Les Enluminures Archives - Rare Book Insider

Les Enluminures

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Printed Book of Hours (use of Rome); In Latin and French, printed and illuminated on parchment

CHARMING TINY PRINTED BOOK OF HOURS WITH EXPERTLY ILLUMINATED METALCUTS IN AN UNUSUAL OBLONG FORMAT, In Latin and French, printed and illuminated on parchment in Paris, c. 1536. Dimensions 143 x 76 mm., 90 folios, complete, 32 lines printed in Roman font in black ink (justification 118 x 47 mm), single-, double-, and triple-line initials in gold paint on alternating red and blue grounds, 14 metal-cuts, hand-illuminated in full color with gold borders. BINDING: Nineteenth-century brown leather with gilt-ruled frame, gold-tooled spine, worn with losses at joints and edges, small scratches and abrasions to the covers. TEXT AND ILLUSTRATION: Printed Books of Hours, like this rare example, consciously imitated illuminated manuscripts. In this particularly appealing volume by the Hardouyn Workshop, fourteen metalcuts are so vibrantly and expertly painted that they are practically indistinguishable from illuminated miniatures. This is a very rare imprint, not in Lacombe (1907) or Brunet (1860â€"1865); very likely Moreau-Renouard, 1972â€"2004, vol. 5, p. 105, no. 194, BP 16 108201, Bohatta, 1924, no. 1177 (listed in these sources is a single copy sold by L. Rosenthal, Munich, Cat. XXII, no. 4032, no date, 188?). PROVENANCE: Printed in Paris by Germain Hardouyn in the sixteenth century, likely c. 1536 (includes an almanac for the years 1536â€"1548); likely sold in Munich by Rosenthal in the 1880s, as listed in the Rosenthal Catalogue XXII, no. 4032; belonged to Noel F. Barwell (1879â€"[1953]?), his armorial bookplate on the front pastedown. CONDITION: Some folios with wear, discoloration, and minor damage from handling, f. 42 with loss of paint, faded ink to lower corner; increased wear to last quire, with creasing to parchment from f. 79 onward, f. 90 slightly offset. Full description and images available (BOH 223/TM 1271).
  • $35,000
  • $35,000
book (2)

Carta Executoria de HidalguÃa (Patent of Nobility) of Juan de Nurueña y Alava; in Spanish, illuminated manuscript on parchment

SEVENTEENTH-CENTURY ILLUMINATED DOCUMENT FOR A SPANISH NOBLE FAMILY. In Spanish, illuminated manuscript on parchment, Spain (Valladolid), May 8, 1622. Dimensions 310 x 220 mm., 87 folios complete, some leaf and quire signatures, prickings visible, written in a humanist bookhand in 28 long lines, headings in gold capitals on grounds of blue and dark red, TWO FULL-PAGE MINIATURES. BINDING: Modern (19-20th century?) reddish purple velvet binding over wooden boards, with a center ornament and border impressed in the velvet, two ornamental silver clasps, housed in a protective box. TEXT: This Carta Executoria , granted on behalf of King Philip IV of Spain (1605-1665), authenticates the nobility of Juan de Nurue ±a y Alava, thereby granting him exemption from taxes along with other perks. Our document is the formal copy that was commissioned and retained by the family, copied in a beautiful script, and lavishly illuminated. ILLUSTRATION: Two full-page miniatures . f. 2v,Immaculate Conception of Mary with the Virgin, full length, her hands clasped in prayer, in blue robes with a star above her head, standing on a crescent moon with cherubs, in a beautiful garden and with symbols from the litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary; f. 3, Coat of arms of the family of Juan de Nurue ±a y Alava, incorporating the Alava arms on the right. PROVENANCE: Issued by the Real Audiencia y Chanciller a de Valladolid for Juan de Nurue ±a y Alava of Tordelr ¡bano and Hita, Spain on May 28, 1622. On f. 4v, the beginning of the case is stated as May 23, 1620; original flyleaf, f. i, early notes and two signatures in ink, "Manuel …"; "Luis Fernando"; modern owner's annotation in pencil, inside front cover, "456-TEO." CONDITION: some cockling to the leaves near the beginning and end, slight cracking along the top and bottom of the joints, upper cover, otherwise excellent condition. Full description and images available. (TM 1240)
  • $8,500
  • $8,500
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Book of Hours (use of Mons); in Latin and some French, illuminated manuscript on parchment

illuminated by the Mildmay Master, the Master of Philippe de Croÿ, and a third Mons illuminator, follower of Simon Marmion FASCINATING MEDIEVAL BOOK OF HOURS WITH EXTENSIVE ILLUMINATIONS BY THREE DIFFERENT ARTISTS. In Latin and some French, illuminated manuscript on parchment, Southern Netherlands, Mons, c. 1460 (original portion), c. 1480-1490 (updated). Dimensions 167 x 116 mm., 199 folios, lacking one text leaf, written by two different scribes in gothic textualis bookhand in single column on 17 lines; BINDING: seventeenth century brown calf over wooden boards, spine with four raised bands, gold-tooled, gilt title ("OFFICIU / BEATEM / VIRGIN", partly worn out), gilt edges. ILLUSTRATION: 22 full-page miniatures within full rinceaux borders by the Mildmay Master (13), the Master of Philippe de Croÿ (7), and a third Mons illuminator, follower of Simon Marmion (2), and 4 small miniatures by the Mildmay Master, additional sixteen full rinceaux borders, and 5-line initials in pink or blue on burnished gold grounds. The Mildmay Master was responsible for the core of the original manuscript; the artist paints elongated figures with small heads and slender bodies, mostly situated on pale yellow tiled grounds. His outdoor landscapes are cursory. Unusual here are his delicate acanthus and floral borders sprinkled with fanciful grotesques. The artist responsible for updating the manuscript is the Philippe de Croÿ Master. He favors tiled floors in brown or gray and white, with a generally somber, almost grisaille palette, with blue and white, grey, and a burnt brownish orange. A third painter, a follower of Simon Marmion, intervened during this second campaign. The most skilled of the three illuminators, his delicate figures are well-modeled, with tiny hands and individualized faces. PROVENANCE: The manuscript was made in Southern Netherlands probably in two different stages. The core of the Hours and the calendar were written in Mons for an unknown patron, c. 1460. Then, around 1480, the manuscript was updated, also in Mons, for a couple represented in prayer in the manuscript: Jean Antoine de Mahieu, Lord of Bosqueau, and his wife, Jacqueline de Sivry, Lady of Buath; belonged to Jean-Baptiste-Florentin Gabriel de Meyran, marquis de Lagoy (1764-1829); inside front cover: "Jean Fra(n)sois de Lescluse demeurant a Frasne." CONDITION: ink stain in the margin of f. 1, water stains in lower margins of first 32 leaves, colors slightly faded on marginal decoration f. 120v, stain in the marginal decoration f. 77v, other minor signs of use, otherwise in very good condition. Binding condition: leather very rubbed, gold tooling worn, front cover almost detached, hinges of the back cover fragile. Full description and images available. (BOH 217)
  • $140,000
  • $140,000
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Privilegieboek van den Jongen Handboge (Privilege-book of the Young Handbow) of Antwerp (Guild of St. Sebastian); in Dutch, illustrated manuscript on parchment

BOOK DESCRIPTION: EXQUISITELY WRITTEN AND DECORATED MANUSCRIPT FOR AN EARLY ARCHERY GUILD. In Dutch, illustrated manuscript on parchment, Belgium, Antwerp, c. 1575 with 17th-century additions. Dimensions 273-275 x 187 mm., complete, frame-ruled in faint rust-brown ink (justification 215-218×135-137 mm.), written below top line by three scribes, the main scribe writing an elegant gothic script with some cursive elements (semi-hybrida) in 22-32 lines, the second scribe annotating the first in a less formal semi-hybrida currens, the third scribe working in a gothic script (semi-hybrida) in 15-25 lines. BINDING: Bound in 1783 in black leather over beveled boards, elaborately tooled in gold, gilt-tooled spine. TEXT: A collection of statutes, ordinances, privileges, and other documents for an early archery guild in Antwerp. One of only a small number of extant militia guild privilege-books, this is the sole known example from the Jongen Handboge ('Young Handbow'). ILLUSTRATION: The very skillful decoration in this volume is one of its outstanding features, with 29 large ornate decorated initials in black ink and two smaller initials; most are highly flourished cadel initials, with finely drawn figures including birds and animals integrated into the elaborate patterns of interlaced pen-strokes, FOUR DRAWINGS (two full-page, one half-page, one small) and FULL-PAGE DIAGRAM evince a high degree of technical skill with precise outlines and sensitive three-dimensional modelling, creating an effect reminiscent of fine engraving. PROVENANCE: Main text copied in Dutch, in Antwerp, in 1575 by Hans Verrast for the Jongen Handboge ("Young Handbow"). The main hand and illustrations are consistent with this date. Additions through c.1648 situate the manuscript in possession of the guild until at least the latter year; date of the guild's dissolution is uncertain; acquired by the van Havre family of Antwerp in the Dutch Era in the Dutch Era ("den Hollandschen tijd") ? i.e., 1814-1830; with several brief inscriptions and other marks, including: " . 1823" and "Gurtram ," along with two pasted-in heraldic bookplates, one bearing the legend "Ex Libris / A.v.Billet"; CONDITION: some rippling and mild edge-gap at ff. 22 and 29, light scuffing of binding, but otherwise in very fine condition. Full description and images available. (TM 1104)
  • $45,000
  • $45,000
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Carthusian Ordinarium for the Mass and Office, in Latin, decorated manuscript on paper

MANUSCRIPT FOR CARTHUSIAN MONKS ON HOW TO OBSERVE THE LITURGY. In Latin, decorated manuscript on paper, Southern France (M ounes-les-Montrieux), November 15, 1544.Dimensions 145 x 90 mm. 96 folios on paper, watermark: a cross on a mount (unidentified), complete, written in a gothic cursive bookhand in a single column on 25 lines, red rubrics and initials. BINDING: modern half binding in cream-colored parchment over pasteboards, marbled papers on covers, pastedowns and flyleaves, five raised bands on spine, in excellent condition. TEXT: A handbook for the Carthusian liturgy for new priests. This is a manuscript about the Mass and Divine Office, setting forth the rules that governed the complex liturgical life of a Carthusian monastery. The information it contains is thus very different than the contents of much more common liturgical manuscripts like Missals or Breviaries. How widely this text was disseminated within the Carthusian Order remains a question for further research. PROVENANCE: copied at the charterhouse of Montrieux (in Latin, mons rivus), in Southern France, located in the commune of M ounes-les-Montrieux, north of Tolon, and about an hour away from Marseille, and securely dated 1544 in the scribal colophon at the end of part one; bookplate of Ludovic Froissart (d. 1977); modern booksellers's marks on the verso of the front flyleaf. CONDITION: slight water damage on the first leaves, some stains, and signs of use, otherwise in very good condition. Full description, images, and video available (TM 1181).
  • $11,000
  • $11,000
Lo Statuto della Compagnia del Santissimo Sagramento in S. Nicolà dei Perfetti (Statutes of the Confraternity of the Most Holy Sacrament)

Lo Statuto della Compagnia del Santissimo Sagramento in S. Nicolà dei Perfetti (Statutes of the Confraternity of the Most Holy Sacrament), in Italian and Latin, decorated manuscript on parchment

CAREFULLY WRITTEN AND DECORATED UNPUBLISHED MANUSCRIPT FROM AN ITALIAN CONFRATERNITY. In Italian and Latin, decorated manuscript on parchment, Italy (Rome), c. 1736-1745. Dimensions 231 x 167 mm., 27 folios, complete, written in black ink in italic and in an upright script modelled on Roman font in 25 long lines, red rubrics, full decorative borders in black ink throughout, five 3-line and one 4-line initials in red ink with acanthus, one 6-line initial in black ink with acanthus, decorative tail pieces throughout. BINDING: original quarter leather binding with decorative paper covered boards. TEXT: This manuscript contains the statues for a confraternity in Rome, recording its regulations including the election of its chief officers, maintenance of the archives, care for the sick, funerary arrangements for deceased members, and so forth. Carefully written and decorated, this manuscript illustrates the interesting continuation of manuscript culture (in this case clearly influenced by the aesthetics of contemporary printed volumes) in the eighteenth century. PROVENANCE: Written and decorated in Rome for the Confraternity of the Holy Sacrament in S. Nicol dei Perfetti, Rome; the Statutes were originally ratified c. 1736; additions at the end of the manuscript confirming reforms to the statutes are dated 1744-1745; auction and other notes, all in pencil, in several hands; later owned by Kroch's Bookstore, Inc., Chicago (typed description from Kroch's bookstore laid in). CONDITION: slight darkening to edges, binding with slight wear to corners of boards, first quire loosened from bottom cord, in otherwise very good condition. Full description and images available. (TM 1093)
  • $6,500
  • $6,500
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Vaderboec (second Dutch translation of the Vitae patrum); in Middle Dutch, manuscript on paper

RARE DUTCH TRANSLATION OF A TEXT IMPORTANT TO THE RELIGIOUS REFORMERS KNOWN AS THE DEVOTIO MODERNA. In Middle Dutch, manuscript on paper, Southern part of the Northern Netherlands, probably Limbourg, c. 1475-1500. Dimensions 207 x 140 mm., 188 folios, written in a littera hybrida by one hand, skillful and vary attractive penwork initials. BINDING: CONTEMPORARY, wooden boards covered with brown leather, blind-tooled with double and triple fillets, two brass clasps. TEXT: This neatly written codex includes the second Dutch translation of a compilation of early Christian hagiographic texts, presenting the lives of third- and fourth-century hermits as examples worthy of imitation. Appearing high on the list of recommended reading for the Devotio Moderna , the Vaderboec in this translation that originated not far from the heartland of the Modern Devotion is nevertheless very rare. PROVENANCE: Copied in the Northern Netherlands, probably Limbourg, c. 1475-1500; later owned by brother Conrad Melis of Roermond (a city in northern Limbourg, the Netherlands), who presented it to the Benedictine monastery of St. Vitus in Mönchengladbach in 1688 (Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany); owned in the late 1960s by Mr. P. Mullaert in Ghent, Belgium (listed in Bernard Lambert, Bibliotheca hieronymiana manuscripta ); later belonged to Joost R. Ritman (b. 1941). CONDITION: in good general condition, lacking 2 leaves with text, both covers worn, both catches missing, upper hinge weak, quire iii (ff. 19?28) nearly loose, ff. 23 and 24 entirely loose, tear of c. 7 cm. in f. 90, some unobtrusive stains. Full description and images available. (TM 539)
  • $75,000
  • $75,000
book (2)

Scriptum super libros sententiarum Petri Lombardi, Liber I (Commentary on the Sentences of Peter Lombard, Book one); in Latin, decorated manuscript on paper

ST. THOMAS AQUINAS MEDIEVAL MANUSCRIPT OF A THEOLOGICAL COMMENTARY BY THOMAS AQUINAS. In Latin, decorated manuscript on paper, Central Italy, c. 1450-1500. Dimensions 225 x 237 mm., 134 folios, copied by two scribes in small gothic book hands, red and blue initials throughout. BINDING: reversed calf over pasteboards (eighteenth-century?). TEXT: St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274), a Dominican friar and Doctor of the Church, composed his commentary on the Sentences of Peter Lombard while teaching in Paris in the 1250s. It was his first major work on theology, in which he presented ideas that were to be elaborated in the Summa contra Gentiles and Summa Theologica , the latter destined to become the standard textbook of Catholic theology for centuries to come. When Aquinas was teaching, the Sentences had been the standard theology textbook since its compilation in the twelfth century. Our manuscript includes only book one, and many manuscripts of this text in fact include only a single book (or books). Only one other copy of Book I is found in a North American collection. PROVENANCE:Copied probably in the Marche region of Italy in the second half of the 15th century, when it was acquired by the Dominican convent of Santa Lucia in Fabrian (note on f. 134, partially erased and partially missing the ends of lines where the original page was torn away); European Private Collection. CONDITION: lacking two leaves at front, last leaf partially defective with some loss of text, mild dampstaining to margins and a few text pages (f. 1 and ff. 114-134), some fraying at edges and corners. Full description and images available. (TM 1136)
  • $32,000
  • $32,000
Latin Bible

Latin Bible, part (Pauline and Catholic Epistles, Acts, Apocalypse); NICHOLAS OF LYRA, Postillae (Commentaries on the Pauline and Catholic Epistles, Acts, Apocalypse); in Latin, decorated manuscript on paper

Nicholas of Lyra MANUSCRIPT COMBINING A LATIN NEW TESTAMENT AND COMMENTARIES BY NICHOLAS OF LYRA. In Latin, decorated manuscript on paper, Northeastern Netherlands or Northwestern Germany, c. 1450-1475. Dimensions 275 x 198 mm., 383 folios, apparently complete, written in a formal cursive gothic bookhand without loops in two columns of 38 lines, red initials, nine- to fifteen-line blue or parted red and blue initials, added running titles, which continue to part two of the volume; ff. 146-end, copied in a very neat controlled hybrida script, red initials 3- to-10 line (occasionally blue), a few with pen decoration,10-line red initial, six 10-line parted red and blue initials. BINDING: seventeenth century(?) plain vellum over pasteboard with yap edges. TEXT: This sizeable volume combines a copy of the New Testament, lacking only the Gospels, with the Commentaries by Nicholas of Lyra on the same books of the New Testament. Although possibly of independent origin, these two sections are contemporary and were united very soon after they were copied. This is the only manuscript we know of that combines the two within one volume, but it is easy to see how readers benefited greatly by having these complementary texts together. PROVENANCE: Evidence of the script, decoration, and watermarks suggests the first part of the manuscript, with the biblical text, was copied in Northwestern Germany, c. 1450-1475; evidence of the watermarks and script suggest the second half of the manuscript with Nicholas of Lyra's postillae likely copied in the Northeastern Netherlands or in Northwestern Germany, c. 1460-1470; belonged to Johann Heinrich Joseph Niesert (1766-1841); later owners, Isaac H. Hall and S. B. Pratt. CONDITION: In very good overall condition, f. 1 slit at the bottom inner margin, frayed in the outer margin, ff. 145v-146 paper noticeably darkened, f. 383 frayed at the gutter, few worm holes, rare stains from damp top margin in the second half, last few pages a bit fragile in the inner margin, vellum at the front now detached from the pasteboard and curling up, front and back covers rather dirty and scuffed. Full description and images available. (TM 1089)
  • $70,000
  • $70,000
Viridarium Gregorianum sive Biblia Gregoriana

Viridarium Gregorianum sive Biblia Gregoriana, New Testament (A Garden or Bible of Gregory); in Latin, decorated manuscript on parchment

JACOBUS FOLQUERIUS (JACQUES FOUQUIER) FOURTEENTH-CENTURY MANUSCRIPT OF A RARE NEW TESTAMENT COMMENTARY COPIED BY A NAMED SCRIBE. In Latin, decorated manuscript on parchment, Southwest Flanders or Hainaut (Tournai?), c. 1350. Dimensions 240 x 170 mm., 120 folios, complete, catchwords in red and brown ink, quire signatures, written by a single scribe in a university bookhand, scrolling cadels at top lines sometimes in human and animal forms, numerous red and blue/black penwork initials of five to seven lines. BINDING: Nineteenth-century marbled boards and doublures, parchment covering corners and spine, spine title in red and black with filigreed decoration in red. TEXT: A New Testament commentary, Jacobus Folquerius's Viridarium Gregoriana , mined from many of Gregory the Great's works, drawing occasionally on Alulfus of Tournai's Gregorialis . The text is known in only three other manuscripts; this copy was, until now, apparently unknown, and is certainly the only of its kind on the market. PROVENANCE: Based on the script, this manuscript was copied c. 1350 by a scribe trained in Southwest Flanders or Hainaut (Tournai?). The parchment's texture and penwork initials are also consistent with this region. The scribe, moreover, names himself on the final folio: "Hic liber est scriptus ludofus sit benedictus." Ludolfus is otherwise unknown. The Germanic name Ludolfus, coupled with the manuscript's northwestern physical features, is consistent with production in this region; an auction record indicates this manuscript was previously in a Bordeaux private collection, although the blue pencil note in English suggests an interruption in French ownership. CONDITION: some small spots and parchment discoloration occasionally clouding text, several original holes in parchment once stitched, rodent damage to bottom inner corner of last two quires, minor cockling of leaves due to tight binding, some chipping on binding cover, edges, and hinges, staining on front flyleaves and some ink transfer to flyleaves adjacent to book block, overall in good condition. Full description and images available. (TM 1054)
  • $85,000
  • $85,000
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Calendar from a Book of Hours; in Latin, illuminated manuscript on parchment

ILLUMINATED CALENDAR FROM A PARISIAN PRAYER BOOK. In Latin, illuminated manuscript on parchment, France (likely Paris), c. 1400-1420. Dimensions 155 x 107 mm. 12 folios on parchment, (collation, one quire of twelve leaves), ruled in plummet, written in a gothic quadrata bookhand in black and red ink on 17 long lines, with 12 illuminated initials in burnished goldleaf on grounds of blue and purple with white tracery, with ivy leaf foliate and floral ornament in goldleaf extending into margin in the upper left quadrant of the leaves. BINDING:Modern binding in quarter black Morocco. TEXT: Calendars from medieval manuscripts are rich sources for anyone who wants to learn about the medieval world. Without today's modern devices, they were how people knew what day it was and calculated the special feast days, such as Easter, that were so important to religious life. Most feasts were written in black (or dark brown) ink, whereas the more important feasts appear in red (hence, our term "red-letter day," signifying a major event). PROVENANCE: The saints recorded in red and the style of the illumination point suggest this was likely made in Paris; Folio Society, London (their inventory number MS. 2983 (?) on inside from pastedown); Marvin L. Colker (1927-2020), Colker MS 144 marked on the front cover and in pencil in the lower left margin on f. 1. CONDITION:light staining throughout, mild cockling, some initials rubbed, but generally in very good clean condition. Full description and images available (TM 1298a).
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Blasà n General y Nobleza del Universo (General Blazon and Nobility of the Universe) in Spanish, illuminated manuscript on paper

RARE ILLUSTRATED MANUSCRIPT ON SPANISH HERALDRY. In Spanish, illuminated manuscript on paper, Spain, between 1489 and 1500. Dimensions c.180-185 x 135-140 mm., 33 folios, missing one leaf (f. 9), written in a Gothic semi-textualis close to hybrida in 31-36 long lines, SIX FULL-PAGE MINIATURES, SEVEN THREE-QUARTER PAGE MINIATURES, SIXTEEN HALF PAGE MINIATURES, and TWELVE SMALLER ILLUSTRATIONS in red, blue, green, black, brown, and yellow inks. BINDING: bound in early vellum over thin boards, missing hardware, text-block partially detached from spine, a few modern repairs, overall good condition. TEXT: a meticulously transcribed manuscript copy of the 1489 Coria imprint of Pedro de Gracia Dei's Blas n General y Nobleza del Universo , Spain's first printed heraldic text, and one of Spain's earliest illustrated books. No other manuscript copies listed for sale in the Schoenberg Database. ILLUSTRATION: nearly every double-page opening boasts a large miniature or smaller illustration, all copied by hand directly and carefully, with occasional slight modifications, from the woodcuts in the 1489 Coria incunabula, and colored with red, blue, yellow, green, brown, and black pigments. Almost all the manuscript's illustrations consist of coats of arms, in various orientations, illustrating principles discussed in the text. PROVENANCE: copied in Spain between 1489 and 1500 (based on textual and paleographical evidence), in a somewhat conservative hand by a scribe perhaps commissioned to create a handsomely ornamented copy of key sections of this new heraldic work.; 19th or 20th century inscription, in black ink, "Pertenec[e] a Fran[cisco] Gomes Pereira" (f. 2).; inserted single leaf of folded paper bearing notes about the manuscript in modern Spanish in black ink in a 20th or early 21st century hand.; private collection. CONDITION: Heavy soiling mostly at lower fore-edge recto of each page, plus occasional minor stains throughout., Complete description and images available (TM 981).
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Printed Book of Hours (Use of Lyon), in Latin and French, illustrated imprint on paper Philippe Pigouchet for Toussaint de Montjay

RARE EDITION OF AN ILLUSTRATED PRINTED BOOK OF HOURS BY A FAMOUS PARISIAN BOOKSELLER AND ENGRAVER, In Latin and French, printed on paper, France (Paris), Philippe Pigouchet for Toussaint de Montjay, July 30, 1495 (dated colophon). Dimensions 166 x 110 mm., 92 folios, complete, printed in black ink in a type resembling Gothic bastarda script (type 64G, 80G, 130G) on 26 lines, FULL METALCUT BORDERS ON EVERY PAGE, TWENTY-NINE SMALL METALCUTS, NINETEEN FULL-PAGE METALCUTS including Pigouchet's printer's device. BINDING: Bound c. 1900 in blind-tooled light brown morocco over pasteboards, small coat of arms in the center. Leather slightly worn in corners, in overall excellent condition. TEXT: Only three copies of the edition are recorded in public collections: Paris, Biblioth que de Mazarine, Inc 817-2; Hildesheim, former Dombibliothek (lacking the first leaf, see Ernst 1908-1909, vol. I,I, p. 164); Milan, Biblioteca Ambrosiana, Inc. 512. ILLUSTRATION: Illustrations were based on designs by the Master of the Grandes Heures Royales made around 1490 for Simon Vostre. A notable characteristic of this master's style is to place unusually large flowers in the background. The extensive marginal narratives include zodiac signs, labors of the months, Creation, Passion of Christ, Life of the Virgin and Life of Christ with typological readings from the Old Testament, animals, grotesques, birds, insects, plants and flowers. PROVENANCE: Printed in Paris by Philippe Pigouchet for the libraire Toussaint de Montjay; dated July 30, 1495in the colophon. Binding made c. 1900 for a modern prelate whose (invented?) arms are included on the front cover. Modern bookseller's marks in pencil on the pastedowns. CONDITION: Lacking the inner corner of the first leaf (sig. A), a small hole in the lower border of G7, tears on F4 and H2 and a few minor tears, water stains in the lower corners of C1-C4 and a few minor stains, worm holes in the upper margins of sig. L1-end (repaired on the last two leaves), overall in excellent condition. Full description and images available. (BOH 228)
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Relationi delli Principi de Italia (Accounts of the Rulers of Italy), in Italian, manuscript on paper

BOOK DESCRIPTION: UNPUBLISHED ITALIAN DIPLOMATIC MANUSCRIPT, in Italian, manuscript on paper, Italy, Tuscany(?), 1605. Dimensions 260 x 196 mm., 16 folios on paper, complete, written in Italian cursive script in brown ink in 24 long lines. BINDING: Modern binding, blue paper cover with typed title pasted on the front cover, Relatione [sic] delli Principi de Italia . TEXT: The roots of modern diplomacy with our embassies and their ambassadors come into focus in this modest paper pamphlet. It belongs to an understudied category of Early Modern documents that consist of records known as Relazioni that ambassadors compiled on their travels and residencies, a practice that began already in the fifteenth century. Most likely written by an Italian ambassador of the early 17th century, this set of unpublished diplomatic records offers a snapshot of the Italian political scene at the time of its creation and survives as an excellent reminder of the pervasive manuscript culture that existed after the popularization of print. PROVENANCE: Produced in 1605 based on internal evidence on f. 9, where the eldest son of Carlo Emanuele I, the principe of Savoy, is said to be eighteen years old. The fact that the text spends little time discussing Tuscany might be an argument for the localization of the manuscript there, since an ambassador would not concentrate on his own region; name added in pencil below the typed title pasted on the front cover, "Pla t "; owners' or booksellers' annotation inside of the back cover in pencil, "3535 ike"; private collection. CONDITION: small tears ff. 12, 13, 14, 16, otherwise good condition. Full description and images available. [TM 400]
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Album amicorum of Marie Pacher

BOOK DESCRIPTION: CHARMING FRIENDSHIP ALBUM MADE FOR AN ARISTOCRATIC WOMAN, WITH MOST ENTRIES BY WOMEN, in German, French, and Italian, illustrated manuscript on paper, Austria and Hungary, 1819-1839 (dated), dimensions 96 x 125 mm., 124 folios on paper, SEVEN WATERCOLORS, ONE PEN-AND-INK DRAWING, FIVE LITHOGRAPHS (four hand-colored), a few dried four-leaf clovers inserted between the leaves. BINDING: original binding of 1819, red morocco over pasteboards, both covers gold-tooled, gilt edges, some wear of leather on the hinges and corners, otherwise in good condition. TEXT AND ILLUSTRATION: The album amicorum , or album of friends, is a booklet in which young aristocrats collected entries made by their friends, relatives, and acquaintances whom they met during travels and studies. This album includes numerous poems offered by friends (mostly women), as well as watercolors, a drawing, and lithographs, signed with dates and current locations. Most album amicorum were made for men. The example described here, in contrast, was made by women for a woman, adding greatly to its interest. PROVENANCE: entries were made in 1819-1839 by the friends and family of Marie Pacher in Vienna (Austria), M dling (outskirts of Vienna) and Pressbourg (Pre Ÿburg, Hungary; today the capital of Slovakia, known by its Slovak name, Bratislava). Published in the "Repertorium Alborum Amicorum"; K nigstein: Reiss & Sohn (K nigstein/Ts.), Auktion 183: Wertvolle B ¼cher, Handschriften. Vom Mittelalter bis zur Moderne , 16.-17.5, 2017; private collection. CONDITION: some leaves almost detached from the binding, minor stains, in overall very good condition. Full description and images available [TM 1275]
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BOETHIUS, De consolatione philosophiae; [Anonymous], Expositio quinque librorum de consolatione philosophiae (Commentary on the five books of the Consolation of Philosophy)

BOOK DESCRIPTION: A true medieval bestseller AND the most widely copied work of secular literature of the Middle Ages. In Latin, illuminated manuscript on parchment, Northern France (Anchin Abbey?), dated 1422. Dimensions: 218 x 150 mm., 145 folios on paper, three watermarks, complete, written in brown ink in gothic cursive script, four large initials in red and brown inks and blue paint decorated with dragons, soldiers and flowers. BINDING: contemporary binding of limp vellum reusing an act of the Antipope John XXIII dated 1415 in Constance, overall in good condition. TEXT: copied and almost certainly decorated (in an exuberant fashion) by a young scribe who inserted his name in multiple colophons, Pierre Toullet. The text was an essential schoolbook throughout the Middle Ages and this copy was certainly used for study. It includes an anonymous commentary and interlinear glosses, making its monastic provenance particularly interesting. PROVENANCE: The entire manuscript was copied by Pierre Toullet in 1422; belonged to the famous Parisian bookseller and bibliophile, Lucien Gougy (1863-1931), no. 613 in the catalogue of the sale of his personal library in Paris in November 7-9, 1934; private European Collection. CONDITION: some minor water stains, first quire detached, and several loose, otherwise overall very good condition. (TM 1279)
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Livre de Prià res Tissà d’apràs les enluminures des manuscrits du XIVe au XVIe sià cle (Book of Prayers woven after illuminations in manuscripts of the fourteenth and fifteenth century); In Latin and French, illustrated book woven in silk.

BOOK OF PRAYERS WOVEN IN SILK ON A JACQUARD LOOM. In Latin and French, woven prayer book on silk, R. P. J. Hervier, designer; J. A. Henry, fabricator, for A. Roux, France, Lyon, c. 1886-1887. Dimensions 178 x 145 mm., 50 silk pages, complete, text in one or two columns, one half-page and three full-page illustrations and various styles of decorative borders and initials throughout on every page, woven entirely in silver-gray and black silk, with a greyish-silver texture to the cast, fore edges gilt. BINDING: Bound in dark blue panel gilt morocco by Marcelin Lortic of Paris, the covers with elaborate foliates, strapwork, fleurons, and friezes, inside with crimson morocco doublures, edges gilt with a knotted cord design, fold-ins gilt and stamped "M. Lortic" at front, with five raised bands, spine gilt stamped "Pri res" in Gothic blackletter. ILLUSTRATION: Every page of this book is surrounded by border decorations of a wide variety. The half- and full-page illustrations are designed after paintings by Fra Angelico, Fra Bartolomeo and Raphael, and other Renaissance masters. PROVENANCE: Woven in Lyon by the firm of J. A. Henry (c. 1886-1887), this uncommon example is distinguished by its rare woven monogram inside the escutcheon on the first unnumbered pages with the interlaced initials "MM," customized for an unidentified owner.; pencil inscription "G-1979" on back paper fly leaf. CONDITION: Two stains pp. 23-25, and with fine creasing to the edges of some pages, likely original to the time of binding, some abrasions to the left edge of the spine and some edges of lower board, otherwise in in very good condition. Full description and images available. (BOH-165).
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Album Amicorum (Friendship Album), illustrated manuscript

BOOK DESCRIPTION: souvenirs from friends INCLUDING CHARMING watercolors of allegorical scenes and romantic pastoral landscapes of the Polish countryside. In German, and French (one entry), illustrated manuscript on paper. Dimensions: 106 x 170 mm., 132 folios, complete, NINE WATERCOLORS, ONE GOUACHE PAINTING, ONE PEN AND INK DRAWING, ONE HAND-COLORED LITHOGRAPH, ONE COPPER ENGRAVING. ORIGINAL BINDING of mottled calf over pasteboards, covers gold tooled with a narrow foliage band forming a frame and small floral corner pieces, gilded initials on front cover "S.M.E.v.S.," leather somewhat rubbed but overall in good condition, contemporary slipcase of marbled paper, very worn. TEXT: The album amicorum , or album of friends, is a booklet in which young aristocrats collected entries made by their friends and relatives. Those produced by women offer insightful glimpses into women's social networking. Sophie's album, collecting 85 souvenirs from friends and family of eminent German aristocrats, displays especially fine illustrations, mainly watercolors of charming allegorical scenes and romantic pastoral landscapes, inspired by local views in the Polish countryside, where the family lived. PROVENANCE: Sophie Beate Maximiliane von Seydlitz (1772-1853), abbess of the Czerna (Tschirnau) convent in Silesia ; collection of Konrad Schlossberger (1926-2022), a member of the Rhineland-Palatinate Chamber of Architects. CONDITION: some minor stains, ff. 49, 57, 88, 89 loose from the sewing, in overall excellent condition. (TM 1276)
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Mass Lectionary with Readings from the Epistles, In Latin, decorated manuscript on parchment

In Latin, decorated manuscript on parchment, Northern Italy (Brescia), c.1461-1484. Dimensions 260 x 186 mm, lacking the last leaf of text, otherwise complete, horizontal catchwords mostly in swirling cartouches with wash and penwork, ruled in gray ink (justification 174 x 127 mm.), written in black ink in an Italian rotunda on 21 lines. BINDING: In its ORIGINAL BINDING with wooden boards, traces of tooling with an interlacing pattern on the back board, leather on binding removed, clasps and catches missing, worm holes and wear, but in overall good condition, TEXT: This is a very fine display copy of an Epistolary: a rare type of lectionary that includes the texts for the second reading during Mass, the Epistles. This example represents a significant source for the history of the Dominican convent dedicated to Saint Florian, most likely St. Fiorano ai Ronchi in Brescia, Italy. PROVENANCE: The manuscript was made for use in a Dominican convent dedicated to St. Florian, almost certainly S. Fiorano ai Ronchi in Brescia, Italy. It can be dated after 1461, the canonization of St. Catherine of Siena, included in our manuscript; belonged to the library of the famous Italian writer and landscape architect Count Ercole de Silva (1756-1840); his stamp is found in the lower margin of f. 1; his collection was sold in Paris in 1869; Hartung & Hartung, auction 58, lot no. 4 (1989); modern booksellers' markings in pencil inside the front pastedown: "118" and "58/113/2." CONDITION: Lacking the last leaf with loss of text, black ink of text slightly faded on f. 1 and some other leaves but text legible throughout, f. 121 loose from the top sewing, minor stains, tiny worm holes on the first and last leaves, overall excellent condition. Complete descriptions and images available (TM 1250).
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De viris illustribus urbis Romae (On the Illustrious Men of the City of Rome); list of ten kings of Egypt; epistolary formulas in Italian and Latin; [ANONYMOUS], Epistula Pilati ad Claudium (Letter of Pilate to Claudius); In Latin and Italian, manuscript on paper

In Italian and Latin, manuscript of paper, Northern Italy (Bergamo?), December 10, 1432. Dimensions 188 x 142 mm, missing the first leaf, otherwise the text appears complete, ruled in lead with full-length vertical bounding lines ruled in blind (justification 138 x 97 mm.), ff. 1-27 written by Michaelis de Pergamo in a Gothico-Antiqua script in 24 long lines, f. 27 written in a script similar to the main text, ff. 27v and 28, copied in humanist cursive scripts (likely added by the scribe or early users). BINDING: Bound in nineteenth-century quarter green morocco gilt over marble paper boards, gilt lettering on the spine reads, "HISTORIA DANI † REGVM." TEXT: This manuscript was copied by Michael of Bergamo, who signed and dated it on f. 26v, very likely for his own use. The size, paper support, clearly legible but idiosyncratic script, and simple decoration of this modest manuscript, are characteristics that suggest an unprofessional though accomplished project. Now known as the De viris illustribus urbis Romae , this text is a brief history of famous and important figures in the history of Rome. It has been attributed to various writers like Pliny the Younger or Elder, Cornelius Nepos, and Suetonius (as in our manuscript). Although the identity of the author still escapes modern scholarship, scholars now generally agree on its fourth century date. The two short texts at the end, perhaps added later by Michael himself, or added by other early users, shed further light on the interests of students and readers in fifteenth century Italy. PROVENANCE: A colophon on f. 26v, dated December 10, 1432, identifies the scribe of De viris illustribus urbis Romae as Michaelis de Pergamo. Briquet notes that the Latin Cross watermarks of the type found in this manuscript are of Italian origin, and it seems very likely that our manuscript was copied in Bergamo in Northern Italy; In Spain in the nineteenth century; table of contents in Spanish is pasted to the second flyleaf at the beginning of the manuscript; Book sticker, "no 5099" on inside lower cover. CONDITION: Binding separating from bookblock at the front, otherwise good condition. Complete description and images available (TM-1266)
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Administrative Records from the Chapter of the Cathà drale Saint-Trophime; in Latin, manuscript on paper

ADMINISTRATIVE DOCUMENTS PROVIDING INSIGHTS INTO THE DAILY OPERATIONS OF A CATHEDRAL COMMUNITY IN LATE FIFTEENTH AND EARLY SIXTEENTH CENTURY FRANCE. In Latin, manuscript on paper, France (Arles), late 15th-early 16th century (1476-1503). Dimensions c. 310-315 — 225-230 mm (but ff. 139-248: c. 300 — 215 mm.), 252 folios on paper, a dozen watermarks, missing eleven leaves, written in multiple hands including a Gothic semi-hybrida and several very current Gothic cursiva hands, some with Secretary features, in 48-50 long lines. BINDING: early stiff vellum binding, detached at left board to reveal three bands, with two undyed ties of woven linen ribbon threaded through each board. TEXT: this codex holds records of 'Arrentements,' a form of lease, of the Chapter of the Cath drale Saint-Trophime d'Arles covering c.1476-c.1503. Providing insights into the daily operations of a cathedral community in late fifteenth and early sixteenth century France, this treasure trove of administrative documents will be of interest to ecclesiastical and administrative historians as well as researchers focusing on early modern Arles, and southern France more broadly. We believe that these documents are unpublished. PROVENANCE: assembled over time in Arles, France, in the late 15th- through early 16th-century based on watermarks plus paleographical and textual evidence and texts dating from 1476-1503; added maniculae and annotations throughout in French and Latin,16th- through 20th-century hands; owners' and dealers' notes on pastedowns; private European Collection. CONDITION: first leaf detached, occasional water staining and ink blurring with some loss of text. Complete description and images available (TM 1239).