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Celebrating the Past Sixty Medieval Manuscripts 2018
Celebrating the Past Sixty Medieval Manuscripts
cat. 13
Catalogue 14
Celebrating the Past Sixty Medieval Manuscripts
Wilhelmina C.M. Wüstefeld and Ina Nettekoven
2018
Dr. Jörn Günther Rare Books AG Mosboden 1 • 6063 Stalden / Switzerland Dr. Jörn Günther Antiquariat Spalenberg 55 • 4051 Basel / Switzerland
[email protected] www.guenther-rarebooks.com Phone: +41 61 275 75 75 Fax: +41 61 275 75 76
By appointment only
Editing: Erin K. Donovan, Marion Hanke, Ina Nettekoven, Wilhelmina C.M. Wüstefeld Texts: Ina Nettekoven and Wilhelmina C.M. Wüstefeld Layout and design: Heikedine Günther and Oliver Abächerli Photography: Moritz Herzog Postproduction for print: Lithography and print by: Abächerli Media AG, Sarnen © 2018 Dr. Jörn Günther Rare Books AG, Stalden. All rights reserved. Front cover: 41* Printed in Switzerland 2018 ISBN 978-3-033-06906-0
Table of Contents
Introduction7 Notes to the Reader
1. Isidore of Seville, Etymologiae. Northern France, Saint-Amand (?), 10th century. With 12th-century additions of Tournai, St. Martin 2. Rituale – Pontificale – Sacramentarium – and other texts. France, Le Puy-en-Velay, c. 1050
11
12 24
3. Dyson Perrins Psalter-Hours, illuminated in the Bible Moralisée workshop. France, Paris, c. 1230-1260
28
4. Pocket Bible: Biblia Latina, illuminated in the Mathurin workshop. France, Paris, c. 1250
36
5. Donaueschingen Psalter-Hours. Brabant, Brussels (?), c. 1265-1275
40
16. Lucius Annaeus Seneca, Epistolae, illuminated by the Master of the Vitae Imperatorum and another artist. Italy, Milan, ca. 1440
102
17. McKell Medical Almanac, illuminated in the workshop of Diebold Lauber. Alsace, Hagenau, c. 1445
106
18. Lo Cavall: Tractat de manescalia – Libre dels cavayls que compòs Ypocras – additional recipes and drawings. Catalonia, Barcelona (?), c. 1450
110
19. De Nully de Grosserve Book of Hours, illuminated in the circle of the Jouvenel Master and the Master of Boethius Fr. 809. France, Angers or Tours (?), c. 1450-1460
114
20. Book of Hours. Austria, Salzburg, c. 1450-1460
118
122
6. Gregory IX, Decretum – Gregory X, Constitutiones novissimae – and other texts, illuminated by Maître Honoré. France, Paris, not before 1281
46
7. Antiphonal, illuminated in the circle of Thebald of Parma. Italy, Bologna (?), c. 1290-1300
52
21. Duyst van Voorhout Hours, illuminated by the Masters of the Delft Half-Length Figures. Holland, Delft, c. 1450-1460
56
22. Hieronymus, Epistolae, and Adversus Jovinianum, written by Niccolo di Berto de' Gentilucci. Italy, Florence, c. 1450-1468
128
23. Julius Caesar, Commentarii de bello Gallico et al., illuminated by the Master of Ippolita Sforza. Italy, Milan, c. 1460-1475
130
66
24. Decimus Junius Juvenalis, Satirae. Italy, Ferrara, dated 1453
134
72
25. Ulrich von Pottenstein, Das Buch der natürlichen Weisheit, written by Johannes Mör of Constance. Bavaria, dated 1453
138
26. Compilation of Chronicles in Dutch. Lower Rhine-Maas region/Guelders, c. 1453-1461
144
27. Wilmerding Hours, illuminated by the Masters of the Feathery Clouds. Flanders, Ghent, c. 1470
152
28. Sozomeno da Pistoia, Chronicon universale, 2 vols., written by Filippo de Nanni de’ Batini, illuminated in Pistoia and Florence. Italy, Pistoia, c. 1460-1470
156
29. Valerius Martialis, Epigrammata, for the Martinozzi family. Italy, Siena (?), c. 1460-1470
160
8. Missale Romanum, illuminated in the workshop of Jean de Toulouse. Southern France, Avignon, c. 1380-1390
9. Psalter. British Isles, England or Wales (?), c. 1400-1425 60 10. Book of Hours, illuminated by the Mazarine Master. France, Paris, c. 1405 11. Johannes Chrysostomos, Homiliae et al., written by Nicolaus of Piesting. Austria, Wiener Neustadt (?), 1407-1408 12. Talbot-Beauchamp Book of Hours, illuminated in the cirlce of the Dunois and Harvard Hannibal Masters. France, Rouen, c. 1430 13. De Croix Hours, illuminated by the Master of the Munich Golden Legend, the Master of the Harvard Hannibal, and the Dunois Master. France, Paris, c. 1430-1435
76
82
14. Xaincoins Hours, illuminated by the Master of the Vienna Roman de la Rose. France, Lyon, c. 1430-1440 94 15. M. T. Cicero, Epistolae ad familiares, illuminated by Bartolomeo d’Antonio Varnucci. Italy, Florence, c. 1425-1435
98
30. Pidal Book of Hours, illuminated in the circle of Willem Vrelant. Flanders, Bruges, c. 1460-1470 164
31. Leonardo Bruni, Della prima guerra punica, written and illustrated by Joannes de Justinopolis. Zara (now Zadar), 22 February 1470 168
45. Pierre Michault, Danse aux aveugles, illuminated by the Master of Spencer 6 (Laurent Boiron?). France, Bourges, c. 1495
32. Titus Livius, Première décade, translation of Pierre Bersuire, illuminated in the circle of the Master of the Champion des dames (?). French Flanders, Lille, c. 1470
172
33. Book of Hours, illuminated by the Dunois Master and an associate. France, Paris, c. 1470
46. Jean Bouchet, Life of St. Radegund, her Office, Mass and Miracles. Presentation copy for King Charles VIII, illuminated by the Master of St. Radegund. France, Poitiers, 1496-1498 268
178
34. Hours of Francesco Borromeo, illuminated by Ambrogio de Predis. Italy, Milan, c. 1474 35. Hours of Galeazzo Maria Sforza, illuminated by the Master of Ippolita Sforza. Italy, Milan, c. 1471-1476 36. Henricus Spijker, Compilation of medical, astronomical, and botanical treatises. Guelders, Nijmegen, c. 1475-1493 37. Thomas Aquinas, Quaestiones de potentia Dei – Questiones de malo, written by Venceslaus Crispus, illuminated by Matteo Felice. Italy, Naples, dated 30 December 1480 38. Jean Le Fèvre de Saint-Rémy, Livre des faits du bon chevalier Jacques de Lalaing, illuminated by Simon Bening and workshop. Flanders, Bruges, written c. 1480s, illuminated c. 1520s 39. Martin Le Franc, Livre de l’estrif de Fortune et de Vertu. Hainaut, Valenciennes or Cambrai (?), dated 1482, illuminated c. 1519
182
186
194
200
204
214
40. Jean d’Outremeuse, Le tresorier de philosophie naturelle... – Ex divina philosophorum achademia, with added miniatures, illuminated for Raphael de Mercatellis. Flanders, Ghent-Bruges, dated 1484 218 41. Des droits d’armes de noblesse: thirteen chivalric treatises compiled by Gilles Gobet, illuminated by the Bruges Master of 1482. Flanders, Bruges, c. 1486
226
42. Carnesecchi-Velluti Book of Hours, illuminated by Attavante degli Attavanti and workshop. Italy, Florence, c. 1490 and c. 1515
238
43. Wedding Hours of Bianca Maria Sforza and Maximilian I, illuminated by the Master of Anna Sforza. Italy, Milan, 1493 44. Octovien de Saint-Gelais, Epistres d’Ovide – three French poems, illuminated by the Master of the Chronique scandaleuse. France, Paris, c. 1493
242
254
262
47. Rochechouart Hours, illuminated in the circle of Jean Poyer. France, Tours, before 1504
276
48. Book of Hours of Jean le Vayer, seigneur de Faverolles, illuminated in the wider circle of Jean Poyer. France, Tours, c. 1500
282
49. Book of Hours, illuminated by the Master of Walters 454. France, Tours c. 1500-1505
286
50. Book of Hours, illuminated by the Master of Claude de France and workshop. France, Tours, c. 1500-1508
294
51. ‘Marginalia’ Book of Hours, illuminated in the circle of the Master of the Prayer Books of 1500. Flanders, Bruges, c. 1500-1510
298
52. Book of Hours, illuminated in the circle of the Monypenny Master. France, Paris, c. 1500-1510
304
53. Hours for Louis XII, illuminated in the workshop of Jean Pichore. France, Paris, c. 1500-1515 310 54. ‘Nachier,’ Complaintes de la Foy, illuminated by the Master of the Entry of François I. France, Lyon, c. 1504-1506
318
55. Book of Hours, illuminated by the Master of Philippa of Guelders. France, Paris, c. 1506
320
56. Noms, armes et blasons des chevaliers de la table ronde. France, Bourges (?), c. 1510-1520
326
57. Hofmann Prayer Book, illuminated by Nikolaus Glockendon. Germany, Nuremberg, c. 1513-1515
332
58. Book of Hours, illuminated in the circle of the Master of Charles V. Hainaut, Valenciennes or Cambrai (?), c. 1520
336
59. Book of Hours, illuminated by Gerard Horenbout. Flanders, Mechelen (?), c. 1520
340
60. Heinrich of St. Gallen, Passion Christi, illuminated by Nikolaus Glockendon. Germany, Nuremberg, dated 1521
346
Bibliographical references
355
Introduction Celebrating the Past: Sixty Medieval Manuscripts
Transmitting and transforming: the joy and luster of medieval manuscripts
This catalogue extols sixty medieval manuscripts, dating from the 10th to the 16th century, collected by Jörn Günther, and assembled here to celebrate his 60th birthday. Much more than simply sixty books, this work encompasses many more texts, the finest art, and a treasure trove of knowledge going back as far as the golden years of classical culture. This book underlines the reception of knowledge and art while focusing on manuscripts that emanated from and functioned in several contexts, whether they be literary, (art) historical, liturgical, devotional, scientific, or more. By highlighting the relationship between the subject matter of these fine illuminated medieval manuscripts and the beauty of their art and in further contextualising them, we hope that this catalogue inspires in its readers the passion for collecting that Jörn Günther exhibits in this magnificent assembly. Medieval manuscripts testify to important turning points in history, while at the same time they boast tremendous aesthetic quality. Their scope reaches across virtually the whole of human endeavour: religion (11, 37), devotion (all Books of Hours), legends (25, 56), literature (24, 29, 39) and poetry (3, 5, 29, 44-46, 54), law (6, 41), art (13, 19, 33-34, 38, 42, 47), music (2, 7), theatre (24), history (23, 26, 28, 31), heraldry (38, 41, 56), exploration (1), science and medicine (17-18, 36), magic (14, 40), politics (31, 54), etc. – the choice is almost boundless. Manuscripts and their illuminations connect us to mankind and to human history, providing a glimpse of the worlds and eras in which they were created. Although no one can fathom how many works have been lost in the turmoil of time, much has been saved or recreated anew. In the late 8th and early 9th century, Charlemagne envisioned restoring the remnants of the western Roman Empire. To end institutional chaos, he promoted a legal, spiritual, and cultural reform that was based on a fundamentally new educational system with great care for reading and writing. Herein, the Church of Rome played an important role. Great monasteries became leading educational centres with teachers known for their scholarship. Already in 7th-century Spain, Isidore, bishop of Seville (c. 615-630), who has been called the last scholar of the ancient world, managed to integrate the knowledge available to him into one monumental, well-ordered encyclopaedia of Etymologiae in twenty books, the influence of which cannot be overestimated. A 10 th-century manuscript of his Etymologies – reunited here for the first time since it was divided into halves in the 19th century (1) – offers the unique opportunity to study the intellectual role of one of the great abbeys in north western France: St. Martin’s of Tournai. Engaging with the world well beyond their own doors, monasteries exchanged books, supplied education, and, in this case, even developed an early interest in cartography.
This single manuscript introduces us to the 12th-century textual and pictorial transmission of earlier examples from Ireland and Italy and from the late Roman and early Christian traditions. Similarly, the Rituale of Le Puy-en-Velay (2), a spectacular 11th-century manuscript, can teach us about early music traditions, liturgy, and Romanesque decoration at the popular southern French pilgrimage site. The book demonstrates influences from Tours and Brittany that were presumably transmitted by manuscripts brought by monks fleeing from the north, since the Carolingian Renaissance had been followed by internal conflicts and the fury of Viking invasions. In Charlemagne’s alliance between Church and State, bishops were provided additional secular duties with roles as judges (6) and secular princes (26) and thus required a broader education. At the same time, a new understanding of scholarship and science arose. Although theology remained one of the leading sciences, it was put on new ground with the help of reason and logic (37). While universities played a vital role in the dissemination of Latin translations of Greek and Arabic works, day-to-day practice stimulated works in the vernacular (18). The universities grew into formal institutions with chairs for secular and canon (ecclesiastical) law. In Bologna and Paris, voluminous codices were produced, which contained the constitutions of popes and councils and which required special designs for the layout of texts and their related commentaries. To accomplish this and to understand such complicated texts with their many abbreviations, professional scribes and a good, organized copying system were necessary. Such large-scale projects would then receive their finishing touches in the workshops of established illuminators. These books are infinite sources of information, at times including numerous comments and references neatly added by their owners (6). Rich and influential, French illumination was already flourishing before 1300 with the Bible Moralisée workshop (3) in Paris. Emulating royal commissions of Psalters, manuscript illumination also developed in the north, in places like Amiens, Brabant (5), and Liège. Later in the century, the work of Maître Honoré (who is thought to have come from Amiens) and his collaborators (6) brought manuscript illumination to a new apogee, again cherished by royal patrons. Until 1296, Honoré shared his house with his daughter and son-in-law, who also was an established illuminator. Maître Honoré and his circle deeply influenced the evolution of late 13th- and early 14th-century French manuscript illumination, with their expressive and sculptural figure modelling that captivated many clients. It is conceivable that from the 1280s, Honoré’s atelier was specially selected to illuminate a series of legal codices for high ranking clergy and secular authorities – perhaps even as far away as Bohemia.
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In 1400, Paris was a cosmopolitan centre that attracted an international community of artists, some of whom came from the Low Countries in the north (10). During the Hundred Years’ War (1337-1453), the city alternately served as the residence of the English and Burgundians, as well as of the French court and its entourage. At this time, the art of book illumination experienced a period of full engagement and evolution, during which traditions and trends combined to form an innovative atmosphere that was supported by the demand of cultured patrons (see Günther cat. 11, pp. 106-9). Often, workshops consisted of families whose members could work in a largely uniform style (12-13, 33). The brilliant paintings executed by illuminators such as the Boucicaut, Mazarine, and Bedford Masters found a warm reception, as is evidenced by their many commissions, also from outside of Paris (10). The style of their handsome and elegant miniatures was further developed by collaborators and successors. The Bedford Master’s workshop was quite popular and its followers are traceable into the mid15th century, for instance in the De Croix Hours (13; Paris, c. 1430-1435), with 69 miniatures painted by the Master of the Munich Golden Legend (from the Bedford workshop), the Master of the Harvard Hannibal (from the Boucicaut atelier), and the Dunois Master (possibly the son of the Bedford Master), it is one of the 15th century’s most profusely illustrated Books of Hours and a masterpiece of collaboration between three of the era’s most talented Parisian illuminators. Interestingly, these artists seem to have worked closely together. Characteristics of one hand are also evident in the miniatures of the others. This supremely exceptional masterpiece reigns artistically over even the loveliest of other examples.
of arms to a book, a patron would ensure that his or her identity would remain known for subsequent generations, who could then commemorate and pray for the deceased. Such individualization marks several books of hours (14, 42, 47). If heraldry or other ownership notes are absent, individuals who commissioned remarkable manuscripts, even those containing many personal details and references to pilgrimages, may still remain anonymous (27). The Book of Hours, the most common type of prayer book for laics, was a medieval bestseller. In an era when death was omnipresent, hope was focused on the afterlife and, therefore, on the road to salvation. Prayers contributed to the soul’s redemption in heaven (27, 58). In order to seek intercessory support or, for that matter, help in daily life, personal prayers were devoted to Jesus, the Virgin Mary, guardian angels, and an array of saints (58).
After the French defeat at Agincourt in 1415, the subsequent British occupation and the feuds between the Burgundian and Armagnac factions, and Joan of Arc’s later successes brought about enormous changes throughout France. Artists followed their patrons from Paris to Rouen, where they set up flourishing workshops with English noblemen as customers. Sir John Talbot (c. 1384-1453) was one of the principal English commanders and when he was taken prisoner (1429-1433), possibly he or his wife Margaret Beauchamp ordered a fine Book of Hours (12) that survived his plights. One of its leaves shows a white dog (a Talbot), the earl’s personal badge, holding a banner with his arms. The dog faces a man who rises from a tower and holds a text scroll that reads: “the truth will make you free” (John 8:32).
In their ownership of fine libraries, Renaissance Italian princes displayed their wealth and pride (23, 31, 35, 43). Scholars, officials, and diplomats would visit such collections to find and exchange knowledge (15, 37; see also Günther 2015). Leonardo Bruni was a crucial figure in Renaissance Florence. His First Punic War (31) was a detailed history of the conflict between Rome and Carthage and described the Roman system of government. Bruni, as the chancellor of Florence, approved of this structure because it accorded well with his commitment to the republican government of his own city. His retelling of the Punic War was also intended to fill the gap in Roman history left by the loss of the Second Decade of Livy’s History of Rome. Our manuscript’s scribe, John of Justinopolis in Zara (now Croatia), wrote out his own version in simple, restrained elegance, finishing his paper copy in 1470. About the same time, the First Decade of Livy’s History found an enthusiastic public in Pierre Bersuire’s French translation, in a copy also written on paper with water colour illustrations, yet of a completely different nature (32). Illustrious Roman history continued to inspire the Italian nobility, as is shown in the imposing codex of works by Julius Ceasar (23) belonging to the Marliani, a prominent family at the Milanese court. The patron, Gianfranceso, was a trusted friend of Ludovico Sforza. The Sforzas were themselves extremely important promotors of Renaissance art and illuminated manuscripts. This catalogue alone contains works by the Master of Ippolita Sforza (23, 35) and by the Master of Anna Sforza (43) found in books made for Galleazzo (35) and for his daughter Bianca Maria (43), the latter made to the command of Ludovico himself.
Like Talbot’s manuscript from Rouen, Jean Barillet’s Book of Hours from Lyon also features a personal badge, in this case a barrel, referring to his name (14). More of such individual identifying references are found in the sumptuous Wedding Hours of Bianca Maria Sforza, representing the fine nobility involved in this marriage (43). In adding a coat
The recently resurfaced Book of Hours of Bianca Maria Sforza (43), commissioned as a gift for the wedding of Ludovico’s niece to the emperor-elect, Maximilian I of Habsburg, is such an exciting discovery that it deserves a full monographic study. Likely, it is one of the books mentioned in Bianca’s trousseau (1493), which she brought with her
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when she travelled over the Alps to meet her husband for the first time. Maximilian already had a glimpse of his bride by way of a fine portrait painted by the renowned Milanese artist, Ambrogio de Predis. He is known not only as a painter, enameller, and designer but also as a remarkable illuminator of exquisite miniatures. Some of his illuminations feature portrait-like, graceful faces showing that the artist’s skill in panel painting translated beautifully to the tiny vellum pages (50 x 40 mm) in the Offitiolo he made for Francesco Borromeo in 1474 (34). Men and women equally shared their love for rich and lavishly decorated manuscripts and it is this legacy that reveals their character, tastes, and intellectual interests today: for instance, Anne of Brittany (1477-1514), wife of Charles VIII (both portrayed in 46) and after his sudden death, wife of Louis XII, was a well-known bibliophile. Some newly discovered manuscripts from their library (44, 46, 53, 54) greatly add to our knowledge of French royal history and of artists based in cities like Poitiers, Lyon, and Rennes. These painters designed new iconography presumably from precise instructions by the author whose text had been commissioned by the esteemed royal patrons. Louis XII also was a great book-lover. During his reign, Lyon became the second capital of France because, occupied by his affairs in Italy, he often resided there. He promoted his image as a knightking: true, fair, and Christian. Diplomats and authors spoke of him as the head of the Christian armies, marching against the Turks (54). However, at the same time, French and Italian connections were seriously tested by the French invasions, chasing those who were in power in Milan and Naples into exile. During this period, not only did power change hands but also some of the most invaluable manuscripts of the Visconti-Sforza Library (35) and part of the spectacular Royal Library of Naples (37), many of which “emigrated” northwards. On the positive side of such exchanges, the compositions in the Rochechouart-de-Jars Hours (47) are due to a remarkable collaboration between an Italian and a French artist from the circle of Jean Poyer (Tours, c. 1445-1503). The refined miniatures in this book are surrounded by impressive Renaissance frames in which are found intricate optical illusions. These characteristic borders are attributed to the Italian artist Giovanni Todeschino, who came to Tours around 1500. Passed down from one generation to the next, the manuscript was used as livre de raison, with family notes on birth, baptism, marriage, and death. Manuscripts could also undergo more serious alterations, with sections at times discarded or reassembled (50, 52), making it difficult now to pinpoint their origins. Yet such altered states are also signs of use and function. People were keen to incorporate their own ideas into history (28) and poetry (44, 46, 54), while marks of ownership are also reminders of a book’s prestigious lineage (3, 5, 43).
Most distinctive manuscript collections were assembled by the Dukes of Burgundy and their courtiers, who demonstrated a preference for Flemish illuminated books. Duke Philip the Good’s passion for fine manuscripts was emulated by some of his children (40) and various knights of the Order of the Golden Fleece (38-41, 59). The taste of these noblemen concentrated on the finest books by Flemish authors and artists. Stunning is the only way to describe the portrait that the famous Bruges illuminator Simon Bening (1483-1561) painted of the herald of the Order of the Golden Fleece in his splendid tabard while at work in his study. This portrait opens the chivalric history of Jacques de Lalaing (38), a book that relates the spectacular life and deeds of one of the greatest knights who ever lived, up to the moment of his death by a canon-ball (1453). The illustrations of heroic deeds, beautiful costumes, fine horses, and early morning landscape settings, display the brilliance of the Flemish manuscript tradition. Likely handed down in the Lalaing family in more than one copy, Charles I de Lalaing (d. 1525), a direct heir of the chivalrous Jacques, added another, a rather contrasting text, to his collection, with a more feminine touch. L’estrif de Fortune et de Vertu (39), a moralistic debate between Lady Fortune and her rival Virtue, was written by Martin le Franc (1410-c. 1461) at the request of Philip the Good (1393-1467). Le Franc, a papal legate at the Burgundian court, made his career in the service of the Duke of Savoy, who later became Pope Felix V (1439-1449). Lalaing’s codex opens with an image of the author presenting his book to a prince, a knight of the Golden Fleece with Habsburg features. Also from the circle of the Order of the Golden Fleece is Des droits d’armes de noblesse (41), a heraldic compilation of thirteen chivalric treatises that cover practices honoured in most of Western Europe. It was compiled in 1481 by Gilles Gobet, at that time the herald Toison d’Or for Maximilian I, duke and president of the Order by way of his wife Mary of Burgundy (1477). The extraordinary manuscript with a European scope bears the coat of arms of Claude de Neuf châtel of Luxembourg, who served several consecutive Dukes of Burgundy. Raphael de Mercatellis (1437-1508), a natural son of Duke Philip the Good, also developed, like his father, a true passion for beautiful manuscripts. Being a learned abbot, all his books were in Latin but for one exception, a lapidary written in French with some occult features (40). The codex adds considerably to our knowledge about the abbot’s striking interests. Last but not least of these astounding Flemish illuminated manuscripts is a Book of Hours (59), that was a gift of Charles V to his governor, Guillaume II de Croÿ, Lord of Chièvres (1458-1521). Croÿ too was a knight of the Golden Fleece, in fact elected in the same session (1491) as Claude de Neufchâtel. The handsome prayer book (c. 1520) was illuminated by Gerard Horenbout (d. 1541), the great artist
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and panel painter who gave masterly attention to every detail, be it interiors or landscapes. He worked in the service of Margaret of Austria, Governess of the Netherlands, in whose care Charles V (1500-1558) and his sisters grew up. Guillaume de Croÿ had been chief tutor and first chamberlain of the young Charles, and the gift was likely a token of respect and appreciation. One can collect books that relate to significant events or themes. Although the subject matter of a manuscript is an essential part, it is only one aspect of a volume. A medieval manuscript is even more significant in that to understand and enjoy it, you must hold the actual object in your hands. The artistic, visual, and emotional power of manuscripts have to be felt and experienced directly. As music and art are sources of happiness, so are medieval manuscripts. Early in his student years, Jörn Günther realized that the more interesting a medieval codex and its artistic accomplishment was, the greater the intellectual and aesthetic satisfaction it provided him. Manuscripts appeal emotionally because they tell us so much, transmitting achievements of the men and women who wrote, illuminated, commissioned, and preserved them. Handwritten, painted books are the closest we can come to our past and to our own roots. Actively collecting medieval manuscripts affirms a fascination for life, a passion not only for what lies behind us, but for what is.
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Celebrating his 60th birthday with the present sixty manuscripts reveals the great joy that Jörn Günther’s manuscript collecting contributes to his everyday life. Moreover, these manuscripts continuously inspire all of us at Dr. Jörn Günther Rare Books, as they accompany us daily. Most of the sixty manuscripts described here were collected over a period of the last six years. Nonetheless, before a professional dealer is able to realize certain acquisitions, it may take years of “book hunting”, and it most certainly takes years of building up knowledge, professional expertise, trust, and friendship. This catalogue also shows that anyone who hopes to build a collection today can still acquire a selection of the most important and finest medieval manuscripts made in Western Europe. In this, Jörn Günther is happy to share his drive, expertise, and rewarding collection with you. How many medieval manuscripts make a good collection? In theory there is no minimum, but in practice, a true bibliophile always longs for more. Wilhelmina C.M. Wüstefeld
Literature Davids 2011; Günther cat. 11; Günther 2015.
Notes to the Reader
This catalogue contains abbreviated texts. Full descriptions and prices are available upon request. All items within this catalogue are subject to prior sale. The art works described are manuscripts. Unless otherwise noted, the texts accompanying the works are usually in Latin. The illuminations are normally tempera colours and many feature gold/silver leaf decoration and/or gold paint. All measurements specify the height of the object first and then list the width. The dimensions first detailed in the physical descriptions (unless otherwise noted) refer to the sizes of the leaves and not to the bindings of the books. Folia not listed within text spans can safely be assumed to be blank and most flyleaves have not been noted unless they are the original medieval ones. Reproductions represent as much as possible the original dimensions of the items they illustrate. The captions for the accompanying illustrations will feature an asterisk * to indicate when an image has been reduced from actual size.
Please note that an italicized, bold number in parentheses refers to an entry within this catalogue. For the bibliography, a selection of the most important literature is offered alphabetically below each text. Due to limitations of space, the citations are not exhaustive. In the case that an entry is followed by a comma and hyphen, this indicates a further publication by the directly aforementioned author. A key to the bibliographic text follows for clarification beginning on p. 355. Throughout the preparation of this catalogue and the independent longer descriptions, we benefitted greatly from the wide scholarly support of the academic community. We have tried to give credit wherever space permitted and wherever it was due; we sincerely apologize if we have unintentionally overlooked anyone.
Wilhelmina C.M. Wüstefeld
Ina Nettekoven
Key to Abbreviations: f./ff. ms./mss r v
= = = =
folio/folia manuscript/manuscripts recto verso
Owning institutions are abbreviated as follows: BL = BM = BnF = BSB = BR = HAB = KB = ML = ÖNB = SB = UB =
British Library (London) Bibliothèque municipal de - Lyon - Poitiers - Tours - Valenciennes Bibliothèque nationale de France (Paris) Bayerische Staatsbibliothek (Munich) Bibliothèque royale de Belgique (Brussels) Herzog August Bibliothek (Wolfenbüttel) Koninklijke Bibliotheek (The Hague) Morgan Library (New York City) Österreichische Nationalbibliothek (Vienna) Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin Universiteitsbibliotheek Utrecht
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A wonderful reunion after more than 100 years
1 Isidore of Seville, Etymologiae, Books I-XX Decorated manuscript on vellum
Northern France, possibly Saint-Amand Abbey, 10th century – with additions in Tournai, St. Martin’s Abbey, 12th century 310 x 224 mm. Divided into two parts for over a century: Part I: 145 ff. (including ff. 1-4 with 12th-century additions or substitutions); Part II: 122 ff. (including 1 added leaf, f. 37; complete); now reunited in one binding. – Written space: 230 x c. 155 mm, one column, 32 to 33 lines, prickings still visible. Written in brown ink in Carolingian minuscule and Capitalis rustica in orange for incipits and initials (with orange and brown varying) by several scribes; contemporary and later additions, corrections, and amendments in darker ink in a proto-gothic 12th-century hand. Interpunction for reading aloud and separation of words added. Marginal notes throughout in brown and black in various hands. – Small orange-red dots surrounding large capital initials, some coloured infills. 1 large zoomorphic initial, 5 pages with small text diagrams, 3 full-page diagrams on human relationships (12th century), 1 T-O map, and 1 inserted map of ancient Anatolia (Byzantine Asia Minor, 12th century, Part II, f. 37v). – Some natural flaws to parchment (evaded by scribes), some rubbing and staining. – Binding: both volumes have gilt edges and have been reunited (Part I, penultimate binding: Lortic of Paris [likely Pierre-Marcelin Lortic, active 1844-1884]).
PROVENANCE: 1. Written in the 10th century, possibly in Saint-Amand-les-Eaux. – 2. In the 12th century in St. Martin at Tournai: “Liber s[anc]ti martini torn[ensis]” (Part I, f. 2v) and presumably the “Isidorum ethimologarium, in uno volumine”, no. 116 in the Abbey’s manuscripts’ inventory compiled c. 1160-80. St. Martin’s was suppressed in 1796 but many of its books remained in situ. – 3. Sir Thomas Phillipps, 1824, purchased with other St. Martin manuscripts (his ms. 2129, Munby 1954, p. 25), soon sold without his permission to: – 3. Lille, Jean-Baptiste Castiaux, book dealer (d. 1855; SDBM_185323). – 4. In the 19th century, a collector split the book into two volumes, each containing ten books of Etymologiae. – 5. Part I, sold in London, Christie’s, 23 November 2010, lot 11; Part II separately handed down by descent in another European private collection. – 5. Now, 2018, in a private collection, both parts reunited. TEXT: Isidore of Seville, Etymologiae. Part I: f. 1r: Stemma – f. 1v: Index of XX Books of Etymologiae; Book IX, vi, 23 – f. 2r: Stemmata stirpis humanae; Book IX, vi, 29 – ff. 2v-3r: Book II, xxi, 21 – f. 4r: Stemma – ff. 4v-7r: Letters I-VI between Isidore and Braulio – ff. 7r-145v: Etymologiae Book I-XI, i, 137 – Part II: ff. 1r-122r: Book XI, i, 137-Book XX – f. 122v: Table with Roman alphabet, Greek letter symbols and names with each letter’s numerical value in roman numerals, with scribe’s colophon in four verses: “Quis scribere nescit nullum putat esse laborem / Tres haec enim digiti scribunt, tota membra laborant / Bonus est naviganti optimus portus, / Sic et scriptori novissimus versus” (Who does not know [how] to write, thinks that this is not a worthy job, In fact, three fingers write, [but] all body parts work. As good is the best harbour for him who sails, so good is also the latest verse for him who writes; translation by Francesco Siri, IRHT). The colophon is recorded in a number of manuscripts from various centuries (Bouveret 1965-1979). One of these, Valenciennes, BM, ms. 399, merits special attention, as it also contains Isidore’s Etymologies, ending with the same verses, Latin and Greek alphabet, symbols, and Roman numerals (f. 207v). Moreover, both manuscripts lack some of the same paragraphs, for instance the passage inserted in the manuscript at hand on f. 37r-v (in Part II). Ms. 399 is a 9th-century manuscript from St. Amand, a monastery near St. Martin.
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Isidore of Seville (d. 636) summarized a tremendous mixture of knowledge into a single, vast reference work that functioned as an etymological encyclopaedia. He had been stimulated to compile this book by his former student and friend Braulio, archbishop of Saragossa (d. 651). Written in accessible Latin, the book was highly successful. The earliest dissemination beyond Seville and Saragossa was in Gaul and Ireland. The oldest extant fragments are in St. Gall, showing Irish influence (mid-7th century). The textual traditions in France, Italy, and Spain are diverse, but all are divided into two decades of ten books, which, together with the titles, was Braulio’s work (see ff. 4v-7r). The topics described include mathematics, canon law, celestial hierarchies, religions and heresies, philosophy, the human body, geography, weights and measures, medicine, animals, agriculture, and much more. The influence of the Etymologiae cannot be overestimated. One can discern at least two, likely more, campaigns of intervention in the present manuscript. First, the actual copying of the entire text was executed by various hands, all writing in Carolingian minuscule but with rubrics added in capitalis rustica. Dating to the 10th century seems likely, based on the presence of ligatures which fade out by the 11th century, for example: ampersand-et (&), e-caudata, nt-ligature at final position, with æ, rt, st, and ct ligatures common. Important corrections and additions are found in the beginning of Part I (ff. 1r-4r, see above) and in Part II (ff. 37r-v). The e-caudata also appears on the added leaves, and both straight and round -d, as well as both long and short -s and slant o have become integral parts of the script, while ascenders of b, l, and h are bifurcated, and all vertical shafts stand on the line. Although N disappears in the 12th century, the corrector/editor still uses this form, as he does with & (et), numerous e-caudata, and some ligatures, which indicates he may have been writing around the mid12th century (Bischoff 1990, pp. 121-23, 127-28; Derolez 2003, pp. 51, 59, 78-79). Apart from corrections, additions, and even indexing, interpunction and word division were applied later. These last interventions suggest that the book was used not only for study in silent reading but also for reading aloud. All interventions and corrections point to educational use in a
cat. 1*
school for reading correct texts aloud to students. However, the brief addition of a missing passage in Book XIV dealing with countries and regions (Part II, f. 36v, see reference sign at Albania) is most extraordinary and informative. The text concerns regions in Asia Minor (Book XIV, III, 34-409 – lacking also in ms. 399, ff. 142r-v) and is illustrated with an unknown map. DECORATION: Part I: ff. 1r, 2r, 3r: three diagrams of blood relationships– f. 4v: zoomorphic initial D – Part II: f. 34r (margin, Book XIIII, positioned between II, De orbe and III, De Asia): a 10th-century T-O map (32 mm Ø), listing above: ASIA, below: EUROPA, AFRICA (compare ms. 399, f. 140r) – ff. 37v (inserted leaflet, c. 145/118 x 215 mm): Map of Asia Minor (Byzantine Anatolia), with inscriptions showing: Capadocia, Mare Cymericum, Lidia, Frigia, Bithinia, Galathia, Caria, Licaonia, Cilicia, Licia, Isauria, Paphilia, etc. Mons Taurus, Pactolus fluvius, Gera fluvius, Ermus fluvius, Meander fluvius, Cignus fluvius. This unknown map is a so-called ‘Tournai-map’ (Harvey 2012), closely related to one of two maps added to another 12th-century manuscript from St. Martin – there following works by St. Jerome (London, BL, Add. ms. 10049, f. 64r-v). Drawn over erased first trials, these ‘Jerome-Tournai maps’ of Palestine and Asia Minor (with Anatolia disproportionately large) may ultimately be extracts from a world map that had its early roots in Ireland and Italy in the 5th century, or perhaps going back even earlier to the days of late Roman and early Christian traditions (Dalché 2010, pp. 4, 13; Harvey 2012, p. 56). The two maps in the Jerome codex were made by a mapmaker whose hand returns in another St. Martin manuscript (London, BL, Add. ms. 15219), with several texts on the geography and sites of the Holy Land (Harvey 2012, p. 41), in which he entered marginal notes and copied a short text himself. The present, newly discovered map covers the central region of the large Jerome map (f. 64r). Not only the map, but also the missing paragraph and several geographic names added in the margins of the book at hand are by the hand of a man who has been dubbed ‘the Tournai mapmaker’. Isidore had originally written his encyclopaedic compilation with a pastoral, pedagogical purpose, wishing priests and monks “to have preliminary skills that make intelligent reading, especially of the Scripture possible”, and to “not be ignorant of the knowledge of human and divine matters” (Isidore of Seville 2006, pp. 18-19). Concern for the clergy’s education led to the establishment of educational centres at each cathedral city (Council of Toledo, 633). Since Western Europe suffered devastating Viking raids in the 9th and 10th centuries, an age of renewal dawned. Unarmed monasteries and their treasures had fallen especially victim to plundering. The old Benedictine abbey of St. Martin’s had been destroyed (879-884) and was only revived in the 1090s, assisted by Odo of Orléans, a recognized scholar who became its abbot in 1095. The abbey soon adopted the Cluny reforms, which restored monastic life, encouraged education, helped the poor, and stimulated pilgrimages to the Holy Land.
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Limited or modest financial conditions forced copyists, in rebuilding a library collection, to use any writing material available, including vellum sheets with defects and natural flaws that scribes could expertly avoid and write around (see Bischoff 1979, p. 23, in reference to a manuscript of the Etymologies; Harvey 2012, p. 41 emphasizes the same for St. Martin). Monastic books were often copied by monks’ own hands, for which models were asked of fellow institutions. We know that manuscripts circulated extensively between neighbouring Saint-Amand, Marciennes, and Anchin (Simeray 2007, p. 18). At the end of the 11th century in St. Martin, renewed book production progressed, especially under Odo’s leadership – as we are told by monastery historian Herman of Tournai, who was himself an eager book copyist (Nelson 1996, p. 114). He also informs us of books’ increased availability and the great concern for textual accuracy (Nelson 1996, p. 233). Presumably, St. Martin’s monks addressed themselves to nearby St. Amand for a manuscript of Isidore’s Etymologies. We surmise that this was the present 10th-century copy of the 9th-century codex (= ms. 399, see St. Amand’s Index Major, no. XC: Isidori ethimologiarum duo, Desilve 1890, p. 102). Yet, that manuscript was in need of correction and additions. In St. Martin, an eager scholar with a graphic mind not only added missing paragraphs, but also the map that most likely derives from one now in the St. Jerome codex (BL, Add. ms. 10049, f. 64). As Book XIV of the Etymologies played a fundamental role in the Latin West in structuring of geographic knowledge, the discovery of this new Tournai map is quite exciting. The reunification of both parts of Isidore’s Etymologies is crucial for research into St. Martin’s as an intellectual centre with a growing awareness of cartography (Harvey 2012, p. 59). It might even lead to the identification of the Tournai mapmaker. Was the present map of Anatolia his first trial? How is it linked to the maps mentioned above? Was this enquiring mind in some way related to or inspired by Herman of Tournai? The abbey’s historian who opened St. Martin’s chronicle with the words “above the waters of Babylon” (Nelson 1996, p. 136) is thought to have died during the Second Crusade in Anatolia in 1147 (Huygens 2010, p. 7). Did Isidore’s Book XIV prepare his way? We thank Francesco Siri, IRHT for his information. LITERATURE: Christies 2010 (for Part I); Phillipps 1837, p. 25. Bischoff 1990, pp. 121-23, 127-28; Barney 2006, pp. 3, 18-19; Bouveret 1965-1979; Dalché 2010, pp. 4, 13; Derolez 2003, pp. 78-79; Desilve 1890, p. 102; Harvey 2012, pp. 41,56, 59, – 2015, pp. 117-30; Huygens 2010, p. 7; Lindsay 1911; Munby 1954, p. 22; Nelson 1996, pp. 114, 136, 233; Simeray 1990, pp. 150-59, – 2007, p. 18.
cat. 1*
cat. 1*
cat. 1*
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cat. 1*
cat. 1*
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cat. 1*
Extremely rare: early traditions in Le Puy-en-Velay
2 Rituale Romanum – Pontificale – Sacramentarium, et al. Decorated manuscript in Latin on vellum France, Le Puy-en-Velay, c. 1050 c. 180 x 115 mm. 276 leaves (some irregularities at ff. 4-10, 96, 203, 264; f. 113a is a small leaf added with text by the scribe of the main text). – Written space c. 140 x c. 85 mm, ruled for 24 to 28 lines. Script: a beautifully proportioned Carolingian minuscule; early musical notation. – Consistently coloured initials, many with tracery; 18 larger initials, a notable opening with two very large tracery letters featuring zoomorphic motifs. Framed tables in the style of canon tables. – Some additional notes, some smudges and stains. – Binding: 15th century style (with use of old materials).
PROVENANCE: 1. Made c. 1050 for use in Notre Dame Cathedral, Le Puy-en-Velay. – 2. In Bohemia in the 15th century (additions: f. 261, “Item Prage Wenceslao ducis Boemi; f. 262: Item in Boem … in ecclesia Bolosav”; f. 1v: “pertinet Magistro Johanni” and various added notes. Stará Boleslav (Altbunzlau) is an old pilgrimage site. Its basilica is dedicated to St. Wenceslaus. – 3. Handed down by descent in a Bohemian noble family until brought to auction (Vienna). – 4. Now in a private collection. TEXT: ff. 1r-11r: with ownership inscription, table of contents and fragmented text (beginning missing, f. 4r); Antiphon Missus est angelus (f. 10v, with neumes) – ff. 11v-164v: Rituale / Pontificale, Office of the Dead (f. 45r); Benedictionale (f. 63r); Rituale in Ordinary Time (f. 97v); Mass chants in Ordinary Time (f. 138v); Ordo sacerdotalis ad missam (f. 155r) – ff. 164r-253v: Sacramentarium: Canon missae (f. 164r); prayers for Mass (f. 167r, partly Ordinary of Time); with special material for the feast of the Annunciation (f. 174r) defined by the Missae Alquini; Masses for the officiating priest (f. 180v); more votive Masses (f. 184r); addendum (f. 203r); funeral Masses (f. 204r); selected readings, with prayers to St. Meneleus and St. Foy (f. 214v) – ff. 254r-263r: Calendar based on a martyrology: 11 July, feast of the dedication of the church of Notre Dame in Le Puy (f. 258v), other entries confirm localization at Le Puy (f. 254v, f. 262r) – ff. 263v-271r: Computational notes, circular schemes – ff. 271v-272v, 276r-v: Addenda (15th century). An early manuscript with unique elements, in this Rituale (liturgical instructions for the priest) and Sacramentarium (for the bishop) the texts are not yet clearly separated. The detailed liturgical instructions merit more study, but models originating from Alquin at Tours appear to have been followed (ff. 133r, 138r). Made for use in the famous Cathedral of Notre Dame of Le Puy-en-Velay as shown in various feasts just mentioned (f. 174r, f. 258v), in texts relating to early Christian bishops and other saints for which this manuscript is a solid witness. Remarkable is the encounter with St. Meneleus (f. 253r, 22 July, f. 259r), founder of the Abbey of Menat, one of the oldest monastic foundations of Auvergne and Sainte-Foy of Conques (f. 253r-v, 6 October). Significant also is the entry for 16 May that mentions St. Moderannus or Modéran, first Bishop of Rennes (expelled from his diocese in Britanny, he died in Parma in 731, f. 257r). ILLUMINATION: Large initials outlined in red, filled with silhouette motifs in ochre, blue, and some green paints (e.g. ff. 39v, 143v), with some zoomorphic motifs: ff. 56r, 73r, 176r,
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237r, 251v. More colourful, decorated initials follow in the Sacramentary section (from f. 164 onward). The decoration of the opening on ff. 164v-165r forms the highlight of the codex. Here the V(ere dignum) marks the beginning of the preface while Te (igitur) denotes the beginning of the eucharistic prayer. The letters are outlined by red contours and are interlaced and knotted together at points where shafts meet. Zoomorphic elements (animal heads), as in earlier insular manuscripts, add additional ornamentation to both initials. The script in the two and a half lines above the Te-igitur initials is reminiscent of early Carolingian (Anglo-Saxon-influenced) models. Similarly, a deliberate return to traditional forms seems to be a characteristic of the entire ornamental lettering of the book and explains the orthodox geometrically decorated frame surrounding the text on f. 11r. With several references to manuscripts from Tours and Brittany of the first half of the 9th century, likely an early Tours manuscript was the model for the book at hand (compare: London, BL, ms. Egerton 609). This may be explained by books taken to the south by monks who fled from the Viking invasions. Possibly the oldest manuscript extant from this diocese, the codex is not only highly significant for scholars of the history of liturgy but for musicologists as well. The cathedral of Le Puy is famous for its early music tradition. Here, the musical notation in neumes, partially added on blind lines, deserve full scholarly attention. While no body of painting survives from the Auvergne comparable to the extraordinary flowering of its architecture, the present codex is a newly discovered, compelling art-historical witness. This, not only for manuscript painting and decoration, but also in the contents of its texts and in the early music. The Le Puy Cathedral devoted to the Notre Dame of the Annunciation, was a paramount point of departure on the route to Santiago de Compostella as well as a pilgrimage site in its own right. Here, Charlemagne and popes visited, councils were held, while it was also the place where the first Crusade was officially announced (1095). Canons of this church supported the bishops in the liturgical services, which were carefully structured by sacred music. They also assembled a great collection of early manuscripts (Delisle 1868), of which so few have survived the ages. What a treasure trove this is! Based on the analysis and description made by Martin Roland, Vienna, 2015. LITERATURE: Unpublished. Beigbeder 1962, pp. 31-86; Chassaing 1885, pp. 23ff.; Crozet 1958; Deshusses 1992; Delisle 1868, pp. 509-18; Initiale 2018: Le Puy-en-Velay; Rand 1929.
cat. 2
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Radiance and reflection
Perrins Psalter-Hours, with calendar, canticles, and 3 Dyson Hours of the Virgin Manuscript on vellum, illuminated by the workshop of the Bible Moralisée France, Paris, c. 1230-1260 152 x 105 mm. 230 leaves (incomplete; ff. 219v-229v are additions of the 15th century). – Ruled for one column of 19 lines, written in black ink in a Littera gothica. Calendar written in black ink. – Penwork initials to each verse, alternately in red with blue flourishing or vice versa. Initials on the last line of a page have a long prolongation into the lower border. Illuminated initials in blue, pink, orange, and green, with decoration of foliage, birds, lions, etc. 24 illuminated Calendar illustrations and 10 large (nine-to twelve-line) historiated initials on a chequered field, filled with gold. – Small holes (likely the result of parchment preparation), slight tears in a few areas, and some flaking of paint. Likely trimmed on all three sides, flourishes of several initials cut into. – Binding: French c. 1800, vellum, gilt key pattern border on covers, flat spine tooled in gilt and with the title gilt on a panel stained blue.
PROVENANCE: 1. Although the Calendar does not offer clues to its use, the Litany includes a number of saints associated with the northeast of France (Mansuetus, Odilia, Serena, and Glodesindis, celebrated in Metz). The manuscript may therefore have been written for someone living in the diocese of Metz (perhaps depicted on f. 165?). – 2. William Bragge (1823-1884; his sale Sotheby’s, 7 June 1876, lot 369). – 3. Sir Thomas Brooke (18301908), baronet, FSA, of Armitage Bridge, Huddersfield. A noted bibliophile, owner of the renowned Pillone Library, which remained in his family until 1957. – 4. Rev. W. Ingham Brooke (his sale Sotheby’s, 7 March 1913, lot 12). – 5. Charles William Dyson Perrins (1864-1958), an English bibliophile and philanthropist. His sale London, Sotheby’s, Part III, 29 November 1960, lot 107. – 6. Europe, private collection. The collector Charles W. Dyson Perrins (1864-1958) was an English bibliophile and philanthropist. As a successor to his father, he earned his wealth with Worcestershire sauce (Lea & Perrins). He supported education as well as the Royal Worcester Porcelain Factory (now a Museum). In his love for medieval manuscripts, he assembled one of the most important collections in the world and donated many works to major public institutions in England. TEXT: ff. 1r-6v: Calendar (half full, with some later additions) – ff. 7r-164v: Psalter Canticles – ff. 165r-194v: Hours of the Holy Virgin – ff. 195r-219r: Office of the Dead, Litany (ff. 158r-162r with SS. Mansuetus, Odilia, Serena, and Glodesindis) – f. 219v finished in a later hand – ff. 220r-229v: added prayers (15th century). In the early 13th century, the Psalter-Hours, a hybrid of a full Psalter and offices, such as the Hours of the Virgin and the Office of the Dead, had become a devotional book for the lay nobility (Bennett 2004, p. 218). By the second half of the 13th century there was a burgeoning trend for PsalterHours, followed by a decline in numbers soon afterwards. Because some of the same Psalms or verses would be repeated in the Office of the Virgin, the Hours of the Holy Spirit, and the Penitential Psalms or Office of the Dead, the Book of Hours later became the most popular devotional book and overtook the Psalter as a more common type of codex to lavishly illuminate.
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The Calendar that opens this manuscript unusually does not single out feasts in red ink, not even the high feasts of the year. This was a deliberate choice, as rubric and blue ink were available and used in the columns for the golden number and for nones, ides, and kalens. The fine illustrations show that the calendar was indeed finished. ILLUMINATION: Intricate pen-flourishes, alternately in blue and red, fill numerous margins along the texts, or extend from an initial over the lower border. There are twenty-four painted and illuminated roundels, two per page next to each month of the year, representing the occupation of the month and the accompanying sign of the Zodiac. Each is painted on a gold ground, within a circular blue or red frame patterned in white. Furthermore, each of the ten major text sections is headed by a historiated initial, all of which are very high quality and lavishly highlighted with gold. These outstanding illustrated initials measure approximately 55 x 50 mm and are blue and pink patterned in white, on a square panel with chequered ground, within a gilt frame. The letter has small foliate prolongations in gold and colours. Illustrated initials include: f. 7r: Psalm 1, two scenes in the letter B (Beatus vir), above: King David plays the psaltery; below: the young David prepares to sling a stone at Goliath – f. 27v: Psalm 26, D (Dominus illuminatio mea), King David points to his eye next to an angel, and God blesses from heaven – f. 41r: Psalm 38:2, D (Dixi custodiam), David points to his mouth, standing before the figure of Christ – f. 54r: Psalm 52, D (Dixit insipiens), David, with a fool who wears a shirt and holds a piece of bread to his mouth – f. 67r: Psalm 68, S (Salvum me), David stands in water, crowned but stripped of his clothes, stretching out his arms to plead with the Lord above who blesses and holds a book, flanked by two angels – f. 82v: Psalm 80:2, E (Exultate Deo), David plays the bells – f. 97r: Psalm 97, C (Cantate Domino), priests in a church chant before a lectern, topped by an eagle – f. 113r: Psalm 109, D (Dixit dominus), the Trinity: God the father and son are seated and hold a book, while the dove of Holy Spirit descends between them – f. 165r: Hours of the Virgin, S (Sancta Maria), a lady kneels between four laymen, all humbly praying to the Virgin and Child for mercy and forgiveness of their sins.
cat. 3
The crowned Virgin holds the host, the Christ Child holds the orb of the world – f. 195r: Office of the Dead, D (Dilexi), a burial service. In order to facilitate the regular recitation of the Psalms during the course of a week, the Psalter was subdivided into sections, each of which is introduced by a fine illumination. The present Psalter belongs to the tradition of the eight-fold or liturgical division – the secular distribution of the psalms in Matins for the seven days of the week with an eighth section devoted to Vespers, illustrating Psalm 52 but not Psalm 51 or 101, followed with opening illustrations at both the Office of the Virgin and the Office of the Dead. The major sections of Psalm 1 and the Hours of the Virgin have the first words written in large capitals. The most important decoration of a Psalter is the opening with Beatus Vir, the initial words of Psalm 1. In Psalters, traditional subjects and scenes were repeated by many artists thus restraining innovation in these sacred books. However, Psalter-Hours offered the new possibility of adding a more personal choice in the pictorial program, such as including a portrait of the recipient. Such a portrayal would appear chiefly at the Matins initial of the Office of the Virgin, representing the Virgin and Child as intercessor and mediatrix for both men and women (Stones 2004, pp. 288-89). In the present manuscript we see a graceful lady represented in prayer in the company of four lay men (f. 165). Could she have been the patroness, perhaps a widow with her four sons? Throughout the Middle Ages, the Book of Psalms, a part of the Old Testament, was considered to be one of the most important works of devotional literature. Consisting of 150 Psalms held to be composed by King David, the poetic work was transmitted not only as a part of the Bible, but also in the form of the Psalter, which is a book in its own right. Sometimes profusely decorated and illustrated as an aid to devotion, the Psalter gained a central place in the history of the medieval book. Before the 13th century, Psalters generally were owned by the religious clergy – either for communal or for private use. By the late 12th century, the Psalter could increasingly be found in the possession of the noble laity, who developed a special taste for richly illuminated manuscripts. The Book of Psalms thus began to play a more important role as a lay book of devotions to which also certain Offices could be added. As such, the Psalter and the Psalter Hours preceded the Book of Hours, which only emerged in the middle of the 13th century (Bennett 2004, p. 211). The combination of Psalters and some Offices developed into a hybrid book that was popular for a shorter period and soon was superseded by the Book of Hours. A broad didactic movement in the first half of the 13th century used pictures to teach morality. Both illustration and text were essential to understanding because images interpret the text and details within illustrations hold symbolic meaning. A literal, visual interpretation of the Psalms was one of the most common ways in which Psalter illustrations were devised. Different parts of Europe adopted distinctive subjects for the historiated initials opening each section of Psalm text, conforming to liturgical use. In the French tradition, historical episodes of David appear most
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frequently, often relating in some way to the first verse of the Psalm and revolving around David as a moral example. Many illuminations literally translate words or verses of Psalms. Luminous, clear, and distinct in composition, the illustrations to the Psalter at hand contain scenes of King David, the composer of the Psalms, painted in bright, shining, saturated colours and highlighted with alluring gold. Emphasizing penitence, deliverance, prayer, and salvation, such illuminations serve to warn the penitent viewer who would gaze upon them at daily Matins and Sunday Vespers every week throughout the year. The images often represent David, the psalmist, as a king. As they are ‘legible’ through associative logic, the illuminations communicate to the reader but nevertheless require his or her active participation in the interpretation. The present manuscript is an extremely fine example of a Psalter Hours illuminated by a Parisian artist close to the atelier responsible for the royal commissions of the Bibles Moralisées, the most outstandingly illuminated codices in Europe of that time. Here, the small figures have neat, slim bodies and limbs and their backgrounds blaze with burnished gold. Using similar facial types and background patterning, the artist worked on a somewhat smaller scale in the calendar illustrations. In the historiated initials, he created elegant figures with nicely formed, expressive, gentle faces, while indicating drapery folds with shadowing. The artists who worked on the Parisian Bibles Moralisées manuscripts have not been identified and often collaborated so closely that the number of hands who worked on a manuscript is difficult to distinguish (Lowden 2000). The cycle of miniatures in the present manuscript agrees with Haseloff’s Parisian group, active c. 1230 until 1250/60 (Haseloff 1938, pp. 106-107). This book, illuminated in one of the leading workshops of the capital des arts in the years of the preeminence of Parisian gothic illumination, is therefore most captivating. By the mid-13th century, the French achievement of creating and popularizing the tradition of Psalm-word-imagery reached its unmistakable peak. Their appealing symbolism certainly contributed to the great success of the French Psalter (Bennett 2004, p. 216-17). The historiated initials at Psalm openings were intended to guide and to inspire – a function they still perform today. As a pedagogical tool, such manuscripts played no small part in assisting the devout public. The sparkling illumination of very good quality, lavishly highlighted with gold, demonstrates how Parisian illuminators monopolized manuscript production at this time. Their radiance reached beyond Paris, appealing to patrons outside the Ile-de-France, as in this case, likely a patroness in Metz. No doubt, this Psalter-Hours is a small gem: it has noble virtue and quality. LITERATURE: Brooke 1891, 2: p. 541. Bennett 2004, pp. 211-21, 510-13; Haseloff 1938, pp. 106-07; Lowden 2000, – 2004, pp. 195-217, – 2010, pp. 75-83; Rouse/Rouse 2000, I, p. 337 n. 120; Stones 2004, pp. 281-307.
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cat. 3
Portable, clear, and simple
Bible’: Biblia Latina with Prologues and Interpretation 4 ‘Pocket of Hebrew Names Manuscript on vellum, illuminated in the Mathurin workshop (?) France, Paris, c. 1250 139 x 86 mm. 630 leaves. – Written space: 104 x 63 mm, 2 columns, 46 lines. Written by several hands in tiny gothic script. – Bible books introduced by puzzle-initials, chapters opened by flourish initials, four-line initial painted in colours opening the Interpretation of Hebrew names, 11 historiated initials, including 2 large, extending along the text column. – Very thin vellum, once a margin cut off (f. 374), here and there a small corner, usual wear and tear (ff. 506, 611). Cropped on all sides, damaged first leaf inexpertly restored, otherwise in good condition. – Binding: 18th century calf, gilt.
PROVENANCE: 1. Written and illuminated in Paris, c. 1250, attributed to the so-called Mathurin workshop, which was named for a Breviary made for the Trinitarian house [the Mathurins] located in the university area of Paris (Branner 1977, pp. 75-77). – 2. Ownership inscription cancelled (last vellum leaf, verso). – 3. Handed down by descent in a European noble collection. – 4. Now in a private collection. TEXT: This small, pocket-sized Bible, written on very fine, thin vellum, opens with the prologue of St. Jerome and contains the full text of the Old and New Testaments. The Interpretations of Hebrew names that follow in alphabetical order at the end of the volume (ff. 592-630) are contemporary, but presumably written by a second hand. However, as the colour of ink changes here and there, it may well be that the work was divided among several copyists, all well trained and working in a similar way. In this codex, the rubricator also fulfilled the task of corrector. In general, this book is neatly corrected throughout, giving us a view into the scriptorium’s organization of pocket Bible production. The creation of such small books was extremely well planned and maintained, and even though they were very small and difficult to read, the texts were necessarily correct. In this case, the margins throughout show some contemporary, small corrections, which are witness to the care bestowed on such portable books. Members of the Parisian university and the friars of the mendicant orders would have particularly appreciated these pocket Bibles. ILLUMINATION: The historiated initials are: f. 1r: St. Ambrosius writing at his desk – Initial F, including a dragon (somewhat worn) – f. 4v: Six days of Creation in seven scenes, culminating below in the Crucifixion (Genesis: In principio creavit Deus) – f. 27r: Moses Leading his People (Exodus) – f. 117v: Hannah and Eli before the Altar (1 Samuel 1, Fuit vir unus) – f. 179v: Adam, Seth, and Enoch (1 Paralipomenon/ Chronicles 1) – f. 261v: King David Playing the Harp (Psalms) – f. 289r: King Solomon Teaching a Pupil (Proverbs) – f. 330r: Martyrdom of Isaiah Sawn in Half (Isaiah) – f. 468r: Tree of Jesse: Jesse Sleeping, Three Kings and the Virgin Mary in the compartments above (beginning of N.T., Matthew) – f. 523r: St. Paul Preaching, Holding the Cross (Epistles of Paul) – f. 557v: Ascension of Christ (f. 557r, Acts of the Apostles). As the portability of a complete Bible was crucial for those who wandered, for example friar preachers or professors, Bibles using a tiny script and pages of lightweight, very thin material were essential. Illuminations within, adapted to the particularly small format books, had to be simple, yet
36
clear. Illustrations were an integral part of Bible design in the Christian world and particularly demonstrate how iconography, or pictures’ subject matter, was standardized across Europe. Often the same biblical books were selected for illustration, including the Creation at the beginning of Genesis, the first book of the Old Testament, and the Tree of Jesse at the beginning of the New Testament. The choice of other books with decoration could vary and thus these pocket Bibles are never fully decorated in the same way (for other fine examples of the same workshop, see London, BL, ms. Yates Thompson 41 and The Hague, KB, ms. 132 F 21, c. 1240-1260). The shape of the first letter of Genesis I (In principio...) offered the artist the opportunity to stretch it the length of page and to fill it with narrative imagery. The illustrations in the form of seven joined ovals begin at the top of the letter with the creation of heaven and earth on the first day, followed by the making of the firmament (schematic), the land and trees, the light in heaven (sun and moon), the animals (here two birds), and Adam and Eve. The last image in the series shows God resting while holding a shovel on the seventh day. The initial I culminates at its base in the scene representing Christ on the cross, flanked by Mary and St. John. As the week of Creation accomplished the work of man’s formation, this perfect world was followed by the fall of man, God’s curse, and finally, the Crucifixion. The style of illumination in this Bible is characterized by the “simplicity of the figures, the flat, rather unarticulated drapery, and the sketchy drawings of the heads” (Branner 1977, p. 76; compare especially Cambridge, Harvard University Library, ms. lat. 264, Branner 1977, pl. XIII). The illuminations can be attributed to the so-called Mathurin workshop, named for a Breviary made for the Trinitarian house [the Mathurins] located in the heart of the Parisian Latin Quarter, where many manuscripts were produced (c. 1240s-c. 1250). The present manuscript’s artist created simple but clear figures with uncomplicated drapery, outlined firmly in black, sketchily drawn transparent heads that are “small in size but large in scale” (Alexander 2005, no. 11). Some twenty-six manuscripts of this workshop have been identified, four of which share the same iconography. LITERATURE: Unpublished. Alexander 2005; Branner 1977; De Hamel 2001; New York 2005a; Rouse/Rouse 2000.
cat. 4
cat. 4
cat. 4
From the library of the Princes Fürstenberg
5 Donaueschingen Psalter-Hours Illuminated manuscript on vellum
Southern Netherlands, Brabant, perhaps Brussels, c. 1265-1275 131 x 95 mm. 316 leaves (1 leaf missing before f. 16, final blank cancelled, else complete). – Written space: 85 x 55 mm, 18 lines. Early Littera gothica. – Versal initials throughout in blue or burnished gold with penwork in red or blue, line-fillers in red, blue, and burnished gold on pink and blue grounds with white tracery, the initials ‘I’ formed of dragons, 13 (of 14) historiated initials with decorative borders, sometimes including dragons, a stork, or a rabbit and tree, 12 Calendar miniatures in lozenge-shape, 7 full-page miniatures, each in two registers. – Many additions to the Calendar, prayers added in a 15th-century hand on endleaves and blanks (versos), some wear, extremities of some marginal decoration occasionally slightly cropped, minor stains in upper margins and on first pages, some rubbing, otherwise in good condition. – Binding: early 19 th-century green morocco gilt.
PROVENANCE: 1. Made in Brabant, perhaps in Brussels (Oliver 1988). – 2. Adapted for the use of an Augustinian house, possibly in Cologne as indicated by the feasts of St. Augustine, pater noster (28 Aug.), his Translation (11 Oct.) and other Cologne feasts being marked as double or triple. With female forms and with St. Mary Magdalene marked duplex, the book may have belonged to a nun in the Augustinian abbey Albas Dominas of St. Mary Magdalene in Cologne (Cottineau 1939, I, p. 839). – 3. Donaueschingen, Princes Fürstenberg, either Karl Egon II (1796-1854) or Karl Egon III (1820-1892), their ms. 316, sales at Sotheby’s, 21 June 1982, lot 10 and 20 June 1989, lot 41. – 4. Europe, private collection. TEXT: ff. 1v-2r: Prayers with male forms changed into female forms (famulum tuum changed into: famulam tuam, f. 1v) – f. 2v: Confiteor and added prayers – ff. 3r-8v: Calendar (full, only liturgical high-feasts in red; later additions in red for use of Cologne. Translatio Lamberti (28 April), Translatio St. Nicolai (9 May), Ludovicus rex (25 Aug., added in red), Translatio Augustini (11 Oct., added in red), Lamberti (17 Sept., duplex), Wentzellai (28 Sept., added in red, duplex), Hubertus (3 Nov., triplex), Cuniberti episc. (13 Nov., duplex). In January added: “so es nu s heren jaer getide” – ff. 9v-15v: Cycle of full-page miniatures, on blank rectos or versos: added prayers – ff. 16r-212r: Psalter (f. 16r, first leaf missing), Canticles and Litany (f. 206v, including SS. Lambert, Servatius, Amand, Bavo, Hubert, Aldegunda, etc.), and other prayers – ff. 212r-248v: Hours of the Trinity; prayers to the Virgin (f. 247r) – ff. 249r-277v: Hours of the Virgin – ff. 278r-284r: Commendation of Souls – ff. 285v-215v: Office of the Dead and added prayers. As in the earlier description (3), the present manuscript is also a devotional and liturgical book with Hours and Psalter combined. Portable in size, yet lavishly illuminated, this codex is yet another testimony to how the Psalter’s use slowly changed and gradually became intermixed with the Hours of the Virgin and texts of other offices. The calendar, including the feasts of SS. Gudule of Brussels (8 Jan.), Gummarus of Lierre (11 Oct.), and Waldetrudis of Mons (9 April), suggests that the origin of this Psalter-Hours must be sought in Brabant, in the southern Low Countries. ILLUMINATION: Calendar illustrations at each month, showing a man: feasting (f. 3r), warming his feet by the fire (f. 3v), digging (f. 4r), holding flowers (f. 4v), holding spirals of foliage (f. 5r), reaping (f. 5v), scything (f. 6r), threshing
40
(f. 6v), cutting and collecting grapes (f. 7r), sowing (f. 7v), slaughtering a pig (f. 8r), taking bread out of an oven (f. 8v). The full-page miniatures preceding the Psalter are divided in two registers, each presenting a scene from the Life and Passion of Christ – f. 9v: Above: Temptation of Christ by the devil; below: Temptation of Christ, second attempt – f. 10r: Above: Last Supper; Magdalene kneeling to dry Christ’s feet; below: Entry into Jerusalem – f. 11v: Above: Christ washing the feet of his disciples; below: Arrest of Christ – f. 12r: Above: Christ before Pilate; below: Mocking of Christ – f. 13v: Above: Scourging of Christ; below: Crucifixion – f. 14r: Above: Resurrection; below: Three Marys at the tomb – f. 15v: Above: Noli Me Tangere; below: Ascension of Christ. At the major Psalm divisions and Hours are 13 historiated initials with border extensions, the first 9 with a cycle of saints (out of 10, the Beatus vir before f. 16 is missing): f. 42v: Psalm 26, Lapidation of St. Stephen – f. 59r: Psalm 38, Crucifixion of St. Andrew – f. 74v: Psalm 51, Martyrdom of St. Lawrence – f. 75v: Psalm 52, Beheading of St. John the Baptist – f. 92r: Psalm 68, Crucifixion of St. Peter – f. 111v: Psalm 80, Flaying of St. Bartholomew – f. 130r: Psalm 97, Christ appearing to the Apostles, and: St. Thomas – f. 132v: Psalm 101, Martyrdom of St. Juliana – f. 150r: Psalm 109, St. Denis holds his head – f. 212r: Holy Trinity – f. 249r: Virgin and Child – f. 278r: St. Margaret – f. 285v: Funeral service. While this intimate and preciously illuminated manuscript is hybrid in text form, so it is too in iconography and style of illumination. This hybridity underlines its importance, the more so as it reflects the time and context of its origin and use. Although generally much of Psalter illumination derived from examples originating in Paris and northern France, here the iconography of the Psalm initials draws on cycles of contemporary Flemish manuscripts. The style of illumination is related to works from Hainaut. The Mosan valley region encompasses a vast area that is closely linked with the dioceses of Cambrai and Liège and is politically subdivided over the county of Hainaut in the south and part of the duchy of Brabant in the north. The duchy of Brabant was historically divided into four parts, each with its own capital: Louvain, Brussels, Antwerp, and ’s-Hertogenbosch in Flanders, Wallonia, and North Brabant. Throughout the 13th century, the dukes of Brabant supported the economic growth of their towns.
cat. 5
By the 1270s, profitable trade to Brabant had made Brussels, Mechelen, Lier, and Louvain into flourishing centres and Antwerp became a major port. In the same period, the duke also gained control of the route from Bruges to Cologne. In these days, the dukes and their entourage grew into important patrons of the arts and literature. Scribes and illuminators were active in Brabant in the middle of the 13th century, and the region increasingly gained in artistic influence (Oliver 1988, p. 162). The large Brabant towns were all centres of some manuscript production that continued to flourish well into the last decades of the 13th century. The decades of the 1260s-1280s were quite productive for both the county of Hainaut and the duchy of Brabant, rivalling the city of Liège in book production. Brussels, the favoured residence of the dukes of Brabant, grew in prosperity and, by the 14th century, gained first place among Brabantine towns. Illuminators, trained in the school of Hainaut in the south, came north in search of new patrons. Present-day Belgian Hainaut thus shared in the creativity and productivity of French Hainaut to the south. Subsequently, artists brought successive stages of the evolution of the Hainaut style north as well as to Liège, where these foreign artists were quite willing to yield and adapt to local preferences in the layout and iconographic themes of their Psalters (Oliver 1988). Seven eye-catching, full-page miniatures, presenting fourteen scenes from the life of Christ, precede the weekly Psalm recitations in a grand way. Such serial narrative miniatures are known from the mid-11th century, becoming a hallmark of luxury Psalters in the 12th and 13th centuries. The present scenes reflect the patron’s wish to meditate on Christ’s resistance to temptation, his humility in washing the feet of his disciples, his complacency in undergoing the sufferings of betrayal, beating, and death, followed by the celebration of his resurrection and more. Such a pictorial series would transport the beholder back in time but could also make him or her look forward to the eternity of the afterlife – the ultimate goal of his or her prayers. To illuminate the Psalter cycle with scenes taken from the lives of saints rather than of King David, the illuminator of the present book looked at Flemish examples of 12651275 rather than at the ‘classic’ French Psalters. Adopting such images of the martyrdom of saints also demonstrates the increased popularity of saints for their intercessory powers. The lavish full-page miniatures within a double rectangular frame composed of two registers to the page with four diamond-shaped tacks at the corners are also comparable to those in Flemish books. In figure style, the illumination is related to the Mechelen Psalter (Paris, BnF, ms. n.a.l. 1017, written by Walter of Mechelen (Oliver 1988, pp. 164-165). However, the scenes of the labours of the months in the Calendar are set in diamond-shaped frames, a format related to the diamonds set on quadrilobes as seen in Rochester, Memorial Art Gallery, ms. 53.68 and Paris, BnF, ms. lat. 1077 (Liège, 1065-1075). Such a variety of influences makes it rather difficult to localize the origin of manuscripts as is discussed in the profound study devoted to Gothic manuscript illumination by Judith Oliver (1988), who demonstrates how illumination in Psalter-Hours made in the diocese of Liège was influenced by foreign artists.
42
Oliver (1988, pp. 164-72) compared the illumination in the present important book with an elaborate group of related manuscripts, including comparative materials from Brabant and Liège. In the Crucifixion scene, for instance, the figure of Christ is identical in pose and with the same long, elaborately folded loincloth knotted to the right, as in the later Psalter London, BL, ms. Harley 2930 (Liège, c. 12751300). In both the Harley Psalter and the Psalter, New York, ML, ms. M.º 440 (Liège, dated 1261), the historiated initial introducing the Hours of the Virgin – a standing Virgin and Child – echoes that in the Psalter-Hours at hand. The miscellaneous prayers and Commendatio Animarum Office at the end of the Harley manuscript also recall the elaborate prayers ending the Mechelen Psalter and the Commendatio Office in the present book. Our Brabantine Psalter and Morgan M. 440 also share the Flemish saints’ cycle in the Psalter, as well as compositional parallels. The present Psalter Hours furthermore shares compositions with Cambridge, Fitzwilliam ms. 288 and a leaf with St. Lawrence in a private collection (New York) from a second Psalter possibly by the same artist (Oliver 1988, pls. 175-77). When comparing the scene of the saint’s martyrdom, which occurs in all three, Fitzwilliam ms. 288 (Liège, 1280-1290) has the most animated and complex figural composition. Both of the other initials vary in the placement or presence of figures as well as in omitting the tituli. Both the present book and the New York single leaf imitate Flemish models in more aspects. They adopt a Flemish page layout with line endings and with verses beginning on the left. The dragon-headed initials I and J are reminiscent too of forms in Flemish psalters. In addition to shared compositions, the miniatures in our book and Fitzwilliam ms. 288 have a very similar figure style. Our book, however, also has independent compositions and subjects and both the order and choice of saints for Psalm initials disagree. Both manuscripts therefore presumably drew on some common models but may well have looked independently at Flemish Psalters. The strong connections between these two manuscripts, and the links with earlier Hainault illumination, suggest that illuminators from a Hainault atelier first may have worked in Brussels or Lier before some artists from this group travelled further east across Brabant to Liège, where Fitzwilliam ms. 288 was created. The painting of the present manuscript therefore stands in the line of a fascinating tradition in the development of Psalter-Hours’ illumination, in which it seems to play a pivotal role. Long appreciated, the manuscript was at one time part of the great court library at Donaueschingen, one of the most important princely collections in Europe. LITERATURE: Carlvant 2012, p. 335; Oliver 1988, pp. 164-72. Bennett 2003, – 2004; Branner 1977; Büttner 2004; Cottineau 1939; Haseloff 1938, pp. 106-7; Stones 2004, pp. 281-307.
cat. 5
cat. 5
cat. 5
Grand and imposing: illuminated by Maître Honoré
IX, Decretum, edited by Raymond of Penyafort – 6 Gregory Gregory X, Constitutiones novissimae – further legal texts Manuscript on vellum, illuminated by Maître Honoré and workshop France, Paris, not before 1281 440 x 270 mm. 284 ff. (2 leaves cut, 1 leaf added). Catchwords, quires and their leaves numbered. – Written space: up to 405 x 125 mm, 2 columns up to 47 lines, up to 100 lines of gloss. Regular round letters emulating the Littera bononiensis by several scribes. Numerous added notes, many by the first known owner (f. 12r). – Numerous capitals and two- or three-line illuminated initials with foliate sprays, dragons, birds, and rabbits; several caricature pendrawings. 8 large foliate initials, 3 historiated initials, and 5 elegant column-wide miniatures all in colours and gold. – Some staining and natural flaws to vellum, illumination in very good condition. – Binding: 16th-century brown leather over wooden boards, brass bosses, catches, and clasps. Expertly restored.
PROVENANCE: 1. Paris, written and illuminated c. 1281 (Pope Nicolas III, d. 1281, “ad perpetuam memoriam” (f. 264r), his successor Simon de Brion not named Pope Martin IV (12811285) but sede vacante. – 2. A tiny note in the inner margin on f. 12r: “Iste liber pertinet Johanni de Castex.” Many small references added by the same hand (first quarter of the 14th century). The notes show Castex to be a canonist. His name suggests he came from the region of the langue d’oc (Castex d’Armagnac or Casthèts, Gers). – 3. USA, private collection. TEXT: ff. 1r-246r: Decretals of Gregory IX (d. 1241) with the gloss of Bernard of Parma – f. 253v: Gregory X (d. 1276), Constitutiones of the second Council of Lyon with gloss by Johannes Garsias Hispanus (1274) – f. 254r: Alexander IV – f. 262r: Clement IV – f. 264r: Nicholas III – f. 269v: Urban IV – f. 272r: Simon de Brie, Constitutiones of the Council of Bourges (1276) – f. 276r: Nicholas III, On the Fransciscan Rule (1279) – f. 281r: Innocent IV, with gloss (1254) – f. 284r-v: Index, added notes. When Pope Gregory IX requested the Spanish Dominican Raymond of Penyafort (Raimondo de Peñaforte) to organize a comprehensive compilation of canon law, the Spanish canonist structured the subject matter in five books: on jurisdiction, procedure, clergy, marriage, and criminal procedure. Each book is subdivided into titles and chapters. In a letter to the universities of Bologna and Paris, Raymond’s edition was officially proclaimed as the only legitimate version to be used in teaching canon law (L’Engle 2001, pp. 16-17). In the present codex, “Bologna” is added on an erasure, perhaps replacing “Paris”. The manuscript was copied under the supervision of a university stationer, whose correction notes (“cor”) are preserved at the end of some quires. The system of cross-references with graphic signs and underlined lemmata follows French practice (L’Engle 2001, p. 146). Containing several Constitutiones issued by various popes and councils, the book resembles London, BL, ms. Royal 10 D VII (London 2011, no. 107, c. 1281). ILLUMINATION: Three historiated initials, f. 1r: G, Scholar at lectern – f. 65r: D, Scribe writing (as in Tours, BM, ms. 558, f. 1r) – f. 272r: S, Cardinal at lectern – Five large miniatures, f. 1r: Pope, in the middle of his counsellors, points at his book – f. 65r: Dominican monk and clerics discuss a case of a lady holding a sealed charter – f. 123r: Expulsion of a laic from the liturgical space during mass – f. 178r: Marriage ceremony – f. 195r: Pope judges the case of an abbot.
46
These refined miniatures are a joy to the eye! Created in delicate lines, the narratives include the finest details in figures, gestures, and attributes. The faces of this illuminator’s characters display a typical expression, harmoniously structured with few red or rose tones highlighting lips or cheeks. Features and hair are rendered with fine pen-strokes, while the graceful hands are quite expressive. The artist’s shaping of the clothing, with soft folds and subtle shades, covering slender bodies, is remarkable. All of these details indicates the hand of the famous illuminator Maître Honoré and his workshop in Paris. Maître Honoré of Amiens (d. 1312-1313) for many years shared his Parisian house and workshop in the Rue Erembourg-de-Brie (today Rue Boutebrie) with his son-in-law, Richard of Verdun. By the 1280s, both were well-to-do artists. Their collaboration is first documented in an inscription in a Decretum Gratiani dated 1288 (Tours, BM, ms. 558, Stones 2013-14, II.2, p. 144). Honoré is also recorded in the royal accounts in the mid-1290s. Major parts of the illumination in the famous breviary of Philippe le Bel (Paris, BnF, ms. lat. 1023) have been attributed to him (Rouse/ Rouse 2000, 1, pp. 127-38, 142f.). Richard of Verdun did well too and his tax payments soon even exceeded those of his father-in-law. The artists continued to collaborate when Richard and his wife moved to an independent setting in 1296. The present manuscript is an unknown witness of illumination of legal codices associated with Maître Honoré and his collaborators, such as London, ms. Royal 10 D VII (c. 1281), Tours, ms. 558 (c. 1288), leaves in New York (Metropolitan Museum, inv. no. 1990.217, c. 1290), and one sold at auction (Christie’s, 2015, sale 10457, lot 8, c. 1290-1295). Both leaves are from a manuscript in Olomouc (Statni Archiv, ms. C.D. 39), possibly made for Wenceslaus II, King of Bohemia (d. 1305). Although the commissioner of this deluxe codex remains yet unidentified, the royal payments to Maître Honoré at least indicate “that we should expect to find him in manuscripts worthy of a royal commission” (Rouse/Rouse 2000, 1, p. 136). We are grateful to Peter Kidd for informing us about the note by Johannes de Castex. LITERATURE: Unpublished. L’Engle 2001; London 2011; Paris 1998; Rouse/Rouse 2000; Stones 2013-14.
cat. 6*
cat. 6*
cat. 6*
cat. 6*
cat. 6*
Fine illumination from the circle of Frater Thebald of Parma
7 Antiphonal, use of Rome
Manuscript on vellum, illuminated by an artist related to the Master of S. Agnese di Val di Pietra Italy, Bologna (?), c. 1290-1300 545 x 375 mm. 216 leaves, lacking 2 leaves (before f. 2, before f. 87). – 7 four-line staves in red with music, and text written in a monumental hand. – Small initials in red or blue with contrasting penwork, 40 (of 42) painted initials, 4 of which historiated (ff. 36v, 53v, 76r, 166r), multi-coloured, all on deep blue grounds heightened with trailing white penwork, many with extensions into margins. – Illumination in pristine condition with only some slight scuffs to gold, vellum on a number of leaves damaged to base (with old repairs by medieval fragments). – Binding: 16th-century dark leather over massive wooden boards (earlier restoration).
PROVENANCE: 1. Possibly made in Bologna under the supervision of Friar Thebald of Parma (his signature), c. 1290-1300. One of at least five volumes. – 2. Linköping, Sweden, library of Ove Hassler (1904-1987), Dean in Linköping, and his son, Eivind Hassler (1939-2009). – 3. Now in a private collection. SISTER LEAF: Switzerland, private collection: historiated initial S, cutting with Three Angels, (Trinity Sunday) – not from this volume, but possibly from one of the accompanying books of the original series. TEXT: ff. 1r-33v: Ordinary of time – ff. 34r-139v: Sanctoral – ff. 140r-216r: Commons. This splendidly illuminated choir book was part of a largescale project comprising a series of at least five volumes (as mentioned on f. 139v, f. 151v) of the antiphonary for use during the liturgical services of the Office celebrated on the canonical Hours each day. Beginning in early September and continuing until four weeks before Christmas, this volume comprises the chants for the Divine Office of the Proper of Time, the Proper of Saints or Sanctorale (from 28 August to 25 November, from Augustine to Catherine), the Dedication of the Church and the Common of Saints. Most importantly, the codex bears the signature of its professional organizer (f. 9v): Frater Thebaldus di Parma. For a choir book destined for use by a number of singers gathered around a lectern, the large format was imperative. Such a book would be bound in a strong binding, enforced on the lower boards with metal ‘heels’ to facilitate and ease turning the pages while singing. Nevertheless, the wear and tear from time and use took some toll and necessitated various lower borders to be ‘enforced’. These older ‘restorations’ were executed at an unknown moment by sewing on or pasting in some small text-fragments of reused vellum (fragments of earlier manuscripts), which now add to the charm of the codex’s appearance. Usage, however, has not affected the condition of the elaborate initials that are still in pristine condition. ILLUMINATION: f. 36v: initial I, St. Augustine as a cleanshaven bishop – f. 53v: initial H, St. Anne holding the Virgin, a swaddled baby – f. 76r: initial F, Archangel Michael slaying the devil – f. 166r: initial I formed of a hybrid grotesque with a robed human torso and the head of a dog-like creature with a double-headed foliate serpent in his mouth. Small initials in red or blue surrounded by contrasting penwork and forty finely painted initials, often accompanied by colourful leaves extending over the margin, mark each of
52
the major feast days at the first Nocturne or Matins. Larger initials are placed at the Lauds of each feast, the office celebrated in the early morning hours. The decoration and illumination belonged to one, original campaign. All the letters are on deep blue grounds heightened with trailing white penwork, while the extensions are formed of blue, orange, and pink bands enclosing delicate sprays of acanthus leaf foliage and terminating in similar sprays that wind into the borders. Five of the most important openings have extra-large, illuminated initials, four of these are historiated and highlighted with gold. Instructions for the subjects to be painted and the use of gold survive in hairline-thin spidery inscriptions in a cursive hand – likely the hand of Thebald of Parma – in the adjacent margin: “De auro Sci Augustini” (use gold with the St. Augustine), “De auro Nativitas beate virginis,” and “De auro cum Sco Michaele.” The illuminator’s work departs from the linear style (Primo Stile Bolognese) towards a more Byzantine, but at the same time more ‘naturalistic’, style as in the work of Jacopino da Reggio and the Gerona Master (Secondo Stile Bolognese). The present illumination is related to that of the Master of Agnese di Val di Pietra, a Bolognese illuminator active around 1290-1310 (Freuler 2013, vol. I, pp. 190-205). But when comparing that master’s Archangel Michael (Freuler 2013, p. 198) and the miniatures in the present book, our illuminator’s dramatic and expressive qualities seem unrivalled. Next to nothing is known about this excellent master, who might not even be Bolognese, yet he was clearly working in the Emilian region around 1290-1300. To identify Frater Thebald of Parma, the organizer of the manuscript, is therefore of utmost interest and also gives context to the illuminator. This manuscript must have been a costly commission consisting of a series of volumes of at least five, but probably more, large format codices. Young and older clerics would arise at the eight canonical hours of the day – to find a choir book with antiphons, containing music and verses to be sung after listening to a reading from the Bible. Responding to the text in chant helped them to contemplate more deeply the reading they had heard. For many centuries, such books guided a way of life chosen by many. Today, the chants as well as the illuminated manuscripts that preserve them are still much appreciated. We kindly thank Gaudenz Freuler for his scholarly advice. LITERATURE: Unpublished. Alexander 1992; Bologna 2000; Freuler 2013; Roncroffi 2009.
cat. 7*
cat. 7*
A deluxe commission ordered by the best workshop in Avignon
Romanum, for use in the collegiate church of 8 Missale St. Barnard at Romans-sur-Isère Manuscript on vellum, written by P. de Poys, illuminated in the workshop of Jean de Toulouse Southern France, Avignon, c. 1380-1390 320 x 250 mm; i (old vellum flyleaf) + 83 leaves, incomplete. – Littera textualis formata by the scribe ‘P. le Poys’ (his signature on ff. 20v, 27v, 45v); music in square notation. – Calligraphic initials, with touches of ochre and frequent grotesque figures (on f. 9r, 2 cut out); numerous initials in various sizes in penwork flourishes, colours on gold ground or vice versa; 12 large historiated initials, 1 full-page miniature. – Signs of wear and tear after many years of use, but generally in good condition, with wide, slightly cropped margins (upper side). Some miniatures slightly rubbed. Old pastedowns in front and back. – Binding: 15th-century blind-stamped leather on boards; rather worn, spine restored; traces of clasps.
PROVENANCE: 1. Romans-sur-Isère, made for the collegiate church of St. Barnard as shown by the veneration to the martyrs SS. Séverin, Exupère, and Félicien (f. 65v) and a later addition stating (f. 82r): “Ad usum insignis et collegialae ecclesiae beati Barnardi de Romanis sacro sanctae Romanae ecclesiae immediate sub(stitu)tionae” (?). – 2. Several notes by later hands, without indication of the owner’s name. – 3. In the 18th century, still in French hands (see f. 3r in right margin: Mon dieu ayez pitié de…; another addition in lower margin erased. – 4. Milan, Hoepli sale, May 1962, no. 7. TEXT: Missale Romanum with chants and musical notation. Missals serve the priest in celebrating Mass each day throughout the year. Our codex contains, in addition to some preparatory prayers, the Ordinary of the Mass, the Canon, and part of the Proper of Time for the principal feasts. Not included are the Calendar, Advent, and most of the Sanctorale. The catchword at the end of the first quire deviates from what follows, indicating missing text. Apart from this gap, we may also assume that the present codex was part of a large commission consisting of several volumes. Signed by P. Le Poys three times, the scribe’s name could not be tracked down in any repertorium, but he should be highly regarded given the quality of writing he presented. ILLUMINATION: f. 28r: full-page miniature of Christ in Majesty in a lozenge (the latter presumably over-painted), surrounded in the corners by the symbols of the four Evangelists. – The 12 large historiated initials are painted within a space of c. 60 x 60 mm, except for the Lamentation which is 90 x 95 mm. All are accompanied by elegant marginal decoration of stylized branches, often intertwined with multi-coloured winged monsters: f. 7v: Nativity – f. 12v: Resurrection – f. 16r: Ascension – f. 29r: Elevation of the Host – f. 32r: Lamentation of Christ – f. 46r: Pentecost – f. 50v: Elevation of the Host – f. 54v: Peter and Paul – f. 59r: Coronation of the Virgin – f. 63r: All Saints – f. 65v: Exupère and Félicien (A mystery play devoted to these martyrs, the so-called ‘Doms’, was performed at Romans-sur-Isère during Pentecost) – f. 67v: Funeral Service. The illumination can be attributed to the workshop of Jean de Toulouse, who is frequently mentioned in papal court documents and payrolls in Avignon during the last quarter of the 14th century. He formed his ‘workshops’ spontaneously, according to his commissions, suggesting that
56
independent artists collaborated temporarily and separated when their task was accomplished. The head of such a bottega was usually responsible for supervising the artists and providing their models and designs. Jean’s oeuvre consists so far of fifty-seven identified manuscripts. Francesca Manzari (2006) identified Jean’s hand from a Missal made for Pope Clement VII. Our manuscript demonstrates his style in at least four or five of the historiated initials on ff. 7v, 12v, 32r, 59r, and possibly 67v. The full-page miniature of Christ in Majesty (f. 28r) is perhaps also by him, although not conclusively attributable because the face of Christ seems to be touched or kissed by devout priests who used the Missal. Jean de Toulouse’s elegant figures show decorative contours and shapes, as pursued in Parisian illumination of the later 14th century. The soft moulding of the faces and the flowing draperies give an excellent example of the International Gothic, also called the ‘soft style’ (Weicher Stil). The other seven historiated initials are by one or two other artists who prefer slender figures with small heads. Their draperies are more pronounced and show a crisper modelling, recalling more Italian illumination. We can therefore hypothesize that the manuscript belonged – based on the note on f. 82r – to the Collegiate Church of St. Barnard at Romans-sur-Isère. A possible candidate as commissioner for a deluxe Missal like the present book could be one of the most important and best-known canons of Romans, namely Henri de Sévery (?-1394), who was personal friend of antipope Clement VII (Robert of Geneva, 1342-1394). Presumably born at Sévery (Vaud, Switzerland), Henri began his ecclesiastical career in Romainmôtier (also in Vaud), after which he held many functions. He became a canon and later prior of the Collegiate Church of St. Barnard at Romans, but also held offices in Comtat Venaissin at Carpentras (like Avignon, a papal state, with Henri as rector from 1379-1390). He was elected bishop of Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne (1381-1383), but soon transferred to Rodez (1385-1396). We do know of a special Missal with which Henri de Sévery was associated, as he added some autobiographical notes to its calendar. That Missal was seen and recorded by James Weale in 1892 (cf. Vernière/Lempereur), but is untraced since. LITERATURE: Unpublished. Carvin 1988; Chevalier 1887; Fleck 2009; Godefroy/Girard 1985, pp. 37-38; Laclotte 1960; London 2005, no. 55, pp. 25862; Manzari 2006, pp. 203-85; – 2011; Pradervand/Schätti 2003; Rogoz 1971; Vernière/Lempereur 1894, pp. 195-200.
cat. 8*
cat. 8*
cat. 8*
Luxury Psalter from the British Isles
9 Psalter with Calendar, use of Sarum Illuminated manuscript on vellum
British Isles, England or possibly Wales? c. 1400-1425 300 x 216 mm. 114 leaves. – Calendar: written space: 190 x 155 mm, 11 columns, 38 lines; Psalter: 173 x c. 120 mm, 2 columns, 24 lines. Littera textualis, Calendar and Psalter written by two different hands. – Illuminated one-line initials at all verses (not in calendar), two-line initials on field of gold with colourful marginal flourishes, 7 historiated initials, 1 smaller miniature, 1 half-page miniature, all within full decorated borders. – Some notes in English and Latin added. – Binding: 19 th-century English calf over wooden boards.
PROVENANCE: 1. England, Psalter copied and illuminated after a continental exemplar, Calendar for Sarum use added by a second hand. Anonymous patron presented by St. Peter (f. 83r). – 2. Hanwell, Oxfordshire, Sir Anthony Cope, 4th Baronet (1632-1675), inscription dated 1658 (f. i). – 3. 18th-century English inscriptions. – 4. France, Jean Hersent (1862-1940), engineer and author. – 5. France, private collection. – 6. Now in a private collection. TEXT: ff. 1r-6v: Calendar (half-full), use of Sarum, in red: Pope Gregory (12 March), St. Augustine, apostle of England (26 May), Translatio St. Thomas Martyr (7 July), St. Audoen (24 August, patron saint of Normandy), St. Edmund King and Martyr (20 November). Initials highlighted in yellow. Space for painted initials left open. – ff. 7r-105v: Liturgical Psalter in eightfold division with antiphons. – ff. 87vb-89rb: Quicumque vult (between Ps. 118:32 and 33) – ff. 105v-107v: Canticles – ff. 107v-109r: Litany (last male saint: Yvo, patron of Brittany; no Celtic saints listed). – ff. 109v-114r: Hymns for Matins, Lauds, and Vespers through the week. This imposing, large format manuscript consists of two codicological units: the Calendar and Psalter, written by two different scribes after models of different use (Sarum and Roman). The 150 Psalms that formed the heart of the daily Divine Office are here followed by antiphons, a feature more likely to be seen in Breviaries for clerical use. Psalms were generally recited in pairs of two, under one antiphon. The hymns that follow also refer to liturgical use. The contents of this manuscript thus strongly suggest the book was made for use by a secular cleric in a parish church or cathedral, where recitation of the psalms was accomplished by Matins and Vespers and (mostly) done according to numerical order. ILLUMINATION: Large miniatures: f. 7r (Ps.1): King David plays his psaltery before a group of civilians. David’s blue cloak is delicately embroidered with floral motifs and the repeated initial M. The full borders include figures threatened by insects, angels playing music, and various portrait-like heads. The large letters Beatus vir are painted in colours on a gold ground and adorned with flourishes – f. 83r: Trinity seated on a bench, within an architectural structure, before a background of curling golden acanthus. In the borders, curling acanthus in colours and pen-flourishes and angels swinging censors; in the right margin, an orange devilish face and a figure playing a trumpet – Seven historiated initials at major psalm divisions: f. 21r: D, David anointed by Samuel while a devil watches – f. 30r: D, David points to his mouth – f. 39v: D, Naked fool wields a club and blows a horn; bas-de-page, a gaudy, vivid head of a monk-like grotesque – f. 49: S, David in waters, blessed by God in heaven – f. 60r: E, David plays
60
bells – f. 70v: C, Ecclesiastics sing – f. 83r: D, male patron kneels in prayer, presented by St. Peter. The tonsured man wears a long, blue robe and orange undergarment, a large purse dangles from his girdle. He holds up his hands in supplication to the Trinity above. Each verse begins with a small gilded initial against an ornate background of rose and blue. Of the line-fillings, only those in the first quire are in more distinct, brighter colours. The larger, two-line initials on a golden field comprise floral motifs and are decorated with fine flourishes, flowers, and gold leaves. In addition to a splendid opening page with a large miniature of King David at Psalm 1 (f. 7r), a large illustration of the Trinity is above the initial representing the patron at Ps. 109 (f. 83r). In its content, the decoration follows the established form of Psalm illustrations, with seven historiated initials emphasizing historical, symbolic, or liturgical textual interpretations. In the margins, small, playful figures make music or fight, and colourful dragons, some hybrid monsters, or grotesque faces appear. The striking and very unusual style of illumination is difficult to localize: the faces of the figures (and that of David in particular) are curiously archaic and rendered in a markedly 14th-century style. But the fashion of clothes and the style of the acanthus in the borders indicate a turn of the century date, perhaps in the first quarter of the 15th century. The palette consists of bright orange, soft green, and old rose. The colourful borders with drolleries and heads point to an origin in the British Isles, although we have not found any direct parallels (compare perhaps Scott 1996, no. 81). The individual idiosyncrasies displayed in the illumination allow no ascription to a known artist. The somewhat coarse quality of vellum, the slightly irregular hand, and archaic style of illumination may refer to a scriptorium outside of the major centres. At the time of the English Reformation (1534), all church books were to be confiscated and destroyed. Those kept privately were not always found (Edwards 1990, p. 148). This stylish manuscript made for the tonsured, secular cleric on f. 83r, possibly named Peter after his patron saint, escaped destruction. The golden initials M embroidered on King David’s cloak (f. 13r) could lead to the identification of this patron’s cathedral: could the biblical king possibly refer to the Welsh St. David of Mynyw or Menavia? If so, this manuscript would be entirely unique. LITERATURE: Unpublished. Edwards 1990; Morgan 2004, – 2013; Scott 1996.
cat. 9*
cat. 9*
cat. 9*
cat. 9*
cat. 9*
An early work by the Mazarine Master, in the great age of Parisian manuscript illumination
10 Book of Hours, use of Soissons or Laon
Manuscript on vellum, in Latin and French, illuminated by the Mazarine Master and workshop France, Paris, c. 1405 189 x 132 mm. ii + 225 + iii leaves, complete. – Written space: 90 x 55 mm. – Numerous one- to three-line initials in colours and burnished gold, the smaller with intricate penwork. 30 large miniatures with full borders in burnished gold, red, and blue, with wine leaves, small flowers, three-sided bars of burnished gold and colours, some with dragon terminals. – Minor wear to margins, slight rubbing to some borders, slight smudging to some miniatures. – Binding: 15th-century tan leather over wooden boards blind-stamped with tools, including a pelican, eagle, stag, fleur-de-lys, and dragon, two metal studs to fasten straps, painted and gilded fore-edges; straps and metal attachments replaced; added later: hinged sliding metal brackets applied at top and bottom of spine, joints expertly restored, wear with some losses to leather.
PROVENANCE: 1. Paris, made for a patron either in or from the area to the north-east of Soissons or Laon. The calendar includes saints revered in the dioceses of Soissons and Laon. Quentin of St-Quentin, north of Soissons and Laon, is also in the suffrages and litany. The owner may have been linked with the Franciscan Order, because St. Francis is in the litany, as is, most unusually at this date, Our Lady of the Snow, a feast promoted by the Franciscans. Prayers in the masculine. – 2. A prayer to St. Sebastian is added in a 16thcentury hand on the final flyleaf. – 3. “Pouget prêtre donum domini Huberti” (Pouget priest, gift of Hubert), inside front cover in 18th-century hand. – 4. Sir Thomas Wright of Leicester (1836-1905): his gift to George Munson Curtis of Meriden, Connecticut (1857-1913) and by descent until sold in London at Sotheby’s, 23 June 1987, lot 105. – 5. Arcana Collection, sold at Christie’s London, Part III, 6 July 2011, lot 11. – 6. Europe, private collection. TEXT: ff. 1r-12r: Calendar, half-full (19 May: St. Yves in gold; 9 October: St. Denis in gold; St. Genevieve lacking) – ff. 13r20r: Gospel sequences – ff. 21r-25v: Obsecro te – ff. 26r-30v: O intemerata – ff. 31r-36v: Mass of the Virgin – ff. 37r-104v: Office of the Virgin, use of Soissons or Laon – ff. 105r-127r: Penitential Psalms and litany – ff. 127v-138v: Hours of the Cross – ff. 139r-148r: Hours of the Holy Spirit – ff. 149r-156r: Fifteen Joys of the Virgin, in French – ff. 156v-161r: Seven requests to our Lord, in French – ff. 163r-201v: Office of the Dead with three lessons – ff. 202r-224v: Suffrages. ILLUMINATION: f. 13r: St. John on the island Patmos – f. 37r: Annunciation – f. 50v: Visitation – f. 63v: Nativity – f. 71r: Annunciation to the Shepherds – f. 77r: Adoration of the Magi – f. 82v: Presentation in the Temple – f. 88r: Flight into Egypt – f. 97v: Coronation of the Virgin – f. 105r: God in Majesty enthroned – f. 127v: Crucifixion with Mary and St. John – f. 139r: Pentecost – f. 149r: Virgin and Child enthroned – f. 156v: Christ Pantocrator – f. 163r: Funeral Service – f. 202r: St. Michael – f. 203v: St. John the Baptist – f. 205r: SS. Peter and Paul – f. 206v: Lapidation of St. Stephen – f. 208r: St. Lawrence – f. 209v: St. Sebastian – f. 211r: St. Anthony Abbot – f. 212v: SS. Cosmas and Damian – f. 214r: St. Christopher carries the Christ Child – f. 216r: St. Eutropius, first Bishop of Saintes – f. 217v: St. Quentin – f. 219r: Noli me tangere (St. Mary Magdalene) – f. 220v: St. Anne with young Virgin Mary – f. 222r: St. Catherine – f. 223v: St. Margaret.
66
The handsome, elegant miniatures in the present manuscript are mainly the work of the Mazarine Master, named for the Book of Hours in Paris’ Bibliothèque Mazarine (ms. 469). In 1999, Gabriele Bartz most convincingly was able to separate the Mazarine Master’s oeuvre from that of the Boucicaut Master. She even showed that the two artists were neither working in the same studio, nor sharing their models on a regular basis, nor were they often working together on manuscript projects. Bartz attributes the manuscript at hand to the Mazarine Master. In comparison with the Boucicaut Master, the Mazarine Master has a different palette, which is, especially in the eponymous manuscript, determined by a rare lime-green that he used progressively more often in his mature works, but which is used in our book only once. Judging from the archaic wine leaf tendrils, we may assume that this book is among his earliest works, dated around 1405. The artist’s awareness of hierarchy in the secondary decoration is already perceptible in this early work. He surrounds the two most important miniatures, the Annunciation (f. 37r) and God in Majesty (f. 105r), with three-sided solid gold bars while the other miniatures are less elaborately framed. He also uses more delicate, complex tendrils for these two borders. The master likes to combine complementary colours, frequently using radiant orange contrasted with vivid green or accompanied by pale rose. His main interest seems to be drapery, the folds of which are moulded delicately with different shades of the same tone. His faces are rather expressionless, minutely defined by brush strokes on a greenish foundation. One can also recognise the Mazarine Master’s works in his idiosyncratic backgrounds, perhaps developed in conjunction with the Egerton Master, with whom he collaborated in the Egerton Book of Hours (London, BL, Egerton ms. 1070). Another manuscript by the Egerton Master (Los Angeles, J. Paul Getty Museum, ms. Ludwig IX 5) shows similar patterns, but the characteristics of our master are evident, and his special, rounded acanthus leaves on coloured or golden grounds is one of his trademarks. LITERATURE: Bartz 1999, p. 123, ills. 15, 33. König 2011, no. 5; Meiss 1968; Paris 2004, nos. 175-78.
cat. 10
cat. 10
cat. 10
cat. 10
cat. 10
Drama in Austrian book history
Chrysostomos, Homiliae super Mattheum – 11 Johannes Gregorius I, Homiliae super Evangeliis – Origenes, Homiliae Illustrated manuscript on paper, written by Nicolaus, former vicar in Piesting Austria, Wiener Neustadt (?), 1407-1408 410 x 280 mm. 108 leaves (missing 1 blank, f. 60, and 2 text pages, ff. 55, 65). – Written space: 315 x 215 mm, 2 columns, 57-66 lines. Littera cursiva. – Many initials in red, 2 large pen-and-wash drawings highlighted in red, one genealogical table. – With interesting historical notes. A Latin note mentions an indulgence for Hans Haimlich and his wife Margareta; another note concerns the costs of the book. – Binding: contemporary, Wiener Neustadt?, dark brown calf over oak boards, decorated in cuir-ciselé technique (compare Mazal 1990, no. 8, Styria, c. 1425), with original chain. Vellum flyleaves consist of two halves of a charter dated 9 December 1390.
PROVENANCE: 1. Written by Nicolaus, once vicar in Piesting, near Wiener Neustadt: he dated his work in 1407 (f. 58r) and 1408 (f. 105r). The flyleaves form a charter dated 1390 concerning the pastoral position of a Nicolaus Nicolai in Piesting – likely the same man as the scribe – who had been ousted by a rival, and who later was killed by a Rustibaldus. – 2. Added by another, contemporary hand: Nickl (Nicolas) Piegker. A Nicolas Piegker is documented as citizen and owner of a house in Wiener Neustadt (1431-1438; Arnim 1984, p. 710n10). – 3. Fridericus, choirmaster at Liebfraukirche in Wiener Neustadt, chaplain of the high altar, bequeathed the book in 1446 (f. 107r). He is documented in Wiener Neustadt in 1415 until 1437 (Arnim 1984, p. 708n5). – 4. Schweinfurt, Otto Schäfer collection (his no. 163, Arnim 1984, no. 372). The charter bound into the book as flyleaves is testimony to a procedure handled by the clerical court, presumably, in the monastery Michelsberg near Bamberg. In this case, a certain Konrad Wallingraben at Piesting was accused of illegally usurping the pastoral position of Nicolaus Nicolai (likely our copyist). Long-term negotiations had preceded, but Wallingraben had failed to follow the admonitions of the Church authorities. The charter announces his excommunication on 9 July 1389. Nevertheless, he continued to read Mass at Piesting. Nicolaus supposedly left Piesting to live in Wiener Neustadt, where he may have raised his income by copying books. His life ended tragically: his death by a knife in the hand of the rustibaldus (an incorrect contamination of rusticus and ribaldus) is mentioned in an added note (f. 110r). This was perhaps an act of revenge by the Wallingraben party? TEXT: f. 2r: Arbor consanguinitatis, Text and diagram on blood relationships – ff. 3r-58r: St. John Chrysostom (d. 407), Homilies on the Gospel of Matthew, ending: “Finitum anno domini 1407… per me Nicolaum plebanus quondam in Piestink”; added by a later hand (in Latin): “Later wickedly killed by knife by a very bad thug. May he rest in peace” – ff. 61v: St. Gregory (d. 604), Omelie xl… 1408: “Et scripte per Nicolaum olym plebanus in Piestnik”. Followed by notes on the events in the same year (in German) – ff. 105r-107r: Origen (d. 254), Homilies on Matthew and Mary Magdalene, followed by notes on the events in 1404/1405 (in German). The Homilies by John Chrysostom belong to the greatest patristic commentary that has come down to us. The oldest version is known in a 6th-century manuscript
72
(Wolfenbüttel). History records that Thomas Aquinas said he would give the whole city of Paris for a copy of this text. Pope Gregory’s Homilies discuss the practical concerns and theological expectations of a period when the church had to deal with serious problems caused by invading Barbarians, administrative transformations, and improving monastic practices. From the numerous Homilies by Origen, this manuscript contains two: the first on the Birth of Christ according to the Gospel of Matthew and the second on Mary Magdalene according to the Gospel of John. The exegesis of homilies demanded an intelligent public. A codex like the book at hand would primarily have been used for study. DECORATION: The initials and the two pen-drawings highlighted in red are executed by the same hand, presumably the scribe himself. John Chrysostom (f. 2r, 227 x 150 mm) and Pope Gregory (f. 61r, 320 x 215 mm) are presented as medieval saintly bishops and church fathers. Chrysostom holds a scroll in his hand and sits on a bank, while Gregory is shown with a crozier, standing before a stylized tree. Both charming, somewhat naïve drawings, reflect an unsophisticated warmth and suggest a hand that was not without experience. More than a text, the codex also offers a view on its historical, rather tragic, context. Nicolas, who also added some personal notes in German on the extreme cold wintertime, prices of food, and the local troubles in Austria, left us an extraordinarily interesting personal document (Arnim 1984, p. 708n4) referring to Piesting, a small town to the northwest of Wiener Neustadt. Only very few manuscripts from Wiener Neustadt or Piesting survive (Lackner-Haidinger 2000). In all aspects, the book at hand is an extraordinary, genuine witness of medieval practices. The precisely decorated binding shows furthermore that the codex functioned as a chained book to allow study in support of daily, pastoral practices. It was offered for – more or less public – use among clerics, most likely in the medieval church of Our Lady at Wiener Neustadt, where the codex was in 1446 (f. 110r). There it may have been attached to a lectern on the choir, if not in the church library, and could be consulted but not removed. LITERATURE: Arnim 1984, no. 372, – 1992, no. 1; Drescher 2001, no. 20; Mazal 1990, no. 8. Lackner/Haidinger 2000.
cat. 11*
cat. 11*
cat. 11*
A magnificent Book of Hours of noble provenance
12 Talbot-Beauchamp Book of Hours, use of Sarum
Manuscript on vellum, illuminated by three artists in the proximity of the Dunois and Harvard Hannibal Masters France, Rouen, c. 1430 221 x 155 mm. 187 leaves, complete. – Written-space: 110 x 67 mm. Littera textualis. – Numerous initials (one historiated) in burnished gold on coloured grounds. 31 large miniatures, full illuminated borders with burnished gold leaves and colourful plants. – Some slight rubbing, smudging of borders, minuscule flaking in the miniatures. Generally, in very fine condition with fresh colours and wide, clean margins. – Binding: Antique dark blue velvet over wooden boards, gilt edges.
PROVENANCE: 1. Rouen, illuminated during the English occupation 1420-1449. The manuscript was possibly made for Sir John Talbot (c. 1384-1453) or for someone in his household. He was one of the principal English commanders during the occupation of France, present at the siege of Orleans and taken prisoner from 1429-1433. Our book must have been made during that period. The border on f. 72v shows a white dog (a talbot), the earl’s personal badge, holding a banner with the earl’s arms, gules a lion rampant or. The dog faces a man with a red headdress rising from a tower, holding a scroll: “verite va” (la verite va vous liberer, i.e. the truth will make you free, John 8:32). This clearly hints to Talbot’s confinement. The book may have either belonged to him or his wife, Margaret Beauchamp, who was in France in 1431 to attend the coronation of Henry VI. – 2. Henry Hucks Gibbs (1819-1907), first Lord Aldenham, with his armorial bookplate; bought in 1859, by descent to the Aldenham sale, Sotheby’s, 23 March 1937, lot 181. – 3. Marcel Jeanson (1885-1942), his ms. 6, with his bookplate; not included when the majority of the Jeanson manuscripts were sold in 1987. By descent in the Jeanson family until 2005. – 4. Europe, private collection. TEXT: ff. 1r-12v: Calendar, in Latin (half-full, includes St. Thomas Becket, in gold, his translation in blue, both feasts of St. Romanus of Rouen) – ff. 13r-20r: Gospel Sequences – ff. 21r-92r: Hours of the Virgin, use of Sarum incorporating sequences of Suffrages; interspersed throughout with Hours of the Cross – ff. 93r-120r: Penitential Psalms with Litany – ff. 122r-177v: Office of the Dead, use of Rouen – ff. 180r-186v: Obsecro te and O intemerata both in male form – Blanks on: ff. 20v, 92v, 120v-121v, 178r-179v. The Hours of the Virgin being interspersed with the Hours of the Cross was uncommon in France at the time this book was made but was rather popular in English prayer books, as is the incorporation of Suffrages. In the book at hand, the prayers to SS. Catherine and Margaret are illustrated with large miniatures, which may indicate that these saints are connected with the owner: Sir John Talbot’s oldest daughter was named Katherine, while his second wife’s name was Margaret (married in 1425). Thomas Becket and St. George are the most important patron saints of England, and Talbot’s battle cry was ‘A Talbot, a St. George’. In his will, he provided for a chapel in his home church dedicated to the Virgin and St. George. Illustrated prayers to SS. Lupus and Eustace are highly unusual, especially in an assumed English context, leaving room for more research.
76
ILLUMINATION: f. 13r: St. John – f. 15r: St. Luke – f. 17r: St. Matthew – f. 19r: St. Mark – f. 21r: Annunciation – f. 31r: Visitation – f. 45r: St. Catherine – f. 46r: St. Margaret – f. 48r: Martyrdom of St. Thomas Becket – f. 49r: St. Lupus (presumably bishop of Troyes) – f. 50r: St. Eustace – f. 51r: St. George and the Dragon – f. 52r: Agony in the Garden – f. 53r: Arrest of Christ – f. 54r: Nativity – f. 59v: Christ before Caiaphas – f. 61r: Annunciation to the Shepherds – f. 65v: Scourging of Christ – f. 67r: Adoration of the Magi – f. 71r: Christ carrying the Cross – f. 72v: Presentation in the Temple – f. 76v: Crucifixion – f. 78r: Annunciation to the Shepherds (erroneously) – f. 84v: Descent from the Cross – f. 85v: Coronation of the Virgin – f. 89v: Entombment – f. 93r: David in Prayer – f. 122r: Funeral service – f. 160r: Burial service – f. 180r: Virgin and Child enthroned – f. 183v: Virgin and Child in a garden. The miniatures were basically divided among two workshops. The artist who painted the elaborate Annunciation (f. 21r in a lavish border on burnished gold), can be identified with the one who illustrated Paris, BnF, ms. lat. 1162. He seems to have been active in Normandy but was also familiar with the illuminations of the Bedford Master and his circle. He and his associates were mainly responsible for the illustrations of the Gospel lectures and the Office of the Virgin. The illustrations for the Suffrages and the Passion cycle are by a workshop with more solid traits and less concern for detail and decoration. One recalls the painter of Bloomington, Lilly Library, Ricketts ms. 120, as well as the works of the Fastolf and Talbot Masters. The master of BnF, lat. 1162 avoids landscapes and prefers diapered grounds. Only the Visitation (f. 31r) and Mary with Child in the enclosed garden (f. 183v) show a landscape. The Visitation’s scenery is more elaborate, strongly corresponding with those of Christ’s Entombment (f. 89v) and David in Penance (f. 93r). All three miniatures may have been executed by a third artist of even more subtle workmanship, whose style remotely recalls that of the Harvard Hannibal Master. It is, however, evident that all three artists were eager to harmonize their paintings. The palette is quite homogenous and features like skies with minuscule golden stars and silvery streaks of clouds are found in all miniatures. It is a highly engaging work that deserves a thorough study. We thank Gregory Clark for sharing his knowledge about the manuscript with us. LITERATURE: Unpublished. Backhouse 1981; De Hamel 2010, no. 59; König 2007, – 2011, pp. 139-48; Leroquais 1927, 1, pp. 85-6, pl. XXXIII; London 2011; Pollard 2005; Reynolds 1994, p. 305.
cat. 12
cat. 12
cat. 12
cat. 12
cat. 12
A masterpiece of flawless Parisian illumination
13 De Croix Hours
Manuscript on vellum, in Latin and French, illuminated by the Master of the Munich Golden Legend, the Master of the Harvard Hannibal, and the Dunois Master France, Paris, c. 1430-1435 215 x 150 mm. 263 of probably 269 ff. – Written space: 102 x 68 mm, 16 lines. Littera textualis, rubrics in red, some left blank. – Countless initials, line-fillers in burnished gold and colours. Each text page almost entirely decorated in highly burnished, gold ivy leaves and small coloured flowers on black hairline stems. 69 large miniatures, one later frontispiece, in arched compartments, above large initials, within broad, three-sided illuminated baguettes sprouting in the corners into sprays of lush coloured flowers and acanthus leaves, all supporting full borders. – Some occasional spots of wear, a few marginal stains especially in upper outer corners. Generally, in extremely fine, fresh condition with wide margins, sparkling burnished gold. – Binding: late 19 th-century dark brown crushed morocco, with red morocco linings, profusely gilt, red silk marker, by Chambolle-Duru; in dark brown leather pull-off case.
PROVENANCE: 1. Possibly for a male user named Jean (male forms in prayers). – 2. Opening with an inserted 19th-century frontispiece copying the style of the Master of the Munich Golden Legend. An unidentified saint holds two coats-of-arms, the left of which and the motto “seul contre tous” belongs to the family de Hénin-Líetard from Alsace; the other belongs to the de Croix family. The text underneath points to Isabeau de Croix, daughter of Jean de Croix (1410-1492). She married Baudouin VIII de HéninLietard, pair du Cambrésis. It is possible that a similar title page already existed in the original and was replaced by a later copy when the book received its new binding. Thus, it may well have been made originally for Jean de Croix, who passed it on to his eldest daughter. However, frequent references to the royal fleur-de-lys in several miniatures rather suggest a first owner of royal descent. Another Jean who has lilies on his crest and is closely connected to the book’s main artist would be Jean de Dunois. He could have given the book to de Croix on the occasion of the Treaty of Arras, in 1435. It ended the Hundred Years’ War and recognized Charles VII as King of France. Since the lords of Croix exercised their power in the region north of Arras, they participated in the glorious celebration of the treaty. Jean de Croix could have also received the precious gift for his marriage in 1430 or for the birth of his daughter Isabeau. – 3. France, private collection, 19th century (when it was rebound). – 4. United States, private collection. – 5. Now in a private collection. TEXT: ff. 2r-13v: Calendar in French with an emphasis on Parisian saints – ff. 14r-21v: Gospel Sequences, abridged Passion of John – ff. 22r-63r: Psalter of Saint Jerome – ff. 63v-73v: Sunday Hours of the Trinity – ff. 74r-83v: Monday Hours of the Dead – ff. 84r-94v: Tuesday Hours of the Holy Ghost – ff. 95r-106r: Wednesday Hours of All Saints – ff. 106v-119v: Thursday Hours of the Holy Sacrament – ff. 119v-128r: Friday Hours of the Cross – ff. 128v-137v: Saturday Hours of the Virgin, followed by prayers to the Virgin – ff. 142r-161v: Penitential Psalms – ff. 162r-173v: Passion of John – ff. 174r-177v: Mass of the Angels – f. 178r-180v: Prayers in memory of the Holy Passion – ff. 181r-217r: Prayers in memory of the salvific history, all directly addressing Christ – ff. 218r-220v: Prayer by Pope Innocent with ten years’ indulgence – ff. 221r-231v: Several prayers – ff. 232r-257v: Suffrages to the Saints – ff. 258r-263v: Prayer to the Virgin, in French.
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ILLUMINATION: f. 1r: Unknown saint with two crests, painted in the 19 th century (cf. provenance). – f. 14r: St. John on Patmos – f. 16r: St. Mark – f. 18r: St. Matthew – f. 20r: St. Luke – f. 21v: The Scourging at the Pillar – f. 22r: St. Jerome – f. 63v: The Throne of Grace – f. 74r: Funeral Service – f. 84r: Pentecost – f. 95r: All Saints – f. 106v: Procession of the Corpus Christi – f. 119v: Crucifixion – f. 128v: The Virgin Weaving – f. 142r: David in Prayer – f. 162r: Christ confounding the soldiers in the Garden of Gethsemane – f. 174r: Throne of God – f. 178r: Mourning of Christ – f. 181r: The Annunciation – f. 182r: The Nativity – f. 183r: The Virgin suckling the Child – f. 184r: Presentation in the Temple – f. 185r: Baptism of Christ – f. 186v: Raising of Lazarus – f. 187v: Entry into Jerusalem – f. 188v: The Last Supper – f. 190r: Agony in the Garden – f. 191v: The Betrayal – f. 193r: Christ before Annas – f. 194v: Christ before Caiaphas – f. 196v: Christ before Pilate – f. 198r: Christ before Herod – f. 200r: Mocking and crowning of Christ – f. 201v: Pilate washing his hands – f. 203v: Carrying of the Cross – f. 205r: Crucifixion – f. 213r: Harrowing of Hell – f. 214r: Resurrection – f. 215r: Christ’s Ascension – f. 216r: Pentecost – f. 221r: The Holy Trinity – f. 230r: The Holy Trinity – f. 231r: Virgin and Child with angels playing music – f. 232r: Beheading of St. John the Baptist – f. 233r: St. Peter – f. 234r: St. Paul – f. 235r: St. Andrew – f. 236r: St. John the Evangelist – f. 237r: Beheading of St. James the Greater – f. 238r: The Stoning of St. Stephen – f. 239r: St. Christopher – f. 240r: The Beheading of St. Denis – f. 241r: St. Sebastian – f. 242r: St. Firminus – f. 243r: St. Martin – f. 244r: St. Augustine – f. 245r: St. Nicholas with the three youths – f. 246r: St. Claude – f. 247r: St. Anthony – f. 248r: St. Fiacre cultivating the forest – f. 249r: SS. Gervase and Protase – f. 250r: St. Maurus – f. 251r: Decapitation of St. Katherine – f. 252r: St. Anne teaches Mary to read – f. 253r: St. Margaret – f. 254r: St. Mary Magdalene – f. 255r: St. Geneviève – f. 256r: St. Opportuna as a Benedictine abbess – f. 257r: All Saints – f. 258r: Madonna on the crescent moon. This is one of the 15th century’s most profusely illustrated Books of Hours and a masterpiece of collaboration between three of the most talented Parisian illuminators of that era. The Harvard Hannibal Master is here responsible for twelve miniatures. Named after Livy’s Décades (Houghton Library, ms. Richardson 32), he also contributed an important miniature in the Antiquités Judaiques
cat. 13
(Paris, BnF, ms. fr. 247, f. 3r), originally begun for the Duke of Berry. That he was entrusted with two frontispieces in prestigious manuscripts proves his artistic standing. He had access to most elaborate artworks, for he worked with the Boucicaut Master and a successor of the Limbourgs. He demonstrates a profound interest in combining patterns of textiles, tiles, etc., so that his works convey a gemlike impression; he also shows a developed, astute sense for brio and suspense. In contrast, the Master of the Munich Golden Legend strives for harmony and equilibrium. He is prone to more spacious compositions with fewer protagonists and a clear structure. His figures seem squatty and solid while his palette oscillates from strong colours to paler, muted hues. He created twenty-four miniatures in our manuscript; Eleanor Spencer (1983) identified him with the Master of the Munich Golden Legend (Munich, BSB, cod. gall. 3), after which she named him. He contributed to many of the great manuscripts that emerged from the Bedford Master’s circle, including the Bedford Hours itself. The list of manuscripts in which this illuminator participated was revised by Laurent Ungeheuer in 2015. The master was tentatively identified by Eberhard König as Conrad of Toul, from an apparent signature in the Munich volume “Conra(dus) Toliens(is) fecit”. However, a Conrad of Toul is nowhere reported in the archives. Judging from his style and collaborations, the Master of the Munich Golden Legend was clearly an assistant of the Bedford Master. The Dunois Master, who contributed thirty-three miniatures, was doubtlessly the successor and quite possibly even the son of the Bedford Master, a certain Jehan Haincelin. He ran the principal workshop for aristocratic manuscripts in Paris in the 1430s and 1440s. He owes his cognomen to Jean de Dunois, natural son of Louis I, Duke of Orléans, for whom he manufactured a magnificent Book of Hours (London, BL, Yates Thompson ms. 3). The Dunois Master captivates the eye with his soft moulding, whereas the other two artists in the manuscript at hand convey crisper, graphic brushwork. He designs a unique atmosphere by experimenting with gradients, creating shadow and light. His style is much more closely connected to the Bedford Master and to the international ‘soft style’. He invents similarly graceful, agile figures, like his predecessor, and shows a profound interest in landscapes. The Dunois Master is renowned for his sense of tantalisingly orchestrated arrangements, also a skill inherited from the Bedford Master. Curious and typical for the Bedford Master is a spelling error that often occurs in miniatures of the Shepherds, where the scroll reads “peur natus est”. König (2007) reasons that for a French speaker it would have been very disturbing to read that fear (peur) had been born on Christmas Eve. Thus, he insinuates that the Bedford Master might have been more familiar with another tongue. In our manuscript, the Nativity on f. 182 also bears an error, but a different one: here the angels’ banner reads “Gloria in euxcelcis deo”. The same miniature shows another peculiarity: it is snowing on Christmas. This feature is very rare in French illumination. It seems to come from an artist who is familiar with a chilly climate in
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mid-December, and in this case, the winter scene derives directly from the Bedford Hours. This supreme masterpiece reigns artistically over even the loveliest examples as being utterly exceptional. It was accomplished by three of the greatest Parisian artists of their era. Interestingly, they seem to have worked closely together. Characteristics of one hand are also evident in miniatures of the others. We find the Harvard Hannibal Master’s taste for fanciful textile patterns in most of the miniatures by the two other artists. On some occasions the Dunois Master gives up his habit of drawing slender and agile figures and adopts instead a more solid type of figure. We observe similar landscapes and interiors. Was the manuscript planned for a very special occasion and therefore had to be finished on schedule? Did they share an assistant that helped with secondary elements like vegetation or accessories? It can be generally stated for this profusely illuminated and enthralling book that all three artists, even if they are quite different in temperament and style, strive to harmonise their miniatures by establishing common mannerisms in all illustrations, as for instance in the richly patterned textiles and floor tiles, the designs of vaulted ceilings, or the types of landscape and vegetation. There is still much exciting research ahead to unveil the enigmatic story of this magnificent Book of Hours. The first notion of how such a magnificent book came to be made is that Jean de Croix, father of Isabeau, who is mentioned on the title page, commissioned it. Very probably it was made for a Jean because St. John is remarkably often depicted. But was Jean de Croix able to afford such a costly book? An interesting alternative is Jean de Dunois (1402-1468), the main patron of the Dunois Master, who painted most of the miniatures in our manuscript. Jean de Dunois was the (illegitimate) son of the Duke of Orléans and acknowledged as first cousin to the king. He fought during the Hundred Years’ War and rendered Charles’ VII coronation in 1429 possible. He carries the royal fleurs-delys (here shown in six miniatures) with a baton sinister in his crest. Many enigmas around exquisite quality of this book would fall into place if we adopted this hypothesis. LITERATURE: Ungeheuer 2015, pp. 44-71, as “collection privée, Boston.” Backhouse 1981; Clark 2005, pp. 81-83; König 2007; – 2011; London 2011; Meiss 1974; Spencer 1965; – 1983.
cat. 13
cat. 13
cat. 13
cat. 13
cat. 13
cat. 13
cat. 13
cat. 13
cat. 13
Prayer book for a notorious impostor
14 Xaincoins Hours, use of Rome (first part)
Manuscript in Latin and French on vellum, illuminated for Jean de Barillet, alias ‘Xaincoins’, by the Master of the Vienna Roman de la Rose France, Lyon, c. 1430-1440 163 x 125 mm. 92 of 94 leaves (two leaves, with June and July, in calendar missing). – Written space: 89 x 60 mm, 16 lines. Littera textualis in red and brown ink. – Numerous initials in variant sizes with vine-leaf tendrils in burnished gold, blue, and red, line fillers designed correspondingly. 10 small roundels for the calendar, 4 small and 9 large miniatures, and 1 full-page miniature. All miniature pages surrounded by lavish full-page borders with vine-leaf tendrils, acanthus and flowers, animals, human figures, and little scenes. – In fresh condition with only minor signs of wear on ff. 1r and 55v and occasionally in the blue parts of text decoration and miniatures. Borders marginally affected by trimming and sporadically a little rubbed, script on few pages faded but well legible, margins on text pages mostly very fresh and clean. – Binding: 18th-century (perhaps before 1756?) olive-green velvet on five raised bands, bookmarker in blue silk.
SISTER LEAVES: 1. France, Le Mans, Mediathèque LouisAragon, ms. 688, 42 leaves, texts in male forms. Some of these leaves are rather mutilated which may have been the reason why they were separated (in the 18th century?) from the Book of Hours presented here. – 2. Paris, Drouot 2013, Pentecost (see Avril 2013). PROVENANCE: 1. Jean Barillet, called de Xaincoins (in reference to his birth place Sancoins), came from an influential family in the Duchy of Berry. His emblem, a barrel, is linked in this manuscript with a rose tree, which was the sign of King Charles VII. These symbols are found only in one border: that of King David in penitence (Le Mans, ms. 688, f. 38v). This leaf had been dissected meticulously (but was digitally reconstructed by François Avril). The barrel recurs on f. 52v, Flight into Egypt. Jean de Xaincoins had been the chief tax collector for King Charles VII from 1438 on, but fell from grace in 1449 because of forgery, was condemned in 1451 and consequently deprived of all his possessions. In 1462 he was rehabilitated by Louis XI but accused again in 1477. Jean de Xaincoins died in 1495. The striking liaison of the two emblems (barrel and rose tree) found in the King David miniature begs the question of whether this Book of Hours may have been a royal present to the by then still well-regarded courtier. – 2. Possibly in the 16th century, cryptic signs (f. 1r) and two notes to the calendar were added. Next to the January roundel (f. 1r), a second roundel was added including an alchemical symbol. A red cross was added to both roundels. – 3. In the late 17th or early 18th century, an anonymous owner mutilated leaves in what is now the second part of the codex, by cutting out and pasting in miniatures and decoration. He inserted and ‘adapted’ two alchemical images (ff. 1v, 29v, no. 1 borrowed from the Livre des figures hiéroglyphiques d’Abraham le Juif, c. 1700). These changes suggest that the manuscript had come apart by that time. – 4. Definitely bound in two volumes, presumably in the 18th century. The last of the front flyleaves, dating to the present binding, bears a note stating that the book was bought in 1756, followed by a possible amount of 130: “? auct: Emptus en 1756, 130…?”. – 5. On front pastedown “J. W. Tarleton”, with the family crest drawn in pencil (Rietstap 1884-87, 2, p. 884, and 6, pl. VI). Probably Admiral Sir John Walter Tarleton (1811-1880), knight commander of the Order of the Bath, Royal Navy officer. – 6. Europe, private collection. – 7. Now in a private collection.
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TEXT: ff. 1r-10r: Calendar with many saints pointing to the diocese of Lyon – ff. 11r-22r: Gospel lessons – ff. 23r-68r: Office of the Virgin – ff. 68v-92r: Office of the Dead. ILLUMINATION: ff. 1r-10r: Calendar roundels showing the occupations of the months – Small miniatures: f. 11r: St. John – f. 12r: St. Luke – f. 13r: St. Mathew – f. 14r: St. Mark – Large miniatures: f. 15r: Agony in the Garden – f. 22v: Annunciation – f. 36r: Visitation – f. 44v: Nativity – f. 47v: Annunciation to the Shepherds – f. 50r: Presentation in the Temple – f. 52v: Flight into Egypt – f. 55v: Death of the Virgin – f. 60r: Coronation of the Virgin – f. 72v: Burial service. The artist is named after the Roman de la Rose in Vienna, ÖNB, cod. 2568. So far, there are more than two-dozen manuscripts by his hand identified (Avril in Paris 1993, pp. 199-200). He apparently specialised in secular and literary manuscripts for high-ranking members of the royal court and for the high clergy. Most of his clients or patrons came from Lyon and his liturgical and devotional works, like Psalters and Books of Hours, show a striking tendency to saints and feasts from the diocese Lyon, which is also the case in the present book. Consequently, this master undoubtedly has worked in Lyon. The artist shows a fundamental interest in architectural and anecdotal details, as narrative and somewhat enigmatic by-scenes in some of our miniatures demonstrate. This penchant can be explained by his professional concentration on highly narrative subjects for literary rather than liturgical books. Together with the manuscript in Le Mans, the present manuscript is a fascinating new addition to the heritage of France in the time when the Hundred Years War was coming to an end. This newly discovered, unpublished prayer book is a major enrichment to the oeuvre of this captivating artist. We are most grateful to François Avril for providing essential information and for kindly sharing his immense knowledge with us. We also thank Samuel Gras, Univ. Lille, for his generous scholarly support. LITERATURE: Unpublished. Avril 2013; Dupic 1948; Orth 1980, pp. 70-93; Paris 1993; Rietstap 1884-87; Thoss 1978; Wescher 1931; Winkler 1925.
cat. 14
cat. 14
cat. 14
The humanist Renaissance of a major classical text
15 Marcus Tullius Cicero, Epistolae ad familiares Manuscript on vellum, illuminated by Bartolomeo d’Antonio Varnucci Italy, Florence, c. 1425-1435, and additions written 29 June 1496
345 x 245 mm. 156 leaves, complete. – Written space: 235 x 140 mm, 1 column, 35 lines. Littera humanistica, the opening words of each letter in capitals, spaces left for words in Greek subsequently filled in by an expert hand. – Four gatherings with handsome two-line initials in dark blue (other spaces left blank), 13 very fine historiated white vine initials three to seven lines high (mostly four-line), in burnished gold entwined with white vine stems enclosing an animal, sometimes supported by putti, all within blue surround. Some contemporary notes added, perhaps autograph by Giovanni Aurispa. – Poems added in cursive hands on last leaves and pastedowns (ff. 155v-156v); some leaves damp-stained and not clean, others cockled and contracted, a few margins slightly defective; generally good condition with wide margins. – Binding: contemporary, medieval wooden boards, now covered with later (but old) vellum, rebacked with white tawed leather, original pastedown preserved at end. Slightly wormed.
PROVENANCE: 1. Written and illuminated in Florence, probably c. 1425-1435. Possibly in the collection of Giovanni Aurispa (1370-1459), his ms. 355 (?). – 2. Apparently in the library or close cultural circle of Cardinal Ippolito d’Este (1479-1520), archbishop of Milan, son of Ercole d’Este, Duke of Ferrara and Modena, and Eleanor of Aragon. Ippolito was educated in the court of Matthias Corvinus and was a distinguished diplomat, author, and patron of literature and learning (see ff. 155v-156v). – 3. 16th-century signature, Antonio Porunti (f. 1). – 4. USA, Philip Hofer (from Maggs, cat. 816, 1953, no. 147). – 5. Oslo, Schøyen collection, ms. 612. – 6. Now in a private collection. It has been suggested that several annotations found in the present manuscript are by the hand of Giovanni Aurispa (1376-1459), one of the Renaissance’s most renowned scholars of Greek. He was born in Sicily and studied in Bologna (1404-1410) and Greece where he began to collect manuscripts of the Greek classical authors. Later, he searched for manuscripts in Constantinople so intensively and acquired so many that the authorities denounced his actions. After returning to Italy, he taught in Florence and Rome, where he was sent on diplomatic missions and functioned briefly as secretary to the Greek emperor. From 1425 to 1427, Aurispa was professor of Greek studies in Florence, where his manuscripts were widely studied and copied among humanists. When he moved to Ferrara, he became the tutor of one of the sons of Niccolo d’Este. He stayed there intermittently until his death in 1459. Aurispa’s reputation rests upon his efforts to promote the study of ancient literature as well as on his extensive collection of manuscripts. The inventory of his library lists about 580 items (Franceschini 1976, pp. 53-169) among which are numerous works by Cicero and several manuscripts with his letters (nos. 103, 281, 355, 523, 524, 576). At least one other codex is known to contain autograph notes (inventory no. 497: Victorinus super Rethorica Ciceronis, see New York, Columbia University Library, Plimpton ms. 103). TEXT: Marcus Tullius Cicero (106-43 BC) lived during the final phase of the Roman Republic at the time of the rise, dictatorship, and death of Julius Cesar. Cicero’s works, especially his letters, illustrate his role in the politics and turmoil of his time. Some letters are addressed to public persons such as Pompey and Caesar; others are private, such as those to his wife Terentia. Originally written
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without the intention to publish, the letters – serious, informative, and gossipy – offer an intimate insight into the author’s life and opinions. Earlier, Petrarch was only acquainted with a small collection of Cicero’s letters, but in 1389 the Florentine chancellor Coluccio Salutati, stumbled upon a codex with the sixteen books of letters ad familiares in a 9th-century manuscript in Vercelli. The discovery of these letters addressed to friends and family was most important as it overturned the entire medieval conception of Cicero. Not surprisingly, Florence became a major centre of distribution of Cicero’s Epistolae thereafter. In Renaissance Italy, Cicero’s Epistolae was regarded as a collection of superb humanist texts. More importantly, the letters employed a classical Latin which, although polished, was informal. The letters provided an excellent pattern to follow in linguistic and stylistic matters (Jensen 2006). Cicero’s precise and elegant Latin was to set the standard for learned and diplomatic correspondence throughout Europe for centuries to come. ILLUMINATION: Emulating the style and atelier practice of Ser Ricciardo di Nanni (fl. 1430-1480), Bartolomeo d’Antonio Varnucci (1410-1479) also ran a workshop in Florence and functioned simultaneously as a stationer. The present manuscript’s thirteen splendid illuminated initials (ff. 1, 10, 17, 26, 44, 54, 63v, 73, 84, 97v, 106, and 139v) feature remarkable birds and animals, as well as solemn little putti entangled with and grasping the ends of the vine stems (Garzelli/de la Mare 1985, 2, pls. 123, 137-38). Varnucci’s activities are documented from 1440 onwards. Represented here are three full-pages, first with the letter M enclosing a climbing leopard at Book II, followed by an M with a golden feathered cock at Book VII, and a C with a climbing deer at Book VIII. Although left unfinished, this manuscript nonetheless features high-class Florentine decoration. LITERATURE: Unpublished. Bigi 1962; Franceschini 1976; Garzelli/de la Mare 1985; Jensen 2006.
cat. 15*
cat. 15*
cat. 15*
Spurious but appreciated throughout history
Annaeus Seneca, Epistolae, including the spurious 16 Lucius correspondence with St. Paul Manuscript on vellum, illuminated by the Master of the Vitae Imperatorum and possibly another artist Italy, Milan, c. 1440 230 x 160 mm. 228 leaves. – Written space: c. 153 x 94 mm, 1 column, 29-30 lines. Humanist Littera hybrida by two scribes. – Two-line initials in blue or red with contrasting penwork throughout, 3 historiated initials. – Some marginal worming throughout, affecting letters at beginning and end. – Binding: original Milanese blind-tooled calf over wooden boards, panelled, spine restored, 3 brass catches on lower cover.
PROVENANCE: 1. Milan, likely made for Dionigi de Garbagniate (ca. 1440, inscription, he lived near Porta Comacina, in the Via dell’Orso), presumably a member of an old Milanese family connected with the Visconti court (Spinelli 1999). The most famous relative was Francesco (d. 1323), friend of Matteo I Visconti and Emperor Henry VII. – 2. Milan, Johannis Sordi (1659), erased inscription on rear flyleaf. – 3. Lugano, Favio del Core and his descendants (sold 1996). – 4. Oslo, Schøyen collection (ms. 2106). – 5. Now in a private collection. TEXT: ff. 1r-4r: Letters to St. Paul – ff. 4r-227r: Moral Epistles to Lucilius – f. 227r: signed D.G.K. and “Hic liber est mei [deleted] domini dionisi de garbagniate filius quondam dñi tomi de garbagniate porte Cumensis paroquie Sancti protaxii […] Mli [i.e. Milan]”. With notes and probatio pennae on rear endleaves, as well as some erasures. This is a well-preserved codex with full, wide margins, elegantly written by an experienced humanist hand. The few corrections added to the margins are professionally referred to with small reference signs. Lucius Annaeus Seneca the Younger (c. 4 BC-65 AD) was born in Cordoba in a prominent, wealthy family. He studied rhetoric and philosophy in Rome, and entered imperial service as advisor to Nero, who, in the early years of his reign (54-68 AD), allowed himself to be guided by him. Works attributed to Seneca include philosophical essays, nine tragedies on ancient Greek themes, a satire (which is, however, disputed), and philosophical or moral essays (traditionally called Dialogues). These deal with providence, steadfastness, happy life, anger, leisure, tranquillity, the brevity of life, how to approach death, etc. His text Natural Questions is devoted to celestial phenomena but is, contrary to his other works, not widely praised. Although many of his epistles and all of his speeches are lost, 124 letters on moral issues addressed to Lucilius have been preserved, as comprised in this codex. He published the Epistolae morales ad Lucilium in 64 AD, shortly before his death by suicide. Lucilius, a Roman knight and procurator of Sicily, was a friend and correspondent to whom Seneca dedicated two more works. The letters are written in an informal style and concern moral and ethical questions, often related to Seneca’s personal experiences. Possibly involved in a conspiracy, the statesman and tutor Seneca was ordered to commit suicide in 65. The famous (yet biased) historian Tacitus describes Seneca as being one of Nero’s “more disreputable advisers” and elaborates on his death by severing his veins in a warm bath. In Nero’s service, Seneca did nothing to try to prevent the emperor’s aggression against the Christians.
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The famous correspondence between Seneca and St. Paul, as presented here, comprises eight letters from Seneca and six letters from Paul. These have frequently been included with the Epistolae in manuscripts from the early Middle Ages onwards. The letters are first referred to by St. Jerome in his De Viribus Illustribus from 392, and later by St. Augustine as well. The origin of the manuscript tradition can be traced back to the late 4th century but the oldest extant codex derives from the 9th century. If authentic, these letters would have been written during the years 58-64, when Paul arrived in Rome to undergo judgement (61). Following the great fire of Rome, Nero accused the Christians of being responsible and many, including Paul, were arrested. He was beheaded c. 65-67, outside Rome. History has judged Seneca quite differently: the early Christian Church (among the members of which was Tertullian) was favourably disposed towards him and his writings, and some medieval authors (for instance Jacobus de Voragine in his Legenda Aurea) believed he had been converted to the Christian faith by St. Paul. Hilhorst (1991) considers the correspondence to and from Paul to be a piece of Christian literature. Many other scholars consider the letters to be apocryphal, but the 1600-year-old discussion continues today. ILLUMINATION: f. 1r: Two historiated initials: Four-line L with St. Paul seated behind a desk and writing on a scroll; and seven-line C with Seneca (with a characteristic headdress in two layers), seated behind his writing desk, handing a letter to a messenger – f. 4r: Seventeen-line I with elegant figure of Seneca reading a scroll. These three historiated initials are finely painted in bright colours on fields of gold. They can be attributed to the Master of the Vitae Imperatorum, one of the foremost Milanese illuminators active in the second quarter of the 15th century and frequently employed at the court of the Visconti. Being anonymous, he is named after the Italian translation of Suetonius’s Lives of the Roman Emperors (Paris, BnF, ms. ital. 131, dated 1431) made for Filippo Maria Visconti, Duke of Milan. While rooted in the International Gothic idiom, his work reflects a refined and elegant linear style and the use of a bright palette. Preserved in its original binding, this is a beautiful example of a fine humanist book. LITERATURE: Unpublished. Ehrmann 2013; Gummere 1917-25; Hilhorst 1991; Mitchell 2010.
cat. 16
cat. 16
cat. 16
Extraordinarily useful throughout the year
17 McKell Medical Almanac
Manuscript on vellum, illuminated in the workshop of Diebold Lauber Alsace, Hagenau, c. 1445
206 x 155 mm, 12 leaves, lacking 1 leaf. – Ruled for 2 columns (calendar: 5 columns), 32 lines, written in a fine German Gothic book hand. – Capitals touched in red, two-line initials in alternate red and muted turquoise-blue, major feasts in red. 11 illuminated leaves including 12 occupations of the month within a large, gold-edged roundel and the respective zodiac symbols, all text columns headed by a golden arch, 11 half-page depictions of astronomers. – Slightly trimmed, small spots and cockling in places, erased inscription on last leaf. – Binding: 18th- or 19 th-century vellum.
PROVENANCE: 1. Made c. 1445 for a patron in the diocese of Strasbourg, attributed to the workshop of the artist Diebold Lauber in Hagenau, Alsace. The months of the calendar list, among others, the local Saints Erhard, Gangolf, Udalric, and Lendelinus. – 2. Cillicothe, Ohio, Colonel David McCandless McKell (1881-1962), fellow of the Morgan Library and collector of medieval manuscripts. This almanac was exhibited at the University of Kentucky in March 1958, accompanied by a study by Rosy Schilling and a black-and-white facsimile. The manuscript itself was not seen in public seen since then. – 3. Now in Strasbourg, BN, ms. 7.141. TEXT: Almanacs enjoyed great popularity in the 15th century, both as parts of larger works or as stand-alone works (as here), which were comparable to the later, so-called shepherd’s calendars. In some of these manuscripts, short treatises on the planets, on human temperaments, or other medical matters would be added. However, as Schilling 1958 observed, the individual layout here suggests that this text always stood alone. The work opens with predictions on what will happen in the year depending on which day of the week the first day of January falls (if Monday the weather will be extreme and “there will be little honey and much manslaughter”; if a Thursday the weather will be fine, but “there will be little wine”; if a Friday “many will have sore eyes”). Entries for January advise against bleeding but encourage drinking “strong wine with ginger”; for February, bleeding should only be “through the thumb” and one should “eat hot food and drink also warm wine”, for March one should “eat roast meat and often bathe, this is healthy”. Further months receive instructions to consume certain medicinal herbs, eat no meat from the feet of animals, abstain from all smoked meats, or “not [to] go often to women”. There are also predictions about thunder, weather changes, or meteorites bringing war and death. ILLUMINATION: f. 1v: Enthroned astronomer with golden crown and ermine cloak, gazing at a golden star above – f. 2r: Three-faced king at table and: Water-carrier with a golden ewer – f. 2v: Man warming by a fire with smoking sausages, and: Two Fishes – f. 3r: Finely detailed portrait of an astronomer with a turban-like headdress, pointing at a golden star – f. 3v: Astronomer, in the same position wearing a red and blue pointed hat – f. 4r: Man pruning vines and: Ram with golden horns straining to reach leaves – f. 4v: Maiden with flowers and: Bull – f. 5r: Astronomer pointing to a star – f. 5v: Astronomer in a blue robe seated and reading a book at a desk, a banderol inscribed: Es wert ein Zeichen geschehen – f. 6r: Nobleman with hawk and horse, and: Twins, with a golden harp – f. 6v: Man mowing grass and:
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Lobster – f. 7r: Astronomer crowned and enthroned, holding a book – f. 7v: Same as a robed figure with a tight-fitting hat with a tassel on top – f. 8r: Man harvesting corn and: Lion – f. 8v: Man threshing and: Virgo with golden wings pointing at a tree – f. 9r: Astronomer before a book on a lectern – f. 9v: Same, seated with a book under his elbow – f. 10r: Man sowing and: Pair of golden Scales – f. 10v: Pressing grapes and: Scorpion, green and brown – f. 11r: Astronomer with a flowing headdress – f. 11v: Same, clean-shaven, seated and reading – f. 12r: Knocking down of acorns to feed hogs, and: Centaur with bow and arrow looking at a magpie in a tree – f. 12v: Slaughtering the hog and: Ram with golden horns. This was certainly a prestigious commission for a wealthy patron, and Schilling identified the artist as a member of the workshop of the artist and publisher Diebold Lauber in Hagenau, Alsace. As she notes, the same artist also worked on a Legenda Aurea (Berlin, SB, ms. germ. fol. 495), and a Book of Chess (London, BL, ms. Add. 21458). Lauber led a substantial workshop which produced over fifty surviving illustrated manuscripts in the German language, dating from between c. 1427 and 1470, with a combined total of more than 6,000 miniatures. They have been comprehensively surveyed by Saurma-Jeltsch (including the present manuscript). These codices represent a crucial point in the development of illustrated German literature, and “stand at the intersection, not only of art and economic history, but also of religious, linguistic, and literary history. Written in the vernacular and endowed with ambitious programmes of pictorial decoration, the books signal a ‘coming of age’ of vernacular literature.” (Hamburger 2003, p. 162). Beautifully illuminated, the manuscript precedes the first printed almanac by only some ten years when it was first printed by Gutenberg in Mainz in 1457. Often worn by intense use, almanacs are extremely rare and much beloved by collectors, as they offer an interesting insight into medieval life and expectations. This is the long-lost McKell Medical Almanac from the workshop of the celebrated artist Diebold Lauber, last recorded and seen almost seventy years ago, and previously unavailable to scholars in person or in colour reproductions. Today such books provide fascinating sources to study medieval knowledge, ideas, fears, and superstitions about health as well as their methods for improving it. LITERATURE: www.handschriftencensus.de/14903; Mackert 2012; Saurma-Jeltsch 2001, 2, p. 17; Schilling 1958. Hamburger 2003.
cat. 17
cat. 17
cat. 17
Horse welfare emphasized
Cavall: Tractat de Manescalia – Libre dels cavayls que 18 Lo compòs Ypocras – additional recipes and drawings Decorated manuscript on vellum and paper Catalonia, Barcelona (?), c. 1450 286 x 210 mm. 80 leaves. – Watermarks: similar but not the same to: mountain, three, above: a Latin cross, Barcelona [1421-1429]PFES 0777-0778. – Written space: 230 x 175 mm, 2 columns, 34 lines. Littera cursiva. – Headings, paragraph marks in red, initials strokes in yellow; decorated with two-line red initials and penwork at beginning of each text section. 1 large initial in red/blue with contrasting pen-flourish decoration in red and brown ink. 80 drawings of bits and their use on horses, in blue. – Added notes on f. 75r. Stains on paper throughout, as well as some corrosion of ink, otherwise in good condition. – Binding: modern red morocco, decorated in Mudejar style, gilt, signed A. Palomino (1909-1995, Madrid).
PROVENANCE: 1. Written in Catalonia, c. 1450. – 2. England, Oxford, in the collection of and edited by the esteemed Anglo-Catalan Joan Gili i Serra, (1907-1998). Some of Gili’s manuscripts are now in the Houghton Library at Harvard University (see Harvard Library Bulletin 7 (1997), pp. 37-44). – 3. England, private collection. TEXT: ff. 1r-7r: Chapter titles, Receptes (f. 3va), two tables: to find the Golden Number and to find the position of the moon, beginning with the year 1450 (f. 3vb, BITECA 2951), a diagram (March-February) on the effects of the zodiac on limbs or spots (f. 4r), on the days, hours, and proper locations for bloodletting – found with help of both circles (ff. 4v-6v) – ff. 8r-43r: Lo Cavall. Tractat de Manescalia (Gili 1985, BITECA 2952) – ff. 43r-72v: Libre dels cavayls que compòs Ypocras (Gili 1988, BITECA 3079) – ff. 72v-74v: Recipes – f. 75r: Added notes. – ff. 79r-80v: Frens dissenyats per a corregir vicis dels cavalls, 80 drawings of bits in blue ink, with brief captions in black ink, explaining which bit fits what kind of horse. Likely to be based on the Llibre de menescalia de cavalls by Jordanus Rufus of Calabria, who was an officer in the court of Frederick II (c. 1239-1257). The texts in this manuscript deal with the anatomy and physiology of the horse, the qualities that must be present for selection for breeding, etc. They also offer descriptions of a number of diseases, remedies, recipes for healing, bits to be used, etc. The work is methodical and offers a lively view of the state of veterinary medicine in medieval Catalonia around the middle of the 15th century. The history of the first text remains unknown, but the second work is based on the Practica equorum by Teodorico Borgognoni and the De medicina equorum (Tractat de Menescalia) by Giordano Ruffo, both of which have a long and wide-spread textual tradition in Latin and in several vernacular languages. Ruffo’s text is found in many manuscripts in Latin and in ‘Italoromanzo’, but in only two Catalan books (the present ms. and Paris, BnF, ms. Espagnol 212, made for the Royal Aragonese Library in Naples), and one in Galician (Madrid, BN, ms. 23076, 1420, ed. Pérez Barcala 2013). Gili (1988, p. ix) suggests that the translator of the present, second text may have worked from a Castilian version (possibly made for Alfonso X el Savi, d. 1284, BITECA 2329). That the manuscript at hand is more or less securely dated to 1450 (f. 3vb) makes it all the more important for research, and it particularly adds to the vocabulary of medieval Catalan. In the medieval world, the horse was the symbol, par excellence, of the nobility and of all those involved in military or
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knightly duties. At the continuously moving royal courts, cavalry played a key role in the almost permanent, military activities. Fundamental to the good care and health of horses was the application of horseshoes and making of various bits, complex in their different models. For the practical handling of horses, the work of blacksmiths, especially of farriers, provided a background for empirical veterinary medicine. Increasingly specialized in the care of the horses, blacksmiths-farriers became professionals held in high regard. The skills of farriers and veterinarians (‘ferrers’ and ‘menescals’), both of whom guarded against diseases, became, at times, intermingled. Sometimes the functions or titles are described as interchangeable or were used in combination as ‘ferrer-menescal’, comparable to the ‘barber-surgeon’. The ‘menescal’ took care of the royal stables and horses, notably in overseeing nutrition and treatment of sick animals. In times of war, menescals would accompany the army and oversee the horses and all required equipment (Cifuentes/ Ferragud 1999, p. 107). In order to provide their services, such practitioners needed texts in the vernacular. The education and control of veterinary practitioners developed progressively through a system of examinations, carried out by municipal courts in which Valencia played a pioneering role (since 1436). Here, Manuel Dies, majordomo to King Alfonso V, the Magnanimous, of Aragon (1396-1458), assembled notes on equine veterinary medicine from practice and from classical and modern texts into a book on the art of ‘Menescalia’. His work – contemporary to the manuscript at hand – contributed to the process of the institutionalisation of the art of equine medicine (Cifuentes/Ferragud 1999, p. 94). Such manuscripts are often unique copies, used as practical books (Cifuentes 2004, p. 285). The present manuscript shows the range of knowledge and activities associated with this practice. As it is based on different sources, we may assume that the author/copyist had a library of some extent at his disposal. He does not address a direct patron and speaks only in general of the owner of horses. However, the fine condition of the book and paper shows it was not put to intensive use – even though the index of chapters made it easily accessible for practice. LITERATURE: BITECA manid 2353; Cifuentes/Ferragud 1999, p. 100, n. 15; Gili 1985, – 1988; Montinaro 2015, p. 32, n. 64, p. 253. Bernstein 2018; Cifuentes 2004, – 2006, pp. 145-50; Ferragud 2011; Pérez Barcala 2013, pp. 16, 60, 92, n. 229 s; Thienen 2008.
cat. 18*
cat. 18*
cat. 18*
Eye-catching and distinct
19 De Nully de Grosserve Book of Hours, use of Paris
Manuscript in Latin and French on vellum, illuminated in the circle of the Jouvenel Master and the Master of Boethius Français 809 France, Angers or Tours (?), c. 1450-1460 212 x 148 mm. 184 leaves (complete). – Written space: 104 x 70 mm, 14 and 15 lines. Littera textualis. – Numerous vine-leaf initials on gold grounds with corresponding line-fillers throughout; lavish three-sided vine-leaf borders on each page; 17 large miniatures with full-page borders, the Annunciation’s border inhabited by peacocks, birds, creatures including a squirrel, and an urn of carnations. – Occasional creasing and smudging, slightly affecting the miniatures on ff. 13r and 55v; faint tarnishing of white lead (f. l34v). – Binding: 18th-century French red morocco, gilt frame of three lines ending in a simple blossom, with a flower in each corner; armorial gilt stamp of De Nully de Grosserve/A. Beauvais in a panel in the centre.
PROVENANCE: 1. Written c. 1460 for an unknown patron, who is depicted kneeling before the Pieta (f. 20v). The use of the Hours and Office of the Dead is Paris, feasts in the calendar include Genevieve of Paris in gold (3 January) and in plain ink (26 November), but the Litany points to Tours because of the inclusion of St. Gatian and the very rare St. Lidorius, both of whom were early bishops of Tours. The calendar also has ‘Les saintes reliques’ (30 January). – 2. Beauvais, in the 18th century in the hands of a member of the de Nully de Grosserve family with their coat of arms on the binding and a bookplate engraved with the initials D G. – 3. Sold by Maurice Rheims, Paris, 7 December 1960, lot 3. – 4. USA, private collection. – 5. Now in a private collection. TEXT: f. 1r-12v: Calendar (in French). Among the saints, Martin (4 July and 11 Nov.), in gold – ff. 13r-20r: Gospel lessons – ff. 20v-25r: Obsecro te (for male use) – ff. 25r-29r: O intemerata – ff. 31r-104v: Hours of the Virgin – ff. 105r-124v: Penitential Psalms and Litany – ff. 125r-129v: Hours of the Cross – ff. 130r-134r: Hours of the Holy Spirit – ff. 134v-183v: Office of the Dead. ILLUMINATION: f. 13r: St. John on the Isle of Patmos – f. 15r: St. Luke – f. 17r: St. Matthew – f. 19r: St. Mark – f. 20v: Pieta – f. 31r: Annunciation – f. 55v: Visitation – f. 69r: Nativity – f. 76r: Annunciation to the Shepherds – f. 81r: Adoration of the Magi – f. 86r: Presentation in the Temple – f. 91r: Flight into Egypt – f. 99r: Coronation of the Virgin – f. 105r: David at prayer – f. 125r: Christ carrying the Cross – f. 130r: Pentecost – f. 134v: Burial within a church. Sixteen of these miniatures are by an extraordinary illuminator from the circle of the Jouvenel Master, and one – the Annunciation – is by the Master of Boethius fr. 809. Each image is in an arched framework enclosed by a foursided illuminated floral border, which ends in vine-leaf or acanthus motifs. Text pages are surrounded by three-sided borders, where two different varieties can be distinguished. An earlier type places acanthus leaves in the outer corners and has vine-leaf tendrils springing from these. The more progressive illuminator surrounds his borders by a red ink frame. Interestingly, the two artists of the marginal decoration were obviously collaborating with two different scribes, because all quires that show framed borders have fourteen lines, whereas the older variant has fifteen lines to a page. This striking Book of Hours is preserved in pristine condition. The two miniaturists were both closely connected to the Jouvenel group but the one who created the most
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prominent miniature, the Annunciation, is clearly the Master who illuminated the Boethius (Paris, BnF, ms. fr. 809), whereas the other character is a very complex figure and hard to grasp. His charisma lies in his utterly unusual style recalls both Flemish and German art. His gift for delicate and crisp modelling, his inventive temperament, and his gusto for unexpected accessories make his miniatures an exciting experience. He excels in a very particular and appealing style. The immediacy of this technique originates in his spatial figures with unusually large heads, carefully modelled faces, and crisply delineated draperies in bold, rich colours that clearly distinguish them from their surroundings. Original elements are added to conventional scenes, like the surprisingly youthful St. Mark and his mysterious jester-servant. The same very individual approach unites all the miniatures but other hands may have participated on ff. 69r and 134v (König 1989, no. 66). Despite some stylistic differences and characteristics that point to Flemish or German art, this arresting illuminator is also linked to the Jouvenel group, which seems to have been centred on Angers. He took his figure types and many of his compositions from the Jouvenel Master, but shows a peculiar interest for details, like textile patterns or tiny narrative background scenes (on ff. 20v, 91r, 105r) that arouse the beholder’s curiosity. He uses liquid gold abundantly to cover garments and draperies with an intricate web of hatching. Globular trees, odd shaped rocks, and towns with massive towers that often culminate in pin point tops are as characteristic as the delicate pointillée technique with which he models all his objects. These qualities curiously join his style with a group of artists probably originating in the Netherlands, however active later in Paris from c. 1450: the Coëtivy group. This stylistic connection may provide another clue for speculation about our artist’s roots in Flanders. Another indication connects him with Blois around 1460 and with the court of Charles of Orléans: as C. Seidel points out, a historiated initial showing Antoine de Beaumont swearing an oath to Charles d’Orléans (Paris, Archives nationales, Q 1 477 1 II 2950) corresponds in style strongly with the miniatures in the present Book of Hours. LITERATURE: König 1989, no. 66. König 1982; Paris 1993, pp. 109-10; Seidel 2017.
cat. 19
cat. 19
cat. 19
A rare testimony of Austrian art and devotion
20 Book of Hours, use of Rome Illuminated manuscript on vellum Austria, Salzburg, c. 1450-1460 120 x 95 mm, 1+193 leaves, 2 leaves missing. – Written space: 78 x 57 mm, 1 column, 15 lines. Written by 3 hands: ff. 1r-181r (Littera textualis), ff. 181v-182v (Littera hybrida), ff. 183v-192v, added prayers (Littera textualis). – Three-line initials in blue, green, or pink-purple on a gold or black ground filled in with coloured tracery. Decorated six- to eight-line initials with border extensions, including acanthus, gold bezants, some parrots and squirrels (ff. 2r, 63r). One seven-line historiated initial with patron, 12 full-page miniatures, the majority painted, but some as pen and wash drawings. – Some blue slightly retouched. – Binding: 17th-century brown leather over original wooden boards, original catches and clasps.
PROVENANCE: 1. Presumably made for a male patron, depicted in the initial on f. 2r and on f. 161r as a confessant kneeling before a Franciscan friar. – 2. In the hand of a priest, who added prayers. – 3. Paris, Collection of Counts Henri and François Chandon de Briailles (their sale Paris, Tajan, 17 December 2003, lot 5). TEXT: ff. 2r-46v: Hours of the Virgin – ff. 47r-61v: Prayers to the Virgin, Holy Spirit, Holy Trinity, Corpus Christi, Peter (beginning missing) Paul, various Apostles, John the Evangelist, Leonhard, Nicolas, Margaret, Catherine, Barbara, George, Holy Cross – ff. 63r-88r: Hours of the Passion – ff. 88v-108v: various prayers (final leaf lacking) – ff. 111r-160v: Office of the Dead – ff. 162r-181r: Seven Penitential Psalms with Litany – ff. 181v-192v: added prayers (f. 193 added later). ILLUMINATION: f. 1r: Annunciation – f. 1v: Nativity – f. 62r: Crucifixion – f. 62v: Pietà – f. 98r: St. Florian – f. 98v: Christ as Man of Sorrows – f. 109r: St. Alexis – f. 109v: Three living Kings – f. 110r: Three dead Kings – f. 110v: Raising of Lazarus – f. 161r: Franciscan friar blessing a confessant – f. 161v: Virgin and Child. One historiated initial with Virgin and child and patron kneeling in prayer (f. 2r). The twelve full-page painted miniatures and pen-and-wash drawings of our Book of Hours are arranged, quite unusually, in pairs on recto and verso. The miniatures are surrounded by frames and foliate decorations. The drawings are simply outlined in black ink with a single or double-edged line. Two different hands are at work here: the master was responsible for the miniatures on ff. 1r, 62r, 62v, 109v, 110r, and 161r, a second hand made the drawings on ff. 98v, 109r, and 110v. Most secure and elegant are St. Florian (f. 98r), the Nativity (f. 1v), and the Confession scene (f. 161v). The initials may be by a third hand; the historiated initial in particular is quite delicate, while a stronger and brighter palette was used. The garments of the figures are opulent, with the drapery folds emphasized and painted in a wide range of colours with light-dark contrasts. While faces are quite detailed, backgrounds are simple or lacking. The illumination in this Book of Hours is interesting as well as unusual in combining recto and verso. The Annunciation (f. 1r) precedes the Hours of the Virgin, while the Nativity (f. 1v) faces the beginning (usually it accompanies Prime) on the verso. At the Hours of the Passion follow the Crucifixion (f. 62r) and Pietà (f. 62v). While the latter usually precedes this Office, the Crucifixion would normally head the Hours of the Holy Cross. The prayers to the instruments of the Passion of Christ are introduced by two elegantly coloured pen
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drawings: a miniature of St. Florian (f. 98r) and of Christ as Man of Sorrows with the Arma Christi (f. 98v). The Roman soldier-martyr Florian became one of the most important saints of Austria – being, among others, patron saint of the famous Augustinian Abbey near Linz. He was called upon to protect against fire and is depicted as a young Roman in armour, holding the banner of his legion and emptying a jug of water to symbolically extinguish the flames rising high from the city next to his feet. His long curly hair is surrounded by a halo, while his youthful facial features and soft expression are modelled with fine, short pen strokes. The present drawing is an early representation of the saint as ‘fire extinguisher’, iconography which became popular towards the end of the 15th century. The Office of the Dead is illustrated, and this is quite rare, with a representation of St. Alexis below the stairs in the house of his parents (f. 109r). Alexis chose a life of chastity, left his virgin bride, and withdrew to Edessa, where he stayed many years. When he returned to Rome, he lived anonymously under the stairs in his parents’ house but was recognised only after his death. The two following images present Three Living Kings facing Three Dead Kings. Each king represents a different age: young, middle and old, adjacent to three crowned corpses in sarcophagi (ff. 109v-110r). When body and fame fade, what remains of the kings are skeletons, with crowns having turned black and dull. The principal illuminator is possibly the same one who painted at least eight more manuscripts. He may well have worked in Salzburg, as the œuvre fits in the development of Salzburg illumination that had primarily been dependent on St. Florian, Admont, and Mondsee, and was also influenced by Bavarian pen-drawn decoration. The artist was familiar with the contemporary style of Martinus ‘Opifex’ – a Regensburg miniaturist (fl. 1440-1456) at the court in Vienna – and of the Master of the Maximilian Schoolbooks whose influence on Salzburg illumination may not be surprising either. As the illustrations are integral part of the quires, manuscript and illumination will have originated in the same town or workshop, c. 14501460. Austrian prayer books are quite remarkable and rarely come to the market. We kindly thank Gerhard Schmidt and Christine Beier for scholarly advice. LITERATURE: Günther 2004, no. 10. New York 2005b, p. 251; Rotzler 1961; Schmidt 1962, plate 36b, – 1986.
cat. 20
cat. 20
cat. 20
Delft’s unique traditions
21 Duyst van Voorhout Hours, use of Utrecht
Manuscript in Dutch on vellum, decorated in the Delft coloured-style and illuminated by the Masters of the Delft Half-Length Figures Holland, Delft, c. 1450-1460 159 x 112 mm. 208 leaves (perhaps 1 missing). – Written space: 90 x 58 mm, up to 18 lines. Littera textualis. – Numerous painted initials in alternating gold or blue, calendar initials in burnished gold on blue and pink grounds highlighted in white tracery, 4 large decorated initials on a field of gold with varying borders, 1 historiated initial, 14 full-page inserted miniatures (of perhaps 15) on full burnished gold grounds, two types of borders, in coloured Delft style and in ‘kriezel-style’ (in lower margin on f. 35r, added later). – Pilgrim’s badge off-set (f. 1). Slightly cropped, silver somewhat corroded, otherwise in very good condition. – Binding: Havana goatskin gilt, tooled to a ‘Grolieresque’ motif, edges gilt; signed by Rivière and Son (after 1880).
PROVENANCE: 1. Written and illuminated in Delft for a lady of the Duyst van Voorhout-family, with two heraldic shields represented alone or parted: on f. 13v (held by a lion), f. 16r (with motto Sic fata minantur), f. 76v (held by a peacock), f. 128r (two shields held by female figure: 1. de gueules, au lion d’or, armé et lampassé d’azur, à la queu fourchée, parti, 2. de sable, à trois têtes et cols de cygnes d’argent becquées de gueules. Texts show prominence given to SS. Adrian and Barbara, likely referring to the first owner (possibly Adriana, nun at St. Barbara’s in Delft). – 2. France, Georges Wendling, bibliophile and collector. – 3. France, private collection. The manuscript was, presumably, made for a daughter of Immesoet Duyst (1415-1469) and Hendrik Pietersz Nagel van Voorhout (c. 1410-?). The coat of arms sinister refers to Duyst (correct) and dexter to Nagel (one detail incorrect): De gueules, au lion [écartelé d’argent et de sable, couronné] d’or. The fifth of their eight children was called Adriana (c. 1420-c. 1470). Both parents stemmed from prominent Delft families, where members functioned as brewer, church-master, and alderman. Hendrick and Immesoet count as the founders of the Duyst van Voorhout dynasty. TEXT: ff. 1r-12v: Calendar, in Dutch, use of Utrecht (in red: Agnes, 21 Jan., Hippolytus, 12 Aug., patron saint Oude Kerk, Delft); Ursula and 11,000 Virgins (20 Oct., patroness Nieuwe Kerk and St. Ursula’s convent, Delft), and Jeroen (16 Aug., mandatory in Holland) – ff. 14r-75v: Short Hours of the Holy Cross, with integrated Hours of the Virgin, in an atypical structure – ff. 76r-99v: Hours of the Eternal Wisdom – ff. 101v-126v: Hours of All Saints, with a special prayer to St. Adrian – ff. 128r-149r: Seven Penitential Psalms and Litany (Barbara first Virgin, followed by Agnes) – ff. 153r-164v: Prayers – ff. 165r-192r: Henry Suso, Hundred Articles of the Passion – ff. 196r-199v: Devotional prayers – ff. 201r-210v: Suffrages to Saints, including, among others, Hippolyte and Barbara: “myn wtvercoren lieve voerspreecster”. ILLUMINATION: f. 13v: Betrayal of Christ – f. 34v: Christ before Pilate – f. 41v: Flagellation – f. 46v: Christ carrying the Cross – f. 52v: Crucifixion – f. 58v: Descent from the Cross – f. 66v: Entombment – f. 75v: Christ Salvator Mundi – f. 100v: All Saints – f. 127v: Last Judgement – f. 195v: Annunciation – f. 200v: SS. George and Christopher – f. 203v: SS. Sebastian and Anthony – f. 208v: SS. Barbara and Gertrude of Nivelles. Offset on f. 206r might suggest that a miniature is missing (SS. Nicholas, Martin, or Mary Magdalene?). One historiated initial H, f. 16r: Virgin and Child.
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The fine illustrations to the Suffrages of the Saints offer some remarkable combinations: George, who protected “dat conincklike maechdekijn” comes with Christopher, guarding against an unexpected death when travelling; Sebastian (against the “plaghe des gadoots”) is companion to Anthony, thought to help against the “siecte des viers”, while Barbara and Gertrude shield in actual fire. Such combinations of saints are unusual, yet, are an early Delft tradition (Utrecht 1989, no. 13). That the Hours of the Cross is combined with the Hours of the Virgin is uncommon; such extraordinary arrangements are found in Delft manuscripts only – as is the version of Henry Suso’s Hundred Meditations in Dutch vernacular (ff. 165r-192r, Aelst 2011). The prayers devoted to Barbara (f. 210r, who is also first in the Litany, f. 144r) and to Adrian (ff. 125v-126v) seem specially copied for the manuscript’s owner. Moreover, before the miniatures were inserted, the prayer to St. Adrian was adjacent to the page representing the lady holding the coats of arms. This is an exceptionally illuminated Dutch manuscript. The border decoration for the miniatures and text pages consists of two different types, illuminated in the coloured Delft style and the Delft ‘kriezel’ style. The so-called ‘coloured’ style is associated with manuscripts made by the Canonesses Regular of St. Agnes (scriptus et perfectus or scriptus et illuminatus at St. Agnes; see Utrecht 1989, no. 56). The fourteen full-page miniatures on inserted single leaves are attributed to the Masters of the Half-Length Figures, illuminators who profusely employed the signature of half-length figures for which they are named. In these miniatures, two hands are at work. The first and best artist painted the striking full-page Annunciation, which is closest to the miniatures in Keble College, ms. 77, one of the better hands of the group (Utrecht 1989, pp. 187, 194). A rather early date – c. 1450-1460 – for the present Hours is suggested as the miniatures have fully burnished gold backgrounds and relatively simply structured compositions. It is quite rare that unknown Dutch manuscripts turn up that are identifiable by the coats of arms of their noble patrons or that convey so well the special characteristics of Delft books. LITERATURE: Unpublished. Aelst 2011; Hoek 1958; Korteweg 1992; Marrow 1989; Utrecht 1989.
cat. 21
cat. 21
cat. 21
cat. 21
cat. 21
A ‘must’ in the Renaissance library
22 Hieronymus, Epistolae, etc. and Adversus Jovinianum Illuminated manuscript on vellum, written by Ser Nicolaus Berti Martini de Gentiluzis (“N.”) Italy, Florence, c. 1450-1468 365 x 255 mm. 329 leaves. – Written space: 240 x 160 mm, one column, 35 lines, fine Littera humanistica by two hands (break at f. 241). – Headings and table of contents in red, spaces left for Greek words to be inserted, numerous simple two-line initials in blue, two large white vine-scroll initials in gold on a red, blue, and green ground, the first with a butterfly (ff. 1r, 139v). – Some flaking of gold and some general wear. – Binding: contemporary leather over thick wooden boards, blind-tooled in Venetian style with roll-stamps and interlaced ornament around a central diamond.
PROVENANCE: 1. The greatest part written by Ser Nicolaus Berti Martini de Gentiluzis de Sanctogeminiano (“N.”), who lived and worked in Florence. – 2. Bound in Venetian style. With an erased medieval inscription. – 3. Amsterdam, Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica (J.R. Ritman). – 4. Now in a private collection. TEXT: ff. 1r-2v: Table of Contents – ff. 3r-114v: Letters from, to, or otherwise associated with St. Jerome: Et primo Damasi pape ad beatum Ieronimum… – ff. 114v-158r: Adversus Jovinianum hereticum sancti Ieronimi… – ff. 158r-328v: Further letters. All texts are numbered in the table of contents at the beginning of the manuscript, and the numbers are repeated in the running titles in red mostly in Roman, but some in Arabic numerals. Some marginalia, notabilia (carefully drawn nota or pointing hands), as well as carefully added corrections appear throughout the book. The manuscript is copied by two, perhaps more but quite difficult to distinguish, professional hands. The first hand (until f. 241r) is that of the Florentine notary Niccolò di Berto di Martino de’ Gentiluzi of San Gimignano (c. 1389-1468). He wrote his earliest dated manuscript in Gothic cursive in 1416 and is known to have finished his latest in 1461, when he was 72 years old. The Census of Scribes (Garzelli/de La Mare 1985, pp. 516-18) lists nineteen of his manuscripts, some signed by ‘N’ for ‘Nicolaus.’ Niccolò’s humanistic hand is variable in quality and often shows traces of the gothic style in which he must have been trained. In the 1450s, he copied a series of finely illuminated manuscripts of patristic texts, sometimes in Italian. He is known to have worked for several famous patrons, among whom are Piero de’ Medici (Florence, Bibl. Laurenziana, ms. Plut. 66.3), the Royal Library of Naples, and the Marquis of Santillana. He himself made a translation of Jerome’s Letters into Italian, but no copy of this in his own hand has yet come to light. According to the expert Nicolas Barker (his email message, 16 Sept. 2013) Niccolò specialised in this text. Moreover, two of his sons, Amanzio (1455-1499) and Francesco (1466-1503) are also known as notaries and scribes. The latter copied Jerome’s letters in Italian (New York, ML, ms. M. 477, dated 1475 and Florence, Bibl. Laurenziana, ms. Ashb. 477, April 1466). Is he possibly the second hand who continued the writing (f. 241r) – perhaps taking over where the father stopped? If so, this could put a date on the present manuscript of c. 1468. The Bertis were highly appreciated scribes who also worked for the famous bookseller Vespasiano da Bisticci.
128
This handsome manuscript, in outstanding condition, contains 130 numbered letters from, to, or otherwise associated with St. Jerome (c. 347-420), the greatest scholar of the early Church and one of the founders of Christian civilisation. This gifted scholar – a vir trilinguis who knew Hebrew, Greek, and Latin – was commissioned by Pope Damasus I to revise the old Latin text of the four Gospels from the best Greek texts known at that time. His letters show how he, over the course of years, extended this commission to encompass the entire Bible, later to be known as the Vulgate version. Jerome was also a prolific letter writer and some 154 epistles are attributed to him. These are varying in length from a few lines to several thousand words. Although written as personal letters, he edited them later for a wider audience. They cover a great variety of subjects and give insight into his character and intellectual concerns. The learned author touches upon religious and monastic life but also on everyday practicalities. He offers criticisms, fights heresies, explains exegetical questions, and praises asceticism, education, etc. Passages on translating the Bible are also important, for instance, sections on defending his method of translation and focusing on communicating the meaning of the text, rather than on giving the literal words (see letter to Pammachius, f. 68v). DECORATION: The manuscript is modestly, but nicely decorated. Two large initials in gold surrounded by white vines, with red, blue, and green grounds open the major text divisions in the codex. The first is a ten-line letter D (f. 1r), the second a five-line letter S (f. 139v). The white vines surrounded by blue extend into the border. Both script and decoration are close to that in a similar codex devoted to Jerome’s letters in a private collection in England (Bernard Rosenthal, Cat. 23, 1972, no. 76 with plate). Jerome’s letters are of great historical importance, as in these we can trace his character and the development of his thought and scholarship. They show us a tireless scholar, gifted translator, and someone strong-minded in his criticisms. As a writer, he unites the ancient and medieval worlds. He became the humanists’ saint and in Renaissance art he is portrayed in his study, hunched over a manuscript and surrounded by books, with his symbol, the lion, near or in the background. To have a copy of his letters would have been essential in any Renaissance library. LITERATURE: Unpublished. Cain 2009; Garzelli/de La Mare 1985, pp. 425, 494, 517-18; Lambert 1969-72; Rebenich 2002.
cat. 22*
A hallmark in history
Caesar, Commentarii de bello Gallico, with four 23 Julius additional texts Manuscript on vellum, illuminated by the Master of Ippolita Sforza Italy, Milan, c. 1460-1475 345 x 242 mm, 280 leaves (complete). – Written space: 230 x 145 mm, 1 column, 27 lines. Littera humanistica. – First title and incipit in gold capitals, other rubrics and marginal titles in rose, 15 large white-vine initials with staves of burnished gold, a further illuminated initial with a stave of gold, quartered ground of pink and green, and infill of blue, with white pen-work decoration. Vellum tabs added. – Some stains and smudging, lower margin and bottom two lines of f. 1r excised (affecting end of three text-lines on conjoint f. 8r), carefully replaced. – Binding: Original 15th-century panelled goatskin over wooden boards, blind tooled.
PROVENANCE: 1. Milan, Giovanfrancesco Marliani (his cancelled ownership inscription, in Latin and Greek, on the inside of cover). – 2. London, 1935, Charles Harry St. John Hornby (1867-1946, his M. 93). – 3. London, Major J. R. Abbey (18941969, his ms. J.A. 3232; sold by Sotheby’s, 18 February 1947, lot 246). – 4. Essex, Maldon, Beeleigh Abbey, Library of William Foyle (d. 1963) and heirs (until 2000). – 5. Oslo, Schøyen collection, ms. 4517. – 6. Now in a private collection. The Marliani were a high-ranking family at the Milanese court and Giovanfranceso, in 1487, was to deliver the Oratio for the marriage of Bianca Sforza, the daughter of Ludovico ‘Il Moro’, and the son of Matthias Corvinus, King of Hungary. The marriage, however, was cancelled when Ludovico realized that his intended son-in-law would not succeed to the crown. Giovanfrancesco (active c. 1480-c. 1524), president of the Milanese senate, was a man of great authority and later acted as Milanese envoy to Emperor Maximilian. As the lower margin of the first folio – presumably presenting the arms of the commissioner – was removed in the past, it cannot be confirmed whether Giovanfrancesco was this codex’s first owner. Nonetheless, both decoration and script are Milanese in style and are frequently found in manuscripts made for members of the Sforza court. TEXT: ff. 1r-126v: Commentarium de bello Gallico – ff. 127r-208r: De bello civili – ff. 208r-234r: De bello Alexandrino (here as Liber quartus de bello civili) – ff. 234v-266r: De bello Africano (here as Liber quintus de bello cilivi) – ff. 266r-280v: De bello Hispaniensi (here as Liber sextus de bello civili). The memoirs of the campaigns in Gaul from 58-52 BC and of the civil war against Pompey in 49-48 BC are the only works of Julius Caesar to survive intact. Although presented here as though they form part of Caesar’s account of the civil war, the final three works were most likely written by men who took part in the campaigns in Africa, Egypt, and Spain between 48-45 BC; the De bello Alexandrino was probably the work of Aulus Hirtius, who also wrote Book 8 of De bello Gallico, a continuation of Caesar’s work. Hirtius (c. 90-43 BC) was a long-time associate of Caesar. After the assassination, he tried to manoeuvre between parties but finally joined the senatorial side – Cicero being his friend. He was slain fighting Mark Antony. Caesar was extensively read during the Renaissance, when rhetoric, power, and persuasion were much valued skills. His works reveal his ordinary human behaviour, even in moments
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when great demands were made upon him. The codex still bears its fine original binding, adding much to its lustre, while the original wide margins are left intact. The actual script has been identified as the work of the scribe who wrote the copy of Petrarch’s De vita solitaria (Chicago, Newberry Library, ms. f. 95) made for Count Filippo Borromeo (d. 1464), and the Commentary of Servius in the famous Virgil written in 1465 for Ippolita, daughter of Francesco Sforza, Duke of Milan (Valencia, Biblioteca Universitaria, ms. 780; De la Mare 1983, p. 404, 406n30). ILLUMINATION: The sixteen fine, large illuminated initials are on: ff. 1r, 19v, 29v, 38v, 49r, 67v, 81r, 110r, 110v, 127r, 154r, 170r, 208r, 219v, 234v, and 266r. The white-vine initials are closely comparable to those in a copy of Servius Honoratus’ commentary on Virgil made for Gian Galeazzo Sforza, Duke of Milan, 1476-1481 (Sotheby’s, 23 June 1998, lot 57). The illumination of that codex was the work of two artists, Ambrogio da Marliano and the anonymous illuminator known as the Master of Ippolita Sforza (35). The latter is named after work in manuscripts that were given by Francesco Sforza, third Duke of Milan, and his wife Bianca Maria Visconti to their daughter Ippolita in 1465 on the occasion of her marriage to Alfonso of Calabria. This illuminator was highly favoured by the Duke, and he decorated a number of manuscripts destined for members of the ducal family including classical texts intended for the education of the Duke’s son Galeazzo Maria (35). Almost twenty years later he was still called upon to illuminate texts for an equally important recipient – Galeazzo Maria’s own son Gian Galeazzo. It is the white-vine decoration on the opening folio, and the initials of identical forms and technique, painted by the Ippolita Master in Gian Galeazzo’s Servius that match the initials of the present manuscript and enable its attribution to the same illuminator. The manuscript, therefore, can be placed in the interesting humanist context of the court of Milan under the Sforza family that stood out for its patronage of the arts and humanities. This large codex is of international importance. Caesar not only influenced the development of the Mediterranean world but as well that of all of Europe and beyond. His books became literature for use in education, and his legend continues to command respect and awe today. LITERATURE: Alexander/de la Mare 1969, pp. 131-33, no. 47; De La Mare 1983, pp. 404, 406n30; Günther 2015, no. 26. Casagrande Mazzoli 1997; Santoro 1965, p. 226.
cat. 23*
cat. 23*
cat. 23*
Mocking society
24 Decimus Junius Juvenalis, Satirae Illuminated manuscript on vellum Italy, Ferrara, dated 1453 250 x 180 mm, vellum, 66 leaves (2 missing, two blanks cancelled at end). – Written space: 160 x 100 mm, 1 column, 29 lines. Fine Littera humanistica, the first page entirely in capitals, headings and first initials to every line in red. Some contemporary notes. – 11 initials in burnished gold with intertwined whitevine patterns in pale brown ink on a blue field, in-fills in colours and some gold, dotted in white, extensions of pen-work sprays, gold bezants and painted flowers, 4 large, seven- to eight-line initials with full borders including 12 miniatures. – Some stains and oxidation. – Binding: England, early 19th century.
PROVENANCE: 1. The colophon (f. 66v) states that the manuscript was finished on 1 March 1453, followed by the abbreviated words: ‘Par Ferr Div’, perhaps: Parolarius Ferrariensis (a scribe, Kristeller 1967-92, II, p. 597). – 2. England, private collection (early 19th century). – 3. Luton, Marquees of Bute (ms. 107, sold London, Sotheby’s, 13 June 1983, lot 15). – 4. Paris, Schiller collection (1983-1985). – 5. Oslo, Schøyen collection, ms. 2047. – 6. Now in a private collection. TEXT: The sixteen Satires of Decimus Junius Juvenal (c. 50-127 AD) are divided over five books. f. 1r: Book I, 1: It is hard not to write satire; 2: Hypocrites are intolerable; 3: There is no room in Rome for Romans; 4: The Emperor’s Fish; 5: Patronizing patronage. – f. 18v: Book II, 6: The decay of feminine virtue (rather a dialogue against marriage). – f. 30r: Book III, 7: Fortuna or the Emperor is the best patron; 8: True Nobility; 9. Flattering your patron is hard work. – f. 42r: Book IV, 10: Wrong desire is the source of suffering; 11: Dinner and moral; 12: True friendship. – f. 54r: Book V, 13: Do not obsess over liars and crooks; 14: Avarice is not a family value; 15: People without compassion are worse than animals; 16: Soldiers are above the law. Juvenal’s Satires form a witty ridicule of the vices of the Roman Empire in the age of Nero, Domitian, and Trajan. The collection is considered to be the last great poetry of the golden period of Roman literature. The biting satires vary in length between 130 and some 660 verses and aim specifically at women, foreigners, homosexuals, cruel and decadent rulers, unresponsive patrons, and parvenus. Being called the most ‘politically incorrect’ poet of Rome, Juvenal attracted an enthusiastic public. Soon after his death in 127 AD, the poems fell out of sight, to be revived again at the end of the 4th century. They continued to be popular throughout the Middle Ages and Renaissance. An older census lists some 500 manuscripts (Knoche 1950). As the Satires were used as a schoolbook, many copies are cheap transcripts, often heavily glossed. The present manuscript is a luxury copy. The extensive text tradition has given rise to much discussion among scholars, as only few manuscripts offer texts considered reasonably reliable. Early interpolations and omissions made people argue that portions of text may not be authentically ‘Juvenalian’. On the other hand, such manuscripts do offer quite an interesting insight into how the satires were adapted and why they continued to interest the public over a long period of time. In 15th-century Italy, Juvenal was commonly taught in humanist schools and his lamentations on decay (for instance, on the decay of learning) were popular themes for professors. The humanist Guarino of Verona (d. 1460 Ferrara), whose introductory hexameters on Juvenal are included in some
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codices (as here on f. 18v, where his name follows the title of satire VI), was engaged as tutor to Leonello, eldest son of Niccolo d’Este of Ferrara (1429). Later he was professor of rhetoric at Ferrara University, where he taught with great success (1436-1460). The eulogy delivered at his funeral praised especially the lectures he gave on Juvenal (Sanford 1948, p. 99). ILLUMINATION: The first four books and each satire within each book opens with a fine gold initial surrounded by intertwined white vine patterns. There are four opulent historiated borders, each containing several roundels including a historiated scene. The principal illuminated pages are: f. 1r: Book I, initial S (50 x 48 mm) and full border with two putti in a landscape supporting a coat of arms, one holding a finch and the other with a rabbit, with birds, snails, and insects; vignettes with a unicorn in a pen, bears in a landscape, and a golden fence around an island – f. 18v: Book II, initial C (42 x 46 mm), and full border including birds, insects, a rabbit; vignettes include a baby bear asleep in a landscape, rabbits and landscape tumbling down, sailors on a ship steered between cliffs – f. 30r: Book III, initial E (46 x 45 mm), and full border including a rabbit and a bird crouching under a lush vine-stem; more birds and vignettes of a bear in a landscape, a leopard cub and a hawk – f. 42r: Book IV, Initial O (53 x 50 mm): enclosing a dragon with full border including putti and birds, four large settings of coloured jewels. With finely executed smaller white-vine initials and partial borders (ff. 4r, 7r, 12v, 34v, 39r, 48v, 52r, 57r, 62v, and 65v). The illumination has some parallels with – but is not as fine as – that in the Bible of Borso d’Este (Modena, Biblioteca Estense, ms. Lat. 422-423) commissioned in Ferrara in 1455(-1461) and the broad, loose white-vine patterns with colourful birds, other animals and some putti often occur in Ferrarese books. Luxurious Renaissance manuscripts of this kind were the particular taste of the Italian princes. In his wide-ranging discussion of social mores, Juvenal criticizes many contemporaries and provides insights into the realities of Roman life. His intended public were educated, conservative men. Especially Satire 6 (against marriage) enjoyed great popularity and was considered a support for a wide array of chauvinistic beliefs. Yet “Sed quis custodiet ipsos custodes?” (But who guards the guards themselves?). LITERATURE: Unpublished. Alexander 1994; Courtney 1980; Freudenburg 2001; Knoche 1950; Kristeller 1967-92, II; Rudd 1992; Sanford 1948.
cat. 24
cat. 24
cat. 24
The only known copy still in private hands
25 Ulrich von Pottenstein, Das Buch der natürlichen Weisheit Illustrated manuscript in German on paper, written by Johannes Mör of Constance Bavaria, perhaps Regensburg (?), dated 1453 262 x 194 mm, 88 leaves (missing 1 leaf). – Written space: 203 x 155 mm, double column, 30-33 lines. German Bastarda. – 84 watercolour illustrations in rectangular frames. – Some old repairs, slight staining and trimming. – Binding: 19 th-century brown leather.
PROVENANCE: 1. The scribe signed and dated his work in the colophon on f. 88v: “Et sic est finis p[er] mano Johannis Mör de Costancia Anno 1453.” No other manuscript signed by him has been recorded. The dialect of the text is Bavarian with a touch of Alemannic (Bodemann 1988, pp. 67-68). – 2. Lille, Jean-Baptiste Joseph Barrois (1784-1855). – 3. Ashburnham Place, acquired 1849 by Bertram, 4th Earl of Ashburnham (1797-1878) and sold by the 5th Earl of Ashburnham (London, Quaritch, Cat. 211, 1902, no. 2). – 4. Mainz, Rudolf Busch (sold Frankfurt, Joseph Baer, 4 May 1921, lot 259). – 5. Constance, private collection. – 6. USA, private collection. TEXT: Das Buch der natürlichen Weisheit, Books I-IV, arranged as two books: f. 1: prologue Hie heben sich an die vier Angell … Der hochwebent in natürleichen chunsten Maister Aristotoles spricht – ff. 1v-26v: Book I, Von eynem Raben und Fuchs (between ff. 10-11 lacking the end of Fable I 11 and the beginning of I 12); explicit to Book I on f. 26v – ff. 27-88v: Book II, Nun hebt sich das ander puch ain von der Grosmütichait … Signature of the scribe at the end. Das Buch der natürlichen Weisheit is a German translation of the Speculum Sapientiae, a popular collection of fables and apologues. First attributed to an apocryphal bishop, St. Cyrillus, the text was probably the work of the Italian Dominican Bongiovanni da Messina (active 1337-l347), who restructured these fables within a Christian moral framework. Translator Ulrich von Pottenstein (c. 1360-c. 1417) began his career about 1390 as a pastor in Pottenstein. Later he was appointed chaplain of Duke Albrecht IV of Austria and canon to the Vienna Cathedral. During his years as dean in Enns near Lorsch (1411-1417), he translated what became, in fact, the first book of fables in German prose (Schwitzgebel 1996, p. 81). His text survives in a briefer version, known from four copies, and an expanded version of which some eighteen manuscripts have been identified, the majority of which originated in Austria and southern Germany. The scribe, Johannes Mör of Constance, most likely worked in the southern German border region, writing in a Bavarian dialect with Alemannic touches (Bodemann 1988, pp. 67-68). Either the scribe himself or the model he had at his disposal rearranged the original four books into two books, while omitting and abbreviating some fables (Bodemann 1988, pp. 126-30, 215). Whereas the Latin version was rarely illustrated, the majority of the German manuscripts have illustrations, fundamentally contributing to its success. ILLUSTRATION: The pen-and-wash drawings at hand consist of eighty-four animated scenes that are drawn in bold outlines and painted in colour. The illustrator created lively and confident pictures presenting great characters. He increased the scenes’ action by way of gestures or limbs overlapping the frame or by keeping figures partly out of the picture.
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He triggers his public’s imagination through the audaciousness of the weak confronting the strong, as in the cheekiness of the mouse confronting the lion and fox (f. 16v). The cautious mule, on the other hand, has only three hooves on the frame and does not enter the picture fully, keeping out of the horse’s terrible fight (f. 30v). Touchingly, the personifications of Body reach up to Soul like a welcoming lover (f. 27v). The manuscript at hand is all the more remarkable because the individual stories are headed by rubrics, some of which function as instructions to the illustrator. That these titles originated as such instructions rather than as translations from the Latin original becomes clear on f. 33v, where the heading for Will and Reason is followed by Item von Will und von vernunft was sind zway pild und schüllen gemalt werden ains mann und ains frauen pild: Will and Reason are indeed two figures painted as one man and one woman. Similar instructions appear on some twenty further pages. The detailed headings of the present manuscript are apparently unique (Bodemann 1988, p. 81) and reflect a distinct stage in the development of Pottenstein’s original text. The headings suggest that a list of instructions on pictorial content was available – which makes sense for an original text that was to be illustrated for the first time. Copyist Johannes Mör may not have been working from a fully illustrated copy, since he did not plan to leave spaces for miniatures on f. 3r, where text was erased, and f. 37r, where the miniature is painted over a red initial. He did, however, correctly leave an extra-large space for the complex illustration of f. 31v. Whatever the artist’s model, many of his animals owe more to pattern books than observed reality, necessarily so for exotics like the crocodile ‘a poisonous serpent’ (f. 59r), or the ostrich with hooves (f. 29v and f. 48r). Monkeys are humanized, while familiar animals, from farmyard or countryside, retain more of their actual appearance and character. The content of the miniatures inevitably has much in common with that of other manuscript copies but often departs from the standard solutions (Einhorn 1975, p. 390). The bold outlines and colour wash are typical of German manuscripts on paper but here a richer effect is achieved by internal modelling. The illustrated fables were quite popular and the books (especially those on paper) were read to ‘pieces’, making such manuscripts quite precious and rare today. Among the twenty-two known copies, the Ashburnham codex at hand is the only one in private hands and on the market. LITERATURE: Bodemann 1988, pp. 67-68, 81, – 2012, no. 37.2.6; Einhorn 1975, p. 390; Günther cat. 13, no. 1; handschriftencensus.de/1080. Schwitzgebel 1996, p. 81.
cat. 25*
cat. 25*
cat. 25*
cat. 25*
cat. 25*
Uniquely illustrated compilation of the Lower Rhine-Maas region
26 Compilation of twelve Chronicles in the vernacular Illustrated manuscript on paper and vellum, in Dutch Lower Rhine-Maas region/Guelders, c. 1453-1461 215 x 140 mm. 261 leaves (missing: 4 blanks, 1 text leaf. 2 or 3 drawings). With contemporary foliation in Roman numerals: ff. [16], I-CCXLIV (following referred to in Arabic numerals); at text no. six (f. 111) a new section seems to start, where earlier foliation is corrected or changed. – Written space: 145 x 80 mm, 1 column, 27 to 33 lines. Littera cursiva and littera hybrida by one, possibly two hands, rubrics in red. – With decorated initials in red, the larger ones with modest pen-flourishes. A total of 28 pen-and-wash drawings (of 30 or 31, as missing ff. 110, 225, and 239, which perhaps contained drawings). – Somewhat stained throughout but overall in good condition. Cuts in 2 leaves caused by removal of f. 239, but text complete. Few marginal notes. – Binding: original, 15th-century brown leather over wooden boards, blind stamped (expertly restored).
PROVENANCE: 1. Written between 1453 and before or in 1461, likely for William II, Lord of Bergh (d. 1465, his coat of arms, f. 1v): d’argent, au lion de gueules, à la bordure de sable besanté d’or (Gelre Armorial, f. 88v). William II of Bergh stood at the foundation of the considerable wealth and splendour of his dynasty in the Guelders-Cleves region (s’Heerenberg). Nicknamed ‘the peaceful’, he became counsellor to Duke Arnold in 1424. He married (1456) Elisabeth of Meurs (d. 1493). Their daughter Mechtild (1470-1539) married Frederick of Bronckhorst, member of an extended noble family in Guelders. – 2. Handed down by descent via Bronkhorst-Batenburg to the last owner. – 3. Now in ’s-Heerenberg, collection of Huis Bergh Castle. Kasteel Huis Bergh is a large castle with a private museum in ’s Heerenbergh (Netherlands). It preserves the fascinating collection of medieval art that was assembled by Dr. Jan Herman van Heek (d. 1957). It also holds the archives of the Lords of Bergh, who were the original inhabitants of the castle. This unique manuscript has thus returned home, as it were. TEXT: f. [1v]: Coat of arms of House of Bergh – ff. [2-13v]: Table of Contents – 1. ff. 1r-42v: Hyr begynnen die paeuse of Cristum ende stricken voirt tot Kaerle ende wat elc pau wes sette. A chronicle in rhymed verse about the popes until Leo IV (from Der Leken Spiegel by Jan van Boendale, c. 1280-c. 1365) – 2. ff. 49r-56v: Coroniken van den biscopen van Coelen – 3. ff. 60r-74r: Dit is getagen uiten bouck der gesten der biscopen van Ludick – 4. ff. 75r-90v: Hijr begin nen Croniken vanden biscopen van Utrecht – 5. ff. 90r-106r: Hijr begynnen die Croniken vanden biscopen van Monster – 6. ff. 111r-211v: Gesten der Roemschen biscopen ind keyseren (after Martinus Oppaviensis, Chronicon summorum pon tificum atque imperatorum Romanorum) – 7. ff. 214r-222r: Dit nabescreven ist Cronijck van Gelre – 8. ff. 222r-224v: Dit ist Coronijck van Hollant – 9. ff. 226r-231r: Dit na bescreven ist Cronijk van Brabant – 10. ff. 232r-236r: Dit na bescre ven is Coronyck van der Marka, followed by ff. 237r-238v: Leopold of Northof, Genealogia of the Counts Engelbert von der Mark and his brothers – 11. ff. 240r-241r: Table of descendants of St. Louis IX, Tot verclaringe des rechten erfvolgers tho dem konynck van Francrijck… (Charles VII [1422-1461] is nu ter tijt conijnck, f. 241r) – 12. ff. 242v-244v: Dit nabescreven sijn Croniken der hertoighen Cleve (until 1453).
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The present compilation includes the histories of the ecclesiastic and worldly powers in the north-western part of the Holy Roman Empire. The book comprises twelve works, among which are an excerpt of John of Boendale’s Der leken spieghel (about the popes from Peter until Leo III) and chronicles of the archbishops and bishops of Cologne, Liège, Utrecht and Münster. The second part begins with a vernacular translation of Martin of Troppau’s chronicle of the German emperors until Frederick II, followed by chronicles of Guelders (until 1437), Holland (until 1404), a short verse chronicle of Brabant (until 1415), a chronicle of Mark, a genealogy of the Kings of France (before 1461), and a chronicle of the dukes of Cleves (until 1453; Nijsten 2004, p. 174; for more details on the linguistic characteristics see: Kirschner 2006, p. 244; Goosens 1994). The most recent dates referred to in the final chronicle are the marriage of Adolf of Cleves and Beatrix of Portugal in 1453 and Charles VII of France (d. 1461), who is mentioned as the current ruler (‘is now king’, f. 241r). This suggests 1461 to be the terminus ante quem for the origin of the manuscript. The individual works were originally written in different language forms or dialects but were revised to form more unity – although variants still occur (Rosenfeld 1938-1939, pp. 260-261). This is a most extraordinary codex, containing the oldest and only known illustrated vernacular compilation of chronicles from the Lower Rhine-Maas region. Scholars regard this area between the Rhine and the Maas rivers as a distinct Kulturlandschaft – already called ‘Niderland’ in the Nibelungenlied (Oosterman 2007). ILLUSTRATION: f. [16v]: the Pope next to Christ – f. 3r: Martyrdom of Pope Alexander II – f. 8v: Martyrdom of Pope Stephanus – f. 10r: Pope Marcellinus incensing an idol in sacrifice – f. 14v: Pope Sylvester celebrating Mass in St. Lawrence’s, above right: the saint’s shrine with relics – f. 15v: Miracle of Helena’s Conversion – f. 17r: Empress Helena threatening Jews with fire – f. 24v: Pope Leo’s hand restored by the Virgin and Child – f. 28v: Hermit’s vision of King Theoderic’s soul cast into Hell – f. 29v: Pope Virgilius before a golden cross at St. Peter’s; being martyred by Empress Theodora – f. 32r: Idols being destroyed, Pope Gregory the Great writing – f. 37r: Pope Gregory III calling a synod to temper iconoclasm by Emperor Leo III – f. 38r: Pope Stephen leads Pippin, crowned King of France
cat. 26
– f. 38v: Pope Paul I visits the poor at night – f. 40r: Pope Adrian seeks help from Charlemagne – f. 42v: Holy Roman Emperor and the seven prince-electors – f. 48v: ‘Colonia’, the bishop of Cologne with his coat of arms – f. 59v: The prince-bishop of Liège – f. 74v: The bishop of Utrecht – f. 90v: The bishop of Münster – f. 137v: Vision of the Tiburtine Sibyl and Emperor Augustus – f. 191v: Otto III crowned by Pope Gregory – f. 198v: Emperor Henry IV takes his father prisoner – f. 205v: A man who found a book in three languages foretelling the birth and passion of Christ (text on f. 206v), and: Baptism of a man in the presence of his family – f. 213v: The Duke of Guelders – f. 222v: The Count of Holland – f. 231v: The Count of Mark – f. 242v: The Duke of Cleves. The twenty-eight drawings are all executed by the same hand and datable to the 1450-1460s (Kirschner 2006, p. 244). Each text opens with a drawing representing the ruler of the diocese or territory to which the following chronicle is devoted. Each ruler is identified by his coat of arms and stands before a city that is perhaps intended to reflect the seat of his bishopric or main residence of his region. Both the first and sixth texts are further illustrated by fifteen and four smaller images, respectively – presumably all copied after an earlier model. The drawings in the first text comprise a series of events related to popes, ranging from the institution of the papacy to the Holy Roman Emperor and the seven prince-electors, together representing the spiritual and worldly authorities of power. In the sixth text (Martin of Troppau’s Chronicle, of which many illustrated versions are known), the first three illustrations are added to the correct text passage, but the fourth appears two pages too early, after which no more illustrations were planned. Perhaps the book’s compiler worked after a defective exemplar of this text? The artist emerges as a relatively gifted draughtsman, whose sketchily executed drawings illustrate, in a lively manner, the main actor of the Chronicle or related events from texts one and six. The graphic illustrations, executed in ink outline and coloured sparingly with touches of wash or paint, are mostly figure-dominated with some concern for descriptive details of the background setting. The attractive drawings have charm, with each portrait showing individualised characteristics. There is a range of expressive figures and cityscapes that, though often no more than a single plane with a few towers, reveal a certain understanding of depth and space. These may even refer to identifiable locations – however, this is a hypothesis that requires more research. Each of the loosely formed figures represents a political power. The amiable characters are depicted in draped garments or various armour, with distinctive headwear. Represented here are the Bishop of Cologne (f. 49v) and the Duke of Cleves (f. 242v). Other drawings illustrate the Tiburtine Sibyl showing a vision of the Virgin to Emperor Augustus (f. 137v), the Hermit’s vision of King Theoderic’s soul being cast into Hell (f. 28v), the Holy Roman Emperor and the seven prince-electors (f. 52v), and Helena threatening the Jews with fire (f. 17v).
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The present figural and compositional formula of bishops and princes with coats of arms, when ‘portrait’ and arms go ‘hand in hand’, may participate in a genre, in a deviated format, exemplified by the famous manuscripts of Herald Gelre, alias Bavaria (Anrooij 1997; The Hague, KB, ms. 131 G 37, 140 and Brussels, BR, ms. 15652-569), in which each section of represented nobles is headed by a painted coat of arms with a family crest. The latter also contains a superb pen-and-wash drawing portrait of the emperor and the seven electors, the three princes of the church, and the four lay dignitaries (attributed to Herman Maelwael, c. 1395-1405; Dückers 2005, pp. 66-67). Both the Brussels and our manuscript have their roots in the Rhine-Maas region, possibly in Nijmegen or somewhere nearby. After Herald Gelre/Bavaria brought his manuscripts (there are six) to Holland, the tradition of writing and drawing arms was continued and developed further by the herald Hendrick van Heesel(t), who also came from Guelders. He included a series of portraits of the counts of Holland in his manuscript (Antwerp, Hendrik Conscience Library, ms. B.89420, 1433-1456, Anrooij 2006). This compilation is uniquely illustrated with pen-drawings and can be dated to c. 1453-1461. It is the earliest known example of vernacular territorial or regional historiography in the Rhine-Maas region (“welche die wohl früh esten Beispiele volkssprachlicher territorialer Geschichts schreibung überliefert”, Kirschner 2006, p. 235). As William the Lord of Bergh most likely ordered the manuscript, it furthermore provides insight into the relationship between its contents and politics. Research into Bergh’s well-preserved archives will likely reveal more of the political and intellectual background of William, who was a relatively new power in the region, after he succeeded his mother’s father as Lord of Bergh (1441). The concern for continuity in the political and ideological order was probably the same among the ruling elite of Guelders, Holland, or Burgundy. To retain personal prestige among neighbouring powers, noble families required knowledge of the history of those powers. The present manuscript is a very rare, illustrated, historiographical work in the vernacular in which the compiler presented his patron a fascinating overview of the history of the Rhine-Maas region. All in all, this unique codex is an exciting source that calls for new research. LITERATURE: Beckers 1994, p. 39; handschriftencensus. de/24476; Hinz 1999, no. 0730; Schmitz 1901, no. 42; Tervooren 2006, pp. 235-36. Anrooij 1995, pp. 7-11, – 1997, – 2006; Carasso-Kok 1981, nos. 144, 177, 192, 346, 356; Dunphy 2010; Dückers 2005; Falkenburg 1997; Goosens 1994; Kirschner 2006; Nijsten 2004; Noordzij 2004, – 2010; Oosterman 2007; Rosenfeld 1938-39; Schulz 2010; Verbeij-Schillings 2006.
cat. 26
cat. 26
cat. 26
cat. 26
cat. 26
A very individual, personalized Ghent manuscript
27 Wilmerding Hours, use of Rome
Manuscript on vellum, illuminated by the Masters of the Feathery Clouds (in Dutch: Vederwolken) Flanders, Ghent, c. 1470 195 x 143 mm. 210 leaves (possibly 16 leaves missing, 12 of which in the Bodleian Library; see below). – Written space: 105 x 75 mm, 1 column, 17 lines. Littera textualis. – All pages decorated with one-line initials in blue or gold, surrounded by pen-flourishes alternately in red or purple ink, all two-line initials in gold on a blue or purple field with white tracery. – 13 (of 20) historiated initials, 6 (of 11) half-page miniatures, and 9 full-page miniatures (of 13?, inserted). – With large wide margins. – Binding: 19 th-century red morocco, edges gilt.
SISTER LEAVES: Since 1834, twelve leaves from the present manuscript are preserved in an album in Oxford, Bodleian Library (ms. Douce 381, ff. 78r-88r), including five half page miniatures and seven text pages with decorated borders but lacking the historiated initials (cut out). Accessed July 2018: http://bodley30.bodley.ox.ac.uk:8180/luna/servlet/ view/all/what/MS.+Douce+381. PROVENANCE: 1. Ghent, c. 1470, made for a married man who asks for grace for his wife and children (f. 209v). Another prayer mentions ‘in this parish’ (f. 204r ff.) and refers to Buenen, Alsenberghe, Erdenborg, tsHertoghe bossche, Assche, and Lede (f. 209r-v), pilgrim sites within reach of Ghent. Traces of former pilgrims’ badges, as well as the three suffrages to saints venerated in conjunction with pilgrimage, likewise accentuate the patron’s devotion. – 2. London, Philip August Hanrott (d. 1856; his library sold in 1833). – 3. Chester, George Folliott (sold 1893). – 4. Henry White (sold 1902). – 5. Princeton, Lucius Wilmer ding (d. 1949; sold 1951). – 6. Geneva, André Cottet, 10 Nov. 1967, lot 3. – 7. USA, private collection. – 8. Now in a private collection. TEXT: ff. 1r-6v: Calendar, use of Ghent (in red: St. Pharahildis, patroness of Ghent, 4 Jan.) – ff. 7r-8v: Passion according to St. John – ff. 9r-17v: Suffrages to SS. James the Greater, Christopher, Sebastian, George, Jerome, Adrian, Stephen, Achatius, and 10,000 Martyrs – ff. 18r-24v: Hours of St. Catherine – ff. 25r-29v: Hours of St. Barbara – ff. 30r32v: Short Hours of the Holy Cross – ff. 34r-36v: Short Hours of the Holy Spirit – ff. 38r-83v: Hours of the Virgin – ff. 85r97r: Seven Penitential Psalms and Litany – ff. 99r-133r: Office of the Dead – ff. 134r-150r: Ps. 21, 30, 85, 117, 138, and Athanasian Creed, each followed by a Prayer – ff. 150v-152r: Suffrage of St. Eustace – ff. 153r-157r: Prayers to the Virgin Mary – ff. 157v-196v: Prayers in Dutch – ff. 197r-210r: Suffrages and prayers in Dutch – ff. 204r-205v: a prayer for protection against thunderstorms in this parish – ff. 205v-209v: Rhymed prayer to Virgin Mary Lof die m aecht – ff. 209v-210r: Added Suffrage of the 10.000 Martyrs. ILLUMINATION: Half-page miniatures most with historiated borders: f. 9r: James the Greater – f. 10v: Sebastian – f. 14r: Achatius and the 10,000 Martyrs – f. 18r: Catherine – f. 150v: Eustace and his Family – f. 197r: Erasmus. – Fullpage miniatures: f. 33v: Pentecost – f. 37v: Annunciation – f. 60v: Adoration of the Magi – f. 64v: Presentation in the Temple – f. 68v: Massacre of the Innocents – f. 72v: Flight into Egypt – f. 79v: Holy Family in Egypt – f. 84v: Last Judgment – f. 98v: Funeral Mass; and thirteen historiated initials and borders.
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The illuminator of this extraordinarily rich illustrated manuscript often drew on scenes taken from the printed blockbook Biblia Pauperum and their text-scrolls in Dutch vernacular. The cycle of illustrations is especially noteworthy because of its juxtaposition of full-page miniatures from an apparently unique set of subjects from the infancy of Christ and the life of Mary, accompanied by a sub-cycle of marginal roundels, with historiated initials on facing text pages of events from the Old Testament. Openings of two adjoining leaves may present quite remarkable iconography, where the story unfolds across scenes in the miniature, initial, and the surrounding borders. A telling example is the opening showing as the main miniature the martyrdom of St. Eustace roasting to death with his family in a bronze bull statue; the upper left margin reveals the Emperor Hadrian, who ordered him to be martyred; the initial displays the whole family in prayer; the lower margins include Eustace’s sons carried off by a lion and a wolf; and in the other corners St. Eustace and his wife pray (ff. 150v-151r, Marrow 2018, pp. 232-33). The history of St. Eustace (as well as that of some other saints depicted in the manuscript) is rarely seen and shows that this artistic workshop could draw from rich sources of models. The illumination shows differences between the degree of finish and in facial and figural types, which suggests that the decoration was carried out in a collaborative effort by two or more miniaturists. The masters, who are dubbed the ‘Masters of the Feathery Clouds’, worked in an easily recognizable style with small ‘feathery’, cirrus clouds added to the intense blue skies above landscapes. The figures at times have large hands and heads that can be a bit too large in respect to their bodies. There are striking facial types with prominent eyes. The accomplished, colourful border decoration includes birds, such as owls and peacocks, butterflies, and other figures among acanthus and stylized flowers. This profusely decorated Book of Hours sheds new light on the fascinating Masters of the Feathery Clouds, who worked in both the Northern and Southern Netherlands where they enjoyed professional success in Utrecht and Ghent. The known works executed by these Masters, often in collaboration with others, all probably date from c. 14601480. The multiple hands could perhaps suggest a family relationship. Showing unique iconographical knowledge and links to contemporary blockbooks makes this work an outstanding book. We kindly thank James H. Marrow for sharing his expertise on this manuscript. LITERATURE: Marrow 2018.
cat. 27
cat. 27
cat. 27
A magnificent world history
da Pistoia, Chronicon universale, ab origine mundi 28 Sozomeno ad annum 1292, I-II Manuscript on vellum, written by Filippo de Nanni de’Batini and a second scribe, illuminated in Pistoia (I) and in Florence in the style of Francesco d’Antonio del Chierico (II) Italy, Pistoia, c. 1460-1470 390 x 267 mm, 2 volumes, 343 and 333 leaves. – Written space: 250 x 160 mm, 50 lines. Littera Humanistica by two scribes. – Title vol. I with three-quarter border and 10-line initial in Ferrarese style, further a pen-and-ink diagram of the Temple of Solomon (f. 32r); title vol. II in gold capitals, with 11-line initial and full border in Florentine style of white-vine stems pierced by two gold frames and putti, birds, deer, insects, and leopards in full colour. – Some flaking of gold, otherwise in fresh and clean condition. – Binding: contemporary, possibly original, velvet over thin wooden boards.
PROVENANCE: 1. Pistoia, made in c. 1460-70, written by Filippo de Nanni de’Batini and a second scribe; soon after brought to Florence where illumination was added to the second volume. – 2. Spain, Aragon, Geronimo Zurita (15511580), who left his books to the Monastery of Aula Dei in Zaragossa with the expressed intention that they be given to the Escorial library, which, however, was obstructed by the abbot. – 3. Zaragossa, Carthusian Monastery of Aula Dei (1580-1626). – 4. Gaspar de Guzman, Count-Duke of Olivares (1626-1645), inherited by descent by Gaspar de Haro y Guzman, marqués de Eliche y Carpio (1645-1687) with his signature on the first leaf of each volume. – 5. Sevilla, Convento del Angel de los Carmelitos Descalzos (after 1687). – 6. France, Lyon, Convent des Augustins déchaussées (before 1715). – 7. England, Thomas Hobart (1715-). – 8. Cheshire, Mostyn Hall, Llewelyn N. Vaughn, Lord Mostyn, mss. 209 and 210 (1874-1920; sold in London, Sotheby’s, 13 July 1920, lot 110). – 9. Surrey, Edmund H. Dring (19201928), inherited by descent by Edmund Maxwell Dring (sold New York, H.P. Kraus, Cimelia, cat. 165 (1983), no. 15). – 10. Norway, Oslo, Schøyen collection, ms. 038. – 11. Now in a private collection.
ILLUMINATION: The title page of volume I is decorated in the strapwork style typical of Ferrara in the third quarter of the 15th century. The title page of volume II is decorated with a full border in the Florentine vine-stem style by a prolific but as yet unnamed collaborator of Francesco d’Antonio del Chierico. The fact that the titles of the two volumes were decorated in different cities is not surprising given the circumstances in which the original text was copied and the highly organized business of manuscript copying carried on by the Italian scribes of this period. Only one volume of Sozomeno’s original Chronicle was lent out per year (Piattoli 1934). Both volumes at hand are so close in style and page layout that they must have been copied in the same workshop. The scribe of the first volume is identified as Filippo di Nanni de’Batini, who is recorded borrowing the Chronicle for copying on 2 December 1471 (however, those volumes are identified as Vat. Lat. 7270-7272). The copying of both magnificent volumes must have taken considerable time in view of the number of leaves and small script, on 50 lines per page. Apparently, soon after the second volume was completed, both codices had arrived in Florence where, likely, the decoration of part II was added.
TEXT: Sozomeno da Pistoia (1378-1458) was a widely cultured humanist who contributed to the history of classical studies and humanistic reforms of Renaissance Italy. He had studied at Padua and became interested in Greek at an early age. He also began copying manuscripts himself, learning the humanistic script in Florence. He took part in the Council of Constance (1417-1418), where he shared in Poggio Bracciolini’s discovery of Latin texts in the library of the nearby monastery of St. Gall. He became an esteemed professor in Florence, where he mainly lived from c. 1420s-1440s. He owned a great library and was the first humanist to devote his books to public use. Already in 1423, he donated manuscripts to the city of Pistoia, entrusting them with the obligation to make these accessible.
Sometime in the middle of the 16th century, the present manuscript was obtained by Geronimo Zurita probably during his trip to Sicily in 1550-1551. At his death, all of his manuscripts were left to the Carthusian monastery of Aula Dei, with the express intention that they would be given to the Escorial library. The abbot of the monastery, however, took the opportunity to obstruct the transfer of the books until Phillip II paid money he had owed to the monastery for many years. The books, therefore, remained at the monastery until 1626 when the Count-Duke of Olivares had the general of the Carthusian Order force the monastery to hand over all of the Zurita volumes to him. He gave several of his books to his nephew, Gaspar de Haro y Guzman (Scrip torium 26 [1972], 327), among which the present volumes were included. In view of the wealth of knowledge collected by the humanist Sozomeno, scholars can only fathom his contribution to Renaissance culture. These most impressive volumes on world history, of which the Repertorium Chronicarum lists only fifteen copies worldwide, would be a jewel in any library, be it medieval, Renaissance, or modern.
The books at hand are two grand, sumptuous manuscript volumes of the Chronicon Universale, which the author started to compile in the jubilee year 1450. The work is a chronicle in the true medieval sense of a year-by-year description of events in the various parts of the known world, based on works of contemporary historians, treating biblical events, Greek, Roman, Islamic, Byzantine, and western medieval history until the end of the 13th century. A subsequent portion extending to 1455 was left in loose sheets and exists today in only one copy.
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LITERATURE: Repertorium Chronicarum. De la Mare 1973; Piatolli 1934; Savino 2010; Sozomeno da Pistoia 2017.
cat. 28*
cat. 28*
cat. 28*
An urban panorama
29 M. Valerius Martialis, Epigrammata, Libri I-XVI
Illuminated manuscript on vellum, made for the Martinozzi family of Siena, signed by scribe Φ Η Italy, Siena (?), c. 1460-1470 285 x 190 mm, 208 leaves. – Written space 186 x 105 mm, 1 column, 29 lines, written in a fine Littera Humanistica by the scribe who signed his work Φ Η. – Initials in blue at the beginning of each epigram. Decorated title-page with a large gold six-line vine-stem initial with the Martinozzi coat of arms surrounded by a wreath, plus 15 more square, four-line vine-stem initials in gold and colours. – First and last leaves somewhat wormed, few edges slightly defective, some stains. With wide margins, in fine condition. – Binding: original, 15th-century red leather on bevelled wooden boards, title “Martiale” cut into the front cover. Small round metal bosses, traces of catches and clasps (rebacked). Gilt edges.
PROVENANCE: 1. Siena, made for the Martinozzi family, as shown by the contemporary coat of arms: 3 stelle (6 raggi) di oro su fascia di azzurro su oro (f. 1r). Nicollò Martinozzi was awarded the title of Conte del Castellucio (1430). The family patronized important cultural heritage in its Palazzo in the Piazza del Campo and in their chapel decorated by Vecchietta (Lorenzo di Pietro, 1445-1448; New York 1988, pp. 105, 111). The Martinozzi owned several manuscripts (Pellegrin 1971, p. 199). Paris, BnF, ms. lat. 7807 was written for the same patron by the same scribe (Garzelli/de la Mare/1985, p. 526) and Florence, Biblioteca Laurenziana, ms. 49, 24, bears the same coat of arms and an ownership inscription by Benedetto Martinozzi. The latter was the author of two prose texts (University of Pennsylvania Library, ms. Codex 319). – 2. Gift of Gorus Gualterutius to Gabriel Faerno (1510-1561), cf. an inscription on an older (now lost) flyleaf. – 3. London, Charles Henry St. John Hornby (d. 1946). – 4. London, Major J. R. Abbey (his no. JA 3221, see: Alexander/de la Mare, 1969, no. 35; sold London, Sotheby’s, 25 March 1975, lot 2960). – 5. British Rail Pension Fund. – 6. J. Paul Getty Jr. (1932-2003). – 7. Now in a private collection. TEXT: ff. 1-185v: M. Valerius Martialis, Epigrammaton, Books I-XIV – ff. 185v-205r: [Pseudo-Martial = Godfrey of Winchester], Epigrammata, Book XV (ed. T. Wright, Rolls Series 59, London 1872, 2, pp. 103-147) – ff. 205r-208v: M. Valerius Martialis, Spectacula or Liber Spectaculorum, Epigrammaton XVI et ultimus … liber foeliciter explicit. Deo gratias. Followed by two Greek initials, signature of the scribe: Φ Η. The 235 Epigrams in Book XV, although attributed to Martial, are in fact the work of an Anglo-Norman poet, Godefridus of Cambrai (later ‘of Winchester’, prior of St. Swithin’s at Winchester, d. 1107). Four of Martial’s five prose prefaces head Books I, II, VIII and XII; that to Book IX is not included. Written in a distinctive, formal, humanistic script and signed by the anonymous scribe Φ Η, whose hand occurs furthermore in: Theophrastus, De Plantis from the library of Federico da Montefeltro of Urbino (Vatican, BAV, ms. Urb. Lat. 2509), Cicero, Orationes in Verrem from the library of Matthias Corvinus (Budapest, Univ. ms. 2), Macrobius, Saturnalia (Vatican, BAV, Ross. 448), Phalaris, Epistolae (London, Wellcome Library, ms. 619). (Alexander/De la Mare 1969, p. 96; Garzelli 1985, vol. 1, p. 526). Born in Spain, Marcus Valerius Martial (d. c. 103) settled in Rome (c. 64) as a client of the Seneca family (also of Spanish
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descent). He became an active poet and published, in 80, his Liber Spectaculorum or On the Spectacles (or Games), in celebration of the shows in the Colosseum, which was completed in 79. In 84 or 85 he published two books (confusingly numbered XIII and XIV in the collection of Epigrams) with Greek titles Xenia and Apophoreta, consisting mostly of couplets describing presents given to guests at the Saturnalia. Between c. 86 and c. 98 the twelve books of epigrams appeared, earning him ‘eternal’ fame. His works thrived under Domitian, whom he flattered enormously. He continued his activities under Nerva and Trajan, but when the latter was less responsive, he returned to Spain (98), where his last book (numbered XII) was published, probably in c. 102; he died a year later. Martial is considered the creator of the modern epigram of which he wrote more than 1500, the majority in elegiac couplets. Most of his compositions deal with daily life and people in Rome and show us an urban panorama “as broad, as varied and as full of depraved humanity as any”. In supple Latin meters, he wrote ‘bloody’ epigrams about the Colosseum, sycophantic ones to flatter his rulers, tender ones (for instance about a slave girl’s early death), and, above all, comic, biting ones aiming at all layers and topics of Roman society, offering us the ambience of “a front-row seat at the theatre of Rome” (Coates 2008). To read Martial is “to walk with him along the streets of ancient Rome; but few of us need accompany him when he bathes in the sewers” (Pearse 2008). Such a remark, however, underestimates the importance of the poet, a satirist with a sharp eye and tongue who offers us insights that otherwise would have been lost. Martials’ notorious poems, constituting perhaps one-tenth of his total output, “are grotesquely obscene, taking us down at some of Rome’s sleaziest streets – but all in good fun”, even by today’s standards (Coates 2008). Yet, scholars mostly praise “the rich setting of wit, charm, linguistic subtlety, superb literary craftsmanship, evocative description, and deep human sympathy” (Huxley 2016). Martial’s outrageous sketches are witnesses of a society, comparable in a way to the later medieval genre of French fabliaux, and presenting us with a fascinating image of the Roman world. LITERATURE: Alexander/de la Mare 1969, no. 35; Garzelli /de la Mare 1985, 1, p. 526; Pellegrin 1971, p. 199. Coates 2008; Huxley 2016; Martinozzi 1475-1499; New York 1988, p. 105; Shackleton Bailey 1993; Wills 2008.
cat. 29*
cat. 29*
cat. 29*
From the Pidal collection: elegant and graceful
30 Pidal Book of Hours
Manuscript on vellum, illuminated by an artist in the circle of Willem Vrelant Flanders, Bruges, c. 1460-1470 180 x 124 mm, 2+135 leaves. – Written space: 110 x 75 mm, 1 column, 21 lines. Littera textualis formata. Many one- and two-line initials in gold on a blue field with white tracery, similar line fillings. Larger initials (6 lines) at all text openings, all on a field of gold, 2 six-line historiated initials both with three-sided full border decoration, 18 inserted miniatures surrounded by full grisaille foliate borders matching across opening in a palette of greys and gold set off with greens, oranges, and some blues. – Binding: Spanish 19 th-century brown morocco, with extensive gold tooling.
PROVENANCE: 1. Flanders, presumably Bruges, made c. 1460-1470 for a man, possibly for export to Spain. – 2. Madrid, Library of the Marques of Pidal, E.T., no. 54. Don Pedro José Pidal y Carniado, 1st Marquis of Pidal (1799-1865) was a lawyer, diplomat, and writer. Being a medievalist and literary critic, he also was director of the Real Academia de la Historia and a Knight of the Golden Fleece. He collected an important library. – 3. Switzerland, private collection. – 4. Now in a private collection. TEXT: ff. 1v-13r: Calendar, use of Flanders (half-full) – ff. 15r18r: Short Hours of the Holy Cross – ff. 24r-29v: Mass of the Virgin and Gospel Sequences – f. 31r-33r: Obsecro te (male form: famulo tuo) – ff. 35r-42v: Memoria or Suffrages to SS. Mary Magdalene, Catherine, Augustine, Fabian and Sebastian (both share the same feast day), Michael – ff. 43r-44v: Cymbolum Anasthazij: Quicumque vult – ff. 46r-86r: Hours of the Virgin – ff. 87r-92v: Seven Penitential Psalms – ff. 94-95r: Magnificat – ff. 97-100r: Hours of the Virgin: Compline, followed by prayers to the Virgin, a.o. Salve Regina – ff. 101r-108v: Office of the Virgin for Advent, and Litany of Saints, followed by Gloria and other prayers – 12. ff. 110r-133v: Office of the Dead – ff. 134r-135v: Eight verses of St. Bernard (mihi famulo tuo) and concluding prayers. Even though the following order of the texts seems personally chosen and adapted to the wishes of an individual patron, none of the prayers or miniatures offer information or links to unravel his identity. Masculine forms suggest the book was made for a man. In view of the large number and excellent quality of the illustrations and decorated pages, the book must have been destined for a rich patron. The fine character of the manuscript and its half-empty Flemish calendar suggests it was perhaps intended for export to the south, likely to Spain where the book was later part of the well-known Pidal library. ILLUMINATION: f. 14v: Crucifixion – f. 19v: Pentecost – f. 23v: H. Virgin and Child enthroned (compare: Simon Marmion, HM 1173, f. 18v) – f. 30v: Pietà, flanked by St. John and Mary Magdalene – f. 34v: St. Mary Magdalene – f. 36v: St. Catherine – f. 41v: SS. Fabian and Sebastian – f. 45r: Annunciation – f. 57v: Visitation – f. 65v: Nativity – f. 69v: Annunciation to the Shepherds – f. 71r: Adoration of the Magi. – f. 76v: Presentation in the Temple – f. 80v: Massacre of the Innocents – f. 86v: Penitential King David – f. 92v: Coronation of the Virgin – f. 96v: Flight into Egypt – f. 109v: Raising of Lazarus; and two historiated initials: f. 38r: St. Augustine, f. 42v: Michael battling the devil.
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The miniatures, as well as finely executed border ornaments, are painted in grisaille with refined gold tones and coloured accents and are treated with great delicacy in their use of light and shadow. Backgrounds have landscapes with water, castles and cityscapes, people (or small figurines) walking, mountains, cliffs, and trees extending far into the distance. The Virgin and other saints are elegant figures, at times elongated and angular, with fine faces formed by precise blushes and shading. For the border decoration, the artist used a palette of greys, gold, and washes, where, amid foliate ornaments, colourful drôleries, naturalistic and grotesque birds, monkeys and mice, and hybrid animals, frolic around. The numerous hybrids show endless fantasy, all executed with care. The style applied by the present anonymous master is formed by a combination of influences, all supporting a Flemish origin of the manuscript. He depended mainly upon the art of Willem Vrelant, one of the dominant illuminators working in Bruges from the late 1450s until his death in 1481. As in Vrelant’s works, figures in angular drapery move somewhat stiffly in shallowly defined spaces. Compare, for instance, the Hours of Jacques de Brégilles (London, BL, ms. Yates Thomson 4, v. 1460), or another example in New York (ML, ms. H. 7; Wieck 1997, p. 96). The sophisticated miniatures furthermore recall the influence of Simon Marmion of Amiens (San Marino, Huntington Library, HM 1173). He was one of the most accomplished illuminators of the 15th century and produced the Huntington manuscript sometime between 1450 and 1475. This “prince of illumination” was a good storyteller and could finely depict nature. He established a workshop in Valenciennes (1457-1489) but is known to have travelled for work and to have had contact with Bruges. Bruges provided the production of manuscripts for many regions in the Mediterranean, since delegations from many southern trading nations were present here in the first half of the 15th century. The art of handwritten painted books was a commodity that played a pivotal role in the exchange between north and south in the late Middle Ages. The person who commissioned this book may have been a member of the large community of foreign merchants living in Bruges or was perhaps a patron who lived in Spain. We kindly thank Dominique Vanwijnsberghe and James H. Marrow for their suggestions. LITERATURE: Unpublished. Bousmanne 1997; Brussels/Paris 2011, esp. no. 48; Los Angeles 2003; Wieck 1997.
cat. 30
cat. 30
cat. 30
Rare testimony from the Roman and the Venetian empire
31 Leonardo Bruni, Della prima guerra punica Manuscript in Italian on paper written and decorated by Joannes de Justinopolis Zara (now Zadar, Croatia), 22 February 1470 200 x 150 mm. 96 leaves (final blank cut, complete). Watermarks unidentified. – Written space: 200 x 85 mm, 1 column, 25 lines. Littera humanistica. – Many two- and three-line initials in red, 2 five-line initials in blue with red pen-flourishes, 14 pen-and-wash drawings. – Some staining, tears, and wormholes. – Binding: possibly contemporary, paper over pasteboard. On front cover: A mesieur Boursier. Pastedowns at some time renewed.
PROVENANCE: 1. Written in “Castro Jadrensis”, i.e. Zara (Zadar) and dated 1470 by John of Justinopolis (f. 94v). – 2. Turin, in 1655 in the hands of Pierre Boursier of Chambery, professor in medicine and librarian of the duke of Savoy (1633-1658). – 3. Carignano (near Turin), by descent to the heirs of Ademaro Mola-Boursier dei Conti di Larissé and sold at an unknown date (Kristeller 1967-92, V, p. 524a). The book has not been seen in public since 1912. – 3. England, private collection. – 4. Now in a private collection. TEXT: ff. Ir-VIIv: Proverbs and probatio pennae – ff. 1r-94v: Leonardo Aretini, De primo bello Punico… f. 94v: Finis. Mo. cccco Lxx. die xxij mensis Februarij. Explicit iste liber per me Joanes de Justinopoli in Castro Jadrensis. Deo gracias. Amen. For many years the Florentine humanist Leonardo Bruni (or Leonardo Aretino, c. 1370-1444) was chancellor of Florence, where he combined civic responsibility with classical studies. De primo bello punico (264-241 BC) was his first historical work (1421) and was immediately recognized for its significance. Bruni’s account of the first Punic War consists largely of a translation into Latin or a compilation from Books I and II of the Histories written by the Greek historian Polybius (2nd century BC). Bruni’s intention was to replace the lost second decade of Livy’s great Roman history. His detailed history of the conflict between Rome and Carthage endorsed the Roman system of government that, with a balance of aristocratic and democratic elements, accorded well with his own commitment to the republican government of Florence. Unlike many of his humanist contemporaries, Bruni was also committed to the vernacular. He reasoned that properly written Italian, or rather Tuscan, could equal Greek or Latin as a vehicle for the expression of ideas. He arranged for the translation of the Punic War by an anonymous friend, possibly Nicola di Vieri de’ Medici or his son Carlo (Hankins 2006, pp. 22-23). Translating Latin works into Italian made them accessible to a larger public and transformed them in a way that brought them closer to the daily world of men. The text now survives in equal numbers of Latin and Italian manuscripts. It was part of several Renaissance libraries, but today manuscripts containing the Prima Guerra Punica rarely come to the market. In the clarity of his humanistic script and illustrations in pen-and-wash, John of Justinopolis (who signed the book), not only created a work of simple, restrained elegance, but also an important dated and localized document. ILLUSTRATION: f. IIIv: Probatio pennae: frontispiece, a Roman ship with rowers (added later, copied after f. 22v) – f. VIIIv: Porta, the Roman gate in Fano with inscriptions, 1462-1463 – f. 1r: Two cities on two sides of the sea (Rome
168
and Carthage) – f. 1v: Monster between a man and a woman (added rubric: Orpheo) – f. 2v: Two cities at the coast of two bays (Rome and Carthage) – f. 11r: City with walls and fosses beleaguered – ff. 15v-16r: Map of Italy and surrounding seas, with Venice and the islands before the Croatian coast – f. 22v: Roman battle ship with rowers and boarding bridge (a ‘raven’, or a corvus), on the pennants: SPQR – f. 26v: Fleet strategy of Carthaginians and Romans in the south Mediterranean – ff. 30v-31r: ‘Dragon’ shot by artillery – f. 31v: Elephant equipped for battle – f. 35v: Roman tabula, with inscription – f. 46: Tower and a battering ram (inscription aries) – f. 56v: Town on a mountain. The drawings, mainly of geographic or cartographic nature, seem to reflect the personal interpretation by John of Justinopolis himself. He came, as his name suggests, from an old settlement on the Adriatic coast (now: Koper, near the Italian border, since 1298 part of the Venetian Empire). The fact that John did not work in Italy but across the Adriatic may have induced him to add the maps in order to enable his public to better visualize the location of both inimical parties. The depiction of the Arca Augusto in Fano (f. VIIIv) is quite fascinating. The arch was built by the Roman architect Vitruvius at the command of the Emperor Augustus (9 AD) in commemoration of the victory over the Carthaginian general Hasdrubal Barcas in the Second Punic War (207 BC). It was the principle gate of Colonia Julia Fanestris, established near Fanum Fortunae, the temple of Fortuna, and rededicated to Augustus by Constantine the Great (d. 337). Fano is located where the Via Flaminia reaches the Italian Adriatic coast, almost directly opposite where John of Justinopolis was working. Most likely he saw the monument in person. The upper storey of the gate (as depicted) was destroyed in 1463, but John of Justinopolis memorialized it here as it was in 1462 ad posteritatis notionem pinxit. This may well be the oldest depiction extant of the renowned monument! This manuscript mixing Western and Mediterranean history originated in a time and environment where Roman history and ruins were a much more visible part of daily life than they are today. John of Justinopolis delivered us a manuscript that does not offer a locally framed view, but rather one with a wider lens. As hardly any manuscripts survive from towns controlled by the Venetian Empire as Zara was, this manuscript is of great importance. LITERATURE: ENSU 2008, no. 12; Günther 2015, no. 27; Kristeller 1967-92, V, p. 524a. Baron 1981; Hankins 2006; Ullman 1946.
cat. 31
cat. 31
cat. 31
Virtue visualized
32 Titus Livius, Première décade In the French translation of Pierre Bersuire
Manuscript on paper, illuminated in the circle of the Master of the Champion de Dames (?) French Flanders, Lille, c. 1470 376 x 266 mm, 282 leaves. Watermark: Briquet no. 1834 (Pontoise 1468). – Written space: 272 x 208 mm, 2 columns of 46-48 lines. Lettre bâtarde. – Painted initials in blue and red, often fleurdelisées, 13 pen-and-wash drawings. – Binding: late 17th- or early 18t-century brown morocco over wooden boards.
PROVENANCE: 1. The colophon ends, written in red: “Loyaument vostre”, “a denisot”; in black: “Tant que vive” and “Arondelle”. The latter name may be that of the scribe. A certain Jacques Arondelle is known as canon of the cathedral of Arras (1398); other Arondelles are found in the service of the Burgundian Dukes. Tant que vive is the device of the Trazegnies family of Courcelles (Hainaut-Brabant). The Trazegnies entered Burgundian service relatively late, but Jean II (14391517) and Jean III (c. 1470-1530) had fortunate careers. The latter was elected Knight of the Golden Fleece (1515) and accompanied Isabella of Portugal (1503-1553) when travelling to the Netherlands to marry Charles V (1526). Her motto Tant que je vive is remarkably similar. – 2. Francqueville de Chantemelle family (18th century). – 3. Geneva, Maurice Burrus. TEXT: ff. 1-4r: Le chapitre des mots estranges – ff. 4v-9r: Table des rubriques des livres ... – ff. 10r-43r: Cy commence le premier livre de la premiere decade de Titus Livius … Proesme du translateur; Book I – ff. 43r-76r: Book II – ff. 76r-112r: Book III – ff. 112r-140r: Book IV – ff. 140r-166r: Book V – ff. 166r-188r: Book VI – ff. 188r-209r: Book VII – ff. 209r-230r: Book VIII – ff. 230r-255r: Book IX – ff. 255v-279v: Book X – f. 279v: Cy fine le livre de la premiere decade de Titus Livius. The great history of ancient Rome, Ab urbe condita, written by Titus Livius (59 BC-17 AD) originally comprised 142 books, divided into ‘decades’ of ten books each. Only decades I and III-IV were known in medieval times. Jean II le Bon, King of France (1350-1364), commissioned the Benedictine monk Pierre Bersuire to make a translation in French. Completed c. 1358, it was the first translation of any major classical text into French vernacular. The translation was then revised and edited at the court of King Charles V (1364-1380). The oldest copies of that new edition date c. 1370 and belonged to the library of Charles V himself. Livy’s history then became immensely popular. For instance, the famous bibliophile, the Duke of Berry, is known to have owned five copies (three of which survive today). ILLUMINATION: f. 1r: Portrait of the author writing (at Glossary) – f. 10r: Bersuire presenting his book to the King – f. 40v: Lucretia in bed accosted by the son of the king (Book I, Ch. 43) – f. 41v: Lucretia about to commit suicide (Book I, Ch. 44) – f. 97v: Virginius and Virginia before Appius Claudius (Book III, Ch. 22) – f. 98v: Actilus (betrothed to Virginia) and Virginia before Appius; a messenger is dispatched (Book III, Ch. 23) – f. 99r: Virginius arrives with Virginia to hear her sentence (Book III, Ch. 24) – f. 99v: Virginius kills his daughter (Book III, Ch. 25) – f. 100r: Virginius returns to his army and appeals on Virginia’s behalf (Book III, Ch. 27) – f. 103r: Appius must answer (Book III, Ch. 30) – f. 104r: Virginius and Appius, who is imprisoned (Book III, Ch. 32) – f. 104v:
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Claudius, Appius’ father, asks the people to free his son (Book III, Ch. 33) – f. 157v: Battle scene: how the Gauls beleaguer Rome (Book V, Ch. 30). The illustrations in the present codex are concentrated in Books I and III and focus mainly on two stories of exemplary behaviour in which women, Lucretia (d. 510 BC) and Virginia (449 BC), are heroines and victims. The first drawings represent Lucretia’s rape and death. Eight more drawings illustrate the story of the virtuous Virginia, who was killed by her father to safeguard her honour threatened by Appius Claudius. Her history occupies the essential part of the illustrations, offering lively court scenes, in which the fate of the heroine was determined. Both stories were equally tragic in their consequences as the women forfeited their lives rather than their honour. The fifth book contains a single battle scene, where soldiers beleaguer and defend Rome with crossbow, bow and arrow, and a cannon. Although some manuscripts boast more illustrations, here no others were planned, suggesting the copyist either may not have found them in his model or followed the instructions of his commission. Drawings made with a rapidly wielded pen were ideal for exploring ideas and therefore often show the thoughts and talents of the artist. The present watercolours are not only sketches but also finished works of art, representing the intended composition in pen, ink, and colours. They are stylistically related to a group of manuscripts made in Lille in the 1460s-1470s. Several of these were made for the Duke of Burgundy and his entourage. The artists were not so much linked as ‘master and follower’, but rather worked in a similar stylistic current. Some were influenced by the Wavrin Master, others, as here, by the Master of Martin Le Franc’s Champion des Dames (Paris, BnF, ms. fr. 841; Brussels/Paris 2011, pp. 358-71). These artists mainly illustrated secular manuscripts and shared techniques, compositions, and motifs. The style appears to be quick and sketchy, with scenes and figures made of many tiny or larger strokes, producing small and colourful figures with expressive gestures. Most have pleasant, roundish faces and dark eyes, modelled in only a few pen strokes, with volume given by shadows and some colour. By working with speedy movements, the artist energized his work with his own originality (Charron 2016, Charron 2004, p. 257 ff.). The animated scenes, however, are not always easy to read without knowing the narrative. We kindly thank Dominique Vanwijnsberghe and Anne D. Hedeman for sharing their knowledge. LITERATURE: Unpublished. Avril 2012; Brussels/Paris 2011, pp. 358-71, 385-87; Charron 2004, – 2016; Paris 1993, pp. 98-103, 245-49.
cat. 32*
cat. 32*
cat. 32*
cat. 32*
cat. 32*
Elegant atmosphere
33 Book of Hours, for the use of Paris
Manuscript on vellum, illuminated by the Dunois Master and an associate France, Paris, c. 1470 185 x 145 mm. 187 leaves (1 blank missing before f. 105, otherwise complete). – Written space: 95 x 60 mm, 1 column, 14 lines. Textualis formata. – Numerous initials, line fillers in gold, purple, and/or blue with white tracery; all pages adorned with fine border decoration; 9 large miniatures followed by large initial on gold ground, surrounded by three-sided bar borders and colourful floral decoration. – Some stains, smudges, few impairments to the miniatures. – Binding: second half of the 16th century, brown calf, gilt, decorated at four corners on front and rear cover, each with a central medallion, including the Crucifixion with Virgin and St. John; the owner mentioned on both covers “MARGVERITE” (front), “DE BREDA” (back).
PROVENANCE: 1. In the 16th century, belonged to Marguerite de Bréda (supralibros, note on flyleaf). Her identity rests unconfirmed, but she may have been of the Bréda family, which was from Brabant but settled in France when Louis XII accorded citizenship to Jean de Guisbert, dit de Bréda, in October 1502 (Cat. des actes 1905; D’Hozier 1741). Papers of the family Berg de Bréda mention, among others, Jean (Hans) de Bréda (1505-1542) and Etienne de Bréda (1520-1598), who served at the Parlement de Paris (1553). In 1586, the documents of Christophe de Bréda, Etienne’s eldest son (Paris, BnF, ms. fr. 30359), mention Thibault de Bréda; a deed of April 1606 names his widow “Margueritte Bodard, vesve de feu Thilault de Breda” (Paris, BnF, ms. fr. 26981; Bourgin 1942, p. 159). – 2. On the flyleaf also: “hic liber [p...]”, and next two words erased by pen and ink. – Also on the flyleaf: “nunc Dionysii [...] sacerdotis [...] apud [...] sub vico Sancti Amandi [...] anno [1]894”. – 3. Written above these three: “Ex Libris Johannis Baptista Jimonez, sacerdotis, anno 1831”. – 4. Paris, Société des manuscrits des assureurs français (Smaf, bought at Drouot, 19 December 1985, lot C); deposited as loan to Paris, BnF, Smaf 85-11, described by Jean-Baptiste Lebigue (2006-2009). TEXT: ff. 1r-12v: Calendar in French for Paris – ff. 13r-18v: Gospel Sequences – ff. 18v-21r: Passion of Christ according to St. John – ff. 21v-25v: Obsecro te – ff. 26r-27v: Joies du Paradis et peines de l’Enfer – ff. 27v-28v: Prayer to St. Stephen, in French – ff. 29r-104r: Short Hours of the Virgin Mary – ff. 105r-126r: Seven Penitential Psalms, Litany (f. 120r) – ff. 126v-130v: Short Hours of the Holy Cross – ff. 131r-170v: Office of the Dead – ff. 170v-174v: Prayer to the Lord, in French – ff. 174v-182r: Prayers for different occasions – ff. 182v-185v: Suffrages to Saints. ILLUMINATION: f. 29r: Annunciation – f. 71r: Nativity – f. 78r: Annunciation to the Shepherds – f. 83r: Adoration of the Magi – f. 87r: Presentation in the Temple – f. 92r: Flight into Egypt – f. 105r: King David in prayer – f. 126v: Crucifixion – f. 131r: Funeral service. The opening miniature by the Dunois Master, the following scenes by an associate. The opening of the Obsecro te (f. 20v) and the Lauds of the Hours of the Virgin are decorated with full borders and a fine, illuminated three- and four-line initial, respectively. All other main sections, nine in total, open with an almost full-page miniature, the most important of which with text surrounded by delicate, somewhat stylized bar-borders on gold, painted with colours at three sides. The links to the work of the Dunois Master, active in Paris c. 1430-1465, are abundant. The Dunois Master’s style is characterized by soft
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modelling of flesh and drapery, a fondness for pale colours, and a liberal use of gold to highlight forms – as seen here in some of the major actors’ clothing. Our manuscript’s artists are also familiar with this style and with the models of another Parisian workshop (active over three generations), which recall the versatile, adroit figures invented by the Master of Jean Rolin. That artist was likely of Flemish ancestry and was succeeded by the renowned Maître François. The latter was recently identified with the distinguished, highly esteemed illuminator François le Barbier. The Dunois Master was the associate and successor of the Bedford Master, Paris’ supreme illuminator in the mid15th century. After his death c. 1435, his business was inherited by the artist of the Hours of Jean d’Orleans, comte de Dunois (‘the Dunois Hours’, London, BL, ms. Yates Thompson 3), an artist who worked for many of the era’s greatest patrons, such as Admiral Prigent de Coëtivy, Etienne Chevalier, and Guillaume Jouvenel des Ursins, chancellor of France. Scholars have identified the Bedford Master with Jean Haincelin of Haguenau, first recorded in Paris in 1403 (until 1414-1448/9; Rouse/Rouse 2000). His most talented collaborator and successor was called either ‘the Chief Associate of the Bedford Master’ or the ‘Dunois Master’, who may well have been the Bedford Master’s son, also called Jean Haincelin. He ran the principal workshop for aristocratic manuscripts in Paris in the 1430s and 1440s, working in 1449 for the Duc d’Orléans, brother of the comte de Dunois. The Dunois Master creates an elegant atmosphere by experimenting with colour gradients, evoking shadow, light, volume, depth, and movement. His style is associated with the international ‘soft style’, recalling the Bedford Master who – like the Dunois Master – is renowned for his arresting compositional arrangements. Our book boasts nine exquisitely painted miniatures illustrating the Life of Christ with intricate detail and rich, colourful imagery. Illuminated borders with sparkling gold ivy leaves feature on every page, including painted foliage and flowers in pots and vases. In view of the presumed date of execution (c. 1470), the first miniature may be one of the Master’s latest works to survive. LITERATURE: Lebigue 2000, pp. 69-75, 80-86, 329, – 2006, – 2014. Brereton/Ferrier 1981; Bourgin 1942; Cat. des actes 1905, p. 590, no. 32335; D’Hozier 1741, p. 261; Paris 1993, p. 38; Rouse/Rouse 2000, pp. 73-74.
cat. 33
cat. 33
cat. 33
A jewel, in stunning colours
34 Hours of Francesco Borromeo Manuscript on vellum, illuminated by Ambrogio de Predis Italy, Milan, before 11 May 1474 93 x 70 mm. 247 leaves. – Written space: 47 x 37 mm, 13 lines, Littera textualis rotunda by one scribe (presumably Angelo Meraviglia). – Numerous red and blue initials, 12 large illuminated initials on a field of gold with marginal extensions, 2 historiated initials, 14 full-page miniatures. – Tops of some instructions to the illuminator still visible on f. 191. Just very slightly cropped, some upper right-hand corners partly smudged, as well as first page of Litany (f. 130), but otherwise in fine condition. – Binding: 18th-century brown morocco, gilt.
PROVENANCE: 1. Milan, written for Francesco Borromeo, before 11 May 1474 (see below). – 2. Francesco Aloysio Filippi (bookplate, dated “Anno 17[..]”). – 3. Paris, sold through Engel-Gros to a M. Paravicini (Georges Petit, Catalogue… 2 June 1921, lot 6). – 4. New York, H.P. Kraus, Cat. 88 (1958), no. 45 and Cat. 165 (1983), no. 18. – 5. USA, private collection. – 6. Now in a private collection. TEXT: ff. 1r-12v: Calendar, use of Milan (half-full) – ff. 13v-112r: Hours of the Virgin, use of Rome – ff. 114r-143r: Penitential Psalms and Litany – ff. 144r-190v: Office of the Dead – ff. 191r-197r: Hours of the Holy Cross – ff. 197v-202r: Hours of the Holy Spirit – ff. 202v-215r: Mass of the Virgin – ff. 215v-246r: Abbreviated Psalter of St. Jerome. The scribe is tentatively identified as Angelo Meraviglia who also copied the Borromeo Hours (see below). ILLUMINATION: f. 14r: Annunciation, enclosing an initial with a portrait of Isaiah and five text lines, surrounded by angels making music, Nativity, God the Father, a prophet and “HIS” in a medallion (85 x 65 mm) – f. 29v: Visitation – f. 45v: Nativity – f. 52r: Adoration of the Magi – f. 58v: Presentation in the Temple – f. 64v: Flight into Egypt – f. 70v: Massacre of the Innocents – f. 81v: Christ among the Elders – f. 129v: Procession of priests – f. 144: Death on an open sarcophagus – f. 191r: Christ, Man of Sorrows – f. 197v: Pentecost – f. 202v: Assumption of the Virgin – f. 215v: St. Jerome. – In two historiated initials D: f. 14r: 4-lines high: Isaiah holding a text scroll-inscribed Ecce … (?) and f. 114r: 7-lines high: Penitent King David. The accomplished artist Giovanni Ambrogio de Predis is not only known as an illuminator, painter, and enameller, but also as a designer of tapestries, coins, and other objects. He applied an extraordinarily attractive palette of stunning blues, purples, greens, etc. while adding very delicate, golden details that make his exquisite miniatures shimmer and spark. Some of the graceful faces with subtle blushes (Visitation, Procession) are almost like portraits – showing that what the painter could perform on panels, he could also skilfully practice on small vellum pages, here on a space of less than 50 x 40 mm. This is the only series of miniatures by Ambrogio de Predis that can be identified with certainty from contemporary records of payment found in the account books of the Milanese Borromeo family (Suida 1951, Biscaro 1914). The present manuscript is written in the same hand as the famous Borromeo Hours in Milan (Biblioteca Ambrosiana, ms. S.P.42, Wittgens 1934, pp. 341 ff., ills. 11-16). In that Libro
182
d’Ore Borromeo of c. 1471, Ambrogio collaborated with his older brother, Christoforo, like he did in the Varese Missal (Swiss private collection), known as a signed and dated work executed in 1476. Other manuscripts attributed to the brothers and their workshop are the Torriani Hours (Chantilly, Musée Condée, ms. 83, c. 1490-1495), the Arconati Hours (Günther cat. 1, no. 12, c. 1483-1486), another Book of Hours (Oxford, Bodleian Library, ms. Douce 14), and a choirbook made for Galeazzo Maria Sforza (fragments in London, National Gallery, Wallace collection). Although younger and a pupil of Cristoforo, Ambrogio’s work differed in plasticity and expression (Wittgens 1934). Giovanni Ambrogio de Predis was born in Milan around 1455 and his activities as a painter lasted until c. 1508, possibly even later. He learned the trade of illuminator by working with his older half-brother, the deaf mute Christoforo, who was a well-known miniaturist and painter in Milan. In 1482, Ambrogio was among the painters of the Sforza court when he and his three brothers hosted Leonardo da Vinci on his first visit to Milan. In 1483, the two brothers Evangelista (d. 1491) and Ambrogio de Predis and Leonardo started on the decoration of the altar of the Confraternity of the Immaculate Conception at the Oratory of San Francesco Grande. It was never finished due to a long dispute, which was handled by Ambrogio for Leonardo, and the work lasted until at least 1507. In 1492, Ambrogio was requested to make a drawing of Bianca Maria Sforza, destined to be the bride of Maximilian I of Habsburg (43). One year later (1493), he was invited to paint portraits of the most important members of the court at Innsbruck. Here, the emperor commissioned him also to design new coins (1494). Although he soon returned to Milan, he was called north again, where he signed and dated a portrait of Maximilian in 1502 (his only signed work, Vienna, Kunsthistorisches Museum, inv. no. GG 4431). Exemplary in the oeuvre of this remarkable and versatile Renaissance artist is his subtle handling of ornamental detail on figures and accessories. His miniatures reflect a similar exact and meticulous workmanship as seen in his metalpoint drawings made for a series of portraits for medallions. His superb and multifaceted talents, as shown in these exquisite miniatures, make this manuscript a jewel in the hand (Alexander 2016,p.121). LITERATURE: Suida 1951, pp. 67-73. Alexander 2016; Bayer 2004; Beltrami 1896; Biscaro 1914, pl. XV; Gilli Pirina 1991; Günther cat. 1; Romano 2006, pp. 9-34; Shell 1998; Vogt-Lüerssen 2010; Wittgens 1934, pp. 341-70.
cat. 34
cat. 34
cat. 34
A glorious, sparkling book for a Renaissance prince
35 Hours of Galeazzo Maria Sforza, use of Rome
Manuscript on vellum in Latin and Italian, written by the “Galeazzo Maria scribe”, illuminated by the Ippolita Master Italy, Milan, c. 1471-1476 350 x 240 mm. i + 241 leaves (complete). The final quire once bound as the first. – Written space: 215 x 135 mm, 1 column, 30 lines. Elegant Littera Humanistica. – Large golden capitals, one-line initials alternately in blue, gold with flourishes in gold, violet, two-line initials in gold on grounds and infills, c. 100 large illuminated initials, mostly 5 lines high, painted in pink on gold grounds with flower-spray infill, 3 with crowned profile heads (ff. 61r, 70v, 73v), 6 historiated initials, 5 of which on splendid title-pages with golden display script. – Some oxidization and thumbing, otherwise in splendid condition. – Binding: 18th-century Italian red morocco.
PROVENANCE: 1. Milan, written and illuminated for Galeazzo Maria Sforza (1444-1476), Count of Pavia and Duke of Milan, son of Francesco Sforza (d. 1466) and Bianca Maria Visconti, brother of Ludovico ‘il Moro’ (43). A widower of Dorothea Gonzaga of Mantua (d. 1467), Galeazzo remarried Bona of Savoie in 1468 (d. 1485). With the Sforza-Visconti quartered arms, his initials, monogram, and emblems (the dove against a rayed sun with a bon droyt (ff. 2r, 90r), branches with hanging pails (f. 46r), tied cloth (f. 188r), and helmed beast lying in flames with motto ich hof (ff. 2r, 90r, 137v, 188r). Duke of Milan since 1466, Galeazzo was assassinated ten years later. The manuscript dates between c. 1471-1476, as Pope Sixtus (f. 220v) was elected in 1471. – 2. Frankfurt, Adolf Hamburger (d’Adda/Mongeri 1885, p. 354). – 3. Chicago, Rushton M. Dorman (sold New York, Leavitt, 5 April 1886, lot 17). According to Dorman, the manuscript passed to the Aragonese royal library in Naples and was then acquired by Cardinal Salviati and his heir, the marchese of Tocca, Naples. – 4. London, William Waldorf Astor (1848-1919), Astor sale, Sotheby’s, 21 June 1988, lot 58. – 5. Arcana Collection (London, Christie’s, Part III, 6 July 2011, lot 18) – 6. Now in a p rivate collection. TEXT: ff. 2r-178r: Hours of the Virgin, use of Rome, arranged by liturgical season and days of the week – ff. 180r-186r: Penitential Psalms, Litany – ff. 188r-235v: Matins and Lauds of the Divine Office for Holy Week, Masses for Good Friday and Easter Saturday with instructions for the celebrant – ff. 236r-242v: General confession, various prayers. De la Mare (1983, p. 404) dubbed the copyist, ‘the Galeazzo Maria scribe’. Individualized prayers (written by another scribe) name Galeazzo Maria “mihi famulo tuo” (ff. 237v, 240v). The Divine Office on f. 188r opens with Zelus domus tuae, the first antiphon for Maundy Thursday. It is based on Psalm 68:10-12 by David, whose son Absalom plotted to kill him. In a prophetic way it foretells Christ’s suffering and abandonment during his agony in the Garden of Gethsemane, where he appeals to his father for help. ILLUMINATION: Six historiated initials D: f. 2r: Annunciation – f. 46r: Virgin adores the Christ Child – f. 90r: Annunciation – f. 137v: Virgin and Child enthroned – f. 180r: King David – f. 188r: God appears to David and/or Duke Galeazzo cast in the role of David. Five of the above initials on splendid title-pages with golden display script; the opening folio has a full-page border with varied exotic flowers and golden foliage on tendrils, with four angels, birds, and four heraldic devices or arms. The four other large historiated initials have border decoration on three sides with a central coat
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of arms or device. The image shown on f. 188r (diei Mercurii sancti, Holy Wednesday) was tentatively identified as God appearing to David (Arcana 2011, no. 18). However, this would not explain the golden cross emblazoning the man’s tunic. Likely, the portrait has a double meaning, alluding to also Galeazzo Maria himself (Dorman sales cat., 1886, p. 13). The ducal crown, the blonde, ruddy hair, aquiline nose, and the cross of St. George suggest this hypothesis (see for another example, a miniature by Christoforo de Predis dated 1477, Jacobson 1974, Alexander 2016, p. 118). Format, layout, script, and illumination of arms and emblems make this manuscript a truly princely, impressive codex. The illumination is attributed to the Master of Ippolita Sforza (23), named for a work for Galeazzo Maria’s sister Ippolita on the occasion of her marriage to Alfonso of Aragon in 1465 (Toscano 2007, pp. 298-310, Alexander 2016, p. 115). Their father Francesco Sforza had first commissioned manuscripts from this illuminator. Several of those books are recorded in the renowned Castello di Pavia library’s 1469 inventory (Avril 1984, nos. 133-36). The master’s colourful, refined style shows great concern for decorative effect and charm. Influenced by the Master of the Vitae Imperatorum (16), the Ippolita Master continued in the present work the features that characterized his luxury manuscripts from the very beginning. Galeazzo Maria Sforza was a well-known bibliophile who had taken over the most prestigious Visconti library at Pavia. The more individualized texts originally at the beginning of this manuscript indicate the book was intended for his own use. However, as the masses for Easter Week include instructions for the celebrant, it may have found use in the ducal chapel that was lavishly furnished at this time (1473-1474). Likely, it was Galeazzo’s intention from the outset to prepare future prayers for the salvation of his soul. Murdered in 1476, his children came into the custody of his brother Ludovico ‘il Moro’ (1480). Young Hermes was sent to the court of Naples in 1488 for the marriage arrangements of Ludovico’s son. Did he take the book to Naples (see above)? He later sought refuge with his sister, Empress Bianca Maria Sforza, in Innsbruck. LITERATURE: Alexander 2016, p. 324n32; Arcana 2011, no. 18; D’Adda/Mongeri 1885, p. 354; De la Mare 1983, p. 404; Pellegrin 1965, pp. 56-57, pl. 172. Avril 1984, nos. 133-36; Toscano 2007, pp. 298-310; Zanichelli 2004, pp. 686-90.
cat. 35*
cat. 35*
cat. 35*
cat. 35*
cat. 35*
cat. 35*
cat. 35*
Medieval ‘Translational’ medicine: a personal document in a European context
Spijker, Compilation of medical, astronomical, and 36 Henricus botanical treatises Manuscript on paper, with glosses, written in Latin and in some Dutch Guelders, Nijmegen, c. 1475-1493 147 x 105 mm. 261 leaves, paper (missing 1 text leaf [f. 131], and some blanks). Foliation in Arabic numerals, with second foliation in red beginning on f. 138, dating to the time the index was added. – Written space: c. 120 x 80 mm, max. 37 lines per page. Foremost Littera cursiva, written by one main and some other hands, with numerous glosses and other additions, mostly by the author/copyist. – Illustrated with an astrolabe, diagram, and herbal of 53 pages each with 6 to 8 botanical illustrations. – Some marginal soiling, well-thumbed in lower margins, stained by moisture, some wear and tear as usual for a paper manuscript of this age. – Binding: original, first binding, 15th-century blind-stamped calf over wooden boards, brass clasp and catch.
PROVENANCE: 1. Nijmegen, Guelders (Lower Rhine region), compiled and written by Magister Henricus Spijker canonicus (c. 1415-1493, f. 259r), practicing physician. On f. 73r: “I, Henricus Spijker have tried it” in Latin, and on f. 259r: “Liber virtutum editum a Henricum Spijker canonicum”. – 2. In German hands (f. 113v, several additions throughout, among others one related to collecting herbs near Steyr, Austria; f. 203v). On first flyleaf: “no. 158”. – 3. England, Warwickshire, Evelyn Philip Shirley (1812-1882) of Ettington Park (bookplate marked “no. 6”). – 4. Philadelphia, A.S.W. Rosenbach, The Sea (sales cat.), 1938, no. 39. – 5. Cincinnati, Cornelius J. Hauck (d. 1967, bookplate). – 5. USA, private collection. – 6. Now in a private collection. Henricus Spijker is known as a canon and physician in Nijmegen, one of the oldest cities in the Netherlands (Guelders). He came from Tiel (30 km down stream of Nijmegen), studied in Cologne (1432) and Padua (14401443), and returned north after receiving his doctor’s degree in practicing and teaching medicine (Tervoort 2005). Magister Henricus Spiker, med. dr., is documented as a witness to a charter signed in St. Anthony’s chapel in Nijmegen (1468), in the presence of Catharine (of Bourbon), wife of Duke Adolf of Guelders. It will be no coincidence that the chapel was located next door to the city’s hospital, the H. Geestgasthuis (Maris 1939). When the Winelords (Wijnheren) of Nijmegen presented Henricus Spi(j)ker, med. dr., a vicarage on the Holy Sacrament’s altar in St. Stephen’s (1470), this will have been a reward for services rendered. Five years later, in 1475/76, he could call himself canonicus, when St. Stephen’s was elevated to collegiate church. That title provides a terminus post quem for the completion of the manuscript. Compiling this Liber virtutum with so many notes and in various scripts and hands will have been a long-term project. Nijmegen’s doctor died in 1493 leaving the book to those to whom Spijker addressed it: the Nephites or neophytes, his students and successors. Notes in vernacular (Middle Dutch and Low German) confirm that the manuscript originated and functioned in the lower Rhine region and casts light on its readership. The same Spijker also published an almanac, known to survive in only one, fragmentary, copy (Utrecht, UB, inc. 303: printed by Gerard Leempt in Nijmegen or ‘s-Hertogenbosch [likely 1485, GW M43191]). Contrary to Tervoort 2005, Begheyn (1975, p. 225) suggests Spijker came from Cleves before he matriculated at the University in Cologne (7 May 1440). He also identifies him as the
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person who is, in 1469, mentioned as canon in Düsseldorf and vicarius of St. Cunibert in Cologne. However, more archival research is required to confirm this. TEXT: f. 1ar-v: Preliminary notes (recipes) and citation of Ecclesiasticus 38 – f. 1r: … alie medicum que a practicum … reperiunt in Antidotario Nicolai – ff. 1v-9v: Various medical texts (fever) – ff. 10r-20v: On the head – ff. 21r-35v: Diseases of eyes, ears, nose, face, head, skin, leprosy, small-pocks, ulcers, etc. (f. 34v: Teus: Pocken) – ff. 36r-44v: Throat – ff. 45v-70v: Lungs, urine, and genitals – ff. 71r-78v: Nerve problems – ff. 79r-81r: Prognostics, venom, etc. (… generaliter secundum Ypocratem) – ff. 82r-83r: Haemorrhoids, worms, fistels – ff. 85r-86v: Against pest and epidemics – ff. 87r-89v: Phlebotomy – ff. 90r-95r: Various medicines, mixtures, and doses – ff. 96r-107r: Passions of women (liber dictus Trotula…) – ff. 108r-132v: Astrological texts (written by another hand). Including an astrolabe, a drawing with a revolving circle (f. 112r). Note in a later hand: f. 112v, “Luttdran tho maken”. Including texts as De aspectibus planetarum, on the signs for the planets, symbols for the signs of the zodiac, and information thereon, including also calendar and table for a cycle of 19 years – ff. 132r-134v: On various weaknesses – ff. 135r-141r and ff. 142r-149v: Magister Egidius Corboliensis (Gilles de Corbeil): De urinis and De pulsibus – ff. 150r-152v: Pulse – ff. 153r-177r: Alphabetical list or dictionary of medicinal plants, herbs, and objects in Latin, and some Dutch – f. 177v: Fifteen opiates – ff. 178r-180r: Flos medicinae – ff. 180v-188v: De Aspectibus Nicolai Antidotis – ff. 189r-243v: Illustrated, alphabetical herbal (captions in Latin and Dutch. On f. 193r: a comment “ita mihi dictum est. Nota tamen prefati”. – ff. 244r-245v: On various waters – ff. 246r-247v: Balsam and oils – ff. 248r-249v: Aqua vite – ff. 250r-251v: Body fluid – ff. 253r-257r: Varia and explicit f. 259r: Hoc itaque opuluscum liber virtutum titulavi quia in est virtutes simplicium medicinarum secundum dicuntur antiquorum ad ultimum sum executu quasi ad unguem (to the fingernail) explanavi. Hic tamen recolo quod medicine actio secundum proprietatem subiecti frequenter immutatur et variatur verumtamen promitto etiam introducto hunc librum ex plano nephitos et introducendo ab eius commemorans spero (… and he hopes to be commemorated with this basic introduction and reference book for the new students). Explicit cogitantium qui dicitur liber virtutum editum a Henricum Spijker canonicum. – ff. 260v-261v: Index and list of contents.
cat. 36*
This miscellany is a striking testimony to medieval scientific knowledge in the eastern Low Countries: a rare compilation of various medical treatises, astronomical, and pharmacological texts, including an astrolabe model and an illustrated herbal. The astrolabe with a movable volvelle, or wheel chart, attached to the centre (f. 122r) is intact. Physicians used these to know the most propitious period of a patient’s recovery, as indicated by the position of the planets discussed in the next tract, which is a longer exposé on the characteristics, conjunctions, and influences of the planets. That the book was put to use is shown in the quite useful index. Texts and authors cited are, among others: Antidotario Nicolai, Ypocras (Hippocrates), Egidius Corboliensis (Gilles de Corbeil), Alexandrinus (Alexander of Tralles), Isaac Judaeus Israeli, Gilbertus Anglicus, Flos Salernitae, Guillelmus de Luca, Trotula (or Ps. Trotula), and most often: Wilhelmus (possibly Guillelmus de Saliceto or Guillelmus of Brescia). This book is a rich source of information, not only on health, plants, and medical care, but also on social history, as seen through the eyes of the doctor himself. The history of western medicine thrives on the study of medieval practical handbooks made by those practising and assimilating earlier traditions. Transcribing and deciphering these manuscripts is often complicated and problematic, especially due to particular characteristics of medieval cursive handwriting and the composition of these documents. ILLUSTRATION: Most remarkable in this codex is the alphabetically arranged, illustrated herbal (ff. 189r-243v) with numerous colour drawings of botanical specimens, the illustrations faithfully delineated and named. Each leaf with descriptions of plant characteristics is followed by a leaf with illustrations: in the beginning there are mostly four to each page, further on, six to eight plants to a page. The accompanying texts describe their various known names, how they grow, and what disorder they may cause or what medical use they may have. Some of the vernacular plant names seem to be unique to this manuscript (but more research is required on this). The plant illustrations are of similar size, colouring, and artistic accomplishment and can be attributed to a single hand. One of the pages (f. 241r) shows various pine trees and a small figure collecting sap from such a tree to make turpentine – presumably copied after a model. Supposedly, all the plants have been depicted after a model manuscript, in which they were drawn from life, laying in the basic forms and colours and capturing the nature of the plant. The pictorial tradition of the classical herbal handed down from Antiquity onwards was never entirely lost (Collins 2000, p. 256). Two herbals from Northern Italy (Lombardy) are fine examples dating from a period preceding Spijker’s student years in Padua (Paris, Bibliothèque de l’Ecole des Beaux-Arts, ms. Masson 116 and a copy in London, BL, ms. Sloane 4016, c. 1440; Collins 2000, p. 239ff.). Contemporary to the present manuscript is the Kraüterbuch – Gart der Gesundheit (Garden of Health) of 1485 (Mainz, Peter Schöffer), one of the first printed herbals and probably the most influential of medieval works on the knowledge of natural history, especially
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medicinal plants. As Henricus Spijker was open to the new medium of printing, it will be all the more interesting to continue research into this context. The choice of texts in this codex leaves no doubt that the compilation was conceived by and for a physician and magister in medicine. New documents that reveal so intimately the doctor/author who is present throughout the book, hardly ever reach the market. Magister Spijker, med. dr., practiced in Nijmegen on the Waal (Rhine), bordering on the principalities of Cleves, Bergh, Van der Marck, and with close ties to Cologne and Utrecht. With the help of collaborators, he gathered over 25 medical, astrological, pharmaceutical, and botanical texts together with some 300 drawings of plants. Study and practice – from his student days in Italy throughout his career – enabled him to compile his Liber virtutum, comprising the “virtutes simplicium medicinarum secundum dicuntur antiquorum” which he explains “ad unguem”: to the fingernail. He also calls attention to the fact that the medical procedures change and vary according to the problem and the patient. Likely, the physician and canon in Nijmegen who died in 1493, continued to work as long as his own health permitted – deo gracias. This book is even more exciting as it offers new insight into how information travelled from the Italian schools to the north in a time when there was a thirst for such knowledge, as shown by the earliest printed medical and herbal texts from Italy, Mainz, and Louvain. Next to nothing was known about health care in Nijmegen – whose most famous artistic sons, the Limbourg brothers, had been victims of the plague in France (1416). This personal document shows the Guelders’ doctor/author’s experiences, “per me Henricum Spiker probatum” (f. 73r), including some newly added vernacular terms in the herbal. Duly, the author did not forget to cite Ecclesiasticus 38: “for all healing is from God”. This codex was not made for a wealthy or princely owner. On the contrary – it is a ‘down to earth’ testimony, bringing medieval daily practice, health, and problems directly into our hands and offering a fascinating view on medical knowledge in the Rhine region, along Europe’s most important waterway and at the edge of the modern era. We thank Klaas Hoogendoorn for the information on Spijker’s almanac. LITERATURE: Unpublished. Baumann 2014; Begheyn 1975-76; Collins 2000; Maris 1939; Siraisi 2001; Tervoort 2005; Ventura 2009.
cat. 36*
cat. 36*
cat. 36*
A magnificent project for a humanist king
37 Thomas Aquinas, De potentia Dei – De malo Manuscript on vellum, written by Venceslaus Crispus and illuminated by Matteo Felice Italy, Naples, dated 30 December 1480 378 x 260 mm. 378 leaves (complete). – Written space: 243 x 160 mm, 1 column of 46 lines. Written in an elegant, semi-humanistic script. – Opening words of each Quaestio in burnished gold capitals, 179 very fine illuminated initials, seven to eight lines high, containing variously coloured flowers and leaves with delicate white penwork on burnished gold ground, 2 opening leaves each illuminated with a large thirteen-line initial (ff. 1r and 177r) extending into a bar border, with knots and leaves sprouting in the margins into elaborate sprays of leaves and flowers in colours, with burnished gold bezants; the royal arms of the Kings of Aragon and Naples in a wreath supported by two winged putti and surmounted by a crown. – Minor flaws, some creases, otherwise in pristine condition. – Binding: early 19 th-century diced Russian leather over wooden boards, edges gilt and gauffered at an earlier date.
PROVENANCE: 1. Written and illuminated for Ferdinand I of Aragon, King of Naples (1456-1485), with his royal arms (f. 1r). Dated colophon (30 December 1480, f. 376v). – 2. By descent to his son, Federico of Aragon (d. 1504), King of Naples, who was forced to yield his kingdom to Louis XII of France. – 3. Georges d’Amboise (d. 1510), cardinal of Rouen, minister of state, bibliophile, and patron of the arts. – 4. Cardinals Charles II de Bourbon-Vendôme (d. 1590) and Charles III de Bourbon-Vendôme (d. 1594), who bequeathed the library partly to the Jesuits of the Collège de Clermont and to the King of France. – 5. Henry IV, King of France (1589-1610), who took possession of the entire library; in 1604 reclaimed by the Jesuits. – 6. Paris, Collège de Clermont, SJ, sold in Paris, 1764 – 8. Gerard Meerman (d. 1771) to his son Jean (d. 1815), their joint sale in 1824. – 9. Bertram, Fourth Earl of Ashburnham (d. 1878), his no. 88, sold in 1897. – 10. Henry Yates Thompson (d. 1928) sold at Sotheby’s in 1899. – 11. Tammaro De Marinis (d. 1969), sold by Hoepli 1925. – 12. Sotheby’s London, 23 June 1998, lot 59. – 12. Europe, private collection. – 13. Now in a private collection. TEXT: ff. 1r-176v: Thomas Aquinas, Questiones de potentia Dei and Table of Chapters – ff. 177r-378r: Quaestiones de malo, colophon: ... Anno a Jhesu Christi millesimo quadringentesimo et octagesimo die xxx° Decembris and Table of Chapters. Although Thomas Aquinas (c. 1225-1274) earned his reputation teaching at the university of Paris, he came from a southern Italian family with close ties to Naples, where he studied before joining the Dominican Order in 1244. Aquinas was the first theologian to adapt Aristotelianism to Chris tianity. The two treatises in the present volume – De potentia and De malo – are written in the form of quaestiones, or debating topics for discussion with students. They treat a set of fundamental questions centred on God’s omnipotence and the existence of evil, with wider implications for the philosophy of science. De potentia analyses the power of God in a seemingly abstract and metaphysical account. De malo represents some of Aquinas’ most mature thinking on the origin of evil, its nature, and its relation to good. Both texts belong to Aquinas’s major works yet copies of it are quite rare. The present manuscript was part of an extraordinary project in the royal library of Naples to create a complete set of Aquinas’ Opera omnia. At least sixteen manuscripts of this set – including ours – were copied by the royal scribe,
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Venceslaus Crispus, between 1484 and 1493. He was born in Bohemia and came to Naples when the royal court of Naples was attracting scribes and scholars from all across Europe. The effort and time he expended in writing these books is astonishing (De Hamel 1998). Of the twenty-four manuscripts from the Aquinas project, twenty codices still survive – a sure proof of the value attached to these books throughout the ages. ILLUMINATION: The decoration of both texts is securely attributed to the artist Matteo Felice (fl. 1467-1493), who worked for the royal library in Naples. The slender putti and handsome foliated initials are closely related to those of other manuscripts illuminated by Matteo in Naples c. 1480 (De Marinis 1952-1957, I, pp. 157-58, pl. 37, 40-43, 45; Alexander 1994, p. 68, no. 12). The artist collaborated with Venceslaus Crispus between 1489 and 1493 on four other Aquinas manuscripts (De Marinis 1952-1957, II, docs. 763, 847, 876; IV, pl. 236-38). The present book must have been one of the earliest products of their collaboration. The style of the illumination adopts Paduan and Ferrarese motifs as in codices made for the dukes of Este and Gonzaga. Felice was one of the finest interpreters of these new decorative influences in Naples (De Hamel for Sotheby’s, 23 June 1998, lot 59). The library, assembled in the 15th century by the Aragonese Kings of Naples from Alfonso V to Federico III, is now scattered throughout the world. The collection developed after Alfonso V entered Naples in 1443. Alfonso was a true Renaissance patron of the arts. He not only ordered books from various copyists and artists, his library also contained several codices that were confiscated after the rebellion of the barons in 1448. He often supported the work of foreign copyists and illuminators, while his successor Ferrante I was responsible for the Italian influences in the library. After 1495, the library was broken up. King Federico III, while in exile in France, sold many codices to cardinal George d’Amboise. Federico’s son, the duke of Calabria, succeeded in keeping a great part of the manuscripts, which he took to Valencia to constitute a new library. Meanwhile in Naples, French King Charles VIII appropriated another part of the collection. LITERATURE: Günther 2015, no. 31. Alexander 1994, p. 68; De Marinis 1952-57, p. 160; Destrez/ Chenu 1953; Évreux 2017.
cat. 37*
cat. 37*
cat. 37*
The pinnacle of chivalry immortalized
Le Fèvre de Saint-Rémy, Livre des faits du bon chevalier 38 Jean Jacques de Lalaing Manuscript in French on vellum, illuminated by Simon Bening and workshop Flanders, Bruges, written c. 1480s, illuminated c. 1520s 364 x 262 mm. 202 leaves (the text breaks off at f. 202v). – Written space: 240 x 180 mm, 2 columns, 32 lines. Lettre bâtarde. – Numerous one-line initials in gold on a blue, red, or green field, line fillings in similar style; three-line initials, alternately and similarly decorated and including initials in white on a golden field; 18 miniatures, one of which a large, superb portrait. – With wide clean margins, silver somewhat corroded, overall in splendid condition. – Binding: 18th-century brown morocco over wooden boards.
PROVENANCE: 1. Presumably written c. 1480s and left unfinished. – 2. Possibly handed down together with a manuscript of Martin Le Franc, Livre de l’estrif de Fortune et de Vertu, dated 1482 (Rudnitzki 1915, p. 6, Hinz 1999, pp. 0713), also unfinished, then acquired by M. de Lalaing in 1519 (39). This would be Charles I, seigneur de Lalaing (d. 1525), whose interest in his ancestor is well known, for example, as shown in the renovation he ordered of Jacques de Lalaing’s tomb at St. Aldegonde’s Church (now lost, Rudnitzki 1915, p. 7). On the Lalaing and Hoogstraten library see: Wijsman 2010, pp. 388-406. – 3. Handed down by descent via Marie-Gabrielle de Lalaing (d. 1709), heiress of Hoogstraten, who married in 1659 Wild- und Rheingraf Karl Florentin zu Salm (Rudnitzki 1915). – 4. Europe, private collection. – 5. Now in Los Angeles, J. Paul Getty Museum, ms. 114. TEXT: ff. 4r-8r: Chapter headings – ff. 10r-106r: Chapters 1-61, Livre des faits du bon chevalier Jacques de Lalaing, on the career, travels, and tournaments of Jacques de Lalaing. Ending with Lalaing taking leave to prepare the Pas de Fontaine aux Pleurs – ff. 106v-111v: Chapters 62-63: Explanation of the Pas de Fontaine aux Pleurs organized by Lalaing, assisted by Toison d’Or, near Chalons sur Saône (1449-1450) – ff. 111r-137v: Chapters 64-88, Pas de Fontaine aux Pleurs, a majestic and theatrical pas d’armes organized conform to specific rules and protocol. Altogether ten tournaments (two of which are illustrated) over a period of a year, ending with Lalaing taking leave to travel to Rome and Jerusalem – ff. 138r-185v: The war between Duke Philip the Good and the city of Ghent and Lalaing’s heroic performance and tragic death (Chapters 89-109, ending in the middle of a sentence and left unfinished). This book describes and illustrates the main exploits of Jacques de Lalaing (1421-1453), the most exemplary Burgundian knight and one of the best tournament fighters there ever was. He was the oldest of the four sons of Guillaume, lord of Lalaing and Bugnicourt, high bailiff of Hainault and governor (stadhouder) of Holland (d. 1475), and his wife Johanna Créquy (d. 1495). His career began as a young squire at the court of the Duke of Cleves, after which he soon became attached to the Burgundian court. Knighted in the service of Duke Philip the Good in 1445, he was, six years later, elected into the Order of the Golden Fleece, Europe’s most illustrious chivalric institution. An elegant and chivalrous fighter, he grew into a successful champion of tournaments, participated in military campaigns, and
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served on diplomatic missions. As a knight-errant who challenged different opponents all over Europe, “sans peur et sans reproche”, Jacques became known as the “Bon Chevalier” (Good Knight). The text reveals him to be a courtly chevalier, accomplished with lance, sword, and axe. He died young, not chivalrously in the hand-to-hand combat of a tournament, but in the battle of war, killed in the revolt of Ghent at the siege of Poeke castle (1453) – the moment just before the impact of the canon ball that killed him is illustrated in the book at hand. The history of his life was, presumably, put to writing upon the instigation of his father Guillaume de Lalaing, who had lost all his sons before he reached old age (Wijsman 2009, p. 176). The text may have originated c. 1465, a few years before Guillaumes’s death, but the dedication manuscript seems not to survive. The authorship of the book has been attributed to three different men of whom Jean Le Fèvre de Saint-Rémy is the most likely candidate (d. 1468, Wijsman 2009, p. 178). As herald Toison d’Or, Le Fèvre was a good friend of Jacques. He also was the author of a Chronicle of the Order of the Golden Fleece and of an Epistre sur les Faits d’Armes de Jacques de Lalaing (‘memoires’ sent to the father after the death of his son in 1453). Toison d’Or is depicted as the author in three manuscripts (here, in Paris, BnF, ms. fr. 16830, and in the Lalaing manuscript in a private collection, Wijsman 2009, p. 279). Only nine manuscripts of the present text are known to survive. ILLUMINATION: With eighteen miniatures: the author’s portrait (half-page, 205 x 190 mm), three scenes of interiors at court, nine tournament scenes, and five scenes of warfare (all column wide): f. 10r: The author Toison d’Or in his study at work – f. 23r: The Duke of Cleves and the young Jacques de Lalaing joust, watched by Philip the Handsome, who wears the collar of the Golden Fleece – f. 36v: Alarm at the King of France’s court when a tournament is announced. Lalaing kneels before Charles, Count of Maine and the Count of St. Pol – f. 40v: The duel announced by trumpeting heralds: Lalaing in full armour, is accompanied by the Counts of Maine and St. Pol; he greets the King and Queen of France, the Duchesses of Orleans and of Calabria, his secret lovers. The white veil from his helmet and the golden band adorned with gems around his arm are tokens from both duchesses – f. 48v: Lalaing encounters Boniface of Sicily at a joust before the Duke of Burgundy and his son, the Count of Charolais – f. 63v: Lalaing kneels before the King of Castile during the game
cat. 38*
of ‘bull baiting’ – f. 76r: Jacques combats Diego Guzman at the tournament of Valladolid; King Juan II of Castile and Leon presides, his coat of arms on the tapestry – f. 91r: Jacques received by the Dauphin of France in Valence – f. 98v Jacques, his uncle Simon de Lalaing, and Hervé de Meriadet battle before the King of Scotland – f. 104r: How Jacques, in Bruges, submits an English knight before the tribune of the Duke of Burgundy – f. 113r: The ‘Pas de Fontaine aux Pleurs’ – pavilion of Jacques de Lalaing with Virgin and Child statue. To the right, herald Toison d’Or, supervisor and messenger. Near the Fountain of Tears stands a unicorn with three shields in different colours – f. 123r: Fourth joust during the Pas de Fontaine aux Pleurs: Jacques as knight of ‘Tears’, combats the Seigneur d’Espiry – f. 129v: The tenth and last joust during the Pas de Fontaine aux Pleurs – f. 144r: War with Ghent: battle at the Pont d’Espierres, a bridge over the Scheld between Douai and Oudenaarde – f. 151r: Battle at Locres (East Flanders) – f. 161r: The siege of Nivelles – f. 166r: Battle at Barselle near Rupelmonde – f. 183v: Siege of Poeke castle: a cannon ball about to kill Jacques de Lalaing. The illustrations offer fairly literal interpretations of the key episodes of Lalaing’s chivalric career and heroic deeds, informed by the descriptions in the text. Iconographic details can be compared with Paris, BnF, ms. fr. 16830 to date the oldest known surviving codex, illuminated in Bruges c 1475-1480 with several instructions for the illuminator(s) still visible (Gaucher 1989, pp. 506-16, Wijsman 2002, 2009). Rudnitzki 1915, dates the decoration c. 1530-1540, Winkler 1925, p. 157 writes c. 1530. The rich and highly decorative costumes and large, soft berets with ostrich feathers offer important documentation on the fashion of the courtiers of the time. Finely illuminated in a soft – at times transparent – palette, this codex is an ode to the Bon Chevalier Jacques de Lalaing and to Burgundian chivalric society. Heroic deeds, beautiful costumes, fine horses, early morning landscape settings and, what is best, a superb author’s portrait, together display the brilliance of Burgundian bibliophilia. This codex is without doubt the finest Burgundian manuscript (of seven surviving) illuminating Lalaing’s military exploits – although not all illustrations are of equal quality. The opening miniature, a large portrait of the author at work (f. 10r) is the key to this book and immediately places this deluxe manuscript in the context of one of the best illuminators of his day: Simon Bening at Bruges (14831561). It exemplifies the author, a man in the prime of his life, in his study at work. Herald Toison d’Or – identifiable by his splendidly ornamented herald’s tabard, a costume with the coat of arms of Toison d’Or – is writing at his desk. The rich texture of his costume is incredibly authentic. The writer’s handsome face is personally modelled, conscientious and confident in all its details – the lips, straight nose, characteristic eyebrows, and delicately painted hair – recall other portraits painted by Simon Bening, primarily those in the Genealogical Tables made for the Infante of Portugal (London, BL, ms. Add. 12531, c. 1530-1534). The author’s study is rendered with excellent use of space and perspective. The superb use of light is beautifully brought to expression in several levels of intensity, offering contrasting effects between interior light and that coming
206
from outdoors, with shadows applied carefully and correctly. The far view into the courtyard deepens and heightens the structure. This is a breath-taking miniature that confirms what a great portraitist Simon Bening was. In other miniatures in this book, Bening was assisted by an eminent collaborator. Presumably, he may be identified as the Master of Charles V (or someone of his circle), whose work appears closely related to that of Bening (Los Angeles 2003, p. 495). However, in comparison to work by Bening himself, that artist’s miniatures are somewhat limited in the articulation of his figures. The second illuminator enjoyed working with pastels of muted greens and blues, creating an overall soft effect. Both artists collaborated on other manuscripts such as the Capricorn Hours (Sotheby’s, London, 6 July 2000, lot 77), while the prayer book made for Emperor Charles V (earlier at Dr. Jörn Günther Rare Books, Cat. 11, no. 58, now in the Museum of the Bible, Washington, D.C.) shows that the Master of Charles V and his circle often utilized Bening’s compositions. The present book was likely a commission from within the Lalaing family itself, as they owned several copies of the text that may have been used as a model. Possibly, this was a commission of Charles I, seigneur de Lalaing (d. 1525), the hero’s second cousin. If not Charles I, then his son Charles II (d. 1558) may have been the commissioner. Perhaps, at first intended as a most noble gift to one of the highest members of the Order of the Golden Fleece, the codex, however, never left the house of command and was inherited by descent to the last owner. The supposed author of the text, Jean Le Fèvre de SaintRémy was – until his death in June 1468 – Toison d’Or, King of Arms of the Order of the Golden Fleece. Both Toison d’Or and the Bon Chevalier had been close friends. As herald and knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece, these companions are here united to perpetuate the honour of Burgundian knighthood. However, the final part of the story shows that in the brutal conflicts of the Ghent war, knights fought not against nobles according to their own tournament rules, but against burghers who revolted against that established order, who fought ‘ignobly’ and used artillery. That a new era had come is also represented splendidly in this book. LITERATURE: Hinz 1999, no. 0712, p. 329; Rudnitzki 1915; Schmitz 1901, no. 4; Winkler 1925, p. 157. Brown-Grant 2013; Brussels/Paris 2011, no. 89, pp. 34042; Buren/Wieck 2011; Gaucher 1989; Legaré 2002, pp. 773-93; Wijsman 2002, – 2009, – 2010. This story, “that reads more like a fast-paced adventure novel”, will be published in November 2018 in a book edited by Elisabeth Morrison of the J. Paul Getty Museum: A Knight for the Ages: Jacques de Lalaing and the Art of Chivalry, presenting essays written by the world’s leading medievalists.
cat. 38*
cat. 38*
cat. 38*
cat. 38*
cat. 38*
cat. 38*
cat. 38*
Fine copy acquired by Charles de Lalaing, 1519
39 Martin Le Franc, Livre de l’estrif de Fortune et de Vertu Illuminated manuscript in French on vellum
Southern Netherlands, Hainaut, Valenciennes or Cambrai (?), dated 1482 and illuminated in or shortly before 1519 336 x 230 mm. 193 leaves. – Written space: 220 x 150 mm, 2 columns of 29 lines. Fine Lettre bâtarde, rubrics in red (not fully completed). – Numerous initials painted in gold on a blue, red, green, or purple-grey field, 3 large, half page miniatures. – The first 15 folia with minor damage to lower right corner. Otherwise in fine condition, with wide, clean margins. – Binding: 18th-century brown morocco over wooden boards, spine and edges gilt. Original pastedown retained.
PROVENANCE: 1. Written in 1482 (f. 193v) for an unknown patron and left without decoration, which was added c. 1519. – 2. A note (front) remarks that M. de Lalaing acquired the manuscript May 1519. The text is listed in the inventory of Charles I, seigneur de Lalaing (d. 1525) and in that of his successor Charles II (d. 1558; Wijsman 2010, p. 392; Mestayer 1991, p. 212). – 3. Handed down by descent via Marie-Gabrielle de Lalaing, heiress of Hoogstraten who, in 1659, married Wild- und Rheingraf Karl Florentin zu Salm. – 4. Europe, private collection. The note “Che livre est a Monseigneur de Lalaing par achat fait en may xvc xix” shows that M. de Lalaing acquired the manuscript in 1519 (38). Charles I of Lalaing (1466-1525) was councillor-chamberlain in the service of the Dukes of Burgundy: Maximilian I, Philip the Handsome, and Charles V; he was knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece (1505) and, since 1522, count. He kept his books at various locations. The Lalaing collections and estates were inherited by his son Charles II, who, in order to be able to continue the family line, broke off his ecclesiastic career when his father died. In 1528 Charles married Marguerite de Croÿ (1508-1549), daughter of Charles de Croÿ-Chimay. Even though he inherited many of his father’s books, his uncle Antoine I of Lalaing-Hoogstraten (1480-1540) also received some 50 books when he took on the role of head of the family (Wijsman 2010, pp. 396-98). Antoine I was the most influential nobleman at the court of Margaret of Austria, with whom he shared a love for books. His titles and library were inherited by Charles I’s youngest son and brother of Charles II, Philip (1540). The Hoogstraten inventory dates from 1548. From De Lalaing-Hoogstraten the present manuscript was handed down via Marie-Gabrielle de Lalaing to the last owner. TEXT: Martin Le Franc, Livre de l’estrif de Fortune et de Vertu: ff. 1r-v: (Prologue) – ff. 2r-47r: Cy commence… la ditte matiere est partie en trois livres – f. 48r: le second livre – f. 103r: le tiers livre… – f. 192v: Cy fine mon dit livre de lestrif dessudit de fortune et vertu. Anno mil iiii c iiii xx et deux fu escript. The year 1482 may be the date of this manuscript or may, perhaps, have been copied after the model. Other manuscripts of this text (but not here) end with a rubric that names the author Martin le Franc, provost at Lausanne, and his employers, pope Felix and the successor, Pope Nicholas (Dembowski 1999, pp. 1, 291). Martin le Franc (1410-c. 1461) was a man of the church, diplomat, and author, and made a career in the service of Amadée VII, the Duke of Savoy who became Pope Felix V (1439-1449). L’Estrif de Fortune et de Vertu was composed at the request of Philip the Good (1393-1467), a commission Le Franc received at the
214
court of Burgundy where he was apostolic legate. The text, in prose and poetry, is written in the form of a contradictory debate between Lady Fortune and her rival Lady Virtue before Lady Reason as referee. Whimsical Fortune fails in her discussion with Virtue and the text concludes that man should make his own destiny, as his success depends on personal conduct and putting the spiritual above all. ILLUMINATION: Each of the three major text sections opens with a large miniature (c.135/125/120 x 150 mm): f. 1r: The author presents his book to a prince, a knight of the Golden Fleece (with Habsburg features). Behind the author stands a high-ranking courtier while a young man looks on. The movement of the courtier’s hand suggests he is a partner in the gift, maybe as the commissioner of the codex? Shoes and costume refer to fashion datable to the first decades of the 16th century – f. 48r: A debating joust: Lady Virtue and Lady Reason dispute with Lady Fortune, blindfolded and dressed as a queen, her bodice adorned with ermine. Reason as referee sits in the middle. Blind Fortune keeps her wheel to her side; it is encircled with a text scroll, inscribed with: “honneur, prosperite, adversite, pauvrete” – f. 103r: Lady Reason has given her verdict, Virtue wins and breaks Fortune’s wheel, the latter shamefully turns away, defeated and no longer blind to justice. Her dress is now without ermine decoration, but she still wears her crown. The three miniatures, in a style referring to the circle of the Master of Antoine de Rolin, are consistent in the high quality of finish (Los Angeles 2003, p. 407; Kesel 2010). The dedication manuscript was not illustrated (Brussels, BR, ms. 9573) and only four other manuscripts have three or more miniatures (Copenhagen, RL, ms, Thot 311 has ten miniatures). Some have only one, such as Brussels, BR, ms. 9510 (Valenciennes, c. 1460) and Chantilly, Musée Condé, ms. 296 (1470-1500). Martin le Franc offers his readers lessons that have both political and moral implications. Such a book would be most appropriate for use in the education of a young prince. The face of the recipient of the text shows the features of a young Habsburg prince, either Philip the Handsome (14781506) or the young archduke Charles (1500-1555). Both Philip and Charles V grew up at Malines and the courtyard that is depicted on f. 1r might represent an image of a residence there. LITERATURE: Hinz 1999, no. 0713; Schmitz 1901, no. 7. Dembowski 1999; Kesel 2010; Los Angeles 2003, pp. 49596; Mestayer 1991; Wijsman 2003, – 2010, pp. 388-406.
cat. 39*
cat. 39*
cat. 39*
Made for Raphael de Mercatellis, the last great Burgundian bibliophile
d’Outremeuse, Le tresorier de philosophie naturelle des 40 Jean pierres precieuses – Ex divina philosophorum … Manuscript in French and Latin on vellum, with four large added miniatures, all illuminated by the Masters of Raphael de Mercatellis Flanders, Ghent-Bruges, ‘dated’ 1484 363 x 267 mm. 137 leaves, complete. Two texts and 4 added miniatures from other projects. I: Written space: 257 x 160 mm, 1 column, 39 lines. Littera hybrida. 2 illuminated initials with part borders, one historiated initial with the Mercatellis coat of arms. – II: Written space: c. 265 x 165 mm, 1 column, 46 lines. Littera textualis. 2 illuminated initials, 21 coloured drawings of hands in text and margins, full-page motto L.Y.S. – III: 4 full-page miniatures (250 x 175 mm and 230 x 165 mm), plus a final leaf with inscription only. Littera textualis formata (inscriptions) and Littera hybrida (captions). – Stains show the leaves have been together over a long period. Only slightly cropped. – Binding: 17th-century, gold-tooled calfskin.
PROVENANCE: 1. Made, apparently in 1484, for Raphael de Mercatellis (1437-1508), illegitimate son of Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, abbot of St. Bavon’s in Ghent from 1478 and bishop of Rhosus from 1487: his abbatial coat of arms: parti d’azur au lion d’argent, armé, lampassé et couronné d’or, fascé de gueules de trois pièces, d’autre part parti de gueules à la fasce bretessée et contre bretressée d’argent, surmonté de la crosse (f. 1r), his L.Y.S. device (f. 132v), and two ownership inscriptions (ff. 121r, 137r). In the same library listed in the Recollectorium with more texts (1572, Acker 1977, no. 42; Derolez 1979, no. 26), but separated at an unknown moment (see below; Acker 1977, p. 151ff.) – 2. Switzerland, St. Gallen, collection Arnold Mettler (bookplate), his sale in Amsterdam by Mensing, 5 April 1935, lot 29. According to a note bought from Leo Olschki (Geneva) in June 1924. – 3. London, Sotheby’s, 27 April 1937, lot 271, sold and since not seen in public. – 4. Switzerland, Geneva, collection Maurice Burrus (his bookplate 1937), his ms. 148 (bought from Maggs 1937). Raphael de Mercatellis (1437-1508) was born in Bruges as the son of Philip the Good, duke of Burgundy, and a lady of the Venetian family Marcatello di Marcatellis. He studied theology in Paris (1462) and became a wealthy churchman and distinguished diplomat. Like his father and his half-brother Anthony, the Great Bastard, he developed a true passion for beautiful manuscripts. He was abbot of the illustrious abbey of St. Bavon’s in Ghent (1478) and auxiliary bishop of Tournai (1487), but eventually (1507) retired to his magnificent palace in Bruges, the city to which he remained attached all his life. More than half of the books of his famous library have been preserved. The book at hand is a long-lost manuscript and contains his coat of arms (f. 1), motto, and ownership inscriptions (in Latin, ff. 121, 137), stating that Mercatellis bought the book “Anno D[omi]ni 1484”.
As almost all his manuscripts were made to order at high cost and date from the years 1473-1505, his collection offers fascinating testimony to book production and art history in Flanders. Mercatellis was influenced by Italian humanism in his predilection for morality and education, neo-Platonic philosophy, sciences, language, and literature. He mostly loved beautifully written and illuminated deluxe manuscripts in large format. He engaged Flemish illuminators for almost all his books. In the book at hand,
218
his enigmatic L.Y.S. monogram appears on a leaf discussing De figuris planetarum. There are two colophon-like inscriptions, the first (f. 121r) reads: “Hunc librum comparavit Raphael de Mercatellis abbas monasterij sancti Bavonis et quoad potuit correxit anno Christi 1484”, stating that Raphael de Mercatellis acquired and corrected the book in 1484 (compare Derolez 1979, no. 18, p. 116). This section opens with an initial (f. 1r) bearing Mercatellis’s abbatial coat of arms. The second ownership inscription (f. 137r) is in a form as found in several books: “Hoc volume[n] comparavit Raphael de Mercatellis dei gra[tia] Ep[iscop] us Rosen[sis] Abbas sancti Bavonis iuxta Gandavu[m]. Anno D[omi]ni 1484”. Such inscriptions in Mercatellis’ manuscripts cannot always be taken at face value, as the dates they contain may be contradicted by heraldic or other internal evidence (Derolez 1979, pp. 19-25; Kidd 2010, p. 149), as is the case here: Raphael de Mercatellis became bishop of Rhosus only in 1487, when he changed his coat of arms. The same wording, however, is used in other manuscripts dating from before this promotion (see London, BL, ms. Arundel 93, dated 1485 and Ghent, UL, ms. 112, dated 1484; Derolez 1979, no. 12, p. 92, no. 27, p. 157), suggesting the year of acquisition may still be correct, as the inscription presumably was added later. TEXT: I. ff. 1-122v: Jean d’Outremeuse, Le tresorier de philosophie naturelle, also known as: Traité des pierres précieuses et des minéraux – II. ff. 123r-132v: Ex divina philosophorum achademia secundum nature vires ad extra chyromanticie diligentissime collectum. The first text was the only work in Mercatellis’ library written in French. The author, Jean d’Outremeuse of Liège (1338-1399), is known for mainly historical works, but the present Tresorier de philosophie naturelle, a lapidary, concerns a synthesis of medieval knowledge of gems – including their medical-magical properties – followed by recipes for making them. It is not only of interest to those seeking to understand the manufacture, cutting, and polishing of ancient glass or gems, but also to natural philosophers and alchemists. The text survives in only two more manuscripts (Paris, BnF, ms. fr. 12326 and Brussels, BR, ms. II 2761). The work on chiromancy, divination by examining hands, is copied after an incunable edition (possibly by Erhard
cat. 40*
Ratdolt, Venice, c. 1480 with 21 large woodcuts of hands, GW 6633) – as Mercatellis preferred manuscripts to printed books. This text on divination was not appreciated by the medieval church authorities but was rediscovered during the Renaissance and was deemed useful to natural philosophers and aspiring doctors in medicine. Leonardo da Vinci is known to have had a copy of the text in his library (Azzolini 2013, pp. 13, 30, 45). Even though both text sections are separate codicological units, they were bound together from early on. In the inventories of the Mercatellis library, the Recollectorium (a list of 202 items) and Index by Viglius of Zwichem (1572), both are listed under no. 42 and no. 92 respectively, as: Phoedrus Platonis et convivium eiusdem. Liber de mineralibus in Gallico et de chiromantia (Derolez 1979, p. 154; Van Acker, pp. 167, 195). This entry also shows that the present texts were once combined with a work by Plato – a manuscript today preserved in Glasgow, UL, Hunterian ms. 206 (Derolez 1988, 2002). That codex contains two dialogues by Plato in the translation by Leonardo Bruni. First is Phaedrus, on the art of rethoric and how it should be practiced; it dwells on diverse subjects like reincarnation and erotic love. It is followed by Phaedo, or On the Soul, describing the final days and death of Socrates. After these follow five more short texts all by Marsilio Ficino, beginning with his Commentarium in convivium Platonis (see Derolez 1988, pp. 302-8). It is unknown when the texts were separated or left Ghent, but the present 17th‑century binding suggests it was in that era. Compared to the rest of Mercatellis’ collection, this was a medium sized book (363 x 267 mm, Derolez 1979, p. 111). ILLUMINATION: Four added full-page miniatures: f. 133v: Birth of Pallas: Jupiter and Juno, seated on thrones supported by the golden figures of: Intelligentia (an eagle), Voluntas (a pelican feeding its young), and Memoria (a griffin), e.g. powers of the soul and virtues related to the Trinity (Arnould 1989, pp. 198-201, pl. 23c). Pallas, being born from Jupiter’s head, holds a sceptre in her right hand, its three branches marked with PN [Philosophia Naturalis], PS [Philosophia Supernaturalis], PM [Philosophia moralis]. Golden rays emanating from Pallas’ head are labelled: gra[mmatica], dya[lectica], re[thorica], geo[metrica], aris[metica], mu[sica]. Below: two Latin verses. – Two miniatures in incorrect following order: f. 134v: Mercury puts the hundred eyes of Argus to sleep, and: Mercury beheads Argus. Caption in two Latin verses, after Ovid, Metamorphoses, I: 713-14 – f. 135v: Juno instructs Argus, the shepherd with hundred eyes, to watch over Io, transformed by Jupiter into a heifer, with two Latin verses after Ovid, Metamorphoses, I: 625 – f. 136v: Ark of Covenant with the Nativity, with two Latin verses. This typological scene links the Mother of God and the New Testament with the Old: the Ark is exhibited on an altar, resting on seven emblematic pillars inscribed with the names of the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 11:1-2, Sapientia, Intellectus, Consilium, Fortitudo, Sciencia, Pietas, Timor Domini, a reference to the seven virtues of the Virgin); two angels have opened the heavy cover (tabule manna Moysi) to reveal the Tablets of the Law, the flowering Rod of Aaron (Virga Aaron), and a chalice containing the Manna. Above, the Virgin kneels in adoration of the Christ child, who
220
emanates light, the (dove of the) Holy Spirit descends, and God the Father blesses (Arnould 1988, pp. 198-99, pl. 22a; Derolez 1979, no. 57a-b). These added full-page images refer to outside texts, two of which represent the mythological story of Io and her warder Argus. These miniatures, together with those of the birth of Pallas Athena and the Ark of the Covenant are testimony to large projects that had not yet been completed when the patron died in 1508. They refer to picture books containing classical mythology and biblical typology. Presumably such miniatures were left as single leaves in the library (others are known) and were only later added to books, which were then sold off. There were several illuminators and decorators who worked for the abbot and who are, for convenience, called ‘the Masters of Raphael de Mercatellis’. Although the a rtists may have collaborated, they did not belong to a single workshop, nor did they work exclusively for Mercatellis. It is uncertain whether they should be localized in Ghent or Bruges, although Bruges has been suggested as the more likely of the two (As-Vijvers 2013a, p. 288). The present four miniatures, two by two, in a remarkable palette of non-saturated colours – were possibly made by two different hands. The book at hand is a fascinating, important, and long-lost manuscript belonging to one of the great Renaissance bibliophiles, Raphael de Mercatellis (1437-1508) and the only example in his entire collection containing a work written in French. Why Mercatellis opted to have the Lapidary in French and with occult features in the rare version of Jean d’Outremeuse instead of the available Latin treatises remains to be studied. As this text exists in only two manuscript copies, the fine Mercatellis version is the more important. Altogether, the present codex deserves full attention as it adds considerably to our knowledge about the library, character, and striking interests of its owner, Raphael de Mercatellis. Moreover, the abbot’s texts on medicine and medicinal herbs are all thought to be lost (Acker 1977, pp. 161ff., p. 192) and his interest in occult science, Platonism, and his collection of Ficino’s works are considered unique in the Low Countries (Derolez 2002, pp. 48-50). His enigmatic L.Y.S. monogram (sometimes held by a Swan – the alchemist’s symbol of the ‘philosophical Mercure’) is still unsolved and the old abbot’s device Fet [fait] vivre longuement – What is it that ensures a long life – appearing in his latest acquisitions (Derolez 1979, p. 209, no. 38, dated 1505) may be related to it. LITERATURE: Arnould 1988 (who did not consult the book); Derolez 1979, – 2002. Acker 1977; Arnould 1989; As-Vijvers 2013a; Azzolini 2013; Bergen 2011; Derolez 1986, – 1988; Kidd 2010.
cat. 40*
cat. 40*
cat. 40*
cat. 40*
cat. 40*
A masterpiece of chivalry in word and image for Claude de Neufchâtel
droits d’armes de noblesse: Honoré Bovet, L’arbre des 41 Des batailles and twelve other chivalric treatises, compiled by Gilles Gobet, Toison d’Or
Manuscript on vellum, illuminated by the Bruges Master of 1482 and workshop Flanders, Bruges, after 1481-before 1491 (c. 1486) 363 x 253 mm. 208 leaves. – Written space: 227 x 160 mm, 2 columns, 33 lines. Lettre bâtarde. – Initials touched with yellow, numerous two- to four-line initials in blue, purple, and gold with white tracery; 12 miniatures: 1 full-page, 10 (of 11) half-page, 1 small; 63 coats of arms in colours (gold, silver), and the painted coat of arms of the patron (f. 1r). – Some stains, yet in excellent condition throughout. – Binding: early 20 th-century blind-tooled calf over wooden boards. Original pastedowns, 2 catches and clasps.
PROVENANCE: 1. Bruges, made for the Burgundian nobleman Claude de Neufchâtel, Seigneur de Fay (c. 1449-1505, f. 1r). – 2. Cologne, Baron von und zu Gymnich (according to the Count of Mirbach-Harff, personal conversation March 2018). – 3. Bedburg, near Cologne, Collection Count Antonius of Mirbach-Harff at Château d’Harff (Kunstdenkmäler der Rheinprovinz 4, 1899, p. 82). Sold to: – 4. Julius Hess, esteemed antiquarian bookseller in Munich, who left Germany (1936) to settle in Bern, Switzerland, where he died of heart failure (1940). – 5. Bern, Gutekunst & Klipstein, Nachlass Julius Hess, 2, cat. 19 (1941), no. 1220. – 6. Geneva, Martin Bodmer (d. 1971), sold in 1967 to H.P. Kraus, New York (Cat. 126, 1971, no. 6). – 7. Stuttgart, Dr. Helmut Beck Collection (removed 1996, restituted 2017-18). – 8. Now in a private collection. The patron of the manuscript reveals himself in the illuminated coat of arms on f. 1r: Claude de Neufchâtel of Luxembourg (c. 1449-1505), son of Thibaud IX (d. 1469): De gueules à la bande d’argent (de Neufchâtel), brisé d’un lambel d’azur brochant. His motto no longer decipherable (Si je re … plus (or: puis?); Cimier: un vol aux armes du 1. Tenants: deux sauvages (Rietstap 1884-87, 2, p. 307, 3-4, pl. CCLXXX). Claude de Neufchâtel, a brave soldier and competent diplomat, served several consecutive Dukes of Burgundy. In 1481 he was nominated Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece, when Maximilian was the order’s reigning sovereign. His official induction followed in 1491 under Philip the Handsome. As Marshal of Burgundy (14831498), Claude belonged to Philip’s inner circle. In August 1493, he was the official representative of the Order of the Golden Fleece at the funeral of emperor Frederick in Vienna (August 1493). Claude also owned a manuscript of Jean Du Chesne, Les commentaires de Cesar (Oxford, Bodleian Library, ms. Douce 208, his arms: f. 4r) illuminated by the same master. TEXT: ff. 1r-6v: Prologue, Des droits d’armes (Beinecke ms. 230, text 1-2, ff. 1r-6v) – (following numbers according to original foliation) ff. 1r-106r: Honoré Bovet, L’Arbre des batailles. Bovet (also spelled as Bonet, Bouvet, d. c. 1410) dedicated the work to Charles VI (1368-1422). However, here the text refers to Loys de Charles cousin germain, “who today reigns the crowns of Jerusalem and France”. This likely refers to Louis XI and Charles IV of Anjou. The latter had inherited the titles of King René d’Anjou (d. 1480),
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including King of Naples and Jerusalem, which he passed on to Louis XI in 1481 – ff. 109r-135v: Diego de Valera, Traité de noblesse. French translation by Hugues de Salve. The text treats the origin and alignment of chivalry. Valera (d. 1486) served Juan II and Enrique IV of Castile – ff. 136r-142v: XIJ chapittres du blazon darmes. Prinsault-Treatise. On coats of arms and their blazoning, illustrated with 63 coats of arms, named after the copy that Clément Prinsault dedicated to the young Jacques d’Armagnac (1468-1476) – ff. 143r-152v: Empereur-Treatise, an essential part of a chivalric compendium, as it is the herald who reports on the election of the emperor – ff. 153r-159r: Thomas of Woodstock (1355-1397), La maniere de faire champ a oultrance selon lordonnance … dAngleterre … On the rules for knightly duels in England. Woodstock (d. 1397), first Duke of Gloucester, was Edward III’s youngest son – ff. 160r-168: Les ordonnances aux gaiges de batailles en champ ferme … de France. How to wage battle in France – ff. 169r-170v: Armes faittes a oultrance … de Bourgogne. Burgundian form for a gage de bataille. Textually close to the preceding ordonnances of France – ff. 171r-173v: Les droiz des mareschaulx de France … On the office and tasks of French marshals – ff. 174r-182r: Comment le roy darmes des Francoiz fait aussy ses droiz … Montjoyetreatise concerning the office of Montjoye, the French King of Arms (not in Paris, BnF, ms. fr. 1280) – ff. 182r-189r: Institution des roys darmes et heraulx … Selon les dits-treatise on the history, duties, and oaths of heralds – ff. 190r-194v: La maniere de faire tournoiz et … How to perform tournaments and buhurts (and the tasks and rights of the King of Arms and the Herald – ff. 195r-197v and ff. 197r-199v: (continuation without rubric, as in Beinecke, ms. 230, f. 192r, no. 6.vii) Obsequies-treatise followed by a description of the funeral of Gérard de Mortagne, ancestor of Louis of Gruuthuse. Information necessary for the funeral ceremonies of the nobility – See an overview of all texts: Hiltmann 2011, pp. 441-65. While the first tract is often part of heraldic compendia, the continuation was first added to the Compendium of Louis of Bruges (Paris, BnF, ms. fr. 1280). Remarkably, the author of the penultimate text identifies himself by writing “ce que ien ay escript ce a este au commandement de mon bon filz saige et prudent Gilles [space for family name left open by the copyist] roy darmes de Flandre soubz tres illustre et tres excellent prince Maximilien duc dAustrice, de Bourgoigne … et de Gheldres conte de Flandres etc.” (f. 196v). The final text ends “… au temps
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qui regne de present qui est lan mil iiij c iiij xx et j [1481] …” (f. 199v). This dates the original compilation to 1481 and, in fact, identifies the compiler as Gilles Gobet, King of Arms of Maximilian, Duke of Burgundy until 1482 (see below). Four extant codices contain a similar compilation, but none have exactly the same texts, nor are they in the same following order. The manuscript in New Haven (Yale University Library, Beinecke, ms. 230, unknown patron; Cahn/Marrow 1978, pp. 256-58) and the book at hand are the most closely related and may represent the archetype model more fully than the copies of Louis of Bruges, Lord of Gruuthuse (c. 1427-1492; Paris, BnF, ms. fr. 1280) and Adolph of Cleves (1425-1492; Vienna, ÖNB, cod. 2616). These deviate in several details from the present and the Beinecke volumes, both of which are more complete and originate in the same workshop. ILLUMINATION: f. Ir: Noah’s shame (Genesis 9:19) – f. 1r: Presentation of the book to the Kings of Jerusalem and France sharing the throne (cf. in ms. 230, f. 10: Emperor Frederick III and his son Maximilian, Duke of Burgundy; Horn 1983, pp. 110-12) – f. 2v: L’arbre de douleur. A full-page tree grows from hell, on its branches are paired figures fighting each other (Beinecke, ms. 230, f. 11v) – f. 109r: Conferring the Order of the Golden Fleece. The Duke of Burgundy presents the chain of the Golden Fleece to a knight, while the Duchess offers a lady a chain. Maximilian was the sovereign of the Order since his marriage to Mary of Burgundy (d. 1482; ms. 230, f. 118r) – ff. 136r-142v: Text illustrated with 63 coats of arms, but without large opening miniature (ms. 230, f. 145r: the author delivers his treatise to heralds, as in Oxford, Bodleian, ms. Douce 208, f. 1r) – f. 143r: Coronation of the Emperor in the presence of six electors (possibly referring to the coronation of Maximilian as King of the Romans, 6 April 1486; ms. 230, f. 153v; Horn 1983, p. 112) – f. 153r: Two knights duel with swords en champ fermé (ms. 230, f. 164r) – f. 169r: Two knights fight with halberds; the palace adorned with the coat of arms of Burgundy (not in ms. 230) – f. 171r: Marshall (of France) taking leave (ms. 230, f. 207r) – f. 174r: Investiture of the King of Arms of France (ms. 230, f. 198r) – f. 182r: Institution of a herald (ms. 230, f. 179r) – f. 190r: Tournament between two mounted knights en champ fermé. Behind the fence rides the herald of France (ms. 230, f. 187r) – f. 195r: Funeral procession with shield and banners decorated with the French fleurs-de-lys (ms. 230, f. 192v offers another interpretation). The program of illustration in all four codices shows similarities and significant differences, yet in comparison to the illumination in the two manuscripts now in Paris and Vienna, the present work is considerably more impressive (Horn 1983, p. 112). Each major text but one (f. 136r) opens with a large miniature. The magnificent series shares so many elements with those in Beinecke, ms. 230, that they undoubtedly were executed in the same workshop, e.g. that of the Bruges Master of 1482. The artist takes his name after his frontispiece in the Livre des propriétés des choses, a manuscript made for Edward IV in 1482 (London, BL, Royal ms. 15 E III, f. 11r). He worked in a group of illuminators who were specialized in illustrating secular manuscripts and who often shared work. The Bruges Master of 1482’s activities date to a period of c. 1475-1500 (Wijsman 2008,
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Dubois 2011). He was also responsible for a second commission made for Claude de Neufchâtel (Oxford, Bodleian Library, ms. Douce 208). Although similar, the miniatures are by no means identical to the illustrations of the sister manuscript and offer fascinating comparative material. Where some figures show extraordinarily soft and graceful faces (ff. 1r, 109r, 143r), the illuminator has more difficulty in painting profiles than frontally posed figures. It is unlikely that all illuminations are by the hand of the master alone. A workshop assistant also contributed, for example, to the relatively sober interiors. Dubois remarks that a work by this master created around 1483 (referring to Beinecke, ms. 230) may have been executed in some haste (Dubois 2011, p. 346). Honouring his performances on the battlefield and as an efficient diplomat, Claude de Neufchâtel was officially inducted into the Order of the Golden Fleece in 1491 (nominated in 1481). The absence of the collar of the Golden Fleece here (f. 1r), likely dates the manuscript’s origin before 1491. Our book and its sister manuscript at Yale must date from the same period. Remarkably, this encompassing heraldic compilation is in various ways linked to Maximilian of Austria, Duke of Burgundy, Count of Flanders, from 1486 King of the Romans, and later Emperor. The author of the pre-final text of the codex claims to be the father of Gilles […], King of Arms of Flanders under Maximilian, leaving space open in both manuscripts to add the last name (f. 196v). Gilles Gobet was Maximilian’s herald and Toison d’Or (successor to the famous Jean Le Fèvre; 38) from 1468 until his death in 1492. Philip the Handsome succeeded to the title Count of Flanders and Duke of Burgundy in 1482, implying that Gilles Gobet likely compiled the original compendium in 1481 (Pächt & Thoss 1990, p. 67; Cahn/Marrow 1978, p. 257; and Kraus cat. 1971, p. 9). Maximilian and his wife Mary of Burgundy (d. 1482) are both depicted at a ceremony bestowing the collar of the Order of the Golden Fleece (f. 109r). Maximilian was officially elected King of the Romans at the beginning of 1486. As the coronation took place in the presence of six electors (shown here as well as in Beinecke, ms. 230), 1486 may be the terminus post quem for both manuscripts. Gilles Gobet likely offered Maximilian the first exemplar of his book, a now lost copy dating from 1481. In all, the four surviving codices offer fascinating material for further study of these greatly important texts. LITERATURE: Hiltmann 2011, esp. pp. 204-15 (based on the Kraus description). Dubois 2011; Cahn/Marrow 1978, pp. 256-58, no. 76, pl. 27; Debry 2000; Horn 1983; Los Angeles 2003; New York 1975, no. 277; Rietstap 1884-87; Schandel/Hans-Collas 2009, p. 200; Wijsman 2008.
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Quality Attavante in the Hours of Maddalena Carnesecchi-Velluti
42 Carnesecchi-Velluti Book of Hours
Manuscript on vellum, illuminated by Attavante degli Attavanti and workshop Italy, Florence, c. 1490, adapted c. 1515 127 x 88 mm. 248 leaves (complete). – Written space: 65 x 45 mm, one column of 13 lines. Littera textualis with calligraphic flourishes (as in Cambridge, Fitzwilliam, ms. 154). – Decorated with many two-line initials in gold, others alternately in red or blue, all with fine pen-flourishes in red or purple. 10 two- to three-line painted initials on gold with minor border decoration, 8 three- to five-line historiated initials in gold and colours with border decoration, 5 fullpage miniatures (inserted) surrounded by full floral borders, flanked by an adjacent decorated page (similar in style but not identical) with a historiated initial and various medallions (f. 243 irregular). – Some thumbing and loss of paint, but throughout in good condition. – Binding: 19 th-century red velvet over wooden boards, with gold, pearls, and a gold clasp, ‘Goût Rothschild.’
PROVENANCE: 1. Florence, made in c. 1490 and then possibly adapted to a change in ownership. The coats of arms (f. 13v, held by two winged putti, dexter: Troncato: nel 1º bandato di sei pezzi d’azzurro e d’oro; nel 2º d’azzurro, al rocco di scacchiere d’oro; sinister: Troncato d’oro e di rosso, a tre anelletti del primo nel secondo, 2.1) are those of Carnesecchi-Velluti of Florence, most likely of Maria Maddalena Velluti, wife of Baccio di Zanobi di Carnesecchi (1501-1569) and mother of Zanobio Carnesecchi, illustrious bankers in Florence. Mary Magdalene is the first of female saints listed in the Litany and is also shown at the Crucifixion miniature (inserted). The Augustinian saints highlighted in the calendar may refer to the Augustinian church of Santa Croce in which the Velluti family had its private chapel. Likely the manuscript was made for Maddalena Velluti from the onset, however her birth date is unknown. Her husband Baccio was born in 1501 and the couple will not have married before c. 1515, but likely was engaged earlier; a coat of arms on f. 14r seems to be painted over. – 2. Paris, Wildenstein family, purchased via the Jonas Gallery on 14 June 1927. Stolen from the Wildenstein vault (Banque de France, 30 October 1940) by the Nazi Devisenschutzkommando Frankreich; returned to France in 1945, restituted to Wildenstein, 13 November 1947. – 3. USA, private collection. – 4. Now in a private collection. The same combination of arms is found in the Carnesecchi chapel in Santa Maria Maggiore in Florence, sculptured in marble in the late 16th century. Both the Carnesecchi and Velluti belonged to the high nobility of Florence, closely linked to the Medici party. Maria Maddalena CarnesecchiVelluti was, according to her brother Paolo Velluti, a woman of great genius: “fu donna di grand’ingegno” (Velluti 1773, pp. 30, 328). Possibly Maddalena received the manuscript for her engagement or wedding – yet its script and decoration seem to refer to the 1490s. TEXT: ff. 1r-12v: Calendar, for Augustinian use (with seven Augustinian feasts listed in red) – ff. 14r-104v: Office of the Virgin – ff. 106r-142v: Office of the Passion – ff. 145r-211v: Office of the Dead – ff. 213v-242v: Penitential Psalms, including f. 229v: Litany (first female saint: Mary Magdalene); the text has male forms – ff. 244v-247v: Short Office of the Cross. ILLUMINATION: f. 13v: Annunciation with the arms of Carnesecchi-Velluti – f. 14r: Initial O, Virgin and Child; border with the Adoration, prophets and putti holding a wreath
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(coat of arms painted over?) – f. 105v: Crucifixion with Virgin and St. John, St. Mary Magdalene embracing the Cross – f. 106r: O, Man of Sorrows – f. 144v: Triumph of Death, hovering over his victims – f. 145r: D, a half-length skeleton with golden crown and two skulls – f. 214v: David with head and body of Goliath – f. 215r: D, King David holding a psaltery; a medallion with the head of Goliath – f. 243v: Christ in Agony – f. 244v: O, Christ at bust length. The full-page miniatures are surrounded by floral borders containing – among a multitude of different flora – putti, birds, masks, dolphins, a deer, medallions with busts of prophets and saints, the Sacred Monogram, and other motifs. This book’s illumination shows the hand of the renowned Florentine illuminator Attavante degli Attavanti (1452c. 1520?), whose finest works here are the young David (f. 214v), Death hovering over his victims (f. 144v), and Christ in Agony at Gethsemane (f. 243v). Likely, Attavante entrusted the smaller initials to an assistant. For years however, scholars have discussed the division of work on the illuminations between Attavante and another Florentine illuminator, the Master of the Hamilton Xenophon (c. 14701480, named after Xenophon’s Cyropaedia, once in the Hamilton collection but now Berlin, Kupferstichkabinett, ms. 78 C 24). He was either a collaborator (Garzelli/de la Mare 1985, 1, pp. 157-62), or perhaps – as no works attributed to him date after the late 1480s – the young Attavante himself. Attavante degli Attavanti was one of the leading illuminators in Renaissance Florence. His first known, signed work dates from 1483. He was employed by, among others, Matthias Corvinus, King of Hungary, for whom he illuminated various liturgical books. Some commissions may have remained unfinished in the illuminator’s workshop upon the king’s death in 1490. The Hours in the Fitzwilliam Museum (ms. 154, c. 1490, Cambridge 2005, no. 104; Morgan/Panayotova 2011, no. 261) is considered to be among the most accomplished of his prayer books. Three miniatures in the manuscript at hand approach that book in quality, in the fine treatment of fabrics and landscape, as well as in drama. As in the Fitzwilliam Hours, the Annunciation and the Adoration of the Child unfold the Nativity story over an opening. LITERATURE: Unpublished. Cambridge 2005; Garzelli/de la Mare 1985; Morgan/Panayotova 2011; Velluti 1773; Velluti 1914.
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Newly discovered: a gift of Ludovico Sforza to his niece, upon her marriage
43 Wedding Hours of Bianca Maria Sforza and Maximilian I Manuscript on vellum, illuminated by the Master of Anna Sforza Italy, Milan, 1493 98 x 70 mm. 235 leaves. – Written space: 50 x 35 mm, 1 column, 14 lines. Fine humanistic rotundo script. – Almost 200 text-pages surrounded by full borders, including various motifs, roundels, portraits, and citations. 15 full-page miniatures, 14 of which accompanied by an elaborately decorated text page with historiated full borders. – Some flaking of paint, texts of Office of the Holy Cross and of the Holy Spirit censored but rubrics intact (ff. 151r-162v). Some off-prints, last leaves damaged by moisture. – Binding: 17th-century brown leather, richly gilt, 2 silver clasps, edges gilt and gauffered.
PROVENANCE: 1. Milan, made for Bianca Maria Sforza (1472-1510) upon her marriage to Maximilian I in 1493, as shown by at least ten pages with coats of arms. – 2. Hypothetically, the manuscript was handed down by descent via Maximilian’s heirs who then brought the book to Spain, and further on via the Spanish monarchy to King Philip V (Bourbon) of Spain (1683-1746). – 3. 1715, Don Iñigo Luis Manuel y Fernández de Córdoba Mesía Guzman y G óngora (1669-?). – 4. Europe, private collection. – 5. Now in a private collection. This manuscript marks the wedding of Bianca Maria Sforza and Maximilian I, King of the Romans (Holy Roman Emperor elect to be). Their marriage by proxy was celebrated with great pomp in Milan on 30 November 1493. That date offers the terminus ante quem for the creation of this fine manuscript designed to honour and perpetuate the Sforza family bond. The decoration exhibits the illustrious family relationships of the bride in heraldry and mottos: including Sforza (Dukes of Milan), Savoy, and V isconti. Galleazzo Maria Sforza (assassinated 1476), father of the bride, first married a Gonzaga, and then a lady of the House of Savoy: Bona of Savoy (d. 1476), the bride’s mother. Galeazzo’s own mother was a Visconti. The bride, Bianca Maria Sforza (1472-1510) was the couple’s oldest daughter. This was the girl’s second marriage, arranged by her uncle, Ludovico ‘Il Moro’, regent of Milan since 1481. His arms, added on f. 61r, indicate his involvement in the manuscript’s commission. The arms of Maximilian and Bianca Maria surmounted by a crown appear twice side-by-side (ff. 19r, 53r). The device of a Sempervivum tectorum plant (houseleek) with the motto Mit Zeit is consistent with Bianca Maria’s ownership of the present work. Additionally, the Sforza device of the helmet beast lying in flames is also present (f. 121r). Maximilian’s arms reappear with one of his mottos “Halt Mas in allen Dingen” along with the Sforza Sempervivum tectorum device (f. 53r). Some of Bianca’s identified manuscripts are now in Vienna (Theisen 2015, pp. 86-93). However, these do not include the three books mentioned in the list of her trousseau, dated 2 December 1493: a Missale fornito de argento, an officiolo de nostra Dona, com le asse d’argento, and a breviario fornito d’argento. The officiolo might well refer to the book at hand (Unterholzner 2015, p. 35). TEXT: ff. 1r-118r: Hours of the Virgin – ff. 121r-137r: Seven Penitential Psalms – ff. 139r-151v: Litany, prayers – ff. 153r-157v: Short Hours of the Cross – ff. 159r-162v: Short Hours of the Holy Spirit – ff. 164r-166v: Mass of the Virgin – ff. 168r-235v:
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Office of the Dead. Remarkably there is no Calendar. ILLUMINATION: Each full-page miniature (except for the first) is painted on a verso and is faced by a fully decorated recto text page with a large historiated initial D, including the image of a saint: f. 1r: Annunciation, below: cameo with putto in chariot drawn by two horses – f. 18v: Visitation, below: winged putti play with a brown bear – f. 19r: St. John the Baptist, below: Arms of Maximilian I impale those of Sforza and Savoy (quartered), flanked on both sides by Sforza emblem of burning branches with hanging buckets – f. 36v: Nativity – f. 37r: St. John the Evangelist, below: Arms of Maximilian, King of the Romans impale those of Sforza and Savoy – f. 44v: Adoration of the Magi, below: putto plays with a veltro (greyhound)– f. 45r: St. Stephen, below: Sforza Sempervivum tectorum device with motto Mit Zeit – f. 52v: Flight into Egypt, below: rabbits frolick in a garden – f. 53r: St. Jerome, below: Arms of Maximilian I with his motto Halt Mas in allen Dingen. At right: Sforza Sempervivum device with the motto Mit Zeit – f. 60v: Presentation at the Temple – f. 61r: St. Lawrence, below: Arms of Ludovico ‘Il Moro’ Sforza – f. 68v: Solomon’s Judgement – f. 69r: St. Augustine, below: Sforza arms, topped by Visconti helmet – f. 82v: Christ among Doctors – f. 83r: St. Catherine, below: Arms of Savoy topped with a helm carrying a lion’s head, flanked by sun and moon – f. 120v: David prays to God – f. 121r: King David, below: Sforza device of a helmet beast lying in flames – f. 138v: Baptism of Christ – f. 139r: St. Gregory – f. 152v: Crucifixion, below: three Marys, St. John, Nicodemus – f. 154r: Vera Icon, below: Sforza arms impaled with the arms of Savoy – f. 158v: Pentecost – f. 163v: Virgin and Child, below: young man plays organ, an assistant works bellows – f. 164r: Female saint, below: Arms of Savoy and Sforza – f. 167v: Death as the Grim Reaper – f. 168r: Death with bow and arrows, below: Mass performed before an altar – f. 179v: Last Judgement – f. 180r: Two skulls perched on a table, below: putto holds a skull. This entire manuscript is lavishly illuminated with opulent Renaissance motifs in gold and saturated colours. There are rich references to Antiquity in cornucopia, candelabra, gilt goblets, putti, wreaths, cameos with inscriptions, etc. These pages include full, decorated borders, all in matching colours. Among this abundance of riches in secular references, however, the holy is never absent, as each margin includes a medallion with a bust of a female or male saint in profile (at times even two), with a thin golden aureole and often accompanied by a martyr’s palm-leaf or the saint’s attribute. Centrally below, each medallion or roundel is
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surrounded by a Psalm verse or another devout citation, related to the text and always correct. All this is playfully inserted within curling, colourful acanthus leaves and a variety of flowers. Every detail is executed with precision, not leaving room, not even in the Latin citations, for any mistakes. There is a kaleidoscopic combination of gems and pearls in different settings. Other pages show mythical animals like dragons, griffins, and sphinxes, or dolphins and skulls. Remarkable personal details are added as badges, such as a bear (for Maximilian, ff. 18v-19r), a greyhound or veltro in repose (for Francesco Sforza, ff. 44v-45r, ff. 120v-121r), rabbits as symbol of fertility (ff. 52v-53r), griffons (f. 60r), a deer (f. 68v-69r), and the sun and moon (f. 83r). Possibly, the inscription on the cuirass in the border of f. 146v, which mentions Ave M, is intended to be a greeting referring to Maximilian? The miniatures and decoration appear to be executed by a single artist, working around the 1490s. His artistic context is intimately connected to and defined by the city of Milan, where Donato Bramante, Leonardo da Vinci, and the brothers Cristoforo and Giovanni Ambrogio de Predis (34) were or had been active. The ornate classicising architectural settings with numerous arches decorated with busts and heads in profile, set in roundels are generally reminiscent of the large, celebrated engraving of the Interior of a Ruined Church or Temple with Figures, inscribed with Bramante’s name but engraved by Bernardino Prevedari in 1481. Such architectural settings and decorative detail are also found in the ornamental designs by the socalled ‘Master of the Soane Album’, presumably made at Milan around 1500 (London, Soane Museum, SJSM, vol. 122 and Paris, Louvre, Cabinet des Dessins, Album Bonfiglioli-Sagredo-Rothschild, 841 DR – 860 DR). The artist of our Book of Hours was evidently familiar with the work of Giovanni Pietro da Birago (active c. 1471-1513), the Milanese illuminator who worked for both Ludovico (d. 1508) and Bona Sforza (d. 1503). For Il Moro he painted the four deluxe codices of the Sforziade and for Bianca Maria’s mother, Bona, the famous Sforza Book of Hours (London, BL, Add. Ms. 34294, c. 1490, not inherited (1504) by Bianca but by Margaret of Austria, daughter of Maximilian’s first marriage). Some details in the book at hand are related to the Sforza Hours, such as the reclining putto with a serpent on f. 36v, a direct citation (f. 258r), and the blonde organist in a red cap on f. 163v, resembling the young man giving alms (f. 306v). Moreover, the illusionistic portrayal of some of the text pages as text placards set before an architectural background also derives from the Sforza Hours, as do the fictive cameos in the bas-de-pages (ff. 109v, 110v). The playful putti in the lower margin below the Visitation miniature are reminiscent of those in the London and Warsaw Sforziada and Birago’s engraving of Twelve Naked Children Playing. However, the present artist’s style is distinct from that of Birago and his workshop, suggesting that he was trained elsewhere before coming into contact with Birago at Milan. The artist is the so-called ‘Master of Anna Sforza’ (Jonathan Alexander, personal communicaton), probably the author of the miniature of Banquet in a Garden in Massimiliano Sforza’s copy of Aelius Donatus’ Ars minor, made
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c. 1496-1499 (Milan, Bib. Trivulziana, Cod. 2167, f. 26r). The artist was, by then, in direct proximity to Birago, who painted most of the miniatures in the Donatus (ff. 3v, 13v, 29r, 42v), and to Ambrogio de Predis, to whom are attributed its full-page profile portraits of Massimiliano and his father Ludovico ‘Il Moro’ (ff. 1v, 54r). Moreover, closer analogies may be drawn between the present work and the Missal with the impaled arms of Este and Visconti/ Sforza (Modena, Biblioteca Estense, ms. Lat 438), from which the Master of Anna Sforza takes his name (Quattrini 1998). That manuscript was evidently made at Milan for Anna Sforza (1476-97), sister of Bianca Maria, on her marriage to Alfonso I of Ferrara in 1491. It has a single fullpage miniature, i.e. the Crucifixion at the Canon of Mass (f. 91v), with figures and drapery closely similar to the present work, as well as a figure of a sphinx at the top of its left border, also like those in the present work. The rest of the Missal’s illumination comprises decorated letters, basde-page roundels or medallions with inscriptions, profile heads in roundels, and numerous mostly blonde figures like those in the present work. There can be little doubt that the same artist was responsible for the decoration of both manuscripts, the Missal by 1491 and the present Book of Hours by the end of 1493 (ready to be taken by the bride to Innsbruck). The artist probably remained in the Sforza’s service until 1496/1499, when he contributed the miniature of Banquet in a Garden to the Donatus made for Anna and Bianca’s first cousin, Massimiliano (see above). In all, this is a sensational new discovery, demonstrating the highest level of Renaissance illumination, created to celebrate the glorious marriage of the eldest daughter of the illustrious Sforza with no less a man than the designated emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. With the help of her finely illuminated manuscript, Bianca Maria could pray to the Virgin and for the salvation of the soul of her closest relatives. At the same time, she was reminded of the warmth of the southern colours and the splendour of Renaissance art from her native Milan. We kindly thank Mark Evans (London, Victoria & Albert Museum), Jonathan Alexander (New York University), and Pier Luigi Mulas (University of Pavia): this description is based on their work. LITERATURE: Unpublished. Alexander 2016; Evans 2001, – 2005; Evans/Brinkmann 1995; Fairbairn 1998, pp. 12-51; Quattrini 1998; Theisen 2015; Unterholzner 2015.
cat. 43
cat. 43
cat. 43
cat. 43
cat. 43
cat. 43
cat. 43
cat. 43
cat. 43
On female tragedy and beauty – a unique manuscript made for Anne of Brittany
de Saint-Gelais, Epistres d’Ovide – O. de Saint-Gelais 44 Octovien or François Robertet, three French poems Manuscript on vellum, illuminated by the Master of the Chronique scandaleuse France, Paris, c. 1493 265 x 190 mm. 59 leaves, complete. – Written space: 175 x 112 mm, 1 column, 21 lines. Gotico antiqua. – Numerous initials and line-endings in liquid gold on coloured grounds, some line-endings as gnarled sticks. Eight full-page illuminations, some with pictorial borders. – Slight wear, rubbing, minor cockling, and creases. – 18th-century red morocco, spine in six compartments gilt, including title (slight damp staining).
PROVENANCE: 1. This compilation was undoubtedly made for Anne of Brittany (1477-1514), Queen of France. She is portrayed with her court ladies (all identifiable) on f. 55r. It is the only known manuscript to combine these texts, and its quality indicates a royal commission. – 2. Luis de Mendoça: 16th‑century inscription on f. 39v, erased on ff. 12v, 59r. – 3. Louis César de la Baume la Blanc, duc de la Vallière (1708-1780), cat. II, no 2873. – 4. Jacques-Joseph Techener (1802-1873), sale, Potier, Paris, 23 April 1867, lot 296. – 5. Henri David Martin (HDM), sale, Labitte et Voisin, Paris, 20 March 1877, no. 1. – 6. Charles Stein (1840-1899), sale, Paris, 10 May 1886, lot 124. – 7. Comte Albert de Naurois (d. 1904): his bookplate inside upper cover. – 8. New York, Martin Breslauer, cat. 109, no. 9. – 9. USA, Arcana Collection. – 10. Europe, private collection. TEXT: Octovien de Saint-Gelais’ French verse translation of five of Ovid’s Epistolae heroides – letters written by abandoned ladies of myth and mythical history to their faithless lovers: f. 1r: Title page in form of a crest on gold ground (added later) – ff. 2r-12r: Heroïde 5, Oenone’s letter to Paris – ff. 13r-20r: Heroïde 10, Ariadne’s letter to Theseus – ff. 21r31v: Heroïde 7, Dido’s letter to Aeneas – ff. 32r-39r: Heroïde 2, Phyllis’s letter to Demophoön – ff. 40r-49r: Heroïde 6, Hypsipyle’s letter to Jason – ff. 50r-52v: Octovien de SaintGelais or François Robertet (d. 1524/30), Lepitaffe de feue ma dame debalsac – ff. 53-54r: L’arrest de la louenge de la dame sans sy – ff. 55r-58r: Lappel int[er]iecte par telles nommes dedans. Contre la dame sans sy. Octovien de Saint-Gelais (1468-1502), a descendant of the Lusignan dynasty, was a writer, poet and translator of classical texts. Because of his supreme education and literacy, he was highly esteemed by King Charles VIII. In 1494 the king rewarded him with the Bishopric of Angoulême. The rendition of the Heroides into French is, according to Saint-Gelais, his earliest translation work. An extract of five letters combined with these contemporary verses is otherwise only known from a printed edition of c. 1500 that is kept in a unique copy in Paris (BnF, CIBN O-104). The three following poems seem intended for an exclusive audience and apparently achieved a very limited circulation. This may also explain the extreme rarity of this compilation. The poems are found together in one other manuscript bound together with an incunable of the Chevalier delibéré, printed by Jean Lambert in 1493 (BnF, Rés. Vél. 2231). ILLUMINATION: f. 2r: The nymph Oenone sits on the shore, writing to her husband Paris, whose ship sails away to bring Helen to Troy as his wife – f. 13r: Ariadne in despair as
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Theseus’ ship sails away in the distance – f. 21r: Dido drops tears on the sword of Aeneas, then kills herself – f. 32r: Phyllis writes to Demophoön, who has failed to return from Athens to marry her – f. 40r: The pregnant Hypsipyle is given a farewell embrace by Jason, who rests his hand over their unborn child – f. 50r: Madame de Balsac on her deathbed, Atropos on an ox about to spear her in the neck – f. 53r: The Peerless Lady with the statues of three gods who declare her to be without peer – f. 55r: Anne of Brittany with three of her ladies, Montsoreau, Mombron, and Talaru, who appeal against the judgement proclaiming the status of the Peerless Lady. The outstanding illumination is executed by the Master of the Chronique scandaleuse, named from the copy of Jean de Roye’s chronicle in Paris (BnF, Clair. 481). His style and his models are closely connected with two artists: Jean Poyer of Tours and Jean Pichore of Paris. We know of numerous works for celebrated patrons by his hand. One is the second volume of Ludolph of Saxony’s Vita Christi for Philippa of Guelders, Duchess of Lorraine (on offer at Dr. J. Günther Rare Books). It is not yet verified whether our illuminator ever worked in Tours with Jean Poyer. He can be traced in Paris between 1490 and 1510 where he collaborated regularly with local illuminators like Jean Pichore and his workshop. Pichore definitely possessed drawings or models after Poyer’s works, so this could also explain our master’s knowledge of Poyer’s compositions. Around the end of the 15th century, the master was already a well-established artist who received many commissions from the royal court and the high nobility. At the same time, he was very active in illuminating prestigious printed books, mainly for Anthoine Vérard. For Margaret of Austria’s Changement de fortune en toute prospérité (Vienna, ÖNB, Cod. 2624), an account of her personal strokes of fate, he painted the frontispiece. After 1500, he worked, probably through the mediation of Jean Pichore, at large commissions for Cardinal Georges d’Amboise. Pichore, moreover, also executed various manuscripts of the extended version on the Epistres d’Ovide. Thus, we can consider that the two artists developed models for their miniatures in unison, maybe even in agreement with the author, since the miniatures would have required precise instructions, particularly so when they contain details not mentioned in the text. LITERATURE: Brown 2009, – 2010b, – 2011, pp. 181-244; Droz 1919; Quentin-Bauchart 1886, 2, pp. 380-82. Molinier 1910, pp. 144-45; Paris 1993, pp. 276-77; Plummer 1982, nos. 125, 126; Wieck 2004; Zöhl 2004, pp. 38, 43-47, – 2015.
cat. 44*
cat. 44*
cat. 44*
cat. 44*
cat. 44*
cat. 44*
cat. 44*
Newly discovered highlight of Bourges’ cultural heritage
45 Pierre Michault, Danse aux aveugles
Manuscript in French, illuminated by the Master of Spencer 6 (Laurent Boiron?), for Jean Lallement l’Ainé of Bourges France, Bourges, c. 1495 174 x 112 mm. 50 (of 60) leaves (missing between: ff. 28v-29r, after ff. 38v, 48v). – Written space: 108 x 65 mm, one column, 27 lines. Fine Lettre bâtarde. – With numerous line fillings in the form of twigs or branches alternating in blue and gold, or small gold bezants. Throughout small one- or two-line initials mostly in white with small flowers in various colours on a gold field, 11 small (45 x c. 50-55 mm), and 5 (of 9) full-page miniatures with full border, all with a coat of arms. – Inscriptions on original flyleaves and pastedowns, some erased. – Binding: Red velvet over original wooden boards.
PROVENANCE: 1. Bourges, made for Jean Lallemant l’Ainé, merchant from Bourges (his coat of arms: De gueules au chevron d’or, accompagné de trois roses d’argent, 2 en chef et 1 en pointe, au chef du même brisé un lambel d’argent à trois pendants; device: “Quant sera ce, quant sera ce” and the letter ε (f. 5v, see Paris 1993, nos. 171, 193, both c. 1498). Annotations twice dated 1496 (ff. 1v-3r). – 2. On rear paste down, the name of a later owner, “Anthoyne … seigneur de …” (c. 1558-68?). Several notes erased. – 3. Europe, private collection. The present, thus far unpublished, book (c. 1495) is an important addition to the collection of manuscripts made for the Lallemant family of Bourges. Jean I Lallemant (14551487; wife: Marie Petit of the family Barillet de Sancoins, (14) was a rich, well-known textile merchant (Collas 1996, pp. 39, 200). His son Jean II took over in 1481 (d. 1517); Jean II l’Ainé (d. 1533) and his brother Jean III le Jeune (d. 1548) continued the flourishing family business, reaching high positions (Orth 1980, pp. 73, 89; Collas 1996, p. 200). They lived with their families in the famous Hôtel Lallemant. TEXT: ff. 3r-49v: Pierre Michault’s La danse aux aveugles is a moralizing satire in prose and poetry, with Death as an ever-present fate (edition Folkart 1980, pp. 69-139). The story develops as a dialogue between Acteur (the author) and Entendement (understanding), with Cupid as a third speaker. Entendement takes Acteur on a journey, showing him three parcs where he encounters those who dance to their fate. Three blindfolded ‘teachers’ rule over mankind: Love, Fortune, and Death, the three fatal ‘dances’ man must face. Entendement explains their threatening implications for man’s spiritual well-being to Acteur. Pierre Michault, Charles the Bold’s secretary, completed the text on 15 March 1464. ‘La danse’ was immediately successful and was found in the libraries of the Duke of Burgundy, Adolph of Cleves, and Louis of Gruuthuse. Today some nineteen manuscripts and c. ten incunabula are known (Folkart 1980). ILLUMINATION: f. 3r: L’Acteur (full-page) meditates on his bed while Entendement, as a guardian angel, stands at the foot – f. 3v: Acteur on his way to a city, escorted by Entendement – f. 5v: Cupid and Venus seated in niches, while Fol Appetite (foolish appetite) and Oyseuse (frivolity) sit three steps below. Above: the Lallemant motto Quant serace, quant serace... – f. 6r: Dancers at a feast (full-page), divided into two registers. Above: Europe, Asia, and Africa hold hands with ladies before a young prince dressed in
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striped blue/white tights. Below: young couples dance and hold hands before Acteur and Entendement – f. 9v: Cupid with a bow and arrow before a group, among whom are the two couples and Acteur – f. 13v: Acteur sleeps in a chair; Entendement touches his arm to wake him – f. 15v: Acteur follows Entendement – f. 17v: Fortune, a queen enthroned with a royal sceptre, turns her wheel. A rich and a poor musician, Eur (good luck) and Maleur (bad luck), blow a clarion calling out to dance – f. 18r: Dancers at a feast, with garlands and golden bells. Below: two couples dance next to lady Nature, with flowers on her head and in her hands, all before Acteur and Entendement – f. 18v: Entendement and Acteur discuss – f. 20v: Fortune descends from her throne; Acteur is among her public – f. 25r: Entendement pushes a reluctant Acteur – f. 28r: Acteur and Entendement agree – [incomplete between ff. 28-29] – f. 31v: Death, as a blindfolded skeleton, enters a hall on a bull, flanked by a male drummer and a lady holding a banner inscribed “ATROP[O]S” (Laborde 1923) – f. 37v: Entendement pushes Acteur – [after f. 38v: one f. missing] – f. 48v: incomplete (Folkart 1980, p. 139). – All full-page miniatures are set in architectural frames, with Renaissance decors flanked by spiral columns, decorated with shells and tassels; below: blue and flesh-coloured putti present the Lallemant coats of arms. Some draperies are imprinted with small ‘plumes’ or ‘feathers’ in white or red, with letters ε in red or white. The artist of this manuscript is the Master of Spencer 6, active in Bourges from c. 1487 to 1511. He is named after his best work (New York, Public Library, ms. Spencer 6) and is tentatively identified as Laurent Boiron, illuminator and libraire (Ribault 1972; Paris 1993, p. 317). His hand is recognised in the modelling of facial features with fine lines in black ink, in high foreheads, small eyes, his manner of painting landscapes, golden clouds in the sky, border decorations, and blue foliage in the form of cornucopia spurting out small figures. No other manuscript copy of La Danse aux aveugles survives with so many fine miniatures. This newly discovered, illuminated book adds significantly to the magnificent cultural heritage of Bourges, renowned capital of Charles VII (1429-1461). We kindly thank Roger S. Wieck and Katja Monier for their advice. LITERATURE: Unpublished. Collas 1996; Decu Teodorescu 2013; Folkart 1980; Laborde 1923; Monier 2018; New York 2005a, no. 62; Orth 1980; Paris 1993, p. 317, no. 174; Ribault 1972; Sailland 2017.
cat. 45
cat. 45
cat. 45
cat. 45
cat. 45
A royal command: the lost Poitevin tribute rediscovered
Bouchet, Vie de Ste. Radegund, her Office, Mass, and 46 Jean Miracles, with dedicatory poems Made for King Charles VIII and his wife Anne de Bretagne Manuscript on vellum in French and Latin, illuminated by the Master of St. Radegund France, Poitiers, c. 1496-1498 260 x 180 mm. 66 leaves (complete). – Written space: 170 x 100 mm, 1 column, 30 lines. Littera batarda. – Initials touched with yellow; one-line initials painted alternately in purple-red and blue with gold; similar two-line initials (ff. 54-63); many line fillings in the form of stylized twigs painted alternately in gold, blue, and purple-red with gold; 11 four- to six-line initials (on f. 4v the letter L with a crown, few others are in dragon form) accompanying miniatures; 1 full-page, 10 almost full-page miniatures surrounded by border decoration. – Some small erasures and corrections to the text. Slight staining, overall fine, with wide and clean margins. – Binding: Paris, 1814, signed René Simier.
PROVENANCE: 1. Poitiers, made between 1496-1498 for King Charles VIII of France, and presumably later in the hands of his wife, Anne of Brittany (1491-1514).
– 2. P.B. de La Haye (f. 1r-v). – 3. Paris, Charles Chardin (d. 1826), sold 1814 to: – 4. Bath, William Beckford (d. 1844), by inher itance to his daughter: – 5. Scotland, Lanarkshire, Susan Euphemia Beckford (d. 1859), wife of Alexander Hamilton Douglas, 10th Duke of Hamilton (d. 1852), to their grandson: – 6. William Alexander Louis Stephen, 12th Duke of Hamilton (d. 1895), in 1882 sold to: – 7. Berlin, Kupferstichkabinett, sold c. 1888 to:
– 8. Strasbourg, M. Trübner, sold via Sotheby’s, London, 23 May 1889, lot 23. – 9. Frankfurt, J. and S. Goldschmidt. – 10. Paris, Édouard Kann (d. 1916), sold 25 October 1909 to: – 11. Paris, Wildenstein family. Stolen from the Wildenstein vault (Banque de France, 30 October 1940) by the Nazi Devisenschutzkommando Frankreich; restituted 1952. – 12. USA, private collection. Heraldry and emblem suggest that this finely illuminated manuscript of the Life of St. Radegund was made for Charles VIII between 1496-1498 (f. 1v, f. 2r, his emblem: l’épée enflammée), and later adjusted to Anne of Brittany (Brittany’s single arms added to f. 60v). The borders on f. 2r show the arms of Bourbon, Orleans, Valois, FranceDauphiné, and France-Brittany – while on the last miniature, the King and Queen are represented together (f. 60v). Poems in French are devoted to the prince regnant and to the city of Poitiers (“Poitiers, Poitiers, cite royale,” f. 54r). The text, a gift to the King, was made by his request (“vostre command,” f. 54v). In this personal document, the poet also expresses the wish that the Queen may give birth to a “beau dauphin.” Charles VIII, however, died unexpectedly 7 April 1498 without a direct heir. Illuminated by a Poitevin miniaturist now dubbed the Master of St. Radegund, this may be the earlier (but thought lost) text on the saint, written by Jean Bouchet. This unique presentation copy demonstrates the prime importance of this newly discovered manuscript. TEXT: ff. 1r-3v: Dedication poem to the King – ff. 4r-47r: Sensuyt la vie et legende de madame saincte Radegund … espouse du roy Clothaire premier … interwoven with the history of France. The text also tells how the relic of the Holy Cross was given by Emperor Justin II to Radegund and her sisters in Poitiers (f. 41r-v) – ff. 47v-49v: Comment Jehan duc de Berry et comte de Poitou fit ouurir le t umbeau madame saincte Radegund – f. 49v: La conqueste et reduction de
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Normandie with Radegund’s help. Cherbourg fell to the King on 12 August 1450, on the Vigils of St. Radegund’s feast. On this day all the collieges of Poitiers were to organize a procession, a tradition that survived until 1789. Next follow miracles that occurred by intervention of St. Radegund until 15 August 1496 – f. 54r: Poitiers, Poitiers cite royale / et a la couronne loyale / poem referring to Poitiers as a royal city – ff. 54v-55r: Triumphant Roy qui auez cy peu veoir… / … Nous vous prions cher sire par noz vers / que vous prenez en gre ce petit don. Poem in four couplets, each couplet ending with the same two verses asking the King to accept this small gift. In the final couplet, the Queen is mentioned and the poet expresses the wish that ung beau dauphin, a fine heir will be born. While married (1491-1498) to Charles VIII, Anne of Brittany gave birth to seven children, none of which survived childhood. The author adds: Nous auons fait selon nostre pouoir / hastivement dafection soigneuse / En desirant parfaire pour tout voir / Vostre command et volunte piteuse / par ung euure translater curieuse / Sa legende en motz assez iuhers … (We made this according to our abilities, hastily with careful affection, wishing to see all perfected, i.e. your command and pious wish for translating an extraordinary work, her legend in quite diverse [?] words) – ff. 57r-60r: Officium beatissimae Radegundis as celebrated in Poitiers – ff. 60v-61v: Missa beatissimae Radegundis regine
– f. 62v: Festum beatarum Agnetis – ff. 63r-65v: Humilis supplicatio beatissimi Radegundis per modum testamentum, in her testament, the saint requests eternal support for the convent in Poitiers (f. 64v nostrum monasterium) – ff. 66r-v: Puis ceste legende et miracles parachevez descripre sont venuz a notice les deux miracles qui sensuyvent … (when writing this legend and miracles, two more miracles happened: on 26 August and on the penultimate day of August 1496 (terminus post quem for the text). The legends and the illuminations in this manuscript emphasize royal sacred history, while the poems are dedicated to the king and royal Poitiers. The Thuringian princess Radegund (518-587) consented to wed – “for the sake of France” – the despotic King of France, Clothaire. During her years as queen, she devoted herself to the poor and to France. Years later she fled from the court and founded a convent outside Poitiers, where she spent the remaining years of her life in prayer and works of charity. Her abbey received a number of important relics and became a centre
cat. 46
of attraction for many pilgrims as miracles related to the saint took place over the years. Famous texts were devoted to her, first by the bishop of Poitiers, Venantius Fortunatus (d. 610; Rosenwein 2010, pp. 47-53), and by Radegund’s contemporary, the nun Baudovinia (or Baudonivia; Rosenwein 2010, pp. 53-57). Radegund’s Vita has been preserved in a most remarkable 11th-century manuscript in Poitiers (BM, mss. 250 and 252), illustrating episodes in the life of this queen with a strong personality, who was considered a role model throughout the ages. ILLUMINATION: Illustrated with eleven miniatures by the hand of a Poitevin artist and his workshop. f. 1v: Crucified Christ adored by the King of France. Two angels with royal banners hold the crest and the coat of arms of the King of France – f. 2r: Two winged stags in royal vestments bear a crowned blue shield with the épée enflammée, emblem of Charles VIII (Beaune 1987, pp. 68, 78). Five more coats of arms refer to the King of France and consist of the arms of Bourbon, Orleans, Valois, France, and Dauphiné de Viennois (arms of Charles VIII before 1483). First, however, come the arms of France and Brittany, which are, dexter: the arms of the royal spouse (fleurs-de-lys), sinister: the arms of Brittany (tails of ermine). Charles VIII and Anne of Brittany married in 1491 – f. 4v: Battle scene before a fortress, and: the young St. Radegund is presented to King Clothaire – f. 8r: Feast at Clothaire’s table, and: Queen Radegund feeds the poor – f. 10r: Armies of Childebert and Theodebert threatened by thunder. Radegund’s prayers cause the weather to turn – f. 16r: St. Médard consecrates Queen Radegund – f. 18r: Radegund and two nuns approach a convent. A miracle saves them – f. 28r: By praying to Radegund, her chaplain and others aboard a ship are saved – f. 32v: Christ appears to Radegund, showing the glory she will enjoy after death, “Cur me tibi astare iste Radegundi flebilisque / meo generia veritas fulges dyademate (?),” summarized as: You are the first gem in my crown (Day 2004, p. 162) – f. 37r: Radegund’s royal deathbed. Her soul is transported to heaven and awaited by Christ. Stonemasons at work outside Poitiers witness the scene – f. 60v: St. Radegund with King Charles VIII and Queen Anne de Bretagne, who kneels before the Virgin and Child. Added later: three shields with the coat of arms of Bretagne, which suggests that Anne took the manuscript with her after Charles’s death (1498). St. Radegund has inspired the public for centuries and the oldest manuscript portraying her history is a highlight in Poitiers’ Mediathèque Francois Mitterrand (ms. 250). That manuscript’s cycle of illuminations is the first to attest to the saint’s symbolic role for the royal house. Lavarret (1988) describes fifteen manuscripts in which St. Radegund appears, the majority of which are prayer books and liturgical works. Six of these date from the late 15th and/or early 16th centuries. The 15th century saw a revitalized promotion of her cult with an explicit connection to God and King (Avril 1985, p. 259), initiated in Poitiers by Jean, Duke of Berry and Count of Poitou (f. 47v). The illumination in the Breviary of Anne de Prye, the abbess of St. Trinity in Poitiers, contains minor illustrations of events of the Life of Radegund (1483-1500, Poitiers, Cathedral) and is quite an interesting, likely contemporary example. This Breviary is the only manuscript
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known to share elements both in iconography and style with the book at hand. The two are so closely linked that the same illuminator or workshop may have been at work in both. The Breviary, traditionally dated c. 1485, has been attributed to the Master of Yvon de Fou (Day 2002, 2010). Together with the Master of Walters 222, the Master of Yvon du Fou was among the most prominent illuminators active in Poitiers during the 1470s and 1480s (Day 2002, 2010). The style of the present artist is recognised by relatively small figures and good use of space, volume, and dimensions in a lively palette of contrasting colours. The faces are depicted with an economy of line in simple contour. The illuminator either received clear instructions for his illustrations or he knew St. Radegund’s life and legend so well that it fostered original iconography and detailed events. He shows himself as an excellent storyteller with original compositions. The pleasant figures in their rich costumes and precise details show this master to be quite an interesting illuminator: original and relatively autonomous, he would better be named ‘the Master of St. Radegund’ after this, his most important work. Possibly, the Breviary is painted by the same hand and therefore would better be dated at the end of the 15th century. If this is correct, a specific occasion in Poitiers may have triggered their creation? In the introduction to his book on St. Radegund (published in 1518, re-edited in 1527), the author Jean Bouchet (14761557), procureur of Poitiers, claims that Charles VIII earlier had invited him to translate Fortunatus’ Vita into French. As he found that text deficient and lacking “tant pour la tenerite des ieunes ans que iauois sors que par faulte dauoir assez veu et leu” (because of my young age and inexperience, f. aar), he could not leave his earlier work uncorrected. The printed edition of 1518 bears the title Histoire et cronique de Clotaire ... et sa tres illustre epouse madame saincte Radegund and is dedicated to Anne de Bretagne’s oldest daughter from her second marriage, Claude, Queen of France since 1515 (Brown 2010a, p. 108). Most likely, the manuscript at hand comprises that earlier work of Bouchet, who was just twenty years old in 1496. By the late 15th century, the history of St. Radegund seems to epitomize the social ambitions of the citizens of Poitiers, which had lost its leading position as a royal city. It also revitalized the memory of a royal saint and patroness, whose support might have been considered essential by many. This newly discovered illuminated manuscript – of prime importance to the history of France – calls for new research into the circumstances of its socio-historical context in Poitiers. We kindly thank François Avril for sharing his expertise. LITERATURE: Unpublished. Avril 1985; Bouchet 1518; Brown 2010a; Day 1996, – 2002, – 2004; Laverret 1988; Rosenwein 2010.
cat. 46
cat. 46
cat. 46
cat. 46
cat. 46
Optical illusion
47 Rochechouart Hours, use of Rome
Manuscript on vellum, illuminated by an artist from Jean Poyer’s circle and by Giovanni Todeschino France, Tours, before 1504 254 x 170 mm. 111 leaves (1 text leaf after f. 53r missing). – Written space: 150 x 82 mm, 16 lines. Littera textualis in black, rubrics in red. – Numerous initials in variant sizes as well as line fillers in red, blue, brown, and liquid gold throughout. 5 large miniatures in full-page, Renaissance architectural borders in liquid gold, bearing the coat of arms of the Rochechouart-de-Jars family. – Miniature pages slightly cropped at margin minor oxidisation to silver in coats of arms, insignificant smudges and minor flaking to some of the miniatures or borders. Wormholes on first and water stain on second flyleaf. – Binding: 19 th-century French light brown crushed morocco with a gilt semé of fleurs-de-lys, silk bookmarker.
PROVENANCE: 1. On the first two flyleaves, in the margins, and on the blank page that precedes the Office of the Virgin we find extensive 16th- and 17th-century family records relating to the Damas and Rochechouart families. These notations begin in the 1520s and end in 1638 with the death of Charles Damas, Chevalier des Ordres du Roi and Maréchal de Camp. Several borders carry the coat of arms of the Rochechouart de Jars: De gueules, à trois fasces nébulées d’argent, à la bordure d’azur, chargée de huit bésants d’or. – 2. By descent to previous owner, a private collection in France. TEXT: ff. 1r-12v: Calendar – f. 13r: ruled blank – ff. 14r-18r: Gospel lessons – f. 18v: ruled blank – ff. 19r-62r: Hours of the Virgin, use of Rome – ff. 62v-65r: Hours of the Cross – ff. 65v-67v: Hours of the Holy Spirit – ff. 68r-83v: Penitential Psalms and Litany (f. 77r-79v) – ff. 84r-107v: Office of the Dead – Added in a different scribe’s hand: ff. 108r-108v: Obsecro te – ff. 108v-109v: O intemerata – f. 110r: Seven Joys of the Virgin – ff. 110v-111r: Suffrages to SS. Sebastian, Christopher, Michael, Anthony, Barbara, and Nicholas. ILLUMINATION: f. 19r: Annunciation – f. 62v: Christ carrying the Cross – f. 65v: Pentecost – f. 68r: David playing his harp – f. 84r: Raising of Lazarus. These full-page compositions are clearly due to a remarkable collaboration. The miniaturist comes from the circle of the renowned French artist Jean Poyer from Tours (c. 14451503), who is verified and documented as a painter, illuminator, and designer for stained glass windows, in the service of Louis XI, Charles VIII, and Louis XII. Jean Poyer and Jean Bourdichon were coevals. After Jean Fouquet’s death, they counted among the most renowned artists in Tours. However, Poyer possessed the greater international fame because he is appraised in various eulogies and in poetry of the 16th century as one of the highest esteemed artists of his era. It is surprising that, although they worked for the same clientele, we have no evidence of any collaboration. Poyer indeed hardly ever worked with independent illuminators, however, he did share commissions with the Master of Claude de France (e.g. London, BL, Add. 35315), who originally seems to come from Bourdichon’s team and thus serves as the ‘link’ between the workshops. Poyer’s numerous collaborators unfailingly copied the master’s style. One of these captivating artists was responsible for the miniatures in the book at hand. Quite characteristic for Poyer’s style is the Virgin’s transparent headscarf and her hands, which are devoutly crossed before her chest in
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the Annunciation. However, the manner of zooming in on the protagonists is unusual. This new method of looking at scenes in dramatic close-up was invented and regularly practised by Jean Bourdichon and his workshop. Although there is a slight variability in the paintings’ execution, it seems venturous to ascribe them to different artists. In detail, they show many common features, like the modelling of the flesh tones in fine grey brushstrokes and the blushes of the cheeks in delicate cross-hatchings. The execution of Christ carrying the Cross is particularly excellent and comes closest to Poyer’s own refined hand: the Saviour’s drawn face shows exhaustion and pain. His mother and his disciples are devastated with tearful, red-rimmed eyes. Symon of Cyrene, who helps Christ to carry his Cross, and the henchman, who drags Christ forward by a rope, have sharp, almost portrait-like features. The overall style recalls a manuscript from Poyer’s circle in Munich (BSB, Cod. icon. 414) with the twelve Sibyls and their prophecies. All miniatures are surrounded by impressive Renaissance frames in liquid gold. In these we observe intricate plays of optical illusions and deliberate confusion between back and front. The characteristics of these frames point to the Italian artist Giovanni Todeschino, who came to Tours around 1500 in the entourage of Frederick of Aragon. He painted many of the borders in Frederick’s Book of Hours (Paris, BnF, ms. lat. 10532). More borders in that manuscript were provided by the Master of Claude de France, who painstakingly imitated Todeschino’s manner. It seems reasonable to assume that the borders at hand were provided by Giovanni Todeschino. Roger Wieck even ventured the suggestion that some of our miniatures could have been executed by Todeschino in imitation of Poyer’s hand (personal communication). The work thus represents spectacular teamwork between a French and an Italian book artist. The hallmarks of Poyer’s style are evident in the present Hours: bold colour juxtapositions and a strong and confident feeling for vivid and expressive composition. His graceful figures are clad in elegant, masterfully designed draperies. The artist’s sensitivity for space and spatiality highlights a certain cool aloofness that all his figures display. We would like to thank Roger S. Wieck for sharing his thoughts and ideas with us. LITERATURE: Unpublished. Anselme 1733, vol. 8, pp. 322-23; Hofmann 2004; Paris 1993, pp. 306-318; Paris 2012; Urso 2007; Wieck 1999, – 2000.
cat. 47
cat. 47
cat. 47
cat. 47
cat. 47
Unequivocal in style
48 Book of Hours of Jean le Vayer, seigneur de Faverolles Manuscript on vellum in Latin and French, illuminated in the wider circle of Jean Poyer France, Tours, c. 1500 175 x 120 mm. 96 + 2 leaves (2 leaves missing before f. 13 and f. 30). – Written space: c. 90 x 60 mm, 1 column, 21 lines. Littera textualis in blue ink. – Each page has one- or two-line decorated initials in gold on blue or purple. 12 small calendar roundels, with zodiac symbols, 12 large miniatures with labours of the months, and 19 full-page illustrations in two registers. – Vellum somewhat rigid, some flaking of paint. – Binding: blue velvet over boards. Vellum pastedowns front and back renewed in the past.
PROVENANCE: 1. Tours, made c. 1500 for an unknown patron or patroness; the texts have masculine and feminine forms. – 2. Later owner mentioned on flyleaf: Jean le Vayer, seigneur de Faverolles sur Cher (Loire-et-Cher); from the 16th until the 19th century, a well-known family that continued to bring forward leading magistrates. It is doubtful how the Le Vayer de Faverolles et de la Pavière are related to the earlier Le Vayer de Sourches (La Généalogie des Le Vayer 1784) and uncertain by whom and when the name was added as this book’s owner. – 3. France, private collection. TEXT: ff. 1r-12r: Calendar in French for an undeterminable region, surprisingly St. Eutrope is in red on 31 March, but is not usually celebrated on this day – ff. 13r-22v: Gospel sequences (incomplete, opening pages of St. John missing) – ff. 24r-54r: Hours of the V irgin; Hours of the Holy Cross and Holy Spirit interspersed – ff. 56r-65v: Penitential Psalms with Litany (f. 62r) – ff. 66r-82r: Office of the Dead – ff. 82v84v: Obsecro te – ff. 85r-88v: Office of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin – ff. 89r-94v: Suffrages to the Saints, Hours of St. Catherine (f. 89r), Hours of St. Barbara (f. 92r), Hours of St. James (f. 92v) interspersed; ff. 95r-96v: Prayers and benedictions for different purposes, one (f. 96v) added in the 20th century. ILLUMINATION: Twelve miniatures with typical labours and pastimes of the months (c. 55 x 60 mm) and twelve small roundels with zodiac symbols (in blue and gold) accompany the calendar. f. 1r: Man dining before a chimney – f. 2r: Man warming himself at an open fireplace – f. 3r: Farmer pruning vines – f. 4r: Young man picking flowers – f. 5r: Couple on a white horse, riding out for hawking – f. 6r: Cutting hay – f. 7r: Scything wheat – f. 8r: Threshing grain – f. 9r: Treading grapes – f. 10r: Shepherd feeding his pigs acorns – f. 11r: Pig being slaughtered – f. 12r: Baking bread in an oven. The nineteen full-page compositions are divided into two registers, with the central scene above a field that holds the first four to five text-lines of the incipit, flanked by a large decorated initial and a decorated roundel (alternately blue / rose and gold). Below, angels hover over or stand in landscapes. They attract attention to the main subject of the miniature by pointing, looking up, or reaching out to the frame and trying to support the text field: f. 13v: St. Luke paints the Virgin – f. 15r: St. Mark sharpens his knife – f. 17r: Betrayal of Christ – f. 24r: Annunciation – f. 36r: Crucifixion – f. 37r: Pentecost – f. 38r: Nativity – f. 41v: Annunciation to the Shepherds – f. 44r: Adoration of the Magi – f. 46v: Presentation in the Temple – f. 49r: Flight into Egypt, Joseph carries the child – f. 52r: Coronation of the Virgin – f. 56r:
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King David repents – f. 66r: Job on the dung heap – f. 82v: Virgin and Child adored by angels – f. 85r: Joachim and Anne meet at the Golden Gate – f. 89r: St. Catherine – f. 92r: St. Barbara – f. 94r: St. James. This newly discovered manuscript is painted by a yet unknown artist who is clearly influenced by models of touraine artists like Jean Poyer or Jean Bourdichon. His straightforward, unequivocal style, however, may have been trained in other regions, such as Lyon or even Paris. The Hours of Rocherau, now in Tours (BM, ms. 2042), the illuminator of which was localized in Paris, shows similar characteristics, like incisive, graphic pen strokes and the cursory way of designing distant prospects of landscapes in shades of pale blue, highlighted with gold. Globular trees, high horizons, and serene sceneries from which rugged rock formations suddenly rise conspicuously are typical. He portrays treetops and shrubbery in a pointillist manner in hues of green with golden dots interspersed. Human figures are resolutely outlined. Our master’s method of applying colours is entirely different from the velvety finish that became so distinctive for Poyer’s and Bourdichon’s workshops. A peculiarity of this manuscript is the text colour. Written in bright blue ink, it eventually changes into a darker hue during the Penitential Psalms, with the calendar also written in darker blue. This is a very unusual feature since manuscripts of that time are written either in black or brown ink. So, the colour may have been chosen on the commissioner’s special request. The angels that accompany each large composition in the bas-de-page are equally surprising. Figures drawing special attention to the main scenes are well known from Apocalypse manuscripts and block books, where St. John, the author and visionary, often stands outside the frame, observing the activities in the main picture. Our master is undoubtedly strongly influenced by the two renowned Tours illuminators and benefitted from their models and resources, as demonstrated here in the Evangelists’ portraits and the Betrayal of Christ scene. He even successfully imitates their manner of bringing out vespertine or nocturnal scenes (Betrayal and Shepherds in the field). Although he could not equal Poyer’s finesse of light, splendour, and elegant postures, the pleasant results in this manuscript most certainly show he succeeded on his own terms. LITERATURE: Unpublished. Hofmann 2003, – 2004; Paris 2012, no. 95; Wieck 2000.
cat. 48
cat. 48
cat. 48
A book of remembrance
49 Book of Hours, use of Paris
Manuscript on vellum in Latin and French, illuminated by the Master of Walters 454 France, Tours, c. 1500-1505 165 x 112 mm. 165 leaves (complete). – Written space: 106 x 60 mm, 21 lines. Brown Lettre bâtarde, rubrics in red. – Numerous initials in different sizes and line fillers in red, blue, liquid gold throughout. The text decoration is particularly elaborate; some of the larger initials bear little insects, snails, and even birds. 54 small and 14 full-page miniatures. – Minor smudges and flaking to the miniatures. The quires containing the Gospel readings and prayers to the Virgin (now ff. 71r-86r) are misbound and belong between ff. 6r and 7r. Some of the blue initials blurred; else in excellent condition. – Binding: 18th-century French red morocco with a rich gilt border on panels and spine.
PROVENANCE: 1. A kneeling male figure clad in a black robe courte is presented by St. Germain, Bishop and patron saint of Paris (f. 160r), thus the man’s first name may have been Germain. In the bas-de-page of May (f. 3r) a woman in black receives a pansy (pensée = thought/thinking) from a disembodied hand. She and the commissioner are probably connected: someone remembers the lady. Coats of arms or other hints related to these two owners are lacking. However, we are tempted to assume that the praying man is thinking of his late wife, who might have died in May. Might another significant event in the couple’s life have taken place in that month? It is even possible that he ordered the book on the occasion of her death. A prayer that is to be said during times of the black death (f. 159r) may also give an allusion to the woman’s fate. – 2. Erased, illegible inscriptions by the same hand on ff. 86v, 165v. – 3. Europe, private collection. TEXT: ff. 1r-6v: Calendar in French with a clear tendency to Parisian saints, with Genevieve in blue, fitting with the liturgical use and with the choice of saints in the litany – ff. 7v-70v: Hours of the Virgin, use of Paris, Hours of the Holy Cross and Holy Spirit included – ff. 71r-76v: Gospel lessons – ff. 76v-86r: Prayers to the Virgin Mary – ff. 87v-102v: Penitential Psalms and litany (f. 99r-101r) – ff. 103r-142v: Office of the Dead – f. 143r-143v: Five prayers to the Virgin Mary – ff. 144r-165v: Suffrages to the Saints, including the prayer of Pope St. Gregory and a prayer to be said in times of the black death. ILLUMINATION: Calendar illustrations: f. 1r: Man at an open chimney. Aquarius – f. 1v: Man warms his feet. Pisces – f. 2r: Farmer pruning vines. Aries – f. 2v: Young man in a garden. Taurus – f. 3r: Lovers and a woman with a pansy. Gemini – f. 3v: Two farmers make hay. Cancer – f. 4r: Two farmers thresh grain. Lion – f. 4v: Farmer scythes wheat. Virgin – f. 5r: Man treads grapes. Libra – f. 6v: Two farmers sow. Scorpio – f. 7r: Swineherd feeds his pigs. Sagittarius – f. 7v: Man slaughters a pig. Capricorn. Large miniatures: f. 7r: Annunciation – f. 27r: Visitation – f. 36v: Christ bears the Cross – f. 38r: Pentecost – f. 39v: Nativity – f. 45v: Annunciation to the Shepherds – f. 50r: Adoration of the Magi – f. 54v: Presentation in the Temple – f. 59r: Flight into Egypt – f. 65v: Annunciation of the Virgin’s death – f. 71r: St. John – f. 73r: St. Luke – f. 74r: St. Mathew – f. 75v: St. Mark – f. 76v: Virgin Mary with the Child – f. 80r: Mourning of Christ – f. 82r: Mary prays – f. 87r: David and Uriah – f. 103r: Job on the dunghill – f. 160r: St. Germain with a donor.
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Small miniatures: f. 144r: Trinity – f. 146v: St. Veronica – f. 147v: St. Michael – f. 148r: St. John the Baptist – f. 148v: St. John the Evangelist – f. 149r: SS. Peter and Paul – f. 150r: St. Jacob – f. 151r: St. Stephen – f. 151v: St. Lawrence – f. 152r: St. Christopher – f. 153v: St. Sebastian – f. 155r: St. Nicholas – f. 155v: St. Anthony – f. 156r: St. Roch – f. 157r: St. Fiacre – f. 158v: Christ on the Cross – f. 161r: St. Anne teaches Mary – f. 161v: St. Mary Magdalene – f. 162r: St. Catherine – f. 162v: St. Margaret – f. 163r: St. Barbara – f. 164r: St. Apollonia – f. 165r: St. Genevieve – f. 165v: St. Avia. All miniatures are consistently executed by one artist, related in his models and style to the workshop of Jean Poyer (c. 1445-1503), one the most renowned artists in Tours after the death of Jean Fouquet. Our artist, who was probably either active in the sphere of or as a follower of Poyer, is named after a manuscript that is now in the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore (W 454). The quality of these illuminations is outstanding; the artist excels in refined characterisations of his figures. Facial features are always skilfully pronounced. Older people are shown with noticeable bags under the eyes. In the Visitation (f. 27r), Elizabeth is a mature lady, her lined face conveying dignity and beauty. The heartfelt alliance with Mary is shown in their delicately interacting hands. The panorama in the background serves as a tranquil setting, but no conspicuous elements would divert the beholder’s focus from the main scene. The artist’s preferred palette shows a penchant for radiant red, heightened with gold, muted dark violet, and the typical lapis lazuli, mainly for Mary’s dresses. Although the artist shows no obvious tendency to dramatic closeup compositions, a speciality of the Tours illuminator Jean Bourdichon, he occasionally has a radical way of cropping scenes to increase suspense and excitement. In the Bearing of the Cross (f. 36v), the soldier dragging Christ forward by a rope has almost left ‘the stage’ to the right. Christ’s mother and adherents are barely visible at left, and the main focus is on the tormented Saviour, who sweats blood and tears. Painted gold frames surround all miniatures, making them appear like panel paintings. LITERATURE: Unpublished. Hofmann 2004; Paris 1993, pp. 290-92, 306-18; Wieck 1999, – 2000, – 2004.
cat. 49
cat. 49
cat. 49
cat. 49
cat. 49
cat. 49
cat. 49
Graceful and blooming
50 Book of Hours, use of Tours
Manuscript on vellum, in Latin and in French, illuminated by the Master of Claude of France and workshop France, Tours, c. 1500-1508
173 x 111 mm. 123 leaves. – Written space: c. 148 x 103 mm, 1 column. Lettre bâtarde. – Numerous one to two-line initials, painted in gold on blue or red grounds, numerous one-line decorative bands in gold on red grounds. 11 full-page miniatures with characters executed in grisaille with halos and rays in gold, on blue lapis lazuli grounds. 3 large floral borders on gold grounds, with fanciful insects in vivid colours. Presumably contemporary illuminated arms on f. 26v. – In some miniatures the handwriting on the verso of the leaf showing through; two small scratchings in borders. – Binding: Late 19th-century French red morocco, signed Fauconnier, richly decorated in gilt and with metal clasps, marbled endpapers, gilt edges, silk bookmark. Slipcase lined with red fabric.
PROVENANCE: 1. Tours, written and illuminated for the use of that diocese, as the incipits of the various sections demonstrate. They all appear in the Litany as well. Unidentified arms, presumably contemporary, illuminated on f. 26v, enclosed within a wreath decorated with red ribbons. – 2. Now in a private collection. TEXT: ff. 1r-12v: Calendar, adjusted for the Diocese of Tours. In red: Translation of the body of St. Martin, bishop of Tours, on 4 July and 11 November, St. Gregory of Tours (7 November) and St. Gatian of Tours (18 December) – ff. 13r-23: Passion according to St. John – ff. 23v-25r: Gospel lessons – ff. 25v-26r: Two pages with invocations in French – ff. 27r78v: Hours of the Virgin, use of Tours, interspersed with the Hours of the Holy Spirit (ff. 49v-56r) – ff. 79r-90: Penitential Psalms with Litany (ff. 90v-96r) – ff. 96v-123v: Office of the Dead. ILLUMINATION: f. 27r: Annunciation in floral border – f. 38r: Visitation in floral border – f. 48r: Floral border without miniature – f. 49v: Pentecost – f. 50v: Nativity – f. 56v: Annunciation to the Shepherds – f. 60v: Adoration of the Magi – f. 64v: Circumcision of Jesus – f. 68v: Flight into Egypt – f. 75r: Coronation of the Virgin – f. 79r: King David and the avenging angel – f. 96v: Resurrection of Lazarus. The illumination is the work of two artists, both followers of Jean Bourdichon. One of them has been identified as the Master of Claude de France. Jean Bourdichon (c. 1457-1521) was active as a royal court artist for four kings: Louis XI, Charles VIII, Louis XII, and Francis I. Although he inherited the position as peintre en titre (court painter) after Jean Fouquet’s death, he most likely did not learn in Fouquet’s workshop. He developed his own artistic nomenclature and, in his later artistic career, he famously invented the so-called ‘dramatic closeup’, a method of zooming in on the protagonists, which is also applied in the manuscript at hand. Among Bourdichon’s most celebrated works are the so-called Grandes Heures d’Anne de Bretagne (Paris, BnF, ms. lat. 9474) and the dispersed but nowadays reconstructed Hours of Louis XII (Los Angeles/London 2005). Judging from the considerable number of works that are still extant, Bourdichon must have employed a large number of collaborators. One of them was clearly responsible for the miniatures in our manuscript, which deviates from the master’s personal style by displaying stronger, chiselled facial features. Like Bourdichon himself, the illuminator at hand favours gold
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and blue and frequently shows his sacred protagonist’s devotedly upturned eyes. Actually, the face of one of the shepherds on f. 56v looks very similar to that of St. Elizabeth, portrayed in the socalled Hours of Charles VIII (Paris, BnF, ms. lat. 1370, f. 61v), attributed to Bourdichon. The royal manuscript also shares with the present Book of Hours the delicate and fascinating tone-in-tone technique called camaïeu (or grisaille if the colour grey is prevailing) that lends the painting an aloof, marble-like appearance. The reduced palette is revived with pale touches in pink that enhance lips, cheeks, and sometimes the hands of the characters. The artist was also talented in conveying sentiments, like the profound affection between the two cousins in the Visitation (f. 38r). The miniature with the Coronation of the Virgin is particularly beautiful, for the Virgin radiates with filigree gilt rays. The Annunciation (f. 27r) and the Visitation (f. 38r) are framed with blooming, colourful borders; a third border without a miniature is also painted on f. 48r. These borders can be attributed to the Master of Claude of France. The work of this artist, who is chiefly known for the two tiny prayer books that he made for Queen Claude (1499-1524), first wife of Francis I, is enchanting and rare (New York, ML, ms. M. 1166 and Switzerland, private collection). He was Bourdichon’s apprentice from c. 1498 to 1508. Then he was active in Tours until c. 1520. Two butterflies, two caterpillars, a fly, a ladybird, and a dragonfly are beautifully portrayed in detail and with great precision ‘after life’. The peach flowers, which have been identified as such even though they have pointed leaves, also appear on f. 37r of a manuscript illuminated by the Master of Claude of France between 1510 and 1515, kept at the Houghton Library at Harvard University (ms. Typ 252). According to Roger S. Wieck, the expert on this illuminator, the three borders in the present Book of Hours are heretofore unknown to the bibliography on the Master of Claude of France (personal communication 2016). No wonder the Master’s work has been called “miracles in miniature” and “an artistic triumph“. We are grateful to Roger S. Wieck for scholarly advice. LITERATURE: Unpublished. Los Angeles/London 2005; Paris 2011; Wieck 2014.
cat. 50
cat. 50
cat. 50
A delightful feast, enchanting and humorous
51 ‘Marginalia’ Book of Hours, use of Rome
Manuscript in Latin on vellum, illuminated in the circle of the Master of the Prayer Books of 1500, with delightful border decoration by other Bruges painters Flanders, Bruges, c. 1500-1510
94 x 68 mm. 273 leaves. – Written space: 45 x 34 mm, 13 lines. Littera Textualis rotunda. – Numerous one/two-line- and 10 three-line initials. Line-fillers in grey, purple, and gold. Every text page decorated with 3-4 free-standing figures in a cycle of over 1,725 small figural paintings. 24 calendar pages with full historiated borders, 4 small miniatures (c. 25 x 25 mm), and 15 large miniatures (inserted leaves, c. 50 x 35 mm), five with historiated borders. – Calendar miniatures a little thumb soiled, slightly cropped, generally in very fine condition. – Binding: 19 th-century blue velvet over wooden boards.
PROVENANCE: 1. Made c. 1500 in Bruges where the southern rotunda script might point to an Italian scribe, perhaps writing for a patron in the Iberian Peninsula or Italy. Texts have masculine forms. – 2. Lille, Henri Serine Boutry, 1925 (acquired from Theophile Belin, Paris). – 3. London, Christie’s, 6 December 1989, lot 22. – 4. USA, private collection. – 5. Now in a private collection. TEXT: ff. 1v-13r: Calendar, half-full – ff. 14v-16r: Salve Sancta Facies – ff. 17v-27v: Hours of the Cross – ff. 28v-36v: Hours of the Holy Spirit – ff. 37v-44v: Mass of the Virgin Mary – ff. 45r-53r: Gospels Sequences – ff. 54v-146v: Hours of the Virgin – ff. 148v-160v: Advent Office – ff. 161v-190v: Penitential Psalms and Litany (ff. 178v-180v) – ff. 191r-256r: Office of the Dead (masc. forms) – ff. 257r-262v: Obsecro Te (masc. forms) – ff. 263r-266v: O Intemerata – ff. 267r-275r: Memorials to Saints. ILLUMINATION: The captivating calendar miniatures, two for each month (labours and pleasures of the months, plus small symbols of the zodiac), are arranged on double pages and provide a window into the cycle of medieval life and farming: ff. 1v-2r: Aquarius; A man warming at fire – ff. 2v-3r: Pisces; Attending a church service; wood collecting – ff. 3v-4r: Aries; Gardening – ff. 4v-5r: Taurus; Shepherds – ff. 5v-6r: Gemini; Young people courting – ff. 6v-7r: Leo; Reaping – ff. 7r-8v: Cancer; Hay time – ff. 8v-9r: Virgo; Threshing – ff. 9v-10r: Libra; Sowing and ploughing – ff. 10v11r: Scorpio; Grape harvest – ff. 11v-12r: Sagittarius; Selling pigs – ff. 12v-13r: Capricorn; Slaughtering a pig. – Four small miniatures with Ghent-Bruges style borders: f. 45r: St. John on Patmos – f. 47r: St. Luke – f. 49r: St. Matthew – f. 51v: St. Marc – All large miniatures face pages with either historiated scenes or naturalistic borders in the illusionistic Ghent-Bruges style (not described here in detail): ff. 14v-15r: Salvator Mundi facing: border of pearls and jewels – ff. 17v18r: Crucifixion facing: border with Arma Christi – ff. 28v29r: Pentecost facing: border with Gidion’s miracle and Gathering of Manna – ff. 37v-38r: Virgin and Child facing: border with carved niches, in each an angel makes music – ff. 54v-55r: Tree of Jesse facing: border with prophets and sibyls in carved niches – ff. 82v-83r: Visitation – ff. 99v-100r: Nativity – ff. 106v-107r: Annunciation to the Shepherds – ff. 113v-114r: Adoration of the Magi – ff. 120v-121r: Presentation in the Temple – ff. 127v-128r: Massacre of the Innocents – ff. 139v-140r: Flight into Egypt – ff. 149v-150r: Coronation of the Virgin facing: border including Joachim and Anne at the Golden Gate and Annunciation of Gabriel to Zacharias – ff. 161v-162r: King David in prayer facing: border with
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young David and Goliath; Bringing the Head to Jerusalem – ff. 191v-192r: Raising of Lazarus facing: border with three living knights meeting Death – f. 257r: Full border in GhentBruges style. The fine miniatures, painted with great delicacy and surrounded by exquisite flower borders, can be attributed to the Master of the Prayer Books of 1500 (Brinkmann 1998). This Flemish illuminator, active in Bruges, was named after a group of devotional manuscripts dating to the years around 1500. He may have been an individual or there may have been a small studio of artists working closely together (Los Angeles 2003, pp. 394-407). Despite his name, his accomplishments are in the field of secular imagery, as seen here in the captivating calendar pages. His work is particularly notable for incorporating details from daily life in a wide range of original narratives. The manuscript also comprises collaborative work in its numerous adorable border motifs. Adding these single motifs constituted another production phase executed by a distinct team. These freestanding figures and grotesques belong to a different tradition, also known from Bruges. Singularly they are not too difficult to parallel, but collectively they form a unique cycle. There are hybrids, like the plump goose-man, or birds with their long necks intertwined. One discovers a variety of bushes, trees, flowers and fruits, insects and birds in bright plumage. Larger animals comprise foxes, squirrels, an elephant, camels, unicorns, lions, dogs, monkeys, stags, a cow, and a porcupine. There are archers, huntsmen blowing their horns in the chase, men staggering under burdens, a man dragging a roller, a baker peering into his oven or another loading the same. We see furniture, tables laid with food, gardens, wells, fountains, and a duck and ducklings on a pond. The Office of the Dead has borders with skulls, bones, skeletons, biers, a draped coffin, graves, and mourners in black. Children joust on hobby-horses and monkeys cradle their babies. Some pages have men climbing a ladder, beginning in the lower margin to emerge, unexpected, in the upper margin. By virtue of its fine miniatures, decorated openings, and its singular border decoration of the text leaves, this manuscript is a rich and delightful source of Flemish painting around c. 1500. LITERATURE: As-Vijvers 2013b, pp. 295-99, 453-56. Brinkmann 1998; Los Angeles 2003, pp. 394-407.
cat. 51
cat. 51
cat. 51
cat. 51
cat. 51
An impressive precursor of graphic novels
52 Book of Hours, use of Rome
Manuscript on vellum, illuminated by an artist from the circle of the Monypenny Master France, Paris, c. 1500-1510
185 x 123 mm. 63 leaves, incomplete. – Written space: 125 x 60/65 mm. Ruled in purple and red; 1 column, 33 lines. Brown and blue Lettre bâtarde. – Oneto two-line initials and line fillers in blue on a purple-red ground, highlighted in gold, three-line initials below the large miniatures with foliage motifs and, once, a fine dragon. 10 large, half-page miniatures combined with a related second scene below 9 text-lines. All text-pages surrounded by four-sided borders containing a large range of hybrid animals, small scenes, and more than 70 smaller miniatures. – One border miniature missing; lacuna expertly filled in with parchment. Some staining to outer borders, minor flaking to miniatures. – Binding: Dark blue-grey velvet over wooden boards.
PROVENANCE: 1. London, Frank T. Sabin, sold for 11,500 francs on 23 September 1909. – 2. Paris, Wildenstein, stolen from the bank vault at the Banque de France in Paris on 30 October 1940 by members of the Nazi Devisenschutzkommando; returned to France in 1945 and restituted to Wildenstein on 6 July 1949 by the Ministère des Affaires Étrangères. – 3. USA, private collection. TEXT: The fragment at hand contains the most important parts of a prayer book that was probably taken apart by a former owner, perhaps in the 19th century, who may have decided that such a vastly illuminated manuscript would make two decent volumes. After a misbound introductory part, the book shows a continuous and, with two exceptions, uninterrupted text sequence. ff. 1r-2v: Suffrages – ff. 3r-5v: Gospel sequences – ff. 5v-8v: Prayers to the Virgin: Obsecro te, O intemerata – ff. 9r-36r: Hours of the Virgin, use of Rome; one leaf missing after fol. 8r with the beginning of Matins; f. 9r, Matins; f. 18r Lauds; f. 21r Prime (first leaf missing); f. 22r Terce; f. 24r Sext; f. 26r None; f. 28r Vespers; f. 31v Compline – ff. 37r-45v: Penitential Psalms (f. 42r, Litany of Saints) – ff. 46r-63r: Office of the Dead – not complete at end. ILLUMINATION: Ten full-page compositions with a nine-line text field accompany the most important incipits. f. 1r: Baptism of Christ – f. 16r: Visitation – f. 22r: Holy Family in the Temple with the twelve-year-old Christ – f. 24r: Marriage at Cana: Christ talks to the bride – f. 26r: Christ’s Transfiguration at Mount Tabor – f. 28r: Christ’s Entry into Jerusalem, people throw palm leaves from the city wall – f. 31v: Last Supper; in the lower part: Christ washes the apostles’ feet – f. 37r: Death of King David; David sends a messenger to lure Bathsheba into his palace – f. 45v: God and Satan bet about Job; Job on his dunghill consoled by his friends – f. 46r: Dives’ soul thirsty and tormented by demons in hell; the poor beggar Lazarus’ soul embraced and comforted by Abraham in heaven. The last two miniatures form the only diptych composition: God wagers with the devil, and, as a result, Job repents on the dunghill. On the opposite page, the scene with the tormented Dives is unrelated to Job’s tale. An extraordinary narrative runs through the borders of the manuscript: the tale of Mary’s childhood and her life as a temple virgin and as mother of the Saviour. Frequently, the illustrator chooses uncommon scenes deriving from apocryphal texts or the Golden Legend for his marginal decoration, as well as for the large compositions. A clear tendency of zooming in on
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the protagonists recalls Jean Bourdichon of Tours. Mock inscriptions often decorate the hems of garments. Faces are somewhat elongated, males often with pronounced cheekbones. The artist defines hair and beards as soft and fuzzy, characterized by short wavy streaks. Eyebrows as well as upper eyelids show a propensity toward being angled and sometimes curved, depending on what emotions are being expressed. Often, the figures piously raise their eyes, resulting in accentuating the whites of their eyeballs. The palette is intense and changeable: bright, gaudy colours are as favoured as tone-in-tone qualities. Liquid gold coats the compositions like a luxurious web; the rich use of camaïeu d’or grants the illumination an overall sumptuous quality. We additionally encounter some very rare and unusual iconographic realisations. The layout and the style of these Hours recalls a group of abundantly illuminated Hours that were almost always the result of a teamwork. The artists involved in these projects can be tracked mainly in Paris, some in Bourges or Tours. The prayer books that they produced seem to have been a reaction to the abundantly illustrated printed editions that arose in Paris from 1485 onwards. These manuscripts ostensibly were produced as a ‘strong statement’ by Parisian illuminators in order to prove that their paintings were superior to the printed editions. In fact, the artists who invariably participated in these projects were also very productive in the print trade, either as illuminators of prints or as designers for wood or metal cuts. The manuscript at hand, being comparatively homogenous in style, seems to be fashioned by a single master, who shows an attractive composite of features recalling the Monypenny Master and the Master of the Chronique Scandaleuse. Examples for this group of manuscripts can be found in: Chantilly, Bibl. et archives du château de Chantilly, ms. 72; Écouen, Mus. de la Renaissance, E. Cl. 1251; London, BL, Add. ms. 25696; Madrid, BN, Vitr. 24-3; New Haven, Yale Univ. Lib., Beinecke ms. 336 and 411; Philadelphia, Free Lib., Lewis ms. 113; Private collection, Panisse Hours. LITERATURE: A.C. 1901; Paris 1949, no. 9. Delaunay 1993; Hofmann 1998; Nettekoven 2016, pp. 61-65; Paris 1993, pp. 338-42, – 2012, nos. 99, 100; Zöhl 2004, pp. 46-47, 184-86.
cat. 52
cat. 52
cat. 52
cat. 52
cat. 52
A richly illuminated Book of Hours for King Louis XII
53 Hours for Louis XII, use of Rennes
Manuscript on vellum, in Latin and French, by an illuminator of the Jean Pichore workshop and another artist France, Paris, c. 1500-1515
198 x 132 mm. 143 of 144 leaves, first blank leaf removed, complete. – Written space: c. 98 x 63 mm, 1 column, 20 lines. Lettre bâtarde. – Numerous initials in variant sizes, line fillers in blue, red, liquid gold. 30 miniatures (15 full-page compositions, 15 small miniatures). – Liquid silver has occasionally bled through on some rears of miniature pages but never affecting the text; minuscule flaking in one or two miniatures, otherwise very clean with wide margins, in mint condition. – Binding: Blue velvet over 19 th-century boards, with gilt central and corner bosses from the same period.
PROVENANCE: 1. The monogram with the double L and the roman numbers X and II in liquid gold on a blue ground, together with three royal fleurs-de-lys (f. 61r), point to the King of France, Louis XII (1462-1515). This hypothesis is corroborated by the last miniature on f. 139r, which prominently shows King Louis IX of France, his patron saint. Before he became king, Louis XII was also Duke Louis II of Orléans. The somewhat atypical arrangement of numbers and letters in his monogram emphasizes both of his titles. The book at hand could have been either in his own possession or meant as a royal gift for merited courtiers. – 2. Madelon Mahier and Katherine Mahier, mentioned on ff. 1, 2 of the calendar. – 3. Paris, Ambroise Firmin-Didot (17901876), sale, A. Labitte, Hotel Drouot, 12-17 June 1882, lot 19: “fort beau manuscrit […] ayant appartenu au roi Louis XII.” – 4. Paris, Baron Étienne-Edmond Martin de Beurnonville (1825-1906), a distinguished collector of fine art. – 5. Paris, Édouard Kann (presumably Édouard-Gustave Kann [18731927]); sold, 7 February 1909 to: – 6. Paris, Georges Wildenstein; stolen from the Wildenstein bank vault, Paris, Banque de France, 30 October 1940; restituted to the Wildenstein family March 1949 by the Office des Biens et Intérêts Privés. – 7. USA, private collection. TEXT: ff. 1r-v: blank – ff. 2r-12v: Calendar – ff. 13r-14r: Gospel lesson St. John – f. 14v: blank – ff. 15r-31r: Hours of the Virgin, use of Rennes; Hours of the Holy Cross and Holy Spirit interspersed – ff. 61r-73r: Penitential Psalms, Litany (f. 68v) – ff. 74r-95v: Office of the Dead – ff. 95v-102r: Suffrages – ff. 103r-105r: Hours of St. Barbara – ff. 105v-110r: Prayers for different occasions – ff. 110v-112r: Prayer of Pope St. Gregory – ff. 112v-113v: Les dix commandements de la loy – ff. 114r-138v: Hours of the Passion – ff. 139r-142v: Prayers to the Virgin. The Office of the Virgin is designed for the diocese of Rennes, capital of Brittany, whereas the calendar shows a strong inclination towards Angers (Anjou) and Le Mans (Maine) – at the time both provinces were already in possession of the French crown. Seven male saints in the litany again point to Brittany as its so-called saintly founders. It is thus possible, though not yet verified, that the book was planned and written in Brittany, but at least partly illuminated in Paris. ILLUMINATION: All fifteen full-page compositions appear on rectos, set in decorated frames painted in brown and liquid gold. In the first twelve arrangements, focal scenes are placed on arch-framed grounds. Bas-de-page miniatures mostly cover the width of compositions, while supplementary pictures are in the outer margins. The main
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scenes are: f. 15r: Annunciation – f. 23r: Nativity – f. 32r: Baptism of Christ – f. 34r: Cleansing of the temple – f. 36r: Christ washes his disciples’ feet – f. 41r: Judas receives the thirty pieces of silver – f. 45r: Mocking of Christ – f. 49r: Christ carries the Cross – f. 53r: Crucifixion – f. 56r: Christ in limbo – f. 61r: Pentecost – f. 74r: Last Judgement – f. 111r: Mass of Pope Gregory the Great – f. 114r: Lamentation of Christ – f. 139r: Glorification of the Virgin Mary surrounded by male saints. This unusual Book of Hours was made for or commissioned by Louis XII. Louis was a great bibliophile who preferred manuscripts to printed volumes in his exquisite Blois library. Some special features distinguish this personal prayer book from other works of the same period. Most Hours of the Virgin are accompanied by scenes from the Life and Passion of Christ. This, however, is more common in Flanders or England, but quite rare in France, and thus unusual to find in the present manuscript. Another surprise is the organisation of the work. We can distinguish the hands of two artists. Hand A, not yet recognized in other manuscripts, most likely painted the gorgeous architectural frames and possibly accomplished all the drawings underneath the illuminations. He carried out five of the illuminations independently (ff. 32r, 36r, 41r, 45r, 49r). He was assisted by a more elaborate artist (Hand B) from the Parisian workshop of Jean Pichore, who executed some outstanding, famous manuscripts for Louis XII and seems to have been one of the king’s favourite artists. He executed three miniatures (ff. 111r, 114r, 139r). Compellingly, the two artists not only divided the illustrations to be painted, but actually worked together in many of the same miniatures (ff. 15r, 23r, 34r, 53r, 56r, 61r, 74r). Painter A uses multiple gold hatching to heighten and accentuate the draperies of garments. He prefers a restrained palette of different shades of grey, brown, and green. His skies, however, are of a luminous bright blue. In the miniature of Christ’s betrayal, he dares to use a bright, conspicuous yellow in order to typify Judas’ evil, deceitful character. His faces bear strong, angular features with short foreheads, straight eyebrows, and dark round pupils. It is hard to say if he was chiefly active in Paris but judging from his unpretentious style it seems rather likely that the manuscript was originally set up in the wider regional environment. LITERATURE: Unpublished. Paris 1993, pp. 282-85; Zöhl 2004.
cat. 53
cat. 53
cat. 53
cat. 53
cat. 53
cat. 53
cat. 53
Rallying forces in vain
54 “Nachier,” Complaintes de la Foy
Manuscript in French on vellum, illuminated by the Master of the Entry of François I France, Lyon, c. 1504-1506 281 x 185 mm. 16 ff. including 6 blanks. – Written space: 178 x 115 mm, 22 lines. Ornamental Lettre bâtarde. – Initials in gold on blue or red ground, one large miniature (148 x 152 mm) protected by green silk veil attached to juxtaposed page. With green silk marker. – Binding: late 18 th-century brown calf, blind stamped, gilt.
PROVENANCE: 1. Lyon, c. 1504-1506, possibly made for Louis XII (?). – 2. “Madame de Marivaut 1724” (flyleaf). – 3. Paris, Baron d’Heiss (sold 1785). – 4. Toulouse, Count Justin MacCarthy Reagh (1815). – 5. Paris, Charles Chardin (1824). – 6. England, Sir Thomas Phillipps (ms. 4275; sold 1975). – 7. Paris, Librairie Lardanchet (1978). – 8. Amsterdam, Van Gendt, 1978. – 9. France, private collection.
exhortations to take up the arms for a crusade. The laments are often sung or recited to well-known melodies or incantatory tones, which explains the frequent use of verses and ballads. They were still popular in the 16th century, as witnessed by the works of the Réthoriqueurs, such as Jean Molinet (d. 1507), André de la Vigne (d. c. 1526), and Jean (d. 1526) and Clement Marot (d. 1544) with their female colleagues.
TEXT: ff. 1-6r: La Foy se complaingnant… (f. 1v:) Faith, lamenting her insufferable sorrows, calls upon the Christian leaders to unite in a crusade for her defence, signed: Nachier – ff. 7-10r: Complaincte de la Foy aux vertus: Faith implores her sisters, the Virtues, to help in the struggle against the Turks, as without their support her enterprise will fail. Explicit: Prince eternal sequeure ta servante / contre les Turcs donne luy la maistrise / qui va disant par tristesse aggravante / tant souvent va le pot a leaue quil brise… Signed: Nachier.
ILLUMINATION: The single large miniature (f. 1r) presents Holy Faith dressed in black, accompanied by a white dog. Lady Faith kneels before a vision of God in Heaven while holding the Holy Sacrament. Mounted courtiers, identifiable by the banners of their various kingdoms, advance from the right. In the lead is the King of France, the only ruler riding a white horse, which is specially caparisoned in blue, decorated with golden fleurs-de-lys.
These are two otherwise unknown poems in the form of Lady Faith’s complaints to Christendom to unite against the rising power of the Turks. Lady Faith first calls on Sainct Pere Gubernateur (f. 1r) for support, then addresses Cardinals to leave their hats and capes to put on their armour, and Archbishops to take up arms. She next calls upon all the great European leaders, the King of France (until 1515: Louis XII), Maximilian, King of the Romans (the only leader mentioned by name, d. 1518), and the King of Spain (if not Philip the Handsome, d. 1506, then Ferdinand II of Aragon, d. 1516). She then pleads to the Kings of Portugal, Hungary, Scotland, and the Archduke of Austria. She appeals to all ranks of soldiers to take part in the war, to the clergy to provide funds, and to the Friars Minor to pray for victory. The first poem consists of 86 rhyming couplets, followed by a ballade of 28 lines, and has the refrain “Tant de fois crie l’enfant nouvel qui vient.” The second Complaincte de la foy aux vertus counts 55 couplets and ends with the ballad “Tant souvent va le pot a l’eaue qu’il brise” (a popular refrain also used by Charles d’Orleans in his poem LVIII 5 and by François Villon, in the Ballade des Proverbes). It means, ‘The pitcher goes to water as often until it breaks,’ implying that when one constantly exposes oneself to danger – here the advancing Ottoman army and the Turkish preponderance – one eventually succumbs to it. The author, who signs twice as “Nachier,” remains yet unidentified. Undated, the poems likely were written before 1508, the year when Pope Julius II rallied some of the leaders in the League of Cambrai, or Holy League (1508-1516), in which the European rulers ‘officially’ united to fight against the Turks but in reality tried to curb the Venetians. The genre of lamentations was already popular since Rutebeuf (d. c. 1285), who devoted, among others, three
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The fine miniature is attributed to the Master of the Entry of François I, an artist active in Lyon in the first quarter of the 16th century. He is named after his major work that represents the entry of King François I in Lyon on 12 July 1515 (Wolfenbüttel, HAB, cod. 86.4; Burin 2001, cat. no. 94). The illuminator may perhaps be identified as Antoine Pingaud, the man who was paid for a manuscript on the same entry in Lyon (Burin 2001, pp. 31-33, cat. no. 89). At that time, Lyon had become the second capital of France because the King often resided there – being occupied by his affairs in Italy. In 1499 and 1501, King Louis XII (1462-1515) twice attempted to launch a crusade against the Turks, but both expeditions failed (Brown 1985, p. 76). Short literary pieces recount his adventures (Pierre Gringore, Complaincte de la Terre Sainte and an anonymous Complaincte de Constantinople à Rome). Louis XII, known as the ‘Wise’ or as ‘Father of the People’, promoted his image of being a knightking: true, fair, and Christian – a new Cesar. Diplomats and Italian authors spoke of him as the head of the Christian armies, leading the world against the Turks (Scheller 1985, pp. 17-18, fig. 11). The idea of the French king as a sacred ruler (‘the most Christian king’) and his kingdom holding a unique position vis-à-vis Christianity was generally accepted (Hochner 2006). The present manuscript perfectly fits into this genre. The author did not seek a wider circulation for his or her work, which exists only in this finely illuminated manuscript. The text also was never printed – and the author may have intended to offer the copy at hand to the king in person. LITERATURE: Durrieu 1889, p. 408, no. LXXIV (“un livre mystique”); Phillipps 1837, ms. 4275. Brown 1985; Burin 2001; Hochner 2006; Scheller 1985.
cat. 54
A most beautiful Book of Hours by the Master of Philippa of Guelders
55 Book of Hours, use of Paris
Manuscript on vellum in Latin with a calendar and other texts in French, illuminated by the Master of Philippa of Guelders France, Paris, c. 1506 178 x 115 mm. 160 leaves. – Written space: ca. 100 x 55 mm. One column, calendar in 17 lines, text in 22 lines, ruled in red. Lettre bâtarde by an experienced hand. Rubrics in blue. – Calendar has KL monogram as two-line initials in blue and red on solid gold ground. One- to four-line initials and line fillers in blue and red on solid gold. Nearly every text page surrounded by lavish borders in the era’s typical Parisian style. 62 miniatures (21 large or full-page compositions, 24 calendar images, and 17 small miniatures). – Some occasional smudging in the borders, insignificant flaking of colour, mainly in the white banderols (ff. 16r, 25v). Generally in stunningly fine condition. – Binding: French 17th-century dark burgundy morocco with gilt ornaments of delicate sprays forming medallions encircling the monograms of early owner MM on the front, CC on the back cover.
PROVENANCE: Although the prayer “O intemerata” is designed for a woman, we cannot be sure that the book was destined for a female owner because the prayer Obsecro te uses the male formulation famulo tuo. There are no coats of arms or inscriptions to help identify this book’s first possessor. – 1. Monogram double C, and double M on the binding. The suggestion that the book once belonged to CharlotteMarguerite de Montmorency, princess of Condé (15941650) could not be verified because her supralibros does not correspond with the one at hand. – 2. Paris, Théophile Belin, book dealer and collector: Livres anciens de provenance historique, 1910, no. 476. – 3. Lille, René Descamps-Scrive (1853-1924), his bookplate, sold 1925. – 4. Paris, Paul Gruel (1864-1954), bookbinder and collector of bindings, his bookplate on flyleaf. – 5. Paris, Hôtel Drouot, Beaux manuscrits à peintures …, 25 October 1968, lot A. TEXT:ff. 1r-2v ruled blank – ff. 3r-14v: Calendar in blue and red ink, important feasts in gold leaf. St. Geneviève (3 Jan.), St. Julien (27 Feb.), St. Germain (28 May, 31 Jul.), St. Louis (17 Jun., 8 and 25 Aug.) point to the diocese of Paris – f. 15r-v blank – ff. 16r-20v: Gospel lessons, prayers to the Virgin Mary – ff. 26r-70v: Hours of the Virgin, use of Paris – f. 71r-v blank – ff. 72r-92v: Hours of the Holy Cross and Holy Spirit – ff. 79r-92v: Penitential Psalms, litany (f. 88r) – ff. 93r-123v: Office of the Dead – ff. 124r-130r: Prayers to the Virgin and God – ff. 130v-136r: Suffrages – ff. 136v-158v: Office de nostre dame de pitie followed by French prayers – ff. 159r-160v: ruled blank. ILLUMINATION: ff. 3r-14v: calendar illustrations of the occupations of the months and symbols of the zodiac – f. 15v: St. John and the poisoned cup – f. 16r: St. John tormented in hot oil – ff. 17v-23r: Small miniatures, St. Luke, St. Mathew, St. Mark, Virgin and Child, Mourning of Christ – f. 25v: Tree of Jesse – f. 26r: Annunciation – f. 41v: Visitation – f. 49r: Nativity – f. 53r: Annunciation to the Shepherds – f. 56r: Adoration of the Magi – f. 59r: Presentation in the Temple – f. 62r: Flight into Egypt – f. 67r: Coronation of the Virgin – f. 72v: Bearing of the Cross – f. 73r: Crucifixion – f. 75v: Manna from Heaven – f. 76r: Pentecost – f. 78v: David and the three punishments – f. 79r: Bathsheba – f. 92v: Dives in hell – f. 93r: Lazarus’ solace – f. 124r: Mary and the Christ Child – f. 128r: God in Majesty – ff. 130v-136r: Small miniatures, Trinity, St. Michael, St. John the Baptist, St. John the Evangelist, SS. Peter and Paul, St. Sebastian, St. Nicholas, St. Anne, St. Mary-Magdalene, St. Catherine, St. Margaret, St. Geneviève.
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This is an exceptionally fine example of a Book of Hours executed by the Master of Philippa of Guelders, whose oeuvre has not yet been fully explored. John Plummer named him after a manuscript of Ludolph of Saxony’s Life of Christ that was commissioned for Philippa of Guelders, Duchess of Lorraine (Lyon, BM, ms. 5125). Our master executed the first volume, whereas the Master of the Chronique scandaleuse was responsible for the second tome (on offer at Dr. Jörn Günther Rare Books, cat. 10, no. 21). His protagonists show habitually round, rather expressionless faces with elegantly arched eyebrows, occasionally twisted when a figure is shown in distress or pain. Facial features are delicately outlined with a fine brush; on cheeks he daintily applies subtle rouge, which he also uses for the small, often slightly agape mouths. The master’s colouring has a penchant for colder tinges; apart from the usual vigorous dark red and blue, he likes violet with an inclination towards grey. Varying concepts of framing as well as diptych-like openings are characteristic for the manuscript at hand. The master collaborated with various Parisian illuminators and was active for publishers and printers in the capital. Graphic series from printed Books of Hours of 1505-1506 served as models for some of his miniatures in the manuscript at hand, thus pointing to its accomplishment around or after 1506. The present book shows the highly interesting experiment of someone who is still rooted in the traditional compositional principles of book illustration and is at the same time familiar with the new Renaissance aesthetic introduced by the prints of Jean Pichore and Simon Vostre. Particularly striking is the arrangement of ‘modern’ architectural frames in liquid gold combined with traditional arch-topped miniature frames (ff. 72v-73r). Equally enthralling are the unusual iconographic choices, like the collection of Manna in Heaven or the ghastly choice of punishments that is presented to King David. We thank Caroline Zöhl for sharing her knowledge about this artist with us. LITERATURE: Unpublished. Chantilly 2001, pp. 7-9; Delisle 1868-1881; Günther cat. 10, no. 21; Pächt/Thoss 1977, pp. 38, 46, 50, 68; Paris 1993, pp. 278-81; Plummer 1982, pp. 69-71; Winn 1997; Zöhl 2004, – 2015.
cat. 55
cat. 55
cat. 55
cat. 55
cat. 55
Always popular, never the same
armes et blasons des chevaliers de la table ronde ... – 56 Noms, Traité de la forme des tournois ... Illuminated manuscript on vellum, in French France, Bouges (?), c. 1510-1520 290 x 185 mm. 69 leaves (last leaf missing). – Written space: c. 210-15 x 125 mm, 1 column, 31 lines. Littera batarda. – Illuminated with 116 miniatures (c. 140 x 105 mm). – Some notes added, others erased. Slightly cropped at upper margin. Some abrasions to miniatures, f. 41 restored earlier, some stains on vellum, ff. 67v-68r discoloured. – Binding: 19 th-century French green morocco, gilt.
PROVENANCE: 1. Made possibly in the context of the Ordre de Chevaliers de Notre Dame de la Table Ronde (Bourges). – 2. London, Maggs, 1938 (notes on pastedown). – 3. Europe, private collection.
(d. 1470), son of Gaston IV de Foix (d. 1472), and written after 1452 but no later than 1475. The work served as an introduction to King René d’Anjou’s Livre des tournois (Harvard, Houghton Library, ms. Typ 131, c. 1470; Boston 2016, no. 185).
TEXT: f. 1r: Ce sont les noms, armes et blasons de chevaliers et compagnons de la table ronde … et premierement. Cest la devise de … blasons et armes du tres noble et puissant roy Artus, jadis roy de la grant Bretaigne … filz du roy Uterpandragon – f. 2v: Cy apres parle du lignaige des Bruns … Et premierement … de Guyren le Courtoys – ff. 23r-61: La seconde partie de la devises … des chevaliers de la Table Ronde … ou temps de roy Artus … – f. 61r: Comment le Roy Uterpandragon et le roy Artus assembloient chevaliers pour faire leurs tournois … – ff. 62r-68v: Comment les tournoys se faisoient pres … – f. 69r-v: Comment les compagnons de la table ronde invoient a tenir les seremens qui sensuivent … Ends incomplete: le neufiesme quilz devoient recepvoir (…).
ILLUMINATION: 117 miniatures illustrate the first text and accompany the stories of 125 knights – two of which have two images devoted to them (nos. 2-3, 81-82), while about ten ‘biographies’ are without illustration (though a few times shields are applied in the margin). The miniatures were painted in a robust but charming style by one artist who used a palette of pastels recalling watercolours. All scenes are set in landscapes, with knights depicted in full armour. Many are crowned, being famous kings, others have their helmets lying on the ground nearby, allowing the beholder to see their faces. Some heroes are on horseback, but the majority stand, stepping on or over the frame. In most instances, the shield with the coat of arms hangs on a branch of the tree nearby. Each knight’s representation conforms to convention: strong, colourful figures armed with different weaponry, distinct in details, and varied in pose.
No other stories have received such lasting popularity than those of King Arthur and his knights of the Round Table. The battles, loves, and especially the quest for the Holy Grail gave the Arthurian history a mythical beauty, and its various stories became a distinct literary genre. The present work is an armorial of the Knights and Companions of the Round Table. It comprises short descriptions of 125 heroes, mentioning the name of each knight and describing his appearance and origin, together with an illustration of his (fictive) coat of arms. Surviving in some 74 manuscripts, the book was very popular. All these included different numbers of stories, with texts ending imperfectly and with gaps. This is by all means understandable if one realizes how much precision and knowledge the art of heraldry requires, while the homonymy and orthographic variants of names invariably lead to interpretations or choices by the copyist. Thus, none of the known copies comprise exactly the same texts or illustrations. Michel Pastoureau studied the knights’ heraldry (1983, 2006) using twelve manuscripts. The earliest known copy (Paris, Arsenal, ms. 4800, c. 1440-1450) includes a total of 151 knights, while the most complete compilation presents a total of 178 (Berlin, Kupferstichkabinett, Hs. 77A 10, c. 1510-1520). Paris, BnF, ms. fr. 1437 (Pastoureau’s principal manuscript) has 166 descriptions and is similar to BnF, ms. fr. 14357, made for King Charles VIII and his wife Anne de Bretagne (c. 1490-1491) with 150 devices; Baltimore, Walters Art Museum, W 436 offers 148 painted armorial devices, with crests, shield supporters, and mottoes (Randall 1992, no. 207, p. 519). The second tract on the form and organization of tournaments was originally dedicated to the Prince of Viane
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While these endearing miniatures are not the most refined or delicate, their existence alone is exceptional, as most manuscripts of this text only represent shields with short descriptions. We have identified only two more codices depicting the knights as full-length figures, both in Paris: BnF, ms. fr. 1438 (c. 1500-1520), presenting knights on horseback, and Bibliothèque de l’Arsenal, ms. 4976 (c.1490-1500), which has carefully designed figures ‘à pied’ (Pastoureau 1983, p. 365; 2006). These illustrated manuscripts are important witnesses to what seems to be a more exclusive version of the text. More study is yet required to reveal information on the dispersal of this tradition and its rarity. Made for kings, queens, and members of the high nobility, this armorial seems to have circulated particularly in Brittany and Anjou. Such manuscripts continued to appeal – likely, the more so in the context of a regional order of chivalric knights whose members identified themselves with the Knights of the Round Table in the quest for the Holy Grail, such as the Ordre de chevaliers de Notre Dame de la Table Ronde in Bourges – founded in 1486 by, among others, the rich merchant and bibliophile Jean Lallemant (45), whose manuscript of the statues of the Order has been preserved (London, BL, ms. Harley 5301, Randall 1992, p. 519). LITERATURE: Unpublished. Boston 2016, no. 185; Freddy 2009; Pastoreau 1983, – 2006; Randall 1992, II, no. 207.
cat. 56*
cat. 56*
cat. 56*
cat. 56*
cat. 56*
A rare piece by a renowned Nuremberg artist
57 Hofmann Prayer Book
Manuscript in German on vellum, illuminated by Nikolaus Glockendon South Germany, Nuremberg, 1513-1515 118 × 87 mm. 299 leaves, lacking 2 leaves before ff. 196 and 198, and final 3 blanks. – Written space: 68 × 63 mm, 1 column, 13 lines. Fine calligraphic German Textura (by the scribe IL, according to Merkl 1999, p. 431). – 89 large illuminated initials, mostly five lines high, fine leafy designs in colours on highly burnished gold grounds heightened with liquid gold tracery, flourishing or penwork extensions, 10 initials in colours rather than burnished gold. 31 large historiated initials, six to eight lines high, in elaborate floral designs with full or partial borders either (a) in a Flemish style of naturalistic flowers scattered on a liquid gold ground, or, more commonly (b) in scrolling, twisting, coloured, leafy, floral, stems including entangled birds, animals, grotesques, angels, hunting scenes, wild men, etc. 10 full-page or almost full-page miniatures. – Generally, in fine condition with sparkling gold, although slightly cropped, occasional marks and smudging. – Binding: Red velvet over old wooden boards, metal clasp and catch, edges gilt, silk markers.
PROVENANCE: 1. Nuremberg, written and illuminated for Wolfgang (d. 1522) and Helena Hofmann (d. 1514/15), with their coat of arms and initials (f. 1v, Seyler 1971, p. 146, fig. 151). The patron saints Wolfgang and Helen are depicted on full-page miniatures, while the patrons themselves may be shown as a Lady receiving Communion (f. 103v) and a Family receiving Benediction (f. 293v). Hofmann was documented in Nuremberg as a long-term commercial associate of the Fugger banking house of Augsburg (1490s-1522; Häberlein 2012). – 2. Leipzig, Theodor Oswald Weigel (1812-1881), publisher, book dealer, and antiquarian, his no. 1898/70. – 3. Bamberg, Josef Heller, 1846 (in pencil F. 46 on pastedown). – 4. Munich, Jacques Rosenthal. – 5. Europe, private collection (London, Sotheby’s, 10 July 1967, lot 84), sold to Maggs. – 6. Major J.R. Abbey (18941969), his JA 7396, with his bookplate (his sale at Sotheby’s, 19 June 1989, lot 3036). – 7. Germany, private collection. TEXT: ff. 2r-13v: Calendar (full), use of Nuremberg – ff. 16r18r: Gospel Lesson of St. John – ff. 18v-19r: Pope Urban II, Prayers for an indulgence – ff. 20r-102r: Prayers for the Hours, Prayer to the mercy of the Virgin, confession of sins – ff. 103v-141v: Communion prayers – ff. 142r-165r: Prayers to the Virgin – f. 166r: Prayer to St. Erasmus – f. 168v: 24 Ave Marias – f. 177r: Passion prayer – ff. 190r-211r: Seven Joys of the Virgin – f. 212r: Three Truths – f. 216r: Indulgence Pope Benedict XII, prayers to Christ – f. 219r: Prayers when sick or dying – ff. 223v-227r: Prayers to the Virgin – f. 227v: Indulgence Pope Sixtus IX – f. 230r: Prayers to St. Anna – f. 232r: Prayer for Sunday, to the Trinity – ff. 242r-246r: Suffrages to saints – ff. 247r-252r: Verses of St. Gregory, Pater Noster, Indulgence by Pope Boniface VIII – ff. 252v-284v: More prayers – ff. 285r-294r: Suffrages to saints: Wolfgang (f. 285r), Helen (f. 290r), and Benediction – ff. 295r-297v: Prayer to SS. Philip and James. ILLUMINATION: Large miniatures: f. 1v: Coat of arms of Wolfgang Hofmann, monogram WH – f. 15v: St. John on Patmos – f. 19v: Ecce Homo – f. 241v: Fourteen Holy H elpers – f. 246v: Mass of St. Gregory – f. 271v: Virgin and Child on a crescent moon – f. 274v: Christ and apostles take leave – f. 284v: St. Wolfgang – f. 289v: St. Helen – f. 293v: Priest blesses a family. Nikolaus Glockendon was a second-generation member of a dynasty that considerably impacted the artistic life of the free imperial city of Nuremberg in the late 15th and
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throughout the 16th century. The Glockendons were contemporaries of the ingenious Albrecht Dürer and – like many others – were strongly influenced by his art. Nikolaus, who apparently specialised in book illumination, was seemingly the most successful of the family besides his younger brother Albrecht the Younger, who worked as a woodcutter, scribe, and illuminator. Nikolaus’s earliest works date from 1512/13. His oeuvre encompasses some thirty manuscripts and more than twenty single leaves. His enormous popularity can be fathomed by his most prestigious client, Cardinal Albert of Brandenburg, Elector of Mainz. The cardinal was an ambitious, exigent patron of arts and so Glockendon was in competition with highly esteemed artists like the Bruges illuminator Simon Bening. Albrecht von Brandenburg commissioned at least four deluxe manuscripts from Nikolaus Glockendon, the most famous of which is probably the ‘Glockendon Prayerbook’, an outstanding masterpiece of German book illumination (Modena, Bibl. Estense, ms. Est. 136). The prayer book at hand belongs to his early works, along with another prayer book, also commissioned by Wolfgang and Helene Hofmann (Vienna, ÖNB, cod. Ser. nov. 2601, Merkl, no. 92), possibly one volume for him and one for her. Both manuscripts are also by the hand of the same scribe, who sometimes signed his work: “IL” (Merkl 1999, p. 431). Nikolaus’ abilities as a colourist are highly praised (Taylor Cashion 2010; Nuremberg 2008, pp. 120-59). Within this codex, his borders (often injected with a dose of humour), historiated initials, and full-page miniatures form a unity, creating an ensemble of the page, and are of excellent quality. The sumptuous interplay of varied hues produces a great sense of volume and atmospheric space. His buoyant handling of colours also transforms his models, elevating them in terms of style. Glockendon’s magnificent art of pigments highlighted with gold shows he is a true master of illumination. The opportunity to acquire ‘a Glockendon’ manuscript is indeed very rare: next to the present book, the only other one known to be in private hands is the Passion in German also presented in this catalogue (60). LITERATURE: Günther cat. 11, no. 57; Merkl 1999, p. 271, no. 94, ill. 375. Häberlein 2012; Marrow 1983; Nuremberg 2008; Seyler 1971; Taylor Cashion 2010.
cat. 57
cat. 57
cat. 57
Quite attractive: educational and with humour
58 Book of Hours, use of Cambrai
Manuscript on vellum in Latin and French, illuminated in the circle of the Master of Charles V and a second illuminator Hainaut, Valenciennes or Cambrai (?), c. 1520 115 x 80 mm. 222 leaves. – Written space: 75 x 55 mm, 1 column, 17 lines. Littera textualis with calligraphic pen-flourishes. – Numerous decorated initials, 66 miniatures (14 large, 52 smaller), most with fine Ghent-Bruges borders. – In pristine condition, only slightly cropped. – Binding: 18th-century red morocco.
PROVENANCE: 1. Hainaut, made for a man (male forms in text, man depicted with guardian angel, f. 185r), possibly a member of the Lalaing family (38, 39). – 2. Handed down by descent from first owner. TEXT: ff. 1v-13r: Calendar, use of Cambrai (half-full) – ff. 13v17r: Tables – ff. 18r-22r: Gospel sequences – ff. 22v-24v: Communion prayers – ff. 25r-71v: Hours of the Virgin, use of Cambrai – ff. 73r-92v: Penitential Psalms, Litany of Saints – ff. 93r-140v: Office of the Dead, Nine Lessons – ff. 141r-146v: Prayers for the Dead – ff. 147r-154r: Hours of the Holy Cross – ff. 154r-163r: Hours of the Holy Spirit, hymns – ff. 164r-173v: Prayers to God the Father and Christ – ff. 174r-184v: Prayers to the Virgin – ff. 185r-206v: Suffrages, Commemoratio – ff. 208r-209r: Decem precepta legis, in Latin and French – f. 209r: Les cinq commandements de saincte eglise, in French – ff. 210r-211r: De venerabili sacramento. ILLUMINATION: (full-page miniatures in bold) ff. 14v-15r: Tables for Sunday-letter and Golden Number – ff. 17v-18r: St. John – f. 19r: St. Luke – f. 20v: St. Matthew – f. 21v: St. Mark – f. 25r: Annunciation – f. 33v: Visitation – f. 44v: Nativity – f. 49v: Annunciation to the Shepherds – f. 53v: Adoration of the Magi – f. 57r: Presentation at the Temple – f. 61r: Flight into Egypt – ff. 67v-68r: Coronation of the Virgin – ff. 72v-73r: David in Penitence – ff. 92-v-93r: Three living Kings meet three dead Kings – f. 105r: Expulsion from paradise – f. 106v: Eve and Adam, Cain and Abel – f. 107v: God speaks to Job – f. 112r: Funeral service – f. 113v: Mercy between Birth and Death – f. 114v: Souls in Purgatory – f. 121v: Man receives last rites – f. 123r: Job tormented – f. 124r: The world, the flesh, and the devil are man’s enemy (Job 10:18-22) – ff. 140v-141r: Burial service – ff. 144v-145r: Betrayal of Christ – f. 146r: Christ before Pilate – f. 147v: Ecce homo – f. 148v: Christ carries the Cross – f. 149v: Crucifixion – f. 150v: Deposition – f. 151v: Entombment – f. 154v: Harrowing of Hell – f. 155v: Resurrection – f. 156v: Christ appears to the Virgin – f. 157v: Christ appears to the Magdalene – f. 158v: On the road to Emmaus – f. 159v: Doubting Thomas – f. 160v: Pentecost – ff. 163v-164r: Salvator mundi – f. 173v: Lamentation – f. 177v: Virgin and Child – f. 180r: Crucifixion – f. 185r: Guardian angel with patron – f. 187v: St. Michael – f. 188v: St. Peter – f. 189r: St. Paul – f. 190v: St. Andrew – f. 192r: St. Stephen – f. 192v: St. Lawrence – f. 193r: St. Sebastian – f. 194v: St. Hadrian – f. 195v: St. Nicholas – f. 196r: St. Fiacre – f. 197r: St. Gaugericus – f. 197v: St. Autbert – f. 198r: St. Anthony – f. 199v: St. Katherine – f. 200v: St. Barbara – f. 201v: St. Mary Magdalene – f. 202v: St. Margaret – f. 204r: Nativity – f. 205r: Resurrection – f. 206r: Pentecost – f. 207r: All saints – ff. 209v-210r: Holy Sacrament.
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With only two texts written in French, this book was made for a young man who was well versed in Latin and is shown with his guardian angel (f. 185r). The manuscript, a small ‘treasure’, contains many pages with very fine decoration. Its margins abound with illusionistic schemes painted in the famous Ghent-Bruges style, filled with delicate flowers, birds, and insects (sometimes casting shadows), mostly on a golden base. There are inscriptions in text scrolls, as well as borders with decorative letters. A few margins contain geometric designs with exquisite jewels, pearls, and gems. At new, major sections the decoration forms a single unit on facing pages, presented in fine harmony. This very rich Book of Hours with numerous illuminated scenes portrays the Passion of Christ and later events, followed by a series of saints. The illustrated Office of the Dead, with nine lessons for the young patron to learn (ff. 93r-140v), is remarkable. The series is not completely unknown, as it was printed in a Book of Hours known from Thielman Kerver (Paris, 27 May 1522, Tenschert 2015, no. 117.3). The images offer a realistic, at times rather humorous view on the serious concepts of death and sin ruling everyday medieval life. What should one think of four clerics praying at the side of a deceased’s coffin, while a fifth cleric asks his soul to answer for his sins. The soul calls out desperately “I am condemned”, as the devil takes him away (f. 112r), leaving no room for prayers to help (this is, in fact, a reference to a legend in the life of St. Bruno, founder of the Carthusian Order). The miniature of the Holy Sacrament (f. 206v) shows the monstrance with Corpus Christi venerated by a bishop, cardinal, pope, emperor, and layman. Several miniatures remind the viewer that life is short and that one should always be prepared to meet one’s maker, which is emphasized strikingly in the scene of three young kings who are hunting being confronted by their dead counterparts (f. 93r). Presumably, two illuminators contributed to the book, both painting sturdy, compact figures. The first artist recalls the so-called Master of Charles V, active in Brussels, c.1520-1530. Unlike Simon Bening – with whom he had trained – he used mainly pastels of muted greens, blues, and reds, creating an overall softer effect with a rather specific manner of gold hatching (Los Angeles 2003, pp. 295, 335). The second hand recalls the work of the Master of Cardinal Wolsey, although relatively few illuminations can be ascribed to him. By applying somewhat agitated brushstrokes, his miniatures share a sense of movement (Los Angeles 2003, pp. 495-503). LITERATURE: Unpublished. Los Angeles 2003; Tenschert 2015.
cat. 58
cat. 58
cat. 58
A most noble gift, presented by Charles V to his governor
59 Book of Hours with extra prayers, use of Rome Manuscript on vellum in Latin and French, illuminated by Gerard Horenbout Flanders, Mechelen (?), c. 1520 152 x 75 mm. 188 leaves. – Written space: 100 x 55 mm, 21/22 lines. Lettre bâtarde. – All pages with one- or two-line initials in gold on a blue or red/purple field, three-line initials in gold on fields alternating in green, brown, and blue, outlined with a golden frame at new text sections. 21 large miniatures below or above 5-8 text lines, all in a golden frame, adorned with bas-de-page decoration in Ghent-Bruges style. – Some marginal notes added in French, Spanish, and Latin by two or more hands. Slightly trimmed. – Binding: 18th-century green morocco, gilt.
PROVENANCE: 1. According to family tradition “this manuscript was presented by Emperor Charles V to his governor.” See the letter pasted on rear pastedown signed by Princess Christine of Salm (Aix-la-Chapelle, 11 January 1741). She mentions that the book came from her grandmother Christine de Croÿ to whom it was given by her “grand oncle” who had been the emperor’s governor, i.e. Guillaume II de Croÿ (14581521). In 1616, Christine de Croÿ (d. 1664) married PhilippOtto, Fürst zu Salm (d. 1634) after which the manuscript was handed down by descent. – 2. Now in a private collection. TEXT: pp. 5-28: Calendar (full), use of Rome – pp. 29-35: Gospel Sequences – pp. 36-66: Passion of Christ by St. John and St. Matthew – pp. 67-157: Hours of the Virgin, use of Rome; prayers – pp. 158-74: Hours of the Holy Trinity – pp. 175-88: Officium de Conceptione; prayers – pp. 189-99: Prayers to the Virgin – pp. 199-200: Five feasts of Notre Dame – pp. 201-6: Short Hours of the Holy Cross – pp. 207-11: Short Hours of the Holy Spirit – pp. 212-17: Hours of the Holy Sacrament – pp. 218-221: Prayers to the Virgin – pp. 221-247: Seven Penitential Psalms; Litany – pp. 248-91: Office of the Dead – pp. 292-303: Office de Notre Dame, in French – pp. 303-9: Memoire de la Trinité, in French – pp. 309-11: Oraison a dieu le père – pp. 311-40: Suffrages to Saints – pp. 336-40: Various hymns – pp. 340-73: Prayers in French and Latin. ILLUMINATION: p. 36: Christ in Agony – p. 67: Annunciation – p. 79: Visitation – p. 94: Nativity – p. 100: Annunciation to the Shepherds – p. 105: Adoration of the Magi – p. 110: Presentation in the Temple – p. 115: Massacre of the Innocents – p. 124: Coronation of the Virgin – p. 158: Trinity – p. 175: St. Anne’s Immaculate Conception – p. 189: Virgin and Child – p. 191: Pietà – p. 199: Five Joys of the Virgin – p. 201: Crucifixion – p. 207: Pentecost – p. 212: Blessing of the Holy Sacrament – p. 218: St. John and the Virgin before Christ on the Cross, a sword points at the Virgin’s heart – p. 221: Penitent David – p. 248: Raising of Lazarus – p. 292: Seven Sorrows of the Virgin. This quite rich and lavishly illustrated manuscript has retained its interesting format, narrow and small, comparable to four other manuscripts made for Emperor Charles V between 1516 and 1540 (Los Angeles 2003, pp. 496-99). The manuscript’s special format only offer room for extensive border decoration in the trompe l’oeil Ghent-Bruges style in the lower border. But there is no concession to scale in the miniatures, where this great artist shows his talent in creating several scenes in a small space – ingeniously divided up into several compartments. Masterly attention is given to detail while the illuminator expertly displays interiors or landscapes that
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emanate different light effects – for instance in the Nativity, the Annunciation to the Shepherds, the Adoration of the Magi, or the astounding Pentecost (pp. 94, 100, 105, 207). Scholars have called him “a brilliant narrative artist with a poet’s eye for outdoor settings” (Los Angeles 2003, p. 6). Gerard Horenbout (d. 1541), who many accept to be the Master of James IV of Scotland, was admitted to the guild of artists and illuminators of Ghent in 1487. He later became a renowned panel painter. Early in the 1500s, James IV of Scotland commissioned him to illuminate a Book of Hours (Vienna, ÖNB, Cod. Vindib. 1897, c. 1503) and in 1515 Margaret of Austria, Governess of the Netherlands, named him court painter and valet de chambre. His most important work is identified in the Spinola Hours (1510-1520, J. Paul Getty Museum) and the Grimani Breviary (now in Venice) in collaboration with Simon Bening (Los Angeles 2003, pp. 427-33). Few manuscripts owned by Charles V have ever come to the market and the present manuscript is a very important example. The emperor’s personal library appears to have been mostly dispersed or destroyed. Some of it passed to his son Philip II (such as his four-volume Breviary, Escorial, Cod. Vit. 4-7). Other books passed by descent to his greatnephew Emperor Matthias (d. 1619) and to the Schatzkammer in Vienna. The famous Gebetbuch Karls V (now Vienna, ÖNB, ms. 1859) was in the hands of the Jesuits of Wiener Neustadt by 1670. Charles V also presented books to members of his retinue: New York, ML, ms. M. 491 was explicitly given to his chaplain, and ms. M. 696 was later in the hands of his secretary (Los Angeles 2003, no. 166). Another prayerbook with extraordinary iconography was made for him (c. 1516-1517) and soon passed on to his advisor, the Swiss cardinal Matthias Schinner (Günther cat. 11, no. 58). Guillaume II de Croÿ, Lord of Chièvres (1458-1521) was elected Knight of the Golden Fleece in 1491. He was a prominent member of the court of Philip the Handsome (1478-1506). After the duke’s death, he joined the regency council and held chief responsibility for finances. In 1509, he became chief tutor and first chamberlain of the infant, Archduke Charles V (1500-1558), making him most influential in international politics. Charles V often took his advice. It is agreeable to think that the young prince Charles presented this book to the man to whom he owed so much. We kindly thank Bodo Brinkmann for his scholarly advice. LITERATURE: Unpublished. Günther cat. 11, no. 58; Los Angeles 2003; Wijsman 2010.
cat. 59
cat. 59
cat. 59
cat. 59
cat. 59
Inspired by Albrecht Dürer
60 Heinrich of St. Gallen, Passion Christi
Manuscript on vellum in German, by the Nuremberg scribe IL, illuminated by Nikolaus Glockendon
Germany, Nuremberg, dated 1521 134 x 94 mm. 4 + 201 leaves. Foliation in gold. – Written space: 98 x 70 mm, 1 column, 18 lines. Written by the scribe IL (see below), in a well-balanced German Textura with flourishes in black ink. – Numerous smaller initials in red (many touched with gold), one seven-line initial with gold and blue on f. lr. Flowers and insects in the margins, illuminated frontispiece, 23 full-page miniatures (96 x 66 mm) in architectural frame-work. – Some older repairs (f. 116), loss in borders by cropping, some stains, otherwise in excellent condition. – Binding: 18th-century, blue-green calf, lavishly gilt, spine over five raised bands, silver corner pieces and clasp.
PROVENANCE: 1. Nuremberg, possibly made for Hieronymus Holzschuher (1469-1529). The colophon on f. 199r reads “Anno dni 1521 [touched with gold] Jar an Sant Frannziscus tag ward volbpracht disser passion ym weinmonat [name erased] pey Sant Lorennzen wonhaft” (In the year 1521 on St. Francis day [4 October] this Passion was completed in the wine month […] living near St. Lorenz). Male forms (weinet uber mich mich Sunder, f. 127r). Holzschuher was burgomaster and patrician, member of one of the oldest families in Nuremberg. He married Hieronymus Münzer’s only daughter, Dorothea, and acquired his father-in-law’s library. An early provenance to Holzschuher would be extremely interesting, but, if true, can only be confirmed by circumstantial evidence, as a coat of arms is lacking (perhaps it was included, but later replaced by the current frontispiece). – 2. Styria, Ferdinand Hoffmann (1540-1607, signature and date on front flyleaf, partly cut off), 1584 (?) or 1564 (?). Hoffmann acquired Holzschuher’s library, which remained in Nuremberg until c. 1600. His heirs donated it about 1669 to: – 3. Nikolsburg (Mikulov) castle, by descent to Alexander Prince of Dietrichstein (his library was auctioned in Luzern 1933, but the manuscript was alienated before). – 4. Geneva, Leo S. Olschki, 1920. – 5. Geneva, Kundig, Cat. 1948, lot 38. – 6. d’Arquian. – 7. Hamburg, Hauswedell, 1962. – 8. Germany, private collection. TEXT: Attributed to Heinrich of St. Gallen and written c. 1400, this is the most widely spread Passion tract of the Middle Ages. The present manuscript, first published in 1920, was noted again in 1999 by Merkl as currently untraceable. It is based on a printed edition, such as Augsburg: Anton Sorg, 18 Nov. 1480 (ISTC ip00137000). According to Kristina Domanski the text represents redaction A, including the Resurrection. It follows more or less exactly the printed edition by Hans Froschauer, Augsburg 1509. However, there is a small deviation at the end, as the last texts on ff. 192r-198r follow the Nuremberg edition of Huber 1504 (VD16 B 4753). It remains thus undetermined, which was the exact model for our manuscript. Moreover, the manuscript deviates in the selection of images from the mentioned printed editions, lacking, for instance, the disrobing of Christ, while the printed books lack the images of Christ cleansing the temple (f. 5v) and Christ taking leave of his mother (f. 12v). The careful script can be found in six other Glockendon codices (Merkl 1999, nos. 77, 79, 90, 92, 94, 101) often combined with the monogram IL (57). Since the crucial part in our colophon has been erased, the identity of the scribe remains as of yet unsolved. Hopefully, research in the Nuremberg archives will offer some new results.
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ILLUMINATION: All miniatures, except the later added frontispiece, are based on Albrecht Dürer’s engravings in the Small Passion series, published in 1511: f. lr (Added somewhat later): Trinity, in an archway; in a foliate border; headed by Der Passion – f. 5v: Jesus cleanses the Temple – f. 12v: Christ takes leave of his mother – f. 40v: Last Supper – f. 44v: Christ washes the feet of his disciples – f. 57r: Gethsemane – f. 72v: Betrayal and Arrest – f. 78v: Christ before Annas: – f. 81v: Mocking of Christ – f. 83v: Christ before Caiaphas – f. 93v. Christ before Pilate – f. 101r: Christ before Herodes – f. 107v: Flagellation – f. 113r: Crowning with thorns – f. 115r. Ecce Homo – f. 122r: Pilate washes his hands – f. 126r: Jesus falls and meets Veronica – f. 131r: Nailing to the Cross – f. 136v: Crucifixion – f. 172r: Deposition – f. 174r: Pietà – f. 183r: Lamentation – f. 189r: Christ in limbo – f. 197v: Resurrection. The work of Nikolaus Glockendon (c. 1490/95-1533/34) is generally considered among the masterpieces of German Renaissance art (57). He was the foremost illuminator of his generation and belonged to a dynasty of Nuremberg artists. His ability as a colourist was famous, achieving “a sense of celebration through shading, gold highlights, and bright hues” (Taylor Cashion 2010). Compared to Dürer’s woodcuts, Glockendon’s figures are more full-bodied, with rounder facial features and softer physiognomies. The wide range of expressive colours and shadings, differentiated in subtle gradations and fine hatching, verifies – together with the abundant use of gold in draperies, locks of hair, and scenery – the precious value of the work. Although ten of the miniatures show the Dürer monogram, they can be clearly attributed to Nikolaus Glockendon, who quite often used Dürer’s graphic works as templates for his miniatures. He worked with Dürer’s approval, and so it is very doubtful that the AD monograms were also inserted by Glockendon. Dürer had his trademark signature AD strictly protected under the Nuremberg Council and he prosecuted abuse in several cases. Glockendon, dependent on Dürer’s benevolence, would not have used his monogram. More likely, these were added later (Merkl 1999, p. 450). We kindly thank Kristina Domanski for her support. LITERATURE: Domanski 2017; handschriftencensus.de/ 23224; Leitschuh/Delarue 1920; Merkl 1999, no. 110 and pp. 88-98. Marrow 1983; Nuremberg 2008; Smith 2010; Taylor Cashion 2010.
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