Vélin

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A VERY LARGE EARLY VELLUM MANUSCRIPT LEAF WITH AN IMPRESSIVE INITIAL, FROM SAINT GREGORY THE GREAT'S "XL HOMILARIUM IN EVANGELIABiblio.com

TEXT FROM HOMILY XXII FOR EASTER SUNDAY

rif. ST12083fItaly ca. 1150. 406 x 273 mm. 16 x 10 3/4". Double column 42 lines in a fine rounded early proto-gothic hand. With rubrics in red one three-line initial "I" and A PANELLED 13-LINE INITIAL "F" all of these on the very faded recto and consequently indistinct. Formerly used in a binding with text on the recto unreadable the verso with a narrow band of darkening along one edge not obscuring text edges very wormed but 90 percent of the worming in the margin with very little damage to the text; some obvious condition problems but the large and beautiful script on one of the sides entirely legible and certainly very pleasing. This leaf comes from a very large copy of one of the major texts by one of the great popes of the early Middle Ages and it is notable for the spaciousness and elegance of its script. The sermon here is based on the Gospel reading for Easter Sunday John 20:1-9 which reports Mary Magdalene's discovery of the empty tomb and her running to tell the apostles what she had--and hadn't--found. Given the fact that the passage under discussion celebrates the most critical event in Christianity the opening phrase "Fractus longa molestia stomachus" is unexpected who would have thought it appropriate to mention protracted gastrointestinal problems and probably more effective as a result. Gregory says he is so weakened that he had given up explaining the Gospel to his flock but now he must resume. He recounts how Mary Magdalene told John and Peter about the empty tomb how John arrived first but did not enter the sepulcher and how Peter the tardier one did. Gregory then gives an allegorical interpretation of this episode: John he says represents the Synagogue Peter the Church; the Jews were prior to the Christians but they hesitated on the brink of belief in the Son of God while the Christians entered into full belief. unknown

Phillip J. Pirages Fine Books and Medieval Manuscripts · Stati Uniti1872,00 USD≈ 1669,19 €

A VERY LARGE EARLY VELLUM MANUSCRIPT LEAF WITH AN IMPRESSIVE INITIAL, FROM SAINT GREGORY THE GREAT'S "XL HOMILARIUM IN EVANGELIAABAA

TEXT FROM HOMILY XXII FOR EASTER SUNDAY

Phillip J. Pirages Fine Books and Medieval Manuscripts · Stati Uniti1872,00 USD≈ 1669,19 €

ILLUMINATED VELLUM MANUSCRIPT LEAVES, OFFERED INDIVIDUALLYBiblio.com

FROM A LARGE BOOK OF HOURS WITH TEXT IN LATIN AND/OR FRENCH

rif. ST17060PFrance probably Besançon 3rd quarter of 15th century. 239 x 165 mm. 9 3/8 x 6 1/2". Single column 15 lines in an elegant gothic book hand. Rubrics in dark pink line enders in pink and blue with white tracery and gold bezant each leaf with a three- or four-line initial painted pink or blue with white tracery filled with pink and blue vines and flowers all on a burnished gold ground ONE SIDE OF EACH LEAF WITH A HALF OR THREE-QUARTER BORDER featuring hairline vines gold ivy and bezants colorful acanthus various flowers fleshy plants and vases with floral arrangements the other side of each leaf with a panel border similarly decorated. ◆Vellum slightly yellowed minor smudging to hairline vines and slight rubbing to paint on a few of the border decorations one leaf with some small stains in the border largely masked by the hairline vines but these issues quite minor and the leaves IN FINE CONDITION overall--very clean bright and well-preserved. From a large Book of Hours probably produced in Besançon these leaves feature exceptionally pretty borders each with unique decoration that includes vases of different shapes sizes and hues each containing a different flower arrangement fleshy vegetation and colorful floral accents. The large initials here coupled with the expansive border decoration indicate that these leaves marked the openings of major prayers including "Obsecro te" "O Intemerata" the "Joys of the Virgin" and the "Seven Requests to Our Lord." Luxurious touches such as the several dozen gilt bezants and ivy leaves in each border and the unusually wide margins point to this manuscript having been quite a costly production. For additional leaves from this same manuscript at different price points please check our website. unknown

Phillip J. Pirages Fine Books and Medieval Manuscripts · Stati Uniti1976,00 USD≈ 1761,93 €

ILLUMINATED VELLUM MANUSCRIPT LEAVES, OFFERED INDIVIDUALLYABAA

FROM A LARGE BOOK OF HOURS WITH TEXT IN LATIN AND/OR FRENCH

Phillip J. Pirages Fine Books and Medieval Manuscripts · Stati Uniti1976,00 USD≈ 1761,93 €

(VELLUM PRINTING). (ESSEX HOUSE PRESS). DRYDEN, JOHNBiblio.com

ALEXANDER'S FEAST OR THE POWER OF MUSIC

1904rif. ST20796London: Essex House Press 1904. No. 1 OF 140 COPIES all on vellum. 195 x 131 mm. 7 3/4 x 5 1/8". 1 p.l. frontispiece 3-11 2 pp. Original stiff vellum over thin boards front cover with embossed rose design. In custom-made linen clamshell box with red morocco label on spine. Hand-colored woodcut frontispiece and final tailpiece both by Reginald Savage hand-painted initials in burnished gold red blue or green. Printed in black and red. Front pastedown with red morocco bookplate of William Andrews Clark Jr.; front endleaves with evidence of bookplate and inscription removal. Tomkinson p. 76; Ransom p. 268; Franklin p. 200. A VERY FINE COPY clean bright and free of the splaying that very frequently afflicts the boards of this work. This is a most appealing example of the luxurious hand-crafted volumes produced under the auspices of the Essex House Press with our copy coming from the library of a noted Dryden collector. The book is the 11th from the Essex House series of 14 "Great Poems in the English Language" a group of lovely little works all printed on vellum and with delightful colored illustrations and historiated initials. Generally considered to be the best example in English of the choric hymn the present work is set at a feast given by Alexander the Great who finds himself entranced by the poet and lyrist Timotheus. The great leader is lost in reveries of exploits and victory he sighs and cries over battles lost and warriors slain and he finds inspiration for new conquests. Our printer C. R. Ashbee founded the Essex House Press in 1898 by purchasing the presses and other production equipment though not the type formerly owned by the Kelmscott Press which had shut down at the death of William Morris. Ashbee printed books for 12 years with vellum ink and paper identical to that used by Kelmscott in an effort to carry on the tradition Morris had established. But the Essex House Press because it was conceived of and continued as part of a larger enterprise involving various artisans at work in a group of workshops at Ashbee's Guild of Handicrafts located at Essex House in London's Mile End Road always had its own special identity a fact which Cave reflects when he calls it the "Arts and Crafts press 'par excellence.'" The illustrator here Reginald Savage fl. 1886-1904 is deemed by Houfe "a talented and imaginative designer and woodcut artist" and Houfe notes that he was also commended by his fellow illustrator Walter Crane 1845-1915 for his "weird designs." Former owner William Andrews Clark Jr. 1877-1934 put together one of the most distinguished collections of English and French literature of his day. He had strong holdings in many areas but especially in Shakespeare and the other Elizabethans in Dryden in Oscar Wilde and in the French drama. After a fire in his home in 1923 Clark constructed a separate fireproof building to house his collection; in 1926 this library building with its distinguished collection was deeded to the University of California and now serves as a prominent center for literary research. Essex House Press unknown