps from the Matins responsory ‘Paupertatis ascendens culmina ...’ for the feast of St Dominic), reverse with part of three lines of text and music on four-line red staves, rastrum 24mm, descender of letter trimmed, framed

Acquired from Sam Fogg in 2002 by the present owner.

Doubtless from the same manuscript as a leaf sold in our rooms, 3 April 1957, lot 54 (ill.), which includes an initial with scenes from the life of St Thomas Aquinas; it is now at the at the Indianapolis Museum of Art. To the same group belongs a cutting depicting the Dominican friar St Peter of Verona, sold at Christie's, 23 November 2010, lot 5 (with colour ill. on front cover).

Jeffrey Hamburger informs us that the style of illumination is Alsatian, although it is possible that the manuscript comes from a house elsewhere, derived from Alsace, such as Kirchheim unter Teck, in Württemberg, which was founded by Dominican nuns from Strasbourg, who brought their Alsatian style with them (cf. his article 'Magdalena Kremer, Scribe and Painter of the Choir and Chapter Books of the Dominican Convent of St Johannes-Baptista in Kircheim unter Teck', in the Christopher de Hamel Festschrift, 2010, pp.124-49, esp. fig.21).