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The Sacrifice of Isaac and a Prophet with a scroll, two miniatures cut from a Missal [Bohemia, probably Silesia, c.1385-90]
Details
N[icolaus?] Kuthner (fl. end 15th century)
The Sacrifice of Isaac and a Prophet with a scroll, two miniatures cut from a Missal [Bohemia, probably Silesia, c.1385-90]
Among the finest examples of N[icolaus?] Kuthner, one of the illuminators of the Bible of King Wenceslaus IV.
60 x 59mm (The Sacrifice of Isaac), possibly opening 'Te igitur' and 52 x 54mm (Prophet with a scroll), reverse with 5 and 4 partial lines of text respectively, the text on the reverse of the Sacrifice of Isaac from Genesis 2:17-18 '[sicut] stellas celi et v[elut arena]m que est in lit[tore ma]ris possidebit [semen tuu]m portas inim[icorum suorum] et benedicentur in [...]'; the reverse of the cutting with the Prophet a rare collect or secret '[Sacrifi]cia tibi domine [in beatae Ma]rie semper v[irginis hon]ore deferentes [qauesumus] ut eius inter[cessione]', also found in a printed Prague Missal of 1498 (BSB München, 2 Inc.c.a. 3668). Provenance: The Romantic Agony, Brussels, 2012.
A cutting from the same manuscript, identified as from a Breviary, and also with a Prophet, is K 7304 at the National Gallery in Prague (illustrated and described in P. Brodský and M. Šumová, Iluminované rukopisné zlomky z oblasti latinské kultury ve Sbírce grafiky a kresby Národní galerie v Praze, 2020). This is the work of N. Kuthner, a Silesian painter who was also one of the main illuminators on the Bible of King Wenceslas IV (on this illuminator see J. Gromadzki, 'Knižní malba ve Slezsku v období 1400–1550': Od gotiky k renesanci, 1999, pp.177-196; and J. Gromadzki in A. Niedzielenko and V. Vlnas (eds.), Slezsko – perla v Ceské korune. Tri období rozkvetu vzájemných umeleckých vztahu, 2006). He is influenced by the earlier work of the favoured court painter of Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor, Master Theoderic, who was active around 1360, and his treatment of the draperies and the ornamentation of the initial staves is closely comparable to the work of other Bohemian/Silesian/Moravian illuminators active in the final decades of the 14th century.
The Sacrifice of Isaac and a Prophet with a scroll, two miniatures cut from a Missal [Bohemia, probably Silesia, c.1385-90]
Among the finest examples of N[icolaus?] Kuthner, one of the illuminators of the Bible of King Wenceslaus IV.
60 x 59mm (The Sacrifice of Isaac), possibly opening 'Te igitur' and 52 x 54mm (Prophet with a scroll), reverse with 5 and 4 partial lines of text respectively, the text on the reverse of the Sacrifice of Isaac from Genesis 2:17-18 '[sicut] stellas celi et v[elut arena]m que est in lit[tore ma]ris possidebit [semen tuu]m portas inim[icorum suorum] et benedicentur in [...]'; the reverse of the cutting with the Prophet a rare collect or secret '[Sacrifi]cia tibi domine [in beatae Ma]rie semper v[irginis hon]ore deferentes [qauesumus] ut eius inter[cessione]', also found in a printed Prague Missal of 1498 (BSB München, 2 Inc.c.a. 3668). Provenance: The Romantic Agony, Brussels, 2012.
A cutting from the same manuscript, identified as from a Breviary, and also with a Prophet, is K 7304 at the National Gallery in Prague (illustrated and described in P. Brodský and M. Šumová, Iluminované rukopisné zlomky z oblasti latinské kultury ve Sbírce grafiky a kresby Národní galerie v Praze, 2020). This is the work of N. Kuthner, a Silesian painter who was also one of the main illuminators on the Bible of King Wenceslas IV (on this illuminator see J. Gromadzki, 'Knižní malba ve Slezsku v období 1400–1550': Od gotiky k renesanci, 1999, pp.177-196; and J. Gromadzki in A. Niedzielenko and V. Vlnas (eds.), Slezsko – perla v Ceské korune. Tri období rozkvetu vzájemných umeleckých vztahu, 2006). He is influenced by the earlier work of the favoured court painter of Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor, Master Theoderic, who was active around 1360, and his treatment of the draperies and the ornamentation of the initial staves is closely comparable to the work of other Bohemian/Silesian/Moravian illuminators active in the final decades of the 14th century.
Special notice
This lot has been imported from outside of the UK for sale and placed under the Temporary Admission regime. Import VAT is payable at 5% on the hammer price. VAT at 20% will be added to the buyer’s premium but will not be shown separately on our invoice.
Sale room notice
Please note that these miniatures are attributable to Nicolaus Kuthner.
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