Ian Ehling
Head of Department
Lot 4
LEAVES FROM A LITURGICAL PSALTER. Illuminated manuscript on vellum, Austria or Northern Italy, early fifteenth century, with later additions.
11 December 2020, 10:00 EST
New YorkSold for US$8,287.50 inc. premium
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LEAVES FROM A LITURGICAL PSALTER.
Illuminated manuscript on vellum, Austria or Northern Italy, early fifteenth century, with later additions.
150 x 110 mm. i (paper) + 30 vellum + i (paper) leaves. Present collation: 18 2-46 54. Modern penciled foliation 1-30 upper right corner of rectos. 25 long lines written in rounded minuscule script that shows some gothic characteristics such as round d, final round s, and some fusion of bows, written area: 105 x 80 mm. Rubrics in red. One- and two-line initials in red filled with bright gold, each page with a thin four-sided bar border mostly in red, blue, and gold, and an outer border consisting either of small green leaves on vining brown tendrils accented with gold dots or of loose knotwork interspersed with vining tendrils and gold dots, coats of arms in center lower borders on most folios; some folios with marginal vignettes overpainted at a later date with religious symbols such as the IHS monogram attributed to St. Bernardine of Sienna, a chalice, the model of a church, and various religious figures; two folios (f. 1r, f. 14r) with text completely overpainted by miniatures added later. Lacks leaves at beginning, end, and internally. 16th century (?) brown calf over thin wooden boards, blind-tooled with a panel showing two putti holding a mirror.
Provenance: Etched bookplate depicting the crowned Virgin flanked by two lions of St. Mark, on front flyleaf; illegible blind stamp on back flyleaf.
A liturgical Psalter contains the texts of the 150 Psalms in numerical order, together with antiphons, versicles, and responses, and also the texts of the nine Biblical Canticles. It also contains instructions for the times of day and week at which the Psalms should be recited. This example is incomplete in its present state, the text running from Ps 77:52 through Ps 150, with internal gaps owing to missing leaves, and with the Canticles ending incompletely. The special interest of this codex lies in the two added miniatures. The one on f. 1r depicts God the Father in Heaven, flanked by hovering angels, and preparing to crown the Virgin Mary, who is depicted below standing in a mandorla flanked by standing angels, all on a gold ground modelled in slight relief, as is common in miniatures from Central Europe. F. 14r depicts Henry II, who reigned as King of Germany from 1002 and as Holy Roman Emperor 1014-1024, together with his wife, the Empress Kunigunde. Henry chose Bamberg, Germany as his imperial city, sponsored the foundation of the diocese of Bamberg in 1007, having already began construction of Bamberg cathedral in 1002. Subsequently both Henry and Kunigunde were canonized, the only imperial couple so recognized. In this picture the couple are represented each wearing an imperial crown surmounted by a halo, while between them they support a model of their cathedral, which indeed has four tower as shown. The miniature is modeled on several early portraits of them in similar poses. It must have been added to appeal to local sentiment in Bamberg or to encourage devotion to these saints.
150 x 110 mm. i (paper) + 30 vellum + i (paper) leaves. Present collation: 18 2-46 54. Modern penciled foliation 1-30 upper right corner of rectos. 25 long lines written in rounded minuscule script that shows some gothic characteristics such as round d, final round s, and some fusion of bows, written area: 105 x 80 mm. Rubrics in red. One- and two-line initials in red filled with bright gold, each page with a thin four-sided bar border mostly in red, blue, and gold, and an outer border consisting either of small green leaves on vining brown tendrils accented with gold dots or of loose knotwork interspersed with vining tendrils and gold dots, coats of arms in center lower borders on most folios; some folios with marginal vignettes overpainted at a later date with religious symbols such as the IHS monogram attributed to St. Bernardine of Sienna, a chalice, the model of a church, and various religious figures; two folios (f. 1r, f. 14r) with text completely overpainted by miniatures added later. Lacks leaves at beginning, end, and internally. 16th century (?) brown calf over thin wooden boards, blind-tooled with a panel showing two putti holding a mirror.
Provenance: Etched bookplate depicting the crowned Virgin flanked by two lions of St. Mark, on front flyleaf; illegible blind stamp on back flyleaf.
A liturgical Psalter contains the texts of the 150 Psalms in numerical order, together with antiphons, versicles, and responses, and also the texts of the nine Biblical Canticles. It also contains instructions for the times of day and week at which the Psalms should be recited. This example is incomplete in its present state, the text running from Ps 77:52 through Ps 150, with internal gaps owing to missing leaves, and with the Canticles ending incompletely. The special interest of this codex lies in the two added miniatures. The one on f. 1r depicts God the Father in Heaven, flanked by hovering angels, and preparing to crown the Virgin Mary, who is depicted below standing in a mandorla flanked by standing angels, all on a gold ground modelled in slight relief, as is common in miniatures from Central Europe. F. 14r depicts Henry II, who reigned as King of Germany from 1002 and as Holy Roman Emperor 1014-1024, together with his wife, the Empress Kunigunde. Henry chose Bamberg, Germany as his imperial city, sponsored the foundation of the diocese of Bamberg in 1007, having already began construction of Bamberg cathedral in 1002. Subsequently both Henry and Kunigunde were canonized, the only imperial couple so recognized. In this picture the couple are represented each wearing an imperial crown surmounted by a halo, while between them they support a model of their cathedral, which indeed has four tower as shown. The miniature is modeled on several early portraits of them in similar poses. It must have been added to appeal to local sentiment in Bamberg or to encourage devotion to these saints.