Manuscript Leaf (93 results)

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. No Jacket. 1st. First Edition, First Englisg Printing; blue c w/gilt titles; , sunned psine; 149 clean, unmarked pages. foldout facsimilie of a manuscript leaf with drawing in color. (illustrator).

No Binding. Condition: 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. Condition: 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. Condition: 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. Condition: 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. Condition: 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. Condition: 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. Condition: 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.

Leather bound. Condition: Near fine. Daniel Boone Edition. Octavo, [four volumes], [xxvii], [1], 352pp, [map]; [vii], [3], 427pp, [2pp maps]; [ix], [3], 339pp, [map]; [xi], 363pp, [2pp ads]. Publisher's full brown levant morocco, raised bands, title stamped in gilt, "Daniel Boone Edition" in gilt on each spine. Red suede doublures, suede endpapers, top edge gilt, silk bookmark in each volume. Uncut. Solid text blocks, all appear unread. Free of restoration or archival repairs. A few blemishes along rear board of Volume I. Touch of rubbing along margins of boards. Small bookseller's label on second free endpaper of each volume, from Dennen's Bookshop of Detroit, Mi. Frontispiece portrait with tissue cover in each volume, complete, with captioned tissue guards. Includes five fold-out maps, affixed to rear endpapers of each volume, printed on Japanese vellum. (Wheelock, 13) (Cole & Vail, A11.1) (Howes R433) From a limited edition of 200 sets, this being number 74, matching limitation in each volume. Includes a manuscript leaf in Roosevelt's hand from Volume IV, page 13, regarding the Secretary of War Henry Knox's failure to understand the Indian situation in the Western United States. The original manuscript leaf about the beliefs of Secretary of War Henry Know reads as follows: [He probably represented, not unfairly, the ordinary Eastern view of the matter. He had not the slightest idea of the rate at which the settlements were increasing, though he expected that tracts of Indian] "territory would from time to time be acquired. He made no allowance for a growth so rapid that within the half-century six or eight populous States were to stand within the Indian-owned wilderness of his day. He utterly failed to grasp the central features of the situation, which were that the settlers needed the land, and were bound to have it, within a few years; and that the Indians would not give it up, under no matter what treaty, without an appeal to arms. / In the South the United States Commissioners, in endeavoring to conclude treaties with the Creeks and Cherokees, had been continually hampered by the attitude of [Georgia and the Franklin frontiersmen.] This work was issued in full levant for $100 and half levant for $60. The full levant sold quickly, and the price was raised to $200 per set. The handwritten manuscript leaves all came from Volume III and IV, with the manuscript for Volume I now held at the New York Public Library. The Daniel Boone Edition of The Winning of the West by Theodore Roosevelt, with a manuscript leaf in Roosevelt's hand. (illustrator). Signed.…

Oblong, 220 x 35 mm. 5 ff. Balinese on palm leaf. Balinese script in inscriped black ink. Illustrated with five hand-inscribed scenes. Wooden boards with delicately carved designs. Five mythological scenes hand-inscribed on the dried leaves of the lontar palm, each with a line on the reverse in Balinese script. Similar palm-leaf manuscripts from Lombok, today part of Indonesia, show scenes from Hindu or Muslim mythologies. These include the Ramayana, Adi Parva from the Mahabharata, the story of the Prophet Yusuf (Joseph), and Bharatayuddha. An illustrated copy of the latter, similar to the present manuscript, is held at the British Library (Or 13379, f. 6r). - The illustrations of this manuscript are clearly meant to be read together, similar to comic strips, with one scene following another to tell a short section of a story. To create this manuscript, a scene was first painstakingly inscribed by hand into the delicate palm leaf, and then ink was rubbed into the scored lines to finish the drawing. Unlike paper, palm leaves are ideal for hot, humid climates like that of Lombok, and have been used in Southeast Asia for thousands of years. - Faintly toned. In very good condition. - Cf. London, British Library, Or 13379, f. 6r.…

Manuscript book. Calligraphed manuscript in ink, by H. C. Kendall (signed on the verso of the first leaf). Each page written in different calligraphy style. Text in English. With a mounted portrait, transferred on porcelain, of Baron Hirsch on the second leaf. Manuscript book. In original black leather by Frank J. Barnard (signed on the recto of the last leaf), with clasp, gilt title on front panel, gilt edges, gilt turn-ins. Pastedowns and flyleaves are covered with white moiré. A memorial album commemorating the death of the greatest Jewish philanthropist of the nineteenth century, Baron Maurice de Hirsch, offered by the Jews of Boston to his widow and family. This delicate memorial album, signed by twenty-two representatives of Jewish associations of Boston, was prepared by the commission of the Boston Jews under the auspices of the American Committee (here Society) for Ameliorating the Condition of Russian Refugees, an umbrella organization of various groups concerned with the welfare of the immigrants (co-founded by the Hirsch Fund), and was offered to the widow and the family of Baron de Hirsch. The album is a piece of very fine craftsmanship, calligraphed by H. C. Kendall an "artist penman" and Principal of the Normal Writing Institute in Boston, and bound by Frank J. Barnard, the industry leader bookbinder in Massachusetts. The text consists of profound quotes about human greatness from William Dean Howells and Julia C. R. Dorr, and the eulogy delivered at Temple Ohabei Shalom. Baron Maurice de Hirsch (1831-1896) was a German Jewish financier and philanthropist, born into a wealthy landowner and banker family in Bavaria. In 1855, Hirsch married Clara Bischoffsheim, daughter of a Belgian banker, and became associated with his father-in-law's banking house. He amassed a large fortune and became one of the top five richest individuals in Europe at the time. Baron de Hirsch set up charitable foundations promoting Jewish education especially in Russia, and after an unsuccessful offer of 50,000,000 francs to the Russian government to be used for purposes of Jewish education, in 1891 he founded the Jewish Colonization Association, the greatest charitable trust in the world, to provide the funds for extensive Jewish immigration to Argentina. In the same year, he established the Hirsch Fund to help the Russian Jewish immigrants in the States and provided the finances for agricultural colonies and trades schools in the US. Through his Galician Foundation, he realized the establishment of primary and technical schools for Jewish pupils in Galicia and the Bukowina. "It is impossible to form an accurate estimate of the amount of money Baron de Hirsch devoted to benevolent purposes. That, including the large legacy (amounting to $45,000,000) left to the Jewish Colonization Association, it exceeded $100,000,000 is an estimate justified by the amounts given by him from time to time to the foundations already referred to. There were, besides, many gifts to individuals of which there is no record." (Jewish Encyclopedia) Baron Maurice de Hirsch died suddenly, presumably of a heart attack at the age of 64, on 21 April 1896, at the country house of a friend near his own recently purchased estate of Ógyalla in Hungary (now part of Slovakia). His widow continued the Baron's charitable work. Clara died in Paris in 1899 and left the remaining family assets to her adopted son, Maurice Arnold de Forest. . Moiré detached from the flyleaves, discolored at the rear. Some of the tracing paper leaves are creased, few with closed tears. Stains to the gutter at the rear, no effect on text. Binding slightly rubbed, with three small, barely visible holes. Overall in very good condition. In original black leather by Frank J. Barnard (signed on the recto of the last leaf), with clasp, gilt title on front panel, gilt edges, gilt turn-ins. Pastedowns and flyleaves are covered with white moiré. Calligraphed manuscript in ink, by H. C. Kendall (signed on the verso of the first leaf). Each page written in different calligraphy style. Text in English. With a mounted portrait, transferred on porcelain, of Baron Hirsch on the second leaf (illustrator).…

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. . .".…

from a treatise on the Old Testament High Priest and Priesthood ('De Pontifice & Sacerdotibus'), here discussing the meaning of the Hebrew 'segen' which the writer takes to be a general word for 'deputy', quoting from the O.T. and from Lardner's 'Credibility of the Gospel History', Selden, Preland, and Maimonides, sides numbered 35 & 36, sections 104-112, English, no place, no date, circa. …

44 : 29 cm. One leaf with 11 lines handwritten. um 304 (?) 1 in Köln in Nordrhein-Westfalen. Altar mit vielen Reliquien in der "Goldenen Kammer" in der Ursula-Kirche in Köln. Clementine befand sich unter den Gefährtinnen der Ursula. Die Reliquien von Clementine und die von Gefährtinnen werden in Modena.…

No Binding. Condition: Good. 1st Edition. This is what I believe to be a Buddhist or just ancient Palm leaf manuscript/bound; 2 leaves with the library or museum catalog number 41-1754 written in red ink; size: 19-3/8 x 2-1/2 in; the string is missing and I don't know the order of the leaves; It has in red written on it 41.1754; I don't know what the date is but on 2 leaves it says 1754 (but I don't if this is the actual date); chips to the edges, for the age I assume the leaves are in good condition. Please look at pixs carefully before purchasing it. Please remember I don't know anything about the item but of course ask questions if necessary.…

224 x 168 mm. (8 3/4 x 6 1/2"). Double column, 30 lines in a gothic script, text in two sizes. Rubrics in red, capitals touched in red, one-line initials in red or blue. Vellum a bit soiled, faint crease in lower margin, but a very good specimen with no major issues. This modestly decorated leaf comes from a monastic Breviary intended for practical, everyday use. The text here comes from the Feast of Epiphany and its Octave, which includes a lengthy sermon by St. Maximus of Turin, beginning "Exultandum nobis est fratres karissimi quod votis nostris vota succedunt." The script includes several interesting letterforms, including tall ascenders (including an "s" that grazes the line above it), long strokes at the tops of letters such as "l" and "h," and a relatively tall "u.".…

Ink, watercolor, and gold, on paper. The image measures about 5 x 8 inches, in a frame with glass measuring 10.5 x 13.5 inches. Calligraphic writing at top and bottom, and on the reverse in 9 rectangular panels. This is a leaf from a manuscript. Finely executed, in very nice condition. (Not examined out of the frame). [This is an oversize item, and normal postage rates do not apply. Large framed artworks are sometimes available for pickup only.].…

A single leaf from a French Book of Hours, produced ca.1480-1500. Executed on paper (we believe). Some wrinkling at the edges, fine condition . Leaf size is about 9 x 12 cm., in a frame measuring 22 x 26 cm. Attractively matted and framed in a reversible frame, so that both sides of the leaf are visible. Eighteen lines of Latin text in black & red, with seven illuminated capitals; the verso bears seven lines of text, one initial and a small illuminated panel. This leaf was the end of a section, the verso being only partly lettered. The text is from the Hours of the Cross at Vespers, including the hymn "De cruce deponitur". The Latin text of the hymn begins with the blue initial 'D': "De cruce deponitur hora vespertina. fortitudo latuit in mente divina. Talem mortem subiit vitæ medicina. heu corona gloriæ iacuit supina." An English translation is approximately: "At the hour of eventide Christ from his cross was taken. In whose soul his fortitude did covertly remain. Such a death vouchsafed to take of life the medicine sound. Glory's crown alas the while lay grovelling on the ground.".…

A single leaf from a French Book of Hours, produced ca.1480-1500. Executed on paper (we believe). Some wrinkling at the edges, fine condition . Leaf size is about 9 x 12 cm., in a frame measuring 22 x 26 cm. Attractively matted and framed in a reversible frame, so that both sides of the leaf are visible. Seventeen lines of Latin text in black & red, with eight illuminated capitals on the recto; seven illuminated capitals on the verso. The text on this leaf includes "Quia fecit in magna qui potens est" from the canticle Magnificat, or The Song of Mary, and was set to music by Bach in 1723, his "Magnificat". The Magnificat is usually sung or recited during the main evening prayer service, at Vespers in the Catholic and Lutheran churches, and Evening Prayer (Evensong) in the Anglican Church. In Eastern Christianity, the Magnificat is sung at Matins.…

First Edition. LEAFS FROM A 15TH-CENTURY FRENCH BOOK OF HOURS, BEAUTIFUL FLORAL DESIGNS. Illuminated manuscript leaf on vellum from a Latin Book of Hours. Beautiful gilded design with diversely colored extensions, including dark pink, light red, and subtle shades of blue, gold, black, and green. Floral-patterned designs outside the text feature flowers and fruits. Seventeen lines of text per page.2 2-line initals and 13 1-line initials in burnished gold on pink and blue backgrounds. Red rubrics. Text includes psalms 110, 113, and 122. Text in Latin reads: Implebit ruinas: conquassabit capita in terra multorum. De torrente in via bibet: propterea exaltabit caput Gloria patri. Psalmus. Laudate pueri dominum: laudate nomen dñi. Sit nomen dñi benedictum ex hoc nunc usque in saeculum. A solis ortu usque ad occasum sum laudabile nomen dñi. Excelsus super omnes gentes Dominus super caelos gloria eius. Quis sicut Dominus Deus noster qui in altis habitat et humilia respiciat in caelo et in terra. Suscitans a terra inopem Et desolatos cogens pauperem Ut collocet eum cum principibus cum principibus p? sui Qui habitare facit i? sterilem i? domo matrem filioru? laetante? Gloria patri. Psalmus Laetatus sum in his quae dicta sunt mihi in domum domini ibimus. Stantes erant pedes n[ost]ri in atriis tuis Ierusalem. Ierusalem que edificat[ur] ut civitas cuius participatio eius in idipsum. Illuc enim ascenderunt tribus tribus d[omi]ni: testimonium israhel ad confiten[du]m no?i English Translation: He will fill [the places] with ruins; he will crush heads in the land of many. He will drink from the brook by the way; therefore shall he lift up his head. Glory be to the Father. Praise the Lord, you children; praise the name of the Lord. Blessed be the name of the Lord, from this time forth and forevermore. From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the Lord is to be praised. The Lord is high above all nations; his glory is above the heavens. Who is like the Lord our God, who dwells on high, and looks down upon the lowly in heaven and on earth? He raises the poor from the earth and lifts the needy out of the dungheap, that he may seat him with princes, with the princes of his people. He makes the barren woman dwell in a house as a joyful mother of children. Glory be to the Father. I rejoiced at the things that were said to me: We will go into the house of the Lord. Our feet were standing in your courts, O Jerusalem. Jerusalem, which is built as a city that is compact together. For there the tribes have gone up, the tribes of the Lord, a testimony to Israel, to praise the name of the Lord. This passage includes recitations of Psalms 110, 113, and 122 in fine Gothic Quadrata Script. This manuscript is especially notable for its intricate border drawings containing floral designs and fine detailing. These sheets are also unique for their diverse hues. As ink was often difficult to acquire, different shades of green, pink, and red might be indicative of a wealthier client able to afford more color Size of leaf: 161 x 119 mm Likely Paris: c. 1450. Slight staining to outer margins that does not impact text or border. …

Condition: Very Good. First Edition. BEAUTIFUL LEAF FROM AN EARLY 15TH CENTURY BOOK OF HOURS; PRAYERS AND DEVOTIONS. Illuminated manuscript leaf on vellum from a Book of Hours in Latin. Utrecht, Netherlands, early 15th century (c. 1425). Single column, 18 lines of text on each side in ink, additional two lines written outside of the rubrication. Two 3-line initials on verso in gold on blue and pink backgrounds. 6 additional gold 1-line initials on recto with blue and red penwork. Line extensions in blue and red with gold. Text from Isaiah 12:2-6, followed by Gloria Patri. Size: 122 x 97 mm Netherlands, Use of Utrecht: c. 1425. Some discoloration to margins. Stain on text recto. …

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 218 mm. (12 5/8 x 8 5/8"). Single column, 27 lines, in a lovely proto-gothic hand, top two lines in red or black uncials. Rubrics and numbers in red, two one-line initials in red, with A LARGE (115 mm.) IMAGE OF JOSEPH WEARING HIS COAT OF MANY COLORS, the body outlined in brown ink, and the coat outlined in red. Lower margin of recto with a 20th century note in red ink (see below). Recovered from a binding and thus with overall darkening on the recto and with nothing readable on the verso, bottom line of text a bit damaged because of crease through it, a few small holes, two corners trimmed (one or two letters of final line of text lost), but more than half of the Joseph figure (including the face) still visible, and the text on the recto entirely legible. Containing a beautiful proto-gothic script and a rare figurative Romanesque initial, this leaf is a particularly desirable example of early Austrian manuscript production. The text here is (as neatly noted in German at the tail edge of the recto) Genesis 37:2-10, the beginning of the story of Joseph, the 17-year-old son of Jacob (here called Israel) and his second wife, Rachel. In the well-known biblical account, Joseph is his father's favorite of 12 sons, and the patriarch gives him a beautiful coat of many colors, making his brothers jealous. Joseph here intensifies their dislike of him by recounting to his brothers two of his dreams, in which sheaves of grain and then various celestial bodies bowed down to him. Dream or reality, the images did not sit well with the brothers, who sold Joseph into slavery. Although once the leaf was reused as binding material, we can nevertheless make out an historiated "I" in the form of Joseph as a young man, including an outline of his multi-colored coat. It is difficult to say with certainty whether the initial would originally have been washed with color, or composed solely as a line drawing, but whatever the case, we are lucky to have so much of it intact. With his long, flowing hair, semi-nude body, and hand placed delicately on his hip, Joseph is depicted in quite a seductive manner, and the simple line-drawing further emphasizes the body's curves and lithe appearance. Romanesque initials with historiation are not nearly as common as decorative ones, and the present depiction is especially unusual. While illustrations of Joseph do appear in other manuscripts of this period, they tend to focus on specific events from the biblical narrative--particularly those that lend themselves to the tradition of Joseph as a prefiguration of Christ, such as Joseph being thrown into the pit, or revealing his identity to his brothers. The present example, by contrast, is all about the presentation of the figure. This leaf almost certainly belonged to a Lectionary owned by a Romanesque church in Salzburg, a manuscript that was later dismembered for use in bookbinding. 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 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.…

Unevenly trimmed, but approximately 362 x 234 mm. (14 1/4 x 9 1/8"). Double column, 31 extant lines, in a lovely proto-gothic hand. Rubrics in red, remains of two large multi-line initials in red. Lower margin of recto with modern note in red ink in very small letters identifying the text. Recovered from a binding and thus unevenly trimmed (top margin and a small part of text trimmed away at the top), a handful of tiny cuts and holes of no significance, vellum a little brownish, but the leaf rather smooth, and the majestic text entirely legible. This lectionary fragment, which contains two important patristic sermons for the season of Advent, demonstrates a highly regular, graceful, and majestic proto-gothic book hand. The oval-shaped elongation of Caroline letter forms characteristic of 12th century book hands and the mixture of rustic and uncial capitals our scribe has used for section titles appear particularly pleasing in the lovely, uncramped hand at work here. The text on the recto is from St. Augustine's second Advent sermon, one of a series of homilies written for the liturgical seasons. The verso contains St. Gregory's homily for the first Sunday of Advent, preceded by Luke 21:25-33, a rehearsal of the signs of the end of days. The homily draws on this gospel passage to exhort the faithful to prepare themselves for the second coming. The present leaf almost certainly belonged to a Lectionary owned by a Romanesque church in Salzburg, a manuscript that was later dismembered for use in bookbinding. According to the source from which we purchased this leaf, it was shown in 1893 to Willibald Hauthaler (1843-1922), the Medieval historian (and later the Abbot of St. Peter's, Salzburg), who wrote the identification 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. Unevenly trimmed, but approximately 362 x 234 mm. (14 1/4 x 9 1/8").…

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.…

335 x 224 mm. (13 1/4 x 8 7/8"). Double column, 29 lines, in an elegant proto-gothic book hand. Rubrics in red, 11 two- to three-line initials in red. Recovered from a binding and so the vellum creased and soiled (the verso more soiled than the recto), but everything entirely legible, and a substantial leaf from a once handsome manuscript that remains in pleasing condition. Later serving as a cover for a book, this leaf comes from a nearly contemporaneous copy of Peter Lombard's "Sentences," considered the most important theological book of the 12th century. Written between 1155 and 1158 and arranged topically, Lombard's "Sententiae" summarize past learning about Christian doctrine by quoting authorities in an attempt to resolve textual disagreement by dialectical analysis. As a source collection that continued to spark discussion, Lombard's great work enjoyed sustained success as a theological textbook until the 17th century and inspired numerous commentaries, including those of Aquinas and Luther. This leaf comes from Book IV, "On the Doctrine of Signs," which is primarily concerned with the seven sacraments: Baptism, Confirmation, the Eucharist, Penance, Extreme Unction, Holy Orders, and Matrimony. The script is an upright and very legible proto-gothic book hand with a few distinctive letter forms and abbreviations that may help determine a more definitive point of origin (these include a "g" with a downward cross on its tail, and a conjoined "qe" for "que"). 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.…

270 x 461 mm. (10 5/8 x 18 1/8"). Double columns, 32 lines, in a gothic book hand. Rubrics and staves in red, three two-line initials in red or blue with contrasting penwork (now quite faded). Unevenly trimmed (missing at most a line of text at the bottom of each column, and several words or part-words at corners of outer columns), vellum with soiling, browning, small holes and paper residue consistent with having been used in a binding, but the text entirely legible on one side and legible with effort on the other (rather darkened) side. From a noted Missal with large penwork initials, this leaf was once used as the cover for a binding, yet remains substantially complete. The text here comes from the Temporale (containing the cycle of moveable feasts in the Christian year) and includes Wednesday (Feria IV) after the fourth Sunday of Lent (with a long passage from John 9). The musical notation on this leaf is highly developed, consisting of a four-line staff, clef marker, and square neumes.…

159 x 104 mm. (6 1/4 x 4 1/8"). Double column, 25 lines, two sizes of text in a gothic book hand. Rubrics in red, several calligraphic initials touched in red, two five- to six-line "I" initials in pink with white embellishment on painted pink ground with long extenders and gilt bezants, one four-line initial in pink and blue with white embellishments enclosing a charming big-eared drollery with a dragon-like body and the head of a beast, the whole on a gilt ground, with long painted extenders. Upper corners with modern pencil pagination. A hint of rumpling, but in very fine condition, the letters especially well preserved. From a Breviary made for Cistercian use, this attractive leaf displays all the hallmarks of an expensive production, including beautifully rendered initials (including a particularly nice inhabited capital), skillful use of gold, and a lovely book hand. A substantial fragment of the original manuscript (consisting of 128 leaves) sold for £36,000 all in as lot 90 on 5 July 2005 at Sotheby's, where it was attributed to the Amiens area based on the presence of 12 lessons for the city's first bishop, St. Firminus. Sotheby's description notes that "It could be from the Cistercian nunnery of the Paraclete near Amiens, founded in 1219. It is remarkable to find polychrome illumination of such high quality in a book for use by a monastic order famous for its austerity and plainly decorated books." Individual leaves from this manuscript have appeared in other sales at Sotheby's (most recently 23 May 2017, lot 4), at Christie's (14 December 2022, lot 7), and in Maggs' Bulletin 10 (nos. 42-43) and Catalogue 1262 (no. 13).…

319 x 244 mm. (12 1/2 x 9 1/2"). Single column, 27 lines, in a lovely proto-gothic hand. Rubrics in red, two one-line initials and one two-line initial in red, WITH A LARGE (140 mm.) WHITE-VINE INITIAL INHABITED BY A BIRD, outlined in red and filled in with blue and green. Lower margin of recto with a 20th century note in red ink identifying the text. Recovered from a binding and thus with overall darkening, top half of verso somewhat soiled, with top line obscured (though with all other letters on both sides very distinct), cut a little close to the thin red extension of the initial, a few minor holes (inlcuding one elongated one through the top part of the initial, with minimal loss). Even with these defects, a powerfully attractive leaf with memorable decoration and script. Containing a beautiful proto-gothic script and an exceptional Romanesque initial, this leaf is a particularly desirable example of early Austrian manuscript production. The opening initial "F" is formed with foliate designs outlined in red, given shape by coloring in the negative space with an intense azure blue and moss green. Adding to the initial's charm is a large bird perched on one of the curving branches, turning its head to the right as if to read the text (like the initial, it is also outlined in red). The white-vine style seen here 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 here is from St. John Chrysostom's homily on St. Matthew 22:34-40, an account of the Pharisees questioning Jesus on God's law, asking "which commandment in the law is the greatest?" Jesus famously replies with the key tenets of the Christian faith: "You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second resembles it: You must love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang the whole Law, and the Prophets." This text was the Gospel reading for the 19th Sunday after Pentecost, preceded by the incipit "Frequenter iudei diversis interrogationibus" ("The Jews repeatedly tested him with various questions"). The present leaf almost certainly belonged to a Lectionary owned by a Romanesque church in Salzburg, a manuscript that was later dismembered for use in bookbinding. 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 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.…