Illuminated manuscript (104 Ergebnisse)

Hardcover. Zustand: Very Good. Zustand des Schutzumschlags: No Dust Jacket. First Edition. With 47 pages and fine coloured illustrations of an illuminated manuscript of hunting scenes , an attractive book .HARDCOVER, NO DUST JACKET, , NO MARKINGS, A BRIGHT CRISP VERY GOOD COPY, EXCELLENT VALUE.

No Binding. Zustand: Very Good. A facsimile of an illuminated leaf from a Mediaeval Manuscript. Mounted - matted - and ready to frame. Mount size approx 12 x 10 inches . Very good condition. Circa 1880. Shows - in colour - a leaf from a Mediaeval Manuscript - Portrait of Chaucer and text from Thomas Hoccleve's Poem ' De Regimine Principum@ - - rich colouring - from a MS in the British Museum.…

No Binding. Zustand: Very Good. A splendid original antique scene Mounted - matted - and ready to frame. Excellent condition . A facsimile leaf from an . illuminated manuscript leaf Shows . a page of illuminated illustration entitled .'Illuminator presenting Manuscript to Patron' the Harleian M.S.7026 British Museum.…

No Binding. Zustand: Very Good. A facsimile of an illuminated leaf from a Mediaeval Manuscript. Mounted - matted - and ready to frame. Mount size approx 12 x 10 inches . Very good condition. Circa 1880. Shows - in colour - a leaf from Aelfric - 'The Paraphrase of the Pentateuch .

No Binding. Zustand: Very Good. A facsimile of an illuminated leaf from a Mediaeval Manuscript. Mounted - matted - and ready to frame. Mount size approx 12 x 10 inches . Very good condition. Circa 1880. Shows - in colour - a leaf from a Mediaeval Manuscript - Lydgate presenting his poem to the King - rich colouring - from the Harleian MS in the British Museum.…

No Binding. Zustand: Very Good. A facsimile of an illuminated leaf from a Mediaeval Manuscript. Mounted - matted - and ready to frame. Mount size approx 12 x 10 inches . Very good condition. Circa 1880. Shows - in colour - a leaf from a Mediaeval Manuscript - text and fine illustration of Canterbury Pilgrims - - rich colouring - from a MS in the British Museum.…

No Binding. Zustand: Very Good. A facsimile of an illuminated leaf from a Mediaeval Manuscript. Mounted - matted - and ready to frame. Mount size approx 12 x 10 inches . Very good condition. Circa 1880. Shows - in colour - a leaf from Layamon's Brut. - from the Cotton Ms.

No Binding. Zustand: Very Good. A facsimile of an illuminated leaf from a Mediaeval Manuscript. Mounted - matted - and ready to frame. Mount size approx 12 x 10 inches . Very good condition. Circa 1880. Shows - in colour - a leaf from a Mediaeval Manuscript - an illustrations from Mandeville's 'Travels' - - rich colouring - from a MS in the British Museum.…

Single leaf, vellum, corner cut away, illuminated both sides in colour and gilt. 175 x 130 mm.

Cloth. Zustand: Near fine. Illuminated Manuscript. Quarto, [20 leaves]. Cream cloth, title stamped in gilt on the front panel. All edges gilt. Light foxing to the notes which accompany each leaf, manuscript leaves are in fine condition. Note from the illustrator, David Reid, affixed to the rear pastedown to Mr. William Gallow. The multipage handwritten instructions are dated "20.12.05," and include detailed binding instructions. Reid requests that the "binding to be done by the best binder." Housed in a custom maroon leatherette chemise, heavily worn along margins, solid hinges. (Provenance: Christie's South Kensington, Lot 64, Sold in 2003 / The Ann and Gordon Getty Collection, 2024). It is believed that this work was never published. There are no other known copies of The May Queen, illuminated by David Reid. A publication from 1912, titled "The May Queen and other poems," illuminated by Alberto Sangorski, bears a striking resemblance to this work, but there is no documented connection between Reid and Sangorski. The illuminated manuscript for The May Queen by Alfred Lord Tennyson, illuminated by David Reid, published circa 1905. (illustrator). Signed.…

Facsimile edition, limited to 500 numbered copies and 50 'Ad Personam' copies, this being number 345. Two volumes including the 'Scholarly Commentary' volume and the facsimile manuscript volume. The facsimile and companion volume are accompanied by a limitation page/certificate bearing the seal of the Israel Museum, the home of the original manuscript. The certificate is signed by Iris Fishof, Curator of Judaica at the Israel Museum and by the publisher. Facsimile Manuscript: (8 1/4 x 6 1/4 inches; 210 x 155 mm). 948 pages, of which 816 are illuminated. Printed on facsimile vellum which was created over a process of a year in a paper mill in Italy, specifically for this facsimile and has been acclaimed to be the closest likeness to vellum ever achieved. It was printed offset litho in up to twelve colors. The original manuscript was disbound and photographed with a glass overlay to eliminate all curvature towards the spine. The printed page is the exact same size as the original. Three different types of gold found in the original have been reproduced here in the facsimile, Burnished gold, craftsmen applied the leaf by hand in a "building-up" process to achieve the raised look as in the original. Flat gold, applied by hand using metal leaf. And Powdered Gold, applied to all illuminations that contain it in the original. In the original manuscript, the scribe pricked minute holes on either side of the folio between which he would rule lines for his script. These holes have been reproduced on the pages of this facsimile, the first time this has been done. There is also actual worming holes, reproduced as there are in the original. The pages have been cut to the exact same size and shape as the original and then aged exactly the same and then all edges gilt with 23 carat gold. Bound in dark maroon morocco goatskin over wooden boards. Covers and spine elaborately tooled in blind. The top cover has four silver clasps that are attached by leather thongs, attached to the book by small silver nails. Some very minor rubbing to boards and spine. Housed in a morocco-tipped cloth hinged slipcase with a blind-tooled morocco strap closure. A fine example of this amazing facsimile. Commentary volume: (8 1/4 x 6 1/4 inches; 210 x 155 mm). 256 pp, with errata slip laid in. Containing a full table of contents, and all texts and illustrations are indexed and cross-referenced. Bound to match the facsimile manuscript in full maroon morocco goatskin. Elaborately tooled in blind on boards and spine. Housed in a morocco-tipped cloth slipcase. "This volume is in itself the most comprehensive work ever written about the Rothschild Miscellany." (prospectus) "The Rothschild Miscellany was commissioned by Moses ben Yekuthiel Hacohen probably around 1470 at the height of the Renaissance in Italy. The Rothschild Miscellany as it is now known, is the most elegantly and lavishly executed Hebrew manuscript of that era. From its inception, it was planned as a sumptuous work to encompass, in minute detail, almost every custom of religious and secular Jewish life." (from the prospectus). "The Rothschild Miscellany consists of more than 70 religious and secular works. Among the religious books are Psalms, Proverbs and Job and a yearly prayer book including the Passover Haggadah. All have textual illustrations for each festival and prayers for special occasions. The secular books include philosophical, moralistic and scientific treatises. This large collection of miscellaneous yet connected texts became the framework for an unprecedented programme of illumination. No other Hebrew manuscript equals the richness and scope of the illumination of this Miscellany." (from the prospectus). HBS 69578. $8,500. ILLUMINATED MANUSCRIPT (illustrator). Signed.…

20 pp. illuminated calligraphic manuscript including blanks with large illuminated image of the Coat of Arms of Worthing on the title page in blue, grey, black, white, re, purple, green yellow and gold, dramatic iluminated word 'Out' on the first page of text in blue, red, white, black and gilt, a fine illustrated calligraphic calendar incoroporating the months of the year with relevant flowers and seeral large gilt and red initials, alongside small decorations including gilt stars and a small pen and ink drawing of the Downs. 38.5 x 28.3 cm. Tall folio, in a well done but probably amateur unsigned binding, perhaps by the calligrapher, of blue/green morocco with dark green morocco spine, both sides with a looping pattern, reminiscent of calligraphy, in blind superimposed with a zig zag design in gilt, spine cleverly lettered in gilt and blind with the whole title 'Andante' in each of the seven panels each highlighting a different letter in gilt to spell the title across the whole spine, turn-ins with triple gilt fillets. In very good, bright condition with only a little rubbing and slight chipping to the top of the spine. The text, apparently by the scribe, is in effect a guide to walks on the South Downs in Sussex around Worthing. The routes are very immediately described - for instance in one the walker begins in Worthing and following 'Honeysuckle Lane', reaches Chanctonbury Ring, then pushes through the brambles past St Bodolph's Church, sweats up the Round Hill and finally arrives in beautiful Arundel "one of the most attractive, yet dignified of the smaller Sussex towns". The manuscript was a gift, 'To M' which supports the theory that it was bound by the scribe. The calligraphic colophon in gilt and blue signed by the scribe 'DG' declares: 'The author trusts that the majority of his readers will enjoy this book of downland walks. He suggests that the minority turn it upside down, and in so doing derive some pleasure from the pattern thus produced'. Unfortunately we don't know the identity of D G, but the work is superb and full of life, as are descriptions of the walks.…

112 pages of well executed hand-illumination given as a gift for a first communion of Rita and Yvonne Lauranceau on 24 June, 1894. These 'wedding books' were sold with printed text and borders, designed by Mlle. A. Rabeau. Subsequently the plain, printed pages were all illuminated in colour including silver and gold by the owner or someone commissioned to do so by the owner in this case by Charles Defrance in 1883 according to a note on the verso of the title. Inserted loose is the illuminated first communion notice handpainted and written on vellum. Pp. viii, 107. 8vo., beautifully bound in full tan calf, both boards with borders of gilt tooled blue and red morocco and two further gilt tooled borders, spine in compartments with raised bands, gilt lettering in the second panel and the others with two gilt fillets and gold tooled design, turn-ins with elaborate gilt border, ivory silk endleaves, all edges gilt. Some rubbing to spine and corners but generally a handsome copy. A lavish, excellently hand-illuminated book, usually prepared as a wedding gift but here clearly intended to be presented at the first communion of Rita and Yvonne Lauranceau in 1894. All we know about them is that their father, Andre Lauranceau, was a prefect in Northern France. Also inserted loose in the book is a card for the pilgrimage to Lourdes dated in ink 29th August 1903.…

Hardcover. Zustand: Very Good. Zustand des Schutzumschlags: Very Good. 1st Edition. (ARGENTINA IIlluminated Viceregal Fiscal Manuscript on paper in superb calligraphy executed in 3 different coloured inks. Buenos Aires, 1797. Small folio. 1 blank leaf + [22]p + 2 blank leaves + [12]p. With 2 illuminated calligraphic title-pages, first title with arms of Buenos Aires in tailend section, a variety of exquisite floral and animal ornamentation on titles and in 21 headings, including six charming landscape vignettes with graphic representations of local topography, decorative initials. Text ruled in 9 columns, one of which represents cattle-brand marks; line borders in red throughout. Calf folder. Outstanding Spanish American manuscript of extraordinary quality and rarity executed in the best tradition of Spanish calligraphy in an excellent state of preservation. Comprising detailed government reports on fiscal contributions for the year 1797 from estancias (farms) and pulperias (general store owners) in the districts and villages in the vicinity of Buenos Aires, capital of the Viceroyalty of Rio de la Plata, in the closing years of the 18th century. The alcavala (or alcabala) of the title was a Spanish sales tax applicable to all property contracts. In the register the farm is numbered, and the table provides the name of the owner, the amount of their livestock (cattle, sheep, mules) the individual brand mark, the farm s location and its distance in relation to nearby estates. The final column lists the tax paid in pesos. Among owners some 25 women are named. Three notes in the addenda of the first report, list: firstly, eight individuals who could not be found on their farms as they were in Buenos Aires (their head of cattle is noticeably high); secondly, a further eight assessed (owning even larger numbers of cattle, though brand marks are not given), whose owners were not to be found (all are of noble origin and were possibly in Spain). The first section is signed by the assessor, Vicente Benito Cretel. He points out that the sum total of cattle here listed comprises bulls, steers, cows, oxen and other pasture animals, but it is only the second category (steers, nobillos) sold for the provision of supplies (hides, meat etc) which are liable for the tax. The second report lists some 115 pulperos (general store owners) liable to pay the tax. The headings of each of these are of particular iconographic interest for the delicately painted landscape vignettes which are among the earliest known graphic representations of the local topography and its flora and fauna. Each of the two reports is signed by the government official Don Vicente Benito Cretel and dated respectively 17th March and 30th April 1797. Cretel features in a list of 23 patriotic citizens who were granted the title ciudadanos americanos de la Provincias Unidad for donations towards the cause of liberty (Gazeta Ministerial del Gobierno de Buenos Ayres, No 10, 12 de Agosto de 1812, p40). Notable throughout is the high quality of the calligraphy, and its experimental variations. On the last page, each of the final ten lines of the document is written and illuminated in a different style of calligraphy, including one line in mirror writing. A highly important social document of the period, and a most exquisitely presented visual record. The vital importance to the economy and predominant position of the cattle industry to Argentina is reflected in the guild of cattle breeders and farmers being admitted by 1797 to the Consulado, the Chamber of Commerce (founded 1794), which stipulated customs revenues. John Lynch, 'Spanish Colonial adminsitration, 1782-1810. The Intendant System in the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata', University of London, Athlone Press, 1958.…

22 x 21.75 cm. Double-columned, double-sided single signature, 32 lines. The leaf features 69 gilt initials with embellished pen-work, 2 of them larger with blue backgrounds and the rest smaller with beige or dark brown (matching text ink) backgrounds, with some additional red lettering and the heading "Psalms." 4 pp. Fine vellum; some initials faintly faded with gilt and colors otherwise bright and text clear. Fine. Although not fully translated, this signature was likely once part of a psalter. It features part of a litany from the Book of Hoursâ"Psalm 70 in its entirety, moving into a call-and-response from with red letters marking the call v. the response, beginning with "V: Salvos fac servos tuos" and cutting off at "R: aeternam dona eis. . ." Due to the structure of books, the page opposite the beginning of this litany is not the page that should numerically follow it were it still bound, and so it is broken early. The leaf also features almost all of Psalm 37," ending with "Qui retribuunt mala pro. . .".…

Hardcover. Zustand: Fine. [A PRINCE-BISHOP'S COPY] PRINTED ON VELLUM 8vo. 96 unnumbered leaves, A-L8, a8. 31 lines. Roman Letter. Six full page and fifteen large half page metalcuts, all freely illuminated in gold and colours by a contemporary hand with gold painted architectural borders ruled in red, to each large cut, twelve small freely painted metalcuts in text. Metalcut skeleton with four small cuts all freely painted on verso of title, borders to each page ruled in red and black, painted with gold, with large freely painted floral and vine outer borders on liquid gold grounds, entirely rubricated with liquid-gold initials and line-filler on alternate red and blue grounds. A1r, title with Hardouin device, A1v Skeleton with four small cuts and with text in French, A2r table, A2v almanac for 1520-1532, A3-A5r calendar, A6r-A8r Gospel sequence (two full page cuts), A8v-B4r Passion according to St. John, B4v-F4r Hours of the Virgin (nine large cuts), F4v-G3r, Seven Penitential Psalms (two large cuts, King David and Bathsheba), G3r-I1r Office of the Dead (two large cuts, one of Job on his dungheap), I1v-I4v Hours of the Cross and of the Holy Ghost (three large cuts of Crucifixion etc), I5r- K1v Office of the Immaculate Conception and Beata Maria (one large cut, one text cut), K2r-L8v, Suffrages, prayers to the saints (one large cut, and eleven text cuts), a1r-a8v 'hore ad laudem divi Hieronymi' by Giovanni Andrea Bishop of Aleria in Latin and in French. Inscription on pastedown "16+28 Benefac Dne bonis et rectis corde Georgius Friderius Arcbicps Mogts" (the gift of Georg Friedrich von Grieffenklau zu Vollards, Archbishop-Elector of Mainz dated 1628). A fine copy, with the painting and gold absolutely fresh and clean, in stunning early C17th velvet over wooden boards, 8 large grotesque gilt metal cornerpieces of a medusa head with scallop below, two finely worked gilt metal clasps with a portrait of a warrior within oval, four gilt metal catches with a pair of griffins with open scallop beneath, arms at centre within ornate grotesque border of winged figures out of cornucopia (shield missing from upper cover). velvet worn on spine and edges, all edges gilt. Extremely rare, finely printed and beautifully illuminated book of hours, finely printed on good quality vellum with the cuts beautifully illuminated in gold and colour in a ;rectangular format. The illuminator has not simply coloured the cuts beneath but has freely painted over them or extended the painting of the figures beyond the original borders. Books of hours were used by individuals at home rather than in church. A calendar was attached to the front so that memorial days of the saints could be identified. They were typically structured around the hourly prayers observed in monasteries and Catholics would recite the appropriate liturgy eight times a day. These books served as symbols of status and and were often luxurious items, gifts given on important occasions."An important point to notice in connection with the illustrations of French 'Books of Hours' at this time is that they are nearly all inspired by German artists and nearly all copied from illuminated MSS." Joseph Cundall. 'A Brief History of Wood engraving.' The Hardouin's workshop dominated the market of printed books of hours, in Paris between 1510 and 1550. Gillet Hardouin worked primarily as a printer, between 1500 and 1542, and German Hardouin was registered in the Guild of Illuminators. They were the only editors capable of both printing and illumination without commissioning other professionals. They often used fine, densely ornamented metal cut borders, however they had gone out of fashion by the time this vol was produced, which gives this volume a much cleaner and clearer style. Here borders have been added but have been freely painted in the margins over gilt grounds. The quality of their work is remarkable. It seems that they produced books of hours in various formats.…

Hardcover. Dust Jacket Included. A BEAUTIFULLY BOUND 17TH CENTURY ALBUM OF A NOBLE GERMAN FAMILY Book size: 4 1/2" x 3 1/2" Painting size: 2 1/2" x 2 1/4" circa 17th century This fascinating book from 17th-century Germany depicts several generations of the Barth von und zu Eurasburg family, prominent German nobility in Bavaria. As indicated in their surname, this noble family lived in a castle in Eurasburg, a municipality in Oberbayern (Upper Bavaria) that sits about 40 kilometers south of the Bavarian state capital, Munich. On thirteen of the books pages, small paintings on vellum modeled after large-scale portraits are affixed, capturing the images of relatives. Each painting has been executed with utmost skill and detail, from the tiny hairs on a fur wrap to the meticulously applied goldleaf of a brocade jacket. All of the portraits are similarly formal in appearance. Clues to the vocation of each person are apparent, such as the priests' collar and rosary of one man, and the sumptuous garb of a wealthy burgher of another. In each painting, the family's coat of arms hovers just above the left or right shoulder of the subject, contrasting with the identical cream colored background. Around the time this family album of sorts was created in 1623, the Bavarian duke replaced his relative, the Count Palatine of the Rhine in the early days of the Thirty Years' War and acquired the powerful prince-electoral dignity in the Holy Roman Empire, determining its Emperor thence forward, as well as special legal status under the empire's laws. Also the Upper Palatinate was reunited with Bavaria. The ambitions of the Bavarian prince electors led to several wars with Austria during the early-18th century. …

Hardcover. ALBUM AMICORUM of an unidentified student at JENA. Manuscript on paper and vellum, Jena, 1751-1754, including 8 miniatures, approximately 193 leaves (including 52 blanks, oblong 8vo (111 x 180mm), early pagination, 1-285, modern pencil foliation (marked browning to left-hand upper margin, severe to last ten leaves), contemporary gilt-tooled sheep (rubbed, gilt faded). The miniatures, on vellum, depict: f.61 Two friends reclining by a river, with buildings and an extensive landscape; f.69 A naked female figure in front of a symbolic tree with two apples, two gentleman looking on; f.89 An excited crowd breaking into a group of buildings (possibly the university); f.91 Twelve scenes of student life, including billiards, smoking, duelling and hunting; f.111 A riotous scene of drinking and smoking in a town square; f.130 Diogenes with his lamp contemplating a globe. Unusually, the numerous inscriptions from fellow students, in a range of languages from German, Latin, Greek and Italian to English, appear to make a point of not addressing the album's owner by name. Provenance: armorial ex-libris and shelfmark (Ms.730) of Rudolf Ritter von Gutmann; shelfmark (Ser.nov.2971), library stamps and de-accession stamp of Osterreichische Nationalbibliothek. Catalogued by Kate Hunter. …

155 x 110 mm. (6 x 4 1/4"). Single column, 16 lines in a gothic book hand. Rubrics in dark pink, some leaves with line fillers in pink and blue with white embellishment and gilt bezants, each leaf with at least one (and some with many) one- to three-line initial, either in gilt on a pink and blue ground with white embellishment, or painted blue with white embellishment, filled with flowers or ivy, on a gilt ground, most leaves with one panel border of hairline vines, gilt ivy and bezants, and painted flowers. Occasional light soiling, wrinkling, and other very minor imperfections, but in fine, fresh condition overall, very clean and with wide margins. Undoubtedly the work of a top atelier, these lovely manuscript leaves have been written and decorated with a high degree of skill. Many of the leaves feature numerous glittering initials, and the delicate panel borders add a bit of extra sparkle to the page.…

164 x 111 mm. (6 1/2 x 4 3/8"). Single column, 17 lines in a gothic book hand. Rubrics in blue, many leaves with line fillers in pink and/or blue with gilt bezants and white tracery, each leaf with at least one (and often many) one- or two-line initials in burnished gold on blue and pink ground with white tracery, every side with a panel border consisting of colorful acanthus and different types of flowers on a ground that is either entirely painted gold, or with a pattern of painted gold and bare vellum. A few leaves with light wrinkling or a hit of soiling or foxing, a couple of leaves with inoffensive marginal repairs, but IN VERY FINE CONDITION, EXTREMELY CLEAN AND BRIGHT. Featuring both burnished and painted gold in their decoration, and offering a multitude of border patterns to choose from, these are extremely attractive leaves that are all the more appealing for their fine condition.…

159 x 108 mm. (6 1/4 x 4 1/4"). Single column, 15 lines per page in an excellent gothic book hand. Rubrics in red, each leaf with two or more two-line initials in burnished gold on red and blue ground with white tracery (some also with one-line initials and line fillers similarly decorated), one or both sides with a swirling panel border featuring flowers, leaves, strawberries, and many burnished gold ivy leaves on hairline stems. Isolated trivial stains or imperfections, but VERY BRIGHT, CLEAN, AND FRESH. In fine condition, beautifully decorated, and sparkling with gold, these leaves are marvelous examples of a high-quality Parisian Book of Hours made for a person of means. The borders here are especially pleasing, with skeins of hairline vines accented by burnished bezants and ivy, bright blue and gold acanthus, pale green leaves, and cheerful red blossoms. For leaves at other price points, please check our website.…

155 x 110 mm. (6 x 4 1/4"). Single column, 16 lines in a gothic book hand. Rubrics in red, line fillers in pink and blue with gilt bezant(s) and white embellishment, most leaves with one or more one-line initials in burnished gold on pink and blue ground with white embellishments, and some with one or more two-line initials in blue or pink with white embellishments, enclosing leaves or flowers on burnished gold ground, each side with panel border of acanthus, sprays of flowers and/or fruit, and gilt bezants, five with a well-realized bird or insect in the borders, two with small mounds of fruit or flowers emerging from a golden vase. In fine, fresh condition, very clean and with wide margins. Undoubtedly the work of a top atelier, these lovely manuscript leaves have been written and decorated with a high degree of skill. Each leaf features multiple glittering initials, and the delicate panel borders add a bit of extra sparkle to the page. The price is meant to be as attractive as the decoration.…

159 x 108 mm. (6 1/4 x 4 1/4"). Single column, 15 lines per page in an excellent gothic book hand. Rubrics in red, each leaf with line fillers and multiple one- and two-line initials in burinshed gold on red and blue ground with white tracery, one or both sides with swirling panel border featuring flowers, leaves, strawberries, and many burnished gold ivy leaves on hairline stems. Isolated trivial stains or imperfections, but VERY BRIGHT, CLEAN, AND FRESH. In fine condition, beautifully decorated, and sparkling with gold, these leaves are marvelous examples of a high-quality Parisian Book of Hours made for a person of means. The borders here are especially pleasing, with skeins of hairline vines accented by burnished bezants and ivy, bright blue and gold acanthus, pale green leaves, and cheerful red blossoms. For leaves at other price points, please check our website.…

239 x 165 mm. (9 3/8 x 6 1/2"). Single column, 15 lines in an elegant gothic book hand. Rubrics in dark pink, line enders in pink and blue with white tracery and gold bezant, each with multiple one- and/or two-line initials in burnished gold on dark pink and blue ground with white tracery, each side of each leaf with a lovely panel border composed of hairline vines with gold ivy and bezants, and colorful flowers and acanthus, some with floral arrangements in vases, and/or especially leafy vegetation. A couple leaves with a little yellowing or light soiling to vellum, occasional small stains or smudges, other negligible imperfections, but on the whole VERY CLEAN, BRIGHT, AND WELL PRESERVED. From a large Book of Hours probably produced in Besançon, these leaves feature very pretty panel borders on every page, each with unique flourishes that include colorful acanthus, flowers, and/or fruits, as well as a couple special examples with particularly large, fleshy vegetation and vases of floral arrangements. Luxurious touches such as the numerous gilt initials, several dozen gilt bezants and ivy leaves in each panel border, and the unusually wide margins point to this manuscript having been a costly production. For additional leaves from this same manuscript at different price points, please check our website.…

110 x 83 mm. (4 3/8 x 3 1/4"). Single column, 19 lines, in a gothic hand. Rubrics in red, simple line fillers in red or blue, each leaf with multiple one-line initials in red or blue, and one two-line gilt initial on blue and pink ground, with bar border extensions in gold, blue, and pink. Occasional contemporary or later marginal notations; upper corners with modern foliation in pencil. Gold occasionally just a little dulled, some leaves with small smudges, light soiling, or other minor issues, but generally in extremely pleasing condition. Featuring restrained but elegant decoration, these leaves come from a charming little Psalter-Hours attributed to the Morgan 183 Group. Active in the late 13th and early 14th centuries, and so-named for a highly decorative manuscript once owned by J. Pierpont Morgan, the artists of this group are considered important purveyors of the gothic style from Paris into Liege and the Southern Netherlands. Our parent manuscript was probably executed in Brabant or Hainault, based on the presence of certain saints associated with these cities that appear in the Litany (for example, Sts. Waldetrudis of Mons and Amalberga of Maubeuge). Psalter-Hours are not nearly as common on the market as their later descendants, Books of Hours; and the present leaves are quite lovely examples, being neatly executed and in very nice condition. …

222 x 162 mm. (8 3/4 x 6 3/8"). Single column, 16 lines of text, in a beautiful gothic book hand. Rubrics in red, leaves with varying numbers of line fillers and one- and two-line initials in burnished gold, blue, and magenta highlighted with white tracery, and WITH LOVELY RINCEAU BORDERS on one or both sides, these composed of delicately twining hairline stems bearing red and blue blossoms and FEATURING A PROFUSION OF BURNISHED GOLD IVY LEAVES. IN OUTSTANDING CONDITION, the vellum extraordinarily bright, fresh, and clean, and WITH MARGINS AS VAST AS ONE COULD EVER HOPE FOR. Commissioned for use by a woman (as indicated by the feminine form in the "Obsecro te"), the Book of Hours from which these leaves come could only have been a manuscript of great beauty prepared for a household of very substantial wealth and importance. The level of achievement manifested here in both the scribal hand and the execution of the illuminated decoration clearly indicates that some of the best artisans money could buy were at work on this book, and only a powerful family could afford to pay their price. Further corroboration of this fact is seen in the leaves' noticeable size and immense margins, which are at least as wide as on any Book of Hours leaves we have ever owned. Such a conspicuous display of purchasing power (those extra millimeters meant the slaughtering of extra animals, and that meant greater cost) announces an owner's self-congratulatory consequence that is uncommon except in the grandest of prayer books of the period. Happily, the condition here matches the importance of the manuscript, which was obviously considered from the beginning--and ever after--an object to be carefully preserved. For additional leaves from this Book of Hours at different price points, please check our website.…

Eight leaves: 2 blank preliminaries, title page with gilt-illuminated vignette of pine tree, birds & other animals & flowerswith initials M, N & B incorporated ; 2 gilt-illuminated & floral decorated text leaves; color vignette leaf; 2 blank terminal leaves. Minor spotting. 1 vols. Tall 8vo. Original gray wrappers, silk ties. Fine Eight leaves: 2 blank preliminaries, title page with gilt-illuminated vignette of pine tree, birds & other animals & flowerswith initials M, N & B incorporated ; 2 gilt-illuminated & floral decorated text leaves; color vignette leaf; 2 blank terminal leaves. Minor spotting. 1 vols. Tall 8vo. …

110 x 83 mm. (4 3/8 x 3 1/4"). Single column, 19 lines, in a gothic hand. Rubrics in red, simple line fillers in red or blue, each leaf with multiple one-line initials in red or blue, one leaf also with a two-line gilt initial on blue and pink ground, and with bar border extensions in gold, blue, and pink, EACH LEAF WITH A LARGE HISTORIATED INITIAL measuring seven to nine lines long (28-34 mm.), the initial in pink or blue, inhabited by figures painted on a gilt ground, all this on a blue or pink ground framed in gilt, with spiky pink and blue marginal extensions studded with gilt bezants and painted leaves. Small corrections to text, one leaf with marginal notation in a later hand; each leaf with a small stub mounted on fore edge. One leaf with marginal embellishment slightly trimmed away, just a hint of use, but in very fine condition, with the initials beautifully preserved, right down to their hair-line detail. Featuring large historiated initials with some unusual iconography, these leaves come from a charming Psalter-Hours attributed to the Morgan 183 Group. Active in the late 13th and early 14th centuries, and so-named for a highly decorative manuscript once owned by J. Pierpont Morgan, the artists of this group are considered important purveyors of the gothic style from Paris into Liege and the Southern Netherlands. Our parent manuscript was probably executed in Brabant or Hainault, based on the presence of certain saints associated with these cities that appear in the Litany (for example, Sts. Waldetrudis of Mons and Amalberga of Maubeuge). Clues from other extant leaves containing additions and alterations to the text suggest that it was initially made for non-monastic use, but later may have been adapted for a Benedictine community. The present leaves each contain a large historiated initial to punctuate the beginning of a Psalm or major section, and each provides a narrative for contemplation. The subjects include: (a) Crucifixion, opening the Hours of the Passion, with the Virgin Mary and John the Evangelist on either side of the Crucified Christ. Above them, on either side of the Cross, is the sun and moon--an allusion to the three hours of darkness enveloping the land during the Crucifixion. (b) The fool riding a goat, opening Psalm 52 ("Dixit insipiens"). This is a particularly unusual (though very apt) piece of iconography for the Psalm that famously begins, "The fool has said in his heart: 'There is no God.'" Pictured astride a goat, the fool holds onto a horn with one hand and brandishes a club with the other, as his steed charges ahead. Although historiated initials with fools can occasionally be found in Psalters and Bibles of this same period, they are usually shown only with a club and, often, a piece of bread; the addition of the goat is quite extraordinary. (c) David in the water praying to God, opening Psalm 68 ("Salvum me fac Deus"). This initial makes excellent use of the compositional space provided by the curving "S" shape, placing God the father in the compartment above, and King David, up to his belly in flowing water, in the compartment below. Both figures raise their arms upward, with the Lord holding a globus cruciger and making the sign of benediction, while David, naked except for his crown, extends his prayerful arms so wide they nearly reach from one side of the initial to the other. The latter is clearly referencing Christ's eventual sacrifice on the Cross, as well as highlighting the familial connection between the two. These leaves are exceptional examples of the French high gothic style outside of Paris, and offer multiple avenues for further research and comparison. …

300 x 243 mm. (11 5/8 x 9 1/2"). Single column, 27 lines, in a lovely proto-gothic hand, including lines in red and black uncials. Rubrics in red, two one-line initials in red, AN EIGHT-LINE (83 mm. tall) WHITE-VINE INITIAL outlined in red and filled in with blue and green. Lower margin of recto with a 20th century note in red ink (see below). Recovered from a binding and thus the vellum on one side noticeably darkened (with a large lighter patch where a label may have been removed), the other side faded, with half the text illegible, top edge trimmed close, vertical crease going through initial, much of the white in the capital now a light gray, other minor issues, but still an impressive leaf, the once beautiful initial largely well preserved, with its blue paint still rich. Containing an elegant proto-gothic script and a striking white-vine initial, this leaf is an excellent example of early Austrian manuscript production. The large initial "A" is formed with foliate designs outlined in red, given shape by coloring in the negative space with an intense azure blue and moss green. This style would later become a model for the Italian Humanist scribes and illuminators of 15th and 16th centuries, who substituted glistening gold leaf for the vibrant yellow paint favored by some artists of the Romanesque period. The text of this leaf mainly includes readings for the seventh Sunday after Pentecost, consisting of III Kings 2:1-17 (beginning "Adpropinquauerunt dies David"), according to the Vulgate numbering. It describes the Death of King David, who instructs his son Solomon to keep the ways of God. With large and elegant letterforms executed by a steady hand, this leaf almost certainly belonged to a Lectionary owned by a Romanesque church in Salzburg. According to the source from which we purchased this leaf, it was shown in 1893 to the Medieval historian (and later the Abbot of St. Peter's, Salzburg) Willibald Hauthaler (1843-1922), who wrote in very small letters the identification in red ink along the lower edge. It was later owned by the Salzburg-based merchant, artist, and collector Carl von Frey (1826-96). It appeared at Christie's in 2010 where (along with five sister leaves) it sold for £13,970. Despite some condition issues related to its reuse in a later binding, this leaf is still very impressive because of its beautiful calligraphy and decoration.…

321 x 230 mm. (12 5/8 x 9"). Double column, 39 lines, in a dense gothic hand. Rubric in red. Recovered from a binding, and so the vellum a bit creased and soiled (though less soiled than is often seen), some tiny remnants of later printed text from reuse, but the text almost entirely legible, and the leaf surprisingly well preserved overall, with its very substantial margins fully intact. Once serving as a cover for a later book, this leaf seems to come from an unpublished collection of sermons incorporating biblical excerpts such as Revelation 12:1 ("A great sign appeared in heaven: A woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars"). The lack of decoration and simple rubrication suggest that the parent manuscript was made for utilitarian purposes at a time when a need for such books increased, due in part to the rise of mendicant orders like the Franciscans and Dominicans. Members of these orders rejected traditional monastic isolation and instead settled in urban centers to preach and minister to the people. It is unusual (and very lucky) that this leaf survives completely intact, as Medieval manuscripts used in later bindings were often cut down in size to make smaller covers or used as waste paper for pastedowns or other binding elements. Considerable rewarding research remains to be done to identify the content here, along with its various religious and social contexts.…