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

CONTENTS

Manuscripts

  1. Glossed Gospels of St Luke and St John,
    Paris or northern France, c. 1210
  2. Psalter with calendar for the diocese of Trier,
    Germany,Trier, c. 1220-40
  3. Psalter and book of hours for the use of Paris,
    illuminated in the du Prat atelier, France, Paris,
    c. 1250-60
  4. Biblia latina, pocket bible, France, Paris, c. 1250
  5. Antiphonary, sanctoral volume, Italy,
    Emilia-Romagna, c. 1270-75
  6. Psalter for the use of Auxerre, France,
    Burgundy or Paris, c. 1300
  7. Antiphonary for a Franciscan convent,
    illuminated by Neri da Rimini, Italy,
    Emilia-Romagna, dated 1314
  8. Vita Sancti Antonii Eremitae – Inventio et
    Translatio, illuminated by the Maestro del 1328,
    Italy, Bologna, c. 1320
  9. Schönrainer Liederhandschrift. Middle High
    German Minnesang manuscript, Germany,
    Hesse, c. 1330
  10. Missale Romanum, illuminated in the workshop
    of Cristoforo Orimina, Italy, Naples, c. 1355
  11. Boethius, De consolatione philosophiae and
    Jean de Meun, Testament, France, Paris, c. 1400
  12. Guido de Columna, Historia destructionis Troiae
    and Giovanni Boccaccio, Il Filostrato, Italy,
    Naples, dated 1414 and 1413
  13. Book of hours for the use of Paris, illuminated
    by the workshop of the Bedford Master, France,
    Paris, c. 1405-10
  14. Compilation of pastoral and mystical texts
    from the library of the Celestines of Marcoussis,
    illuminated by the Hoo Master, France, Paris,
    c. 1425-35
  15. Book of hours for the use of Toul, illuminated
    by the Master of Pommersfelden 351, France,
    Toul or Metz, c. 1435-40
  16. Dominican hymnal, illuminated by the
    Master of 1446, Italy, Bologna, c. 1450
  17. Nicolaus de Lyra, Postilla litteralis super
    Vetus Testamentum, two volumes, Italy,
    Ferrara?, 1441-46
  18. Compilation of history bible and world chronicle,
    the Antichrist and the XV signs and other texts,
    Austria, c. 1450
  19. Book of hours and psalter in Dutch, illuminated
    by the Master of the Haarlem Bible, Masters of
    Otto von Moerdrecht, Masters of Gijsbrecht
    van Brederode et al., northern Netherlands,
    Haarlem, dated 1453
  20. Book of hours for the use of Rome, with
    calendar of Bruges, illuminated by the Master of
    Buchanan E.5, Flanders, Bruges, c. 1450-60
  21. Chronique anonyme universelle, parchment
    scroll, illuminated by the Master of Étienne
    Sauderat, France, Paris?, c. 1450 with additions
    after 1461 and 1467
  22. Psalter with hymnal, illuminated
    by the workshop of Bartolomeo Varnucci,
    Italy, Florence, c. 1460-70
  23. Martin Le Franc, L’Estrif de Fortune et de Vertu,
    illuminated by the Master of the Échevinage
    de Rouen, France, Rouen, c. 1465-75
  24. Book of hours for the use of Utrecht in the Dutch
    translation of Geert Grote, illuminated by one of
    the Masters of Gijsbrecht van Brederode, northern
    Netherlands, probably Utrecht, c. 1465-70
  25. Missale Fratrum Minorum for the convent
    of S. Francesco di Montone, near Perugia,
    illuminated by Bartelomeo and Giapeco
    Caporali, Italy, Perugia, 1469
  26. Book of hours for the use of Rome with
    adaptations for Poitiers and a calendar for
    Angers, illuminated by Maître François,
    France, Paris, c. 1470
  27. Psalter with hymnal, illuminated by the
    workshop of Mariano del Buono di Jacopo,
    Italy, Florence, c. 1470-75
  28. Book of hours for the use of Rome, illuminated
    by Martino da Modena, Italy, Ferrara, c. 1480-85
  29. Book of hours for Dominican use, illuminated
    by the workshop of Matteo Felice, Italy,
    Naples, c. 1480
  30. Giovanni Boccaccio, Elegia di Madonna
    Fiammetta, illuminated by Attavante degli
    Attavanti, Italy, Florence, c. 1480
  31. Book of hours for the use of Rome, Italy,
    Sicily or Naples, c. 1480-90
  32. Olivier de la Marche, Le chevalier délibéré and
    other texts, Flanders, c. 1484
  33. Prayerbook in German, Germany, Nuremberg,
    c. 1495-1500
  34. Fencing treatise with pen-and-ink drawings,
    southern Germany,Augsburg, c. 1490-1500
  35. Book of hours for the use of Paris in Latin
    and French, illuminated by an artist from the
    circle of Jean Pichore, France, Paris, c. 1500
  36. Passion prayerbook in Latin with a prayer for
    the Church of All Saints in Wittenberg, Flanders,
    Bruges, after 1517
  37. Diploma for Statilio Paolino on his award of a
    doctorate in law from the University of
    Perugia, Italy, Perugia, dated 29 October 1582
  38. Album with Italian, mainly Venetian, costumes and
    characters from the Commedia dell’Arte, Italy,
    Venice?, first quarter of the 17th century

    Miniatures

  39. Funeral mass for a dignitary, miniature from a
    breviary, France,Avignon, c. 1340-45 128
  40. A pope distributing the decretals, miniature from
    a manuscript of canon law, France, Languedoc,
    c. 1320
  41. The Adoration of the Magi, historiated initial ‘D’
    on a leaf from a missal, Italy, Siena, c. 1400-10
  42. Two martyr saints, historiated initial ‘P’ on a leaf
    from a gradual for Lucca Cathedral, illuminated by
    Martino di Bartolomeo. Italy, Lucca, c. 1394-95
  43. Investiture of St Clare on a cutting from a
    Franciscan antiphonary, Italy, Bologna or Veneto,
    c. 1430-40
  44. Trinity, historiated initial ‘G’ on a cutting from
    a choirbook, France, Savoy, c. 1450 138
  45. King David playing the psaltery, historiated
    initial ‘E’ on a leaf from a psalter, illuminated by
    Jacopo da Balsemo, Italy, Bergamo, c. 1450-55
  46. The Creation of Eve, historiated initial ‘I’ on a
    cutting from a choirbook, illuminated by
    Bonifacio Bembo, Italy, Lombardy, c. 1445
  47. Jesaia before the Almighty, historiated initial ‘A’
    on a leaf from an antiphonary, illuminated by
    a follower of the Maestro delle Vitae Imperatorum,
    Italy, Lombardy, c. 1460
  48. Batsheba bathing, miniature from the Hours of
    Guyot II Le Peley, illuminated by Jean Colombe,
    France, Bourges, c. 1480
  49. The miracle of St Michael on Mount Gargano,
    miniature from a choirbook, illuminated by
    Attavante degli Attavanti, Italy, Florence,
    between 1473 and 1502
  50. Christ taking leave of his mother, miniature
    mounted on wood, illuminated by Jacopo del
    Giallo?, Italy, Rome, c. 1540

    Key to bibliographical references

A unique textual document of the legend of St Anthony with an extensive cycle of illustrations

8 Vita Sancti Antonii Eremitae – Inventio et Translatio Corporis Sancti Antonii

Manuscript on vellum, illuminated by the Maestro del 1328. Italy, Bologna, c. 1320.

248 x 170 mm. 32 leaves, remaining catchwords indicate the original composition of quires: I6-2 (2 leaves missing between fol. 1 and 2 and between fol. 5 and 6), II8 (complete?), III8, IV8,V8-6 (2 single leaves with at least the rest of the quire missing). – Written space: 188 x 120 mm, one column of 34 lines to the page. Text in Latin, Southern Textualis Formata in brown ink, chapter headings in red ink, versals decorated by alternately blue and red initials with fleuronnée. – 47 initials, mainly historiated, depicting busts of St Anthony, a bishop, probably Theophilos, archbishop of Constantinople, and an emperor, most likely Constantine (fol. 31). 48 miniatures with rich use of burnished gold, measuring more than one third of the page. – Miniatures in very good condition, only minor flaking of gold ground of the initials. Upper margins water-stained, 13 leaves restored, text partly faded. –19th-century red morocco binding with blind tooling, edges and turn-ins gilt, signature “Gruel” on spine, vellum pastedowns and flyleaves, edges red. Bookplate inside of front-cover, notes on the manuscript in pencil.

PROVENANCE: 1.The heraldic elements on the opening page of the manuscript indicate a provenance from an Antonine monastery. The arms of the Antonine Order on the left figure next to the papal arms – probably referring to Pope Boniface VIII who in 1298 confirmed the status of a canonical order. More precise indications could be gained from the third, as yet unidentified escutcheon.Textual as well as iconographic considerations suggest the monastery of S. Antonio in Venice as the place of origin. 2. Collection of Baron Betrand de Lassus (1898-1909) de Montréjeau (Haute-Garonne). 3. Private collection France.

TEXT: fol. 1-13v: Vita Sancti Antonii, parts of chapter 2, 3, 9, 10, 11 missing; on fol. 13v: heading of a chapter 25 which, however, does not follow. – fol. 14-31: Inventio ac Translatio Corporis (in Constantinopolem), complete. – fol. 31v: Tractatus Translationis, i. e. the translation to Vienne (Dauphinée) around the year 1000 A. D., the text breaks off after the beginning of the first chapter. The present codex is the oldest known example of an illustrated Life of St Anthony, the only two other surviving manuscripts having been illuminated more than 100 years later. The same is true of the second part of the text, the Inventio et Translatio, which is handed down to us in just one illuminated manuscript, illustrated in Flanders in the second half of the 15th century and containing the French version of the legend (Los Angeles, J. Paul Getty Museum, ms. Ludwig XI 8, cf. Euw/Plotzek 1982, pp. 82-88). The text of the two later manuscripts of the Vita Sancti Antonii, today in the National Library in Malta (cod. I) and in the Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana (Ms. Med. Palat. 143, cf. Gentile 1998, no. 74, pp. 309-311) is not identical with the one under discussion here. Both contain the more detailed version compiled by Jean Macellard, a friar of the monastery in Vienne, at the beginning of the 14th century. The Vita contained in our manuscript uses various literary sources. Although probably compiled around 1315-20, it astonishingly comprises legends of Eastern origin that were introduced to Western literature only about 20 years later through the translations of the Spanish Dominican Alphonsus.The anonymous author of our codex possibly came across the material by word of mouth e.g. from pilgrims returning from the Holy Land. This leads to the hypothesis that our manuscript was commissioned for the monastery of St Anthony in Venice, on the threshold of the Orient. An iconographic detail on fol. 29v depicting the arrival of the saint’s corpse in Constantinople would confirm this provenance. Contrary to the account given in the text where a delegation on horseback is sent out by the emperor, the miniature shows a ship sailing towards the homecoming men, a Venetian tradition of receiving persons of honour.

ILLUMINATION: Vita Sanci Antonii: 21 miniatures relating the saint’s life from his childhood to his death: fol. 1, 2v, 3, 3v, 4, 5, 5v, 6, 6v, 7v, 8, 8v, 9, 9v, 10, 11, 11v, 12, 12v, 13, 13v. – Inventio et Translatio Corporis: 26 miniatures narrating the search of Theophilos, archbishop of Constantinople, for the body of St Anthony. All along his journey back to Constantinople miraculous events testify to the holiness of the body culminating in the healing of the emperor Constantine’s daughter: fol. 14, 14v, 15, 16, 16v, 17v, 19v, 20, 21, 21v, 22, 22v, 23, 24, 24v, 25, 25v, 26, 27v, 28v, 29, 29v, 30, 30v, 31, 31v. – Tractatus Translationis: One miniature (probably part of another extensive cycle) on fol. 32v. The illumination of this fascinating document was undertaken in Bologna, the unrivalled centre for the illumination of legal and theological manuscripts since the 13th century. The 48 miniatures with their characteristic narrative manner can be attributed to the so-called Maestro del 1328, also known as Quarto Maestro di S. Domenico.As the name suggests, this anonymous artist was one of the prominent figures involved in the illumination of an extensive series of choirbooks for the various Dominican institutions of Bologna in the 1320s. Our artist is related to the illuminator whose signature “Nerius fecit” figures in the Iustinianus in Paris (BN, lat. 8941; Conti 1981, pl. XVII, figs. 168-175;Avril 1984, no. 33, p. 46). He belongs to the generation of illuminators, such as the Maestro di Gherarduccio or the Maestro del Graziano di Parigi, who, just like Nerio, tried to reconcile the tradition of Byzantine art with Giotto’s new realism. Our manuscript is undoubtedly one of the earliest works of the Maestro del 1328. It was illuminated around 1320 or slightly earlier at the point of his career where, the influence of Nerio being still prevalent, he was about to become one of the leading figures of Bolognese manuscript illumination.

LITERATURE: The manuscript is hitherto unpublished. Conti 1981;Avril 1984; Euw/Plotzek 1982; Gentile 1998.