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 Dutch book of hours illuminated in one of the principal Utrecht workshops in the third quarter of the 15th century

24 Book of hours, use of Utrecht, in the Dutch translation of Geert Grote

Manuscript on vellum, illuminated by one of the Masters of Gijsbrecht van Brederode. Northern Netherlands, Utrecht?, c. 1465-70.

182 x 130 mm. 190 leaves, complete:A2 (first leaf pasted onto upper cover), I-II6, III-XV8, XVI6, XVII-XIX8, XX6, XXI-XXV8, (last 2 terminal blank leaves pasted onto lower cover, thus serving as pastedown). – Written space: 102 x 65 mm, ruled in brown ink for 20 lines, written in brown ink in a prickly Gothic liturgical hand, rubrics and major feasts in the calendar in red, red underlining, capitals touched in red, one- and two-line initials throughout in blue or red, one three-line initial (fol. 13) in blue on a red pen-flourish field. – 32 large illuminated initials with three-sided illuminated borders, the initials 4 to 5 lines high in gold on blue and pink fields with white tracery (alternating colours inside and outside the letter), enclosing painted flowers, with baguettes along the left side of the text columns, and decoration of purple ink sprays with tiny green petal-shaped leaves, gold bezants, and painted flowers in the upper and lower margins of rectos and in 3 margins of versos, 6 large historiated initials with full borders, the initials 10 lines high in blue, pink or blue and pink (fol. 123) with white tracery on gold fields, with baguettes below the initial and decoration in all margins of purple ink sprays with tiny green and purple petal-shaped leaves, gold bezants, and painted with gold foliage and flowers. – Generally in extremely bright fresh condition with wide margins, the opening fol. 122v-123 dust-stained, a few other negligible signs of use. – 16th-century blind-stamped calf over wooden boards, frames filled with vase and floral roll-tools, floral stamps in compartments, and a central stamp of a lion rampant. Spine worn and partly defective, traces (small holes) of former clasps. Modern brown morocco fall-down-back box.

PROVENANCE: 1. Written probably in Utrecht. The calendar includes a red entry for St Jeroen (17 August), which suggests a destination in the province of Holland. 2. Franz Trau of Vienna; sale of his estate Vienna, Gilhofer & Ranschburg, 27/28 October 1905, lot 39.

TEXT: fol. l-12v: Calendar, including in red St Pontian, Agnes, Pancrace, Servatius, Boniface, Odulf, Lebuin, Martin, Mary Magdalen, Jeroen, Lambert, Maurice,Willibrord, etc. – fol. 13-49: Hours of the Virgin (Use of Utrecht); fol. 49v blank – fol. 50-71v: Hours of the Eternal Wisdom – fol. 72- 99v: Long Hours of the Cross – fol. 100-122v: Short Hours of the Holy Spirit – fol. 123-137v: Penitential psalms – fol. 131v: Litany – fol. 138-152v: Prayers and suffrages to saints – fol. 153-189: Office of the Dead – fol. 190 blank. The text is in Dutch throughout, in the translation of Geert Grote (1340-84), one of the chief protagonists of the religious movement of devotio moderna. The originals simplicity of Christian faith in imitation of Christ was at the heart of this movement. Special importance is attached to the translation of Latin prayers into the vernacular as man is thereby enabled to develop a deeper understanding of the texts, which had until then been precluded, at least for the laity, by the exclusive use of the Latin language. The Hours of the Eternal Wisdom (fol. 50) by Geert Grote is the only text associated with an author’s name. There is no Latin equivalent of this text.The Hours of the Eternal Wisdom are a more frequent textual component of books of hours from the diocese of Utrecht (cf. also our no. 19). A large number of manuscripts containing this text which were brought together from various public collections at the Universitätsbibliothek of Münster for a research project were destroyed in a bomb attack during World War II.

ILLUMINATION: fol. 13: Annunciation – fol. 50: Christ among the Doctors – fol. 72: Christ on the Cross – fol. 100: Pentecost – fol. 123: The Last Judgement – fol. 153: Funeral Service. The beginnings of the hours are marked by historiated initials; the beginnings of the prayers for the canonical hours are denoted by illuminated initials accompanied by borders. The restrained illumination appropriately reflects the ideal of modesty promulgated by the devotio moderna. The six historiated initials in this manuscript are hitherto unrecorded works by one of the Masters of Gijsbrecht van Brederode (cf. also our no. 19).The painters are named after a book of hours made between 1460 and 1470 for Gijsbrecht van Brederode, Dean of the cathedral and Bishop-elect of Utrecht (Liège, Bibliothèque de l’Université,Wittert ms. 13; cf. exh. cat. Utrecht 1989, no. 65).They were among the leading illuminators in Utrecht during the third quarter of the 15th century. In addition to Gijsbrecht van Brederode, they worked for other members of the ecclesiastical hierarchy in Utrecht, among them Evert Zoudenbalch and Jacobus Johannes Ijsbrandus, both canons of Utrecht Cathedral. Works by the Masters of Gijsbrecht van Brederode display their interest in detailed story telling, pictorial naturalism and decorative embellishment.They paint in light and warm colours and favour complex,multi-figured compositions (see particularly Christ among the Doctors, fol. 50, and the Funeral Service, fol. 153).They also make abundant use of borders decorated with multicoloured curling acanthus in green, pink, gold and blue. The Annunciation (fol. 13) is set in a Gothic interior with the Virgin Mary kneeling at a prie-dieu in front of a purple cloth of honour Gabriel is approaching from the left holding a banderol. God the Father appears in bust length through the upper part of a doorway on the left and the dove of the Holy Spirit is hovering over Mary. The composition has very close parallels with those in the book of hours by the same painter in Cambridge (Fitzwilliam Museum, McClean ms.94; cf. exh. cat. Utrecht 1989, no. 69, fig. 123) and Utrecht (University Library, ms. 15.C.5; cf. exh. cat. Utrecht 1984, no. 124).The border decoration of the miniatures in the latter book also includes distinctive purple ink-sprays similar to those in the present manuscript. A noteworthy accomplishment of our miniaturist is the threedimensionality displayed in the image fields of the historiated initials. The letters are intelligently integrated into the composition, creating a decidedly narrative and atmospheric scene which turns each initial letter into a small world of its own.

LITERATURE: Sales cat. Gilhofer & Ranschburg, 27/28 Oct. 1905, lot 39. Exh. cats. Utrecht 1984 and Utrecht/New York 1989/1990.