Christie’s: London, 1 June 2009
Fine Printed Books & Manuscripts, Christie’s, London (South Kensington), 1 June 2009.
The following entries are of particular interest: N. 3 - A LEAF FROM A HOMILIARY with incipits for the Gospel lections and homiliaries for Thursday and Friday, in Latin, decorated manuscript on vellum (Tuscany, possibly Pisa, third quarter 12th century); a binding fragment, with large painted inhabited initials ‘M’ and ‘P’, the infills with red-breasted pairs of birds, text in two columns, rubrics in red, with later decorative penwork additions (worn, text faded); the decorative features of the initials, with their geometric patterning, are similar to those found in BnF Latin 2219, see F.Avril and Y. Zaluska, Manuscrits enlumineés d’origine italienne (1980), no. 86. N. 4 - CHRIST EXPELLING A DEMON from a blind and dumb man, historiated initial ‘C’ cut from St Augustine of Hippo (354-430), Sermons, illuminated manuscript on vellum (central Italy, second half 12th century). N. 6 - BENEDICTINE AUTHOR, historiated initial ‘I’, on the opening leaf of a collection of Lenten and Eastertide Sermons, in Latin, illuminated manuscript on vellum (northern Italy c.1380). N. 7 - PALAEOGRAPHIC COLLECTION OF BINDING FRAGMENTS, in Latin, decorated and illuminated manuscripts on vellum (Italy and France, 13th and 14th centuries); 26 part-leaves or bifolia from 7 manuscripts, all with decorated flourished initials: including 2 part-bifolia from an illuminated and glossed Gratian Decretum, one with two coats of arms charged with black bears likely those of the Caccianemico dell’Orso of Bologna and the Orso of Venice (Bologna or Padua, early 14th century); 7-part bifolia from a glossed Justinian Codex (Italy, 13th century); 7 part-bifolia from glossed ?Justinian Corpus Juris Civilis’, (Italy, 14th century); and 1 part-bifolium from a glossed Justinian Institutes, book 1 (Italy, 14th century). N. 8 - DAVID PRAYING, cutting from the infill of an historiated initial from a Psalter, illuminated manuscript on vellum; (Lombardy, c.1450-60); the figure of David, before the stave of an initial (laid down on card, slightly worn with small losses of pigment or gold); an appealing example of Lombard illumination; close in style to a David initial in the Brooklyn Museum (n. 38.743) discussed by Anna Melograni (see Miniature inedite de Quattrocento lombardo nelle collezioni americane, no.82, 1994, p.290-2); both must have come from a Psalter of large dimensions and show the influence of the Maestro delle Vitae Imperatorum. N. 12 - VENICE. Document of Giovanni Mocenigo as Doge of Venice (1409-1485, Doge from 1478), Dogal Palace, Venice, 25 January 1480, a passport for his ‘ductor’ (waggoner), Gaspar of Perugia, who is going to Perugia ‘pro nonnullis eius negotiis’, asking that he be given free passage with ten horses, his arms, and all his baggage, in Italian on vellum, 14 lines on one membrane, Giovanni’s dogal seal in lead.
For further details view Christie’s on-line catalogue.
