Dr. Jörn Günther • Antiquariat
www.guenther-rarebooks.com

CONTENTS

Illuminated manuscripts

  1. Canones conciliorum, written by an insular scribe,
    Northern Italy, c. 775
  2. Psalter, so-called Bernwardpsalter,
    Germany, Hildesheim, c. 1020
  3. Gospel Lectionary, Byzantium,
    Constantinople,c. 1100
  4. St Augustine, Enarrationes in Psalmos, Upper
    Austria, Lambach Abbey, second half 12th century
  5. Vita Christi, Life of Christ and of the Virgin,
    Northern England,York, c.1190-1200,
    and East Anglia, Norfolk, c.1480-90
  6. Antiphonary, illuminated choirbook, Italy,Venice
    (San Marco), c. 1250 (between 1238 and 1264)
  7. Psalter and biblia latina with the interpretation
    of the Hebrew names, France, Lorraine, Metz, c. 1250
  8. Psalter for the use of Brussels, Northern France,
    Paris, c. 1260
  9. Biblia latina with the interpretations of
    the Hebrew names, Southern France,Toulouse,
    last quarter of the 13th century
  10. Psalter, illuminiated for Gui de Dampierre,
    Southern Netherlands, Bruges, c. 1280
  11. Speculum humanae salvationis, illuminated
    with pen-and-ink drawings by Magister Konrad,
    Austria, before 1386
  12. Book of hours, use of Chartres, illuminated by
    the Bedford workshop, France, Paris, c. 1400-10
  13. Psalter, Spain, Barcelona, shortly after 1400
    and c. 1440-50
  14. Book of hours, use of Rome, illuminated by
    Pseudo-Jacquemart, France, Paris, c. 1410
  15. The so-called Wardington Hours, hours of
    the Passion, illuminated by the Bedford workshop,
    France, Paris, c. 1410 and 1430
  16. Wirnt von Grafenberg, Wigalois (manuscript k),
    illustrated by the circle of the Workshop of 1418
    and of Diebold Lauber,Alsace, c. 1420-30
  17. I.Thomas de Chobham, Summa de poenitentia,
    dat. 1422; II. Stephan Palecz, Utilia contra errantes;
    III. Johannes Andreae, Processus iudicalis – et al.;
    Austria, Seitenstetten, c. 1422
  18. Joachim di Fiore Vaticinia sive Prophetiae
    et Imagines Summorum Pontificum,
    illustrated by the workshop of Lorenzo
    di Pietro ‘Il Vecchietta’, Benvenuto di Giovanni,
    Italy, Siena, c. 1450 and c. 1464
  19. Bruder Philipp, Marienleben
    and other texts, Upper Rhine, c. 1450
  20. German prayerbook with metalcuts, Germany,
    Cologne and Tyrol, Diocese of Brixen,
    dated 1458
  21. Book of hours, use of Paris, illuminated by
    the Master of Jacques de Luxembourg, France,
    Paris, c. 1460-70
  22. Book of hours, use of Rome, illuminated by the
    Master of Marguerite de Liederkerke, Flanders,
    Hainault, Mons or Valenciennes, c. 1500
  23. Croy-Arenberg Book of Hours, use of Sarum,
    with miniatures by the Master of Sir George
    Talbot, the Master of the First Prayer Book of
    Maximilian and the Master of the David Scenes
    in the Grimani Breviary, Flanders, Ghent,
    1505 and c. 1510-20
  24. Berault Stuart (Bernard Stewart),
    Traité sur l’art de la guerre, Northern France, Paris,
    second quarter 16th century
  25. Battista Agnese, Portolan Atlas, Italy,Venice,
    signed and dated 5 February 1544


    26. Early Prints

  26. Nativity, Single-leaf print, Southern Germany,
    c. 1440
  27. The Good Sheperd – ihesus xpristus,
    Single-leaf print, Southern Germany,
    West-Swabian, c. 1460-70
  28. Block-book – Ars Memorandi per figuras
    Evangelistarum, first print of first edition,
    Southern Germany, Nuremberg, c. 1470
  29. Block-book – Der Antichrist und die fünfzehn Zeichen
    Germany, Nuremberg: Hans Briefmaler 1472,
    second edition, i.e. Hans Sporer, 1470
  30. Celestial vision at Constantinople. Kunt und
    wissennt sey allermeniglich das ein sölich geschicht
    unnd erschreckliches erschein gesehen ist worden hinter
    Canstantinopel ..., Single leaf print, Southern
    Germany, Nuremberg c. 1491
  31. Biblia Latina – A single leaf,Mainz: Johann
    Gutenberg and Johann Fust,‘c. 1454/55’; rather 1452-1454
  32. Psalterium Benedictum Congregationis Bursfeldensis
    – A single leaf, Mainz: Johann Fust
    and Peter Schöffer, 29 August 1459
  33. I.Thomas de Aquino. Summa de articulis fidei,
    Mainz: Printer of the Catholicon before 1460
    or Peter Schöffer c. 1469
    II. Matthaeus de Cracovia. Dialogus rationis
    et conscientiae de frequenti usu Communionis,
    Mainz: see above, c. 1469;
    III.Antoninus Florentinus. Confessionale:
    Defecerunt.With: Johannes Chrysostomus. Sermo
    de poenitentia, Cologne: Ulrich Zell, c. 1470
  34. Johannes Balbus, Catholicon, Mainz: printer of
    the Catholicon, probably Gutenberg workshop
    1460, c. 1472, or 1469
  35. Rudimentum Novitiorum, Lubeck: Lucas Brandis,
    5 August 1475
  36. Speculum humanae salvationis, German:
    ein spiegel der menschlichen behaltnisze,
    Basel: Bernhard Richel, 31 August 1476
  37. Conrad von Megenberg, Das buch der Natur,
    Augsburg: Johann Bämler, 20 August 1481
  38. Auslegung – Messe singen oder lesen wer
    das thun sol, wenn, wie oder wo, Nuremberg:
    Friedrich Creussner, not after 1482
  39. Jacobus de Theramo, Belial. Cy commence le proces
    de Belial a l’encontre de Ihesus. Lyon, Mathias Huss:
    19 May 1486
  40. Compilation of ten French
    literary incunabula, Paris, 1488-c. 95, among them Olivier
    de la Marche, Le Chevalier Délibéré. Paris: Guy Marchand
    or Antoine Caillaut for Antoine Vérard,
    8 August 1488
  41. Olivier de la Marche. Le Chevalier Délibéré,
    Gouda, printer of the Chevalier délibéré,
    Collaciebroeders, after 31 October 1489
  42. Petrus de Crescentiis, Ruralia commoda.
    In commodum ruralium cum figuris libri duodecim,
    Speyer: Peter Drach, not before 1493
  43. Alanus de Rupe, Von dem psalter unnd Rosen
    krancz unser lieben frauen.Wie man den beten sol,
    Augsburg: Anton Sorg, 1492
  44. Der Doten dantz mit figuren. Clage und
    Antwort schon von allen staten der welt,
    Mainz: Jacob Meydenbach, c. 1492
  45. Fiore di virtù. Questa sie una utilissima operetta
    acada uno fidel christiano chiamata fior de virtu,Venice:
    Matteo Capcasa di Codeca, 15 January 1493
  46. Christophorus Columbus, De insulis nuper
    in mari Indico inventis, and Carolus Verardus,
    Historia Baetica. In laudem Serenissimi
    Ferdinandi Hispaniarum regis Bethicae & regni
    Granatae obsidio, victoria & triumphus,
    Basel: Johann Bergmann von Olpe, 1494
  47. Scriptores Astronomici veteres: Julius Firmicus
    Maternus, Mathesis and other Greek and Roman
    astronomical texts,Venice:Aldus Manutius, 1499
  48. a: La dance macabre des hommes, Paris,
    widow of Jehan Treperel and Jehan Jehannot,
    c. 1512-22 234

     b: La dance macabre des femmes toutes
    hystories & augmentee de nouveau, Paris,
    Jehan Treperel (II), c. 1525-32
  49. Martin Luther, Das newe testament deutzsch,
    Wittenberg: Melchior Lotter, 1524
  50. Aurelius Theodosius Macrobius, In somnium
    Scipionis libri II. Saturnaliorum libri VII.
    Basel: Johannes Herwagen the Elder, 1535

    Key to bibliographical references

Superb miniatures by the Master of Jacques de Luxembourg

21 Book of hours for the use of Paris

Manuscript on vellum, illuminated by the Master of Jacques de Luxembourg.
France, Paris, c. 1460-70.

196 x 139 mm. 2+164+6 leaves (lacks 8 leaves with miniatures and 2 vellum flyleaves) plus two paper flyleaves at front and back: I12, II8-1, III8, IV8-1,V-X8, XI8-1, XII8-1, XIII8, XIV8-1, XV8-1, XVI-XIX8, XX8-1, XXI4-1, XXII4, catchwords throughout. Modern foliation in pencil in the right upper corner. – Written space 96 x 64 mm, single column, 15 and 17 lines in the calendar.Written in dark brown ink in a gothic liturgical hand, ruled in red, rubrics in red, calendar in red, blue and gold, capitals touched in yellow. One-line initials in gold alternately on blue ground with mauve filling and vice-versa, line-fillers in the same colouring. Two-line initials with full-length panel borders in burnished gold ivyleaf and black hairline designs which extend along the left margin and terminate in flowers.Three- and four-line initials on gold ground. 7 (of 14) large miniatures above four lines of text on decorated pages with full borders and 3 (of 4) smaller miniatures in the margins with full borders. – Apart from missing leaves in excellent condition. On the pastedown of the back cover modern notes in pencil concerning the collation as well as shelf-mark:‘Ms Co4’. – French 16th or 17th century brown calf over cardboards with gilt decoration in the corners and in the centre, corner-pieces and central panel in entrelac designs, gilt edges, binding rubbed, spine repaired.

PROVENANCE: 1. Fürstlich Fürstenbergische Hofbibliothek Donaueschingen, ms. 326. 2. Private collection, Germany

TEXT: Latin text, calendar and some prayers in French. fol. 1-12v: Calendar – fol. 13-17v: Gospel sequences (before fol. 13 beginning of St John missing) – fol. 18-25v: Obsecro te - fol. 22: O intemerata - fol. 26-27v: blank – fol. 28-89: Office of the Virgin, lacking the beginning of Matins (before fol. 28) and of Compline (before fol. 85) - fol. 89v: – blank – fol. 90- 105v: Penitential psalms with litany, lacking the beginning of penitential psalms, after fol. 105v loss of one leaf – fol. 106- 108v: Hours of the Holy Cross, lacking the beginning – fol. 108v-111v: Hours of the Holy Spirit – fol. 112-154v: Office of the Dead, lacking the beginning, after fol. 154 loss of one leaf – fol. 155-159v: Fifteen Joys of the Virgin, in French, lacking the beginning, after fol. 159 loss of one leaf – fol. 160-162v: Seven Petitions to our Lord, lacking the beginning - fol. 163-164v: blank. In its choice and order of texts this book of hours represents the ordinary Parisian type. While the O intemerata is written in the female form (‘michi miserrime peccatrici’), the Obsecro te prayer includes both the female (‘michi famule tue’) and the male form (‘ego sum facturus’). Thus the gender of the prayers suggests a female rather than a male patron as the male form was fairly consistently substituted by the female form.

ILLUMINATION: Small miniatures: (before fol. 13 missing: St John on Patmos) – fol. 14: St Luke – fol. 15: St Matthew – fol. 16v: St Mark. Large miniatures: (before fol. 28 missing: Annunciation) – fol. 49v:Visitation – fol. 60: Nativity – fol. 65v: Annunciation to the Shepherds – fol. 70: Adoration of the Magi – fol. 74: Visitation – fol. 78: Flight into Egypt – (before fol. 90 missing: David) – (before fol. 106 missing: Crucifixion) – fol. 109: Pentecost – (before fol. 112, fol. 155, and fol. 160: three miniatures missing). Despite the loss of probably eight miniatures the book of hours with its three smaller border miniatures and seven large miniatures is still lavishly illuminated. The miniatures are captivating, with intense colouring and exceedingly delicate design; equal precision is shown in the depiction of figures, landscape and interiors. The figures have carefully modelled faces with mouths and cheeks softly accentuated in red. Great care is taken in the rendering of the robes. Dark, parallel strokes create shadowed areas, while gold highlights reflect light.The resulting contrast between bright and dark areas imparts solidity to the drapery and volume to the figures. In addition, the artist attains a three-dimensional effect by means of shadows cast by figures and objects. The manuscript is the work of an illuminator named after the Book of Hours of Jacques de Luxembourg (Los Angeles, J. Paul Getty Museum, ms. Ludwig IX 11 – cf. von Euw/ Plotzek 1984, pp. 180-195; exh. cat. New York 1982, no. 80). As comparisons with works by Rogier van der Weyden show, the anonymous artist must have received his training in Northern France or the Southern Netherlands; moreover, he seems to have worked in Paris in close proximity to the Master of Dreux Budé (named after a Triptych for Dreux Budé, now separated). Recently, Nettekoven has suggested that the two masters are actually one and the same artist (Nettekoven 2004, pp. 37-39).The suggestion, however, is hard to substantiate. In both individual figures and whole compositions the manuscript at hand reveals striking parallels with the Book of Hours of Jacques de Luxembourg. The Nativity and the Adoration of the Magi are examples, as is the female figure of the Annunciation to the Shepherds who is almost identical in both manuscripts, though her male companions vary. Typical of the work of the Master of Jacques de Luxembourg are the stout figures with their round painterly rendered faces and a pictorial space built up from several layers, with gold applied to structure the surface.The halos are also distinctively executed, not fully painted but consisting of circular brush strokes applied in a light, transparent mode.The manuscript is thus a characteristic work of a painter whose style is imbued with the charm of both Flemish and Parisian art.

LITERATURE: Barack 1865, p. 252; Johne 1921, ill. p. 79; Huber in exh. cat. Donaueschingen 1958, p. 13; Huber 1978; Wolf 1979, pp. 13ff. and ill. 2f., 6f., 10; sales cat. Sotheby’s, 21 June 1982, lot 17; Plotzek 1987, no. 23; exh. cat. Cologne 2000, p. 316 and ill. p. 268. Plummer in exh. cat. New York 1982, p. 61; H. P. Kraus, New York, cat. 165, 1984, no. 14; Cardon 1992, pp. 165-172, esp. p. 169f. and pl. 24; Reynaud in exh. cat. Paris 1993, pp. 53-58; Cardon 1996, ill. p. 39; Nettekoven 2004, pp. 37-39.