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 vellum copy of Boccaccio’s famous novel illuminated by one of the major Florentine artists of the Renaissance

30 Giovanni Boccaccio, Elegia di Madonna Fiammetta

Manuscript on vellum in Italian, illuminated by Attavante degli Attavanti. Italy, Florence, c. 1480.

267 x 183 mm. 128 leaves, text complete: I-XII10, XIII10-1. Catchwords throughout. – Written space: 183 x 90 mm, 27 lines per page.Text in Italian, in a neat humanistic script in dark brown ink. 133 two-line initials in gold on blue ground with white penwork decoration and filled with pink and green with yellow penwork. 8 five- to six-line vine-stem initials. Title page with full border and historiated initial. – Some rubbing to the title page, the right lower corner of fol. 103 replaced, otherwise in fine condition. Final leaf of the last quire pasted onto the back cover. – Contemporary binding: Northern Italian, probably Venetian, not later than 1510 (cf. De Marinis 1960, vol. 2, p. 1616, pl. CCLXXV and De Marinis 1966, p. 118), blind-tooled brown calf over wooden boards, using four different tools, four raised bands, gilt edges. One vellum flyleaf at the front, clasps missing, ends of spine expertly restored.

PROVENANCE: 1. In the lower border of fol. 1 an unidentified coat-of-arms is incorporated, presumably belonging to the patron of the manuscript. 2. An old inscription in the lower margin of the title page reads: “S. Ambrosii Nemoris medio ...”. Since 1441 the Congregatio fratrum S. Ambrosii ad Nemus Mediolanensis denotes the Ambrosian order in Milan founded in the mid- 14th century. 3.Trivulzio Collection, Milan, cod. 2142.The manuscripts of this collection, founded and formed in the first half of the 18th century by Duke Alessandro Teodoro Trivulzio (1694-1763) and his brother,Abbot Carlo Trivulzio (1715-89), came mainly from private and ecclesiastical libraries in Milan.The largest part of the collection was acquired by the city of Milan in 1935 (Biblioteca Trivulziana). 4. Collection of Conte Paolo Gerli, Milan. 5. Private collection Switzerland.

TEXT: Written between 1343 and 1344, the Elegia di Madonna Fiammetta counts among the principal works of Giovanni Boccaccio (1313-75), together with his famous Decamerone. The Elegia consists of nine chapters and a prologue addressed to all women in love. It is a first person narrative, in which the main character, Fiammetta, relates to her female friends her love for Panfilo and her grief upon the sudden ending of their relationship. For the first time in literature a woman takes the part of the main character, and the author displays remarkable psychological empathy. The novel has an autobiographical background.The protagonist can be identified with Maria d’Aquino, daughter of King Robert of Anjou, with whom Boccaccio had a passionate, yet unhappy love affair during his sojourn in Naples. Contrary to the novel, however, it was Maria d’Aquino who abandoned her lover, which has given rise to the interpretation that the author intended to take revenge in composing his Fiammetta. Boccaccio’s high reputation in humanistic Florence is also evidenced by the large number of surviving manuscripts of his works. Vittore Branca records 73 manuscripts of the Fiammetta, mainly dating from the Quattrocento (Branca 1958, pp. 30-36; Branca 1991, p. 12, pp. 29-31 and Branca 1994, pp. 193-199). Apart from a codex in New York our copy is the only one in private hands.All other codices are in public libraries, three in the United States (De Ricci/Wilson 1935-40/Reprint 1961, vol. 1, p. 590, no. 540 and p. 842, no. 490; vol. 2, p. 1658, no. 17), while the majority are in Italian collections. Only 14 manuscripts are written on vellum.

ILLUMINATION: Characteristic of Italian humanistic codices Boccaccio’s Fiammetta opens with a richly illuminated frontispiece with a full border set within a gold frame.The principal decorative elements are “bianchi girari”, white wine stems symmetrically arranged in curling scrolls and subtly modelled with light brown colour. The spaces between the foliage are filled with blue, green and pink. Interspersed are medallions, putti holding burning candelabra, birds and two lions.The lower border incorporates the busts of a young lady and of a young gentleman, both rendered in profile, most probably the protagonists of the novel. In a medallion in the right border a bearded man holding a rod is depicted. The eight-line initial ‘S’ opening the text is filled with a portrait of the author in profile holding a book.This motif is a recurring element in the illumination of Boccaccio manuscripts. The delicately modelled portraits, the extremely fine tendrils and foliage and the muted and soft colours create a title page of elegant and sophisticated character. The illumination is attributable to Vante di Gabriello di Vante Attavanti (1452- 1520/25), known as Attavante, the principal illuminator of the Florentine Renaissance, whose fame rapidly spread across the borders of Italy (cf. also our no. 49). The catalogue of this highly prolific artist is extensive and still increasing (Galizzi 2004). A pupil of the Florentine illuminator Francesco di Antonio del Chierico, Attavante was involved in the illumination of the antiphonary for the cathedral of Florence in 1471-72 (Florence, Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana, ms. Edili 148). Other prominent commissions include the famous two-volume Bible of Federico da Montefeltro (Rome, Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, urb. lat. 1 and 2) where the two artists worked again side by side. In the 1480s Attavante illuminated a breviary (ibid., urb. lat. 112) and a missal (Brussels, Bibliothèque royale, ms. 9008) for Matthias Corvinus, King of Hungary, and in 1494 he signed a contract for the decoration of the seven-volume Bible of King John of Portugal (Lisbon, Arquivo Nacional da Torre do Tombo). In his hometown Attavante’s most important patrons were the Medici family who considered him as their “miniatore di famiglia”. His involvement with the family begun under Lorenzo il Magnifico found a direct continuation in the numerous commissions for the Medici Pope Leo X (1513-21).

LITERATURE: Porro 1884, pp. 476-477; D’Ancona 1914, vol. 2, p. 320; Branca 1958, p. 32; Branca 1999, vol. 2, p. 126, no. 35; vol. 3, p. 322. De Ricci/Wilson 1935-40/Reprint 1961; De Marinis 1960 and 1966; Garzelli 1985; Branca 1991 and 1994; Galizzi 2004.