Details
BIBLE, in Latin, with the Prologues ascribed to St. Jerome and the Interpretation of Hebrew names. ILLUMINATED MANUSCRIPT ON VELLUM [Paris, ca. 1250]
290 x 188 mm, 552 leaves (lacking 24 leaves, including 2 final blanks), plus 15th-century vellum leaf of contents. Collation: 1-3616, (lacking half of 1/4 (beginning of Genesis), 7/7, 8/7, 12/5,14, 13/8,14, 14/1,2,15,16, 17/5, 18/15, 20/3, 27/10 (beginning of Luke), 30/3,10,14, half of 31/3 (beginning of Acts, replaced by beginning of Ecclesiastes), 32/10, 33/1 (end of Apocalypse and beginning of Interpretation), 34/10,14, 36/15,16), with horizontal catchwords, later foliation (except in Interpretation), 50 lines, double column, ruled in plummet, justification: 192 x 125mm, written in a small gothic liturgical hand in black ink, rubrics in red, headlines, chapter numbers and versal initials in Psalms in alternate blue and red capitals, chapter initials mostly similar (with penwork decoration in contrasting colour), penwork border decoration similar, with frequent extensions to upper and lower margins, initials in top line often elaborated in black penwork and wash, sometimes with grotesque heads attached (as on f.392), occasional grotesque faces drawn in margin (e.g. f.277), (later) marginal references in N.T. in red and black, 61 ILLUMINATED INITIALS (4-10 lines) in blue, pink, orange, green and burnished gold, with white tracery, usually with lengthy scrolled extensions and often incorporating acorn leaves and grotesque animal heads, 39 FINE HISTORIATED INITIALS (mainly 6-8 lines), similar. (Initial on f146 rubbed, 22 other initials cut out (including 20-line initial to John), mostly replaced by illuminated initials or by squares of text, substantial tears to ff376, 378 and 498, repaired with extraneous text, and to 35/12,16 and 36/2, affecting text, 36/1,2 almost detached, rest of gathering loose.) Later binding of paper boards covered with a leaf from a 15th-century vellum manuscript, old calf back, sewn to text block at corners (binding, rubbed with some worming).
PROVENANCE: 1. A document pasted inside the front cover, addressed to the abbot and prior of the abbey of St. Geneviève in Paris by the 'presbyter de corborosa', dated 1224, referring to a dispute or agreement between the chapter of Notre Dame in Paris and Gui de Montfort, brother of Simon IV de Montfort and fellow-participant in the Albigensian Crusade: while this document is earlier than the Bible, its presence suggests that the latter may have belonged to the abbey of St. Geneviève. 2. A manuscript fragment pasted to the contents leaf, with the word 'volumine' and the date 1247 legible: this date, which is plausible for the production of the Bible, has been written on the upper cover (probably in the 19th century). 3. An early 19th-century library stamp of a Museo ? (illegible), and collation notes in Italian inside the back cover.
DECORATION: This large and splendidly illuminated Bible is characteristic of Parisian workshop production of the mid-13th century. Stylistically it is perhaps closest to some of the work of the Johannes Grusch atelier (see R. Branner, Manuscript Painting in Paris during the Reign of Saint Louis, 1977, pp 82-86, illustrations 212-243): the historiated initials appear to be by two different illuminators, the larger ones being more refined.
THE SUBJECTS OF THE HISTORIATED INITIALS ARE:
f.41 (Ex) Offering of lambs to God; f.52 (Num) Moses receiving scroll from God; f.93v (Judg) ?Juda talks to God; f.143 (IV K) Ahaziah falls from tower; f.146 (I Chron) Three seated figures; f.185 (Neh) Nehemiah presents gold cup to Artaxerxes; f.196v (Tob) Tobit and swallow; f.229 (Ps 26) Unction; f.234v (Ps 52) Fool; f.237 (Ps 68) God above, David in water below; f.252v (Prov) Solomon and Rehoboam; f.261 (Ecces, transposed to f.483) Solomon teaching; f.332 (Bar) Baruch holding scroll; f.335 (Ez) Ezechiel holding scroll; f.364v (Hos) Head of God, Hosea seated with scroll; f.367v (Joel) Joel holding scroll; f.369 (Amos) Amos holding scroll; f.371 (Obd) Obadiah seated, teaching; f.372v (Jon) Nineveh, Jonah and whale; f.373 (Mic) Micah holding scroll; f.375 (Nah) Nahum holding scroll; f.379v (Zach) Zachariah holding scroll; f.383 (Mal) God talks with seated prophet, holding scroll; f.397 (II Macc) Delivery of letter; f.458 (I Cor) Paul with sword; f.463 (II Cor) similar; f.469 (Eph) similar; f.471 (Phil) similar; f.472 (Col) similar; f.473 (I Thess) similar; f.476 (II Tim) similar; f.479 (Heb) Paul, another saint; f.498 (James) James holding book; f.500 (I Pet) Peter holding key; f.502 (II Pet) Peter holding book; f.503 (I Joh) John holding book; f.505 (Jude) Jude holding book.
290 x 188 mm, 552 leaves (lacking 24 leaves, including 2 final blanks), plus 15th-century vellum leaf of contents. Collation: 1-3616, (lacking half of 1/4 (beginning of Genesis), 7/7, 8/7, 12/5,14, 13/8,14, 14/1,2,15,16, 17/5, 18/15, 20/3, 27/10 (beginning of Luke), 30/3,10,14, half of 31/3 (beginning of Acts, replaced by beginning of Ecclesiastes), 32/10, 33/1 (end of Apocalypse and beginning of Interpretation), 34/10,14, 36/15,16), with horizontal catchwords, later foliation (except in Interpretation), 50 lines, double column, ruled in plummet, justification: 192 x 125mm, written in a small gothic liturgical hand in black ink, rubrics in red, headlines, chapter numbers and versal initials in Psalms in alternate blue and red capitals, chapter initials mostly similar (with penwork decoration in contrasting colour), penwork border decoration similar, with frequent extensions to upper and lower margins, initials in top line often elaborated in black penwork and wash, sometimes with grotesque heads attached (as on f.392), occasional grotesque faces drawn in margin (e.g. f.277), (later) marginal references in N.T. in red and black, 61 ILLUMINATED INITIALS (4-10 lines) in blue, pink, orange, green and burnished gold, with white tracery, usually with lengthy scrolled extensions and often incorporating acorn leaves and grotesque animal heads, 39 FINE HISTORIATED INITIALS (mainly 6-8 lines), similar. (Initial on f146 rubbed, 22 other initials cut out (including 20-line initial to John), mostly replaced by illuminated initials or by squares of text, substantial tears to ff376, 378 and 498, repaired with extraneous text, and to 35/12,16 and 36/2, affecting text, 36/1,2 almost detached, rest of gathering loose.) Later binding of paper boards covered with a leaf from a 15th-century vellum manuscript, old calf back, sewn to text block at corners (binding, rubbed with some worming).
PROVENANCE: 1. A document pasted inside the front cover, addressed to the abbot and prior of the abbey of St. Geneviève in Paris by the 'presbyter de corborosa', dated 1224, referring to a dispute or agreement between the chapter of Notre Dame in Paris and Gui de Montfort, brother of Simon IV de Montfort and fellow-participant in the Albigensian Crusade: while this document is earlier than the Bible, its presence suggests that the latter may have belonged to the abbey of St. Geneviève. 2. A manuscript fragment pasted to the contents leaf, with the word 'volumine' and the date 1247 legible: this date, which is plausible for the production of the Bible, has been written on the upper cover (probably in the 19th century). 3. An early 19th-century library stamp of a Museo ? (illegible), and collation notes in Italian inside the back cover.
DECORATION: This large and splendidly illuminated Bible is characteristic of Parisian workshop production of the mid-13th century. Stylistically it is perhaps closest to some of the work of the Johannes Grusch atelier (see R. Branner, Manuscript Painting in Paris during the Reign of Saint Louis, 1977, pp 82-86, illustrations 212-243): the historiated initials appear to be by two different illuminators, the larger ones being more refined.
THE SUBJECTS OF THE HISTORIATED INITIALS ARE:
f.41 (Ex) Offering of lambs to God; f.52 (Num) Moses receiving scroll from God; f.93v (Judg) ?Juda talks to God; f.143 (IV K) Ahaziah falls from tower; f.146 (I Chron) Three seated figures; f.185 (Neh) Nehemiah presents gold cup to Artaxerxes; f.196v (Tob) Tobit and swallow; f.229 (Ps 26) Unction; f.234v (Ps 52) Fool; f.237 (Ps 68) God above, David in water below; f.252v (Prov) Solomon and Rehoboam; f.261 (Ecces, transposed to f.483) Solomon teaching; f.332 (Bar) Baruch holding scroll; f.335 (Ez) Ezechiel holding scroll; f.364v (Hos) Head of God, Hosea seated with scroll; f.367v (Joel) Joel holding scroll; f.369 (Amos) Amos holding scroll; f.371 (Obd) Obadiah seated, teaching; f.372v (Jon) Nineveh, Jonah and whale; f.373 (Mic) Micah holding scroll; f.375 (Nah) Nahum holding scroll; f.379v (Zach) Zachariah holding scroll; f.383 (Mal) God talks with seated prophet, holding scroll; f.397 (II Macc) Delivery of letter; f.458 (I Cor) Paul with sword; f.463 (II Cor) similar; f.469 (Eph) similar; f.471 (Phil) similar; f.472 (Col) similar; f.473 (I Thess) similar; f.476 (II Tim) similar; f.479 (Heb) Paul, another saint; f.498 (James) James holding book; f.500 (I Pet) Peter holding key; f.502 (II Pet) Peter holding book; f.503 (I Joh) John holding book; f.505 (Jude) Jude holding book.