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 luxurious manuscript for private devotion

20 Book of hours for the use of Rome, with calendar of Bruges

215 x 145 mm. 242 leaves (of 246, lacks 4 miniatures): I6, II6+1, III6+1, IV-V8,VI6+1,VII-IX8, X2+1, XI8-1, XII-XVI8, XVII8-1, XVIII8, XIX8-1, XX4, XXI8, XXI2+1, XXIII8, XXIV2, XXV-XXVI8, XXVII6, XXVIII8, XXIX2, XXX8-1, XXXI-XXXIV8, XXXV4, XXXVI3. Some catchwords visible, sporadic modern pencil foliation. Final leaf blank. – Written space: 115 x 75 mm, 17 lines, ruled in pale red.Text in Latin,Textualis Formata in dark brown ink, versals touched in yellow. Lombards and line-fillers in gold on red and blue ground with tracery throughout. – Decoration of outer margin of many pages, 24 calendar vignettes, 15 seven-line historiated initials with exquisite full borders of hairline stems with gold ivyleaves decorated with flowers and fruits, 15 large miniatures above an illuminated initial and 6 lines of text, surrounded by full borders of coloured acanthus leaves and flowers, some enriched with angels and vases. – Wide-margined and well preserved. Fol. 13, 70v, 164r/v, 186r/v and 239-241 contain later, presumably 17th-century entries, notes on the provenance and additional prayers. – Bound in 19th-century dark red morocco, covers blind-tooled, turn-ins gilt, silk doublures, additional vellum flyleaves, edges gilt. Head and tail of spine restored, joints strengthened. In a brown cloth box with label.

PROVENANCE: 1. From the library of Jean de Saulx, Viscount de Tavannes (1555-1630), knight of honour at the Parliament of Dijon, son of Gaspard de Saulx-Tavannes, Maréchal de France (cf. provenance leaves fol. 13 and 141v). 2. Private collection USA.

TEXT: fol. 1-12: Calendar – fol. 13: Provenance leaf with names and birthdays of all four children of Jean de Saulx de Tavannes and Katherine Chabot – fol. 14-64: Hours for each day of the week: fol. 14: Hours of the Trinity (Sunday) – fol. 21: Hours of the Dead (Monday) – fol. 30: Hours of the Holy Spirit (Tuesday) – fol. 36: Hours of All Saints (Wednesday) – fol. 42: Hours of the Sacrament (Thursday) – fol. 49: Hours of the Cross (Friday) – fol. 57: Short Hours of the Virgin (Saturday) – fol. 65-70: Mass of the Virgin – fol. 71-77: Hours of St Katherine – fol. 78-82: Gospel readings – fol. 83-143: Office of the Virgin (use of Rome) – fol. 144-154:Variations to be prayed throughout the year – fol. 155-164: “Obsecro te”, “O intemerata”, Seven Joys of the Virgin – fol. 165-186: Penitential psalms with litany and prayers – fol. 187-196: Suffrages – fol. 197-238: Office of the Dead (use of Rome) – fol. 239-241: Additional texts by different scribes: fol. 139: (by an Italian scribe?):Two prayers to St Raphael – fol. 140: Prayers beginning with a verse from Psalm 12 – fol. 141v: Provenance leaf (in French, ca. 1609), probably in the hand of Gabrielle Desprez de Monpezat (d. 1653), 2nd wife of Jean de Saulx-Tavannes, recording names and birthdays of seven of their ten children. The calendar indicates Bruges usage, as is attested by the red entries of Donatian, patron saint of Bruges (14 October and 30 August) and Basil whose relics were venerated in the church of St Basil at Bruges, now the Chapel of the Holy Blood (14 June). Among the entries in black those characteristic of Bruges include Landoald (19 March and 10 June) and Walburgis, (6 August and 4 May). Other entries associated with neighbouring towns or dioceses include: St Gudule of Brussels (8 January); Eleutherius (20 February) and Piat of Tournai (translation 29 October); Ursmar (April 18), Gaugericus (11 August) and Winnoc of Cambrai (5 November); Gondolphus (16 July) and Remaclus of Liège (3 September); Rumoldus of Malines (26 October) and Gudewaldus (6 June) whose relics were venerated in Ghent.

ILLUMINATION: fol. 1-12: 24 small vignettes for the calendar depicting the signs of the zodiac and the labours of the months. Large miniatures: fol. 14: Trinity: God enthroned holding Christ on the Cross (“Gnadenstuhl”) – fol. 21: Raising of Lazarus – fol. 30: Descent of the Holy Spirit – fol. 36: All Saints – fol. 42: An assembly of lay people (including the family of the original owner?) praying before a monstrance – fol. 49: Crucifixion – fol. 57:Virgin with Child on a crescent moon – fol. 65: Virgin and Child enthroned flanked by angels playing music – fol. 83: Annunciation – fol. 101:Visitation – fol. 113: Nativity – fol. 118:Annunciation to the Shepherds – fol. 126: Presentation in the Temple – fol. 131: Massacre of the Innocent – fol. 165: David in prayer before God. Lacking miniatures of St Katherine (before fol. 71), the Adoration of the Magi (after fol. 122), the Coronation of the Virgin (after fol. 138), and the Office of the Dead (before fol. 197). Historiated initials: fol. 187: St Michael – fol. 187v: St John the Baptist – fol. 188: St Peter – fol. 188v: St Christopher – fol. 189v: St Sebastian – fol. 190v: St George – fol. 191v: St Nicolas – fol. 192: St Anthony – fol. 192v: St Francis – fol. 193: St Anne with the Virgin and Child – fol. 193v: St Mary Magdalen – fol. 194v: St Margaret – fol. 195: St Barbara – fol. 195v: St Clare – fol. 196: St Apollonia. The codex is remarkable for its luxurious decoration including a fully illustrated calendar, a cycle of large miniatures and a series of historiated initials in which the artist’s finesse becomes especially evident.The author of the illumination has been identified as the Master of Buchanan E. 5, named after the eponymous manuscript in the Bodleain Library in Oxford (Kidd 2001 with a list of works by the master and attributions by Gregory Clark; Pächt/Alexander 1969, vol. 1, no. 329, pl. XXVI). This outstanding artist was active in Bruges around 1450 and thus is a contemporary of Willem Vrelant, the most prolific illuminator in Bruges at this time (Bousmanne 1997). However, the quality of the illumination in our codex exceeds that of many works by the great master, whose style became somewhat repetitive and stiff as the output of his workshop increased. Although our artist draws mainly on compositions current in the vicinity of Vrelant, his miniatures preserve a certain individuality. For the delicately rendered initials, one may further compare the Llangattock Hours (Los Angeles, J. Paul Getty Museum, ms. Ludwig IX 7, cf. Euw/Plotzek 1982, vol. 2, pp. 115-141) where the cycle of initials as well as the Annunciation to the Shepherds, due to a talented associate of Vrelant, display similar stylistic tendencies.

LITERATURE: The manuscript is hitherto unpublished. Euw/Plotzek 1982, vol. 2; Pächt/Alexander 1969, vol. 1; Bousmanne 1997; Kidd 2001.