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

Picture chronicle and practical guide.A newly discovered German manuscript of great rarity

18 Compilation of history bible and world chronicle, the Antichrist and the XV signs of the Last Judgement and other texts including medicine, astrology and prophesy, all in German

Illustrated manuscript on paper. Austria, c. 1450.

267 x 182 mm. 133 leaves (of originally probably 165 or 166), original collation impossible to reconstruct, beginnings and endings of quires not clearly discernible. 2 remaining catchwords, original foliation in Roman figures, modern pencil foliation (followed here) omits ‘66’ and so reaches ‘134’ by the end. Fol. 81 and 90 misplaced. – 25-27 lines to the page.Written in brown ink by several scribes in Cursiva Libraria. Capitals touched in red. Many large and small initials in red, some with flourishing, a few with blue penwork, initials on first pages also in blue with red penwork. Six-line blue initial on fol. 1 with red penwork including a human face and red and blue decoration around 2 margins. – 38 coloured coats-of-arms, some with decorative mantling. 58 coloured drawings. – Watermarks: Briquet 2447 (Gurk, 1448) or a close variant. – Many signs of use, some leaves defective with loss of text, some leaves repaired, thumbing and fraying of edges, some dampstaining, nonetheless a remarkable volume. – 16th-century German or Austrian blind-stamped calf over wooden boards, remains of metal clasps and catches, 4 metal bosses on each cover, blue edges. Binding battered and skilfully repaired, quires resewn and inner folds repaired, endpapers replaced.

PROVENANCE: 1. Calendar tables attributed on fol. 55 to Hanns Gmund (1380-1442; cf. Busard 1971) begin in 1439; copies of this calendar were still made as late as c. 1470, (e.g. London, University College, ms. germ. 2). A date around 1450 is confirmed by the watermarks. Singled out in the calendar is only one local saint, Colman of Stockerau (13 October), martyred near Vienna and one of the patrons of Austria. The tables for fortune telling on fol. 66v moreover include the place names of Österreich, Salzburg. 2. 17th-century ownership inscription on the front pastedown, very faded and transcribed, possibly imperfectly, by a later hand on the front flyleaf. In it the owner,Wulff Christoff (?U)dendorff notes that he received the book from a priest in 1613. 3. In the later 19th century owned by Johann Nepomuk Graf von Wilczek (d.1922), Burg Kreuzenstein near Kornburg in Nether Austria. His inventory number on front pastedown. 4. Nicolas Rauch S. A., Geneva, 24/25 Nov. 1953, lot 3. 5. Collection of William Stuart Spaulding (d. 1961) and his wife Angele Louise Maggi (d. 2005), Boston/Gstaat.

TEXT: fol. 1-37v: History Bible and world chronicle – fol. 38- 54v:The Antichrist and the 15 signs – fol. 55-71: Calendar of Hanns Gmund followed by a table of kindred and affinity and further calendar table – fol. 72-100v: Rules for the calculation of specific days of the year followed by medical, meteorological and other advice – fol. 101-119v: Fürstenregel – fol. 120-133v: Devotional text on the Virgin Mary ascribed to St Anselm (initial words missing) – fol. 134v: Number table. The codex at hand contains two major parts separated by the calendar. Part one is a pseudo-historical compilation based, as the incipit states, on various sources (“ausgezogen von vil andern puchern”). Beginning with the Creation it gives a short account of major Old Testament episodes. From the biblical kings it then turns into a chronicle of worldly rulers from Antiquity who are seen as direct ancestors of the Holy Roman emperors listed subsequently.A survey of the papacy demonstrates the struggle between secular and ecclesiastic rulers.The final point is marked by the death of Urban VI in 1389, whose election in 1378 had started the Great Schism. The last pages of part one are dedicated to the eschatological texts of the Antichrist and the 15 signs announcing the end of the world. The Antichrist (the German title “Endkrist” emphasizes even more the medieval belief that his appearance announces the end of the world), the false prophet and corrupter of Christian faith, who is defeated in the end, is a parody of Christ, as can be seen by the account of his miracles, his feigned death and resurrection. Seven manuscripts containing the same ensemble of texts, also known as Constance World Chronicle,were recorded so far (Studt 2002).To them our codex is a hiterto unknown addition. Part two is of an entirely different nature but is equally of high textual interest. It contains advice on everyday life, the calculation of feast days, weather forecast and on medical questions. Appended to this practical guide are a text in the tradition of the mirror of princes, i.e. a didactic treatise on the life and duties of a nobleman and a devotional text. In its combination of two different parts our codex fulfils the function of a medieval housebook dealing with a wide range of subjects from biblical and secular history to pseudo-science and private devotion.

ILLUSTRATION: fol. 1v-2v:The Creation – fol. 5: Noah’s Ark – fol. 6: Sodom and Gomorrah with Lot’s wife metamorphosed into a pillar of salt; Sacrifice of Isaac – fol. 6v: Fictive coats-of-arms – fol. 7: Samson and the lion – fol. 8-33: Coats-of-arms (mainly fictive) of emperors and popes and miniatures of scenes from the lives of St Peter and Paul (14), St Laurence (17v), St Martin (18v), of the burning of the Jews (27v), a procession of penitents (28), the earthquake of Constance in 1356 (29) – fol. 39: Death of Urban VI – fol. 39v-49v: Scenes from the life of the Antichrist – fol. 51v- 54v:The Signs of the Apocalypse. Part one can justly be called a picture book in which the lively drawings constitute the backbone, while the brief text passages are little more than commentaries. Outlined in ink in a swift but experienced hand they are coloured with light washes in a palette of blue, pink, red, brown, green and yellow. The tradition of pen-and-ink drawing reached its peak at the beginning of the 15th century in the South of Germany, Swabia, Bavaria and Austria. While the characterization and precise localization of workshops still remains a largely neglected field of art history, a provenance of our manuscript from Austria is suggested by textual features.

LITERATURE: Sales cat. Rauch, Geneva, 24/25 Nov. 1953, lot 3. Busard 1971; Steer 1978; Studt 2002; Hamburger 2005.