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 rare testimony of Neapolitan manuscript illumination of the Trecento

10 Missale Romanum

Manuscript on vellum, illuminated in the workshop of Cristoforo Orimina for Angelo del Monte Acciaiuoli. Italy, Naples, c. 1355.

208 x 146 mm. 247 leaves, complete (without final blank): I-XXX8, XXXI8-1. All catchwords visible, old (probably 18th-century) foliation incorrect, modern pencil foliation: 1-246 (ignoring a leaf after fol. 117). – Written space: 140 x 94 mm, two columns of 30 lines to the page. Southern Textualis Formata (Rotunda) in brown ink, rubricated. Numerous two-line initials alternately in red and blue, three- to five-line initials in gold leaf with penwork decoration mostly extending along the column and into the margins. – Frontispiece with historiated initial and full border (fol. 1), one full-page miniature (fol. 105v), both with coat-of-arms. Luminous colours including silver, rich use of gold leaf. – Frontispiece slightly rubbed, miniature in excellent condition, fol. 2 and 3 remargined at foot, outer margin of fol. 128 cut off (no loss of text), offset of an owner’s stamp on the facing page. – Late 15th- or early 16th-century Italian binding: blind-tooled brown calf over wooden boards on three raised bands, two shell-formed clasps (one catch missing), spine renewed.A paper front flyleaf, a manuscript folded vellum leaf used as back endpaper. Modern leather drop back box. 10

PROVENANCE: 1. The coats-of-arms on the frontispiece and the miniature point to the Florentine Acciaiuoli family whose members repeatedly held prestigious positions at the Angevine court in Naples. The patron of the missal can be identified as the Dominican Angelo del Monte Acciaiuoli. Bishop of Florence from 1342, he was appointed chancellor of the kingdom of Naples in 1349. In 1355 Pope Innocent IV conferred onto him the episcopate of Montecassino.The fact that a Dominican bishop appears in the frontispiece and the miniature strengthens a connection with Angelo del Monte, as does the presence of his patron saint, the archangel (ital. “Angelo”) Michael, and of St Benedict, patron of the abbey of Montecassino, in the borders of fol. 1.The beginning of his episcopate of Montecassino in 1355 and his death in 1357 offer a precise time frame for the date of the commission. 2. Private collection Switzerland.

ILLUMINATION: fol. 1: Nine-line initial of a bishop praying to God. In the border St Michael fighting the dragon, St Benedict, two men hunting a lion. – fol. 105v: Fullpage miniature opening the Canon Missae: Crucifixion with a praying Dominican bishop. Besides the afore-mentioned heraldic and iconographic details the conception of the frontispiece rendered in vivid colours with generous use of gold offers the best evidence for the Neapolitan origin of this richly decorated manuscript. The full border shows complex geometrical patterns of interlaced tendrils ending in trefoil leaves.Tightly interwoven with this abstract decoration are the figures of the two saints.This type of border was developed by Cristoforo Orimina (active c. 1335-55), the leading illuminator at the court of Anjou in Naples during the Trecento. It occurs similarly in other manuscripts of his workshop, of which the Hamilton Bible (Berlin, SMB-PK Kupferstichkabinett, Hamilton 90 ms. 78 E 3) may be the most prominent example. For an almost identical layout one may moreover compare the frontispiece of the missal of the Neapolitan canon Nicola Giovanni Ricardi di Ricardini (Avignon, Musée Calvet, ms. 138). For a more detailed discussion of the anonymous collaborator of Orimina entrusted with the decoration of our codex the beautifully preserved Crucifixion offers the best basis. Compared to the œuvre of Orimina his artistic idiom is distinguished by a particularly delicate drawing with subtle chromatic modelling. In the rendering of his figures with their elongated bodies, their dynamic postures and their facial expressions betraying great sorrow he aims for a more naturalistic style. Interestingly it is in the artistic production of Florence some decades earlier that a similar understanding of figures can be found. For a comparison one may cite e. g. the Crucifixion on the right wing of an altarpiece in the Kunstmuseum Bern, painted by Jacopo del Casentino around 1330. In this respect Giotto’s sojourn in Naples (c. 1328-33) and his impact on local artists cannot be overestimated. Thus the Crucifixion may be described as a more expressive adaptation of Florentine – and especially Giottesque – compositions. The aesthetic ideals of the patron may have played a significant part in the stylistic orientation of our codex. Angelo del Monte may have wanted its illumination to correspond to the artistic tendencies of his hometown where Giotto’s innovations had set a new standard. It is interesting to note in this context that despite his duties in Naples, Angelo del Monte always remained faithful to his Florentine roots, as is illustrated by his involvement with the foundation of a school in the Dominican convent of S. Maria Novella. Our illuminator may be identical with the excellent collaborator of Orimina, whose hand can be distinguished in several manuscripts, such as in the frontispiece of the Hamilton Bible, in a leaf from a dismembered choirbook (private collection, Milan), in some portions of the missal for Nicola Giovanni Ricardi di Ricardini and the Offiziolo of Joanna I of Anjou (Vienna, Österreichische Nationalbibliothek, ms. 1921). In combining Giottesque roots with a dynamic expression, similar to the style of Simone Martini, he closely followed those tendencies presented by an anonymous painter in the mural paintings of the Cappella Leonessa in S. Pietro a Majella in Naples around the same date (1355-60), and it is not impossible that our artist, too,worked in the field of monumental painting. The illuminator of our codex reveals himself as one of the most interesting and progressive artists of Naples at the time of Joanna I of Anjou. This hitherto unpublished and only recently rediscovered missal constitutes a valuable addition to the history of Neapolitan manuscript illumination of the Trecento. The identification of the prominent commissioner moreover makes the manuscript an outstanding historical document.

LITERATURE: The manuscript is hitherto unpublished. D’Addario 1960; Perricioli Saggese 20041 and 20042 (with further bibliography); Leone de Castris 1986.