Details
JARRY, NICOLAS, calligrapher. Preces Christianae cum parvo officio Beatae Virginis Mariae. Nic. Jarry Paris[iensis]. scribebat, 1652.
ILLUMINATED CALLIGRAPHIC MANUSCRIPT ON VELLUM, 83 leaves, plus 6 vellum flyleaves, original scribal pagination in ink, [3] 2-160 [4], 124 x 79 mm. (4 7/8 x 3 1/8 in.), each page within a gold and red ruled frame, written in brown ink in a highly accomplished roman hand, the Planctus Virginis and rubric running-titles and headlines in italic, initials in red, principal section headings and 2-line initials in blue or gold, title written in gold, red, and blue roman capitals within a finely painted border of flowers, fruits, ribbons and arabesques, 6 painted floral head-pieces, 7 floral initials, and one tail-piece (p. 8) of florals and arabesques framing the initials C.H.B.N.O.L.E.P., in gold,surmounted by a Marquis's coronet, the recto of the last leaf with a full-page illumination of the arms of Henri de Bullion, Marquis de Courcy, Seigneur de Fontenay.
TEXT
Institutio christiana. Texts and lists including the Apostles' Creed, Ten Commandments, Lord's Prayer, Hail Mary, etc. (pp. 1-8). Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary (pp. 9-25). Litanies of the Virgin (pp. 26-31). Hymns of the Virgin (pp. 32-38). Modus ministrandi et respondendi in missa, including Nicene Creed and Athanasian creed (pp. 39-59). Prayers (pp. 60-70). Penitential Psalms and litanies (pp. 71-114). Sunday office for Vespers and Compline (pp. 115-144). Hymns (pp. 145-159). Oratio ad expiandos in recitatione defectus ex Leone Papa X (pp. 159-160). Index (p. 161).
BINDING
Contemporary Parisian binding ATTRIBUTED TO THE ATELIER OF FLORIMOND BADIER, red morocco over pasteboard, covers tooled in gold to a fanfare-style design of interlacing ribbons formed of double and single fillets forming compartments containing pointillé spiral and small flower tools punctuated by gilt dots of various sizes, roll-tooled outer border, spine gilt in seven compartments, two chased brass fore-edge clasps, matching morocco doublures with gold-tooled center- and corner-piece design consisting of a central quatrefoil from which emanate four lozenge-shaped masses of pointillé tooling and gilt dots, within a double rule frame built up of fillets and gouges, spiral tooling and arabesques at corners, and a roll-tooled outer border, gilt edges, modern morocco pull-off case, slight wear to joints and extremities, spine slightly darkened, slight darkening around clasps on upper cover, offsetting of doublures to vellum free endleaves.
Nicolas Jarry (c. 1615-1674), considered "the most famous exponent of the court school of calligraphy" (J.I. Whalley & V.C. Kaden, The Universal Penman, 1980), was appointed "noteur de la musique du roi" by Louis XIV in 1637. Between 1633 and 1663 he copied numerous volumes of prayers, books of hours, and other religious texts, mainly as commissions for members of the royal family and upper ranks of the nobility. In 1896 Baron R. Portalis listed [ ] manuscripts signed by or attributed to Jarry, of which the present manuscript is no. 72.
The binding, called by the Esmerian catalogue "un chef d'oeuvre de finesse et d'élégance", is attributed to the atelier Florimond Badier, the principal Parisian bindery of its day. In his Douze tableaux synoptiques sur la reliure au XVIIe siècle, Esmerian lists 28 Jarry manuscripts bound in this shop (Annexe A-IV, nos. 47-62). "L'Atelier Badier semble avoir travaillé très étroitement avec le calligraphe Nicolas Jarry. J'ai même l'impression qu'entre les années 1641 et 1652 un seul relieur s'occupait de ses manuscrits. Ils présentent entre eux des points de ressemblance assez frappants..." (Esmerian II, p. 27). The present example is one of the more interesting of Esmerian's bindings from this atelier, in that it combines both of the two principal styles employed there, the fanfare style and the characteristic center- and corner-piece style incorporating veritable clouds of pointillé tooling. The Rothschild collection at the Bibliothèque nationale contains a nearly identical binding on a closely similar manuscript by Jarry, apparently of the same text with similar if not virtually identical illumination (Picot/Rothschild I, 34, color illus.) (See also lot 191, infra.)
Brunet III, 814; Baron Roger Portalis, "Nicolas Jarry et la Calligraphie au XVIIe sècle", Bulletin du Bibliophile, 1896, p. 635, no. 72.
Provenance:
1. Signed and dated by Jarry on the title, executed for Henri de Bullion, Marquis de Courcy, painted coat-of-arms as above
2. Louis-Jean Gaignat (sale, Paris, 10 April 1769, lot 204)
3. Count Justin de Mac-Carthy-Reagh (sale, Paris, Jan.-April 1817, lot 427)
4. William Beckford, bequeathed to Alexander hamilton, tenth Duke of Hamilton (sale, Sotheby's, 23 May 1889, lot 91)
5. Gustave Guyot de Villeneuve (sale, Paris, 26-31 March 1900, lot 15)
6. Louis Lebeuf de Montgermont (sale, Paris, part 7, 1914, lot 52)
7. Édouard Rahir, bookplate (sale, Paris, part 1, 7-9 May 1930, lot 114, to Maggs)
8. Mortimer L. Schiff, bookplate (sale, Sotheby's, part 1, 23-25 March, lot 248)
9. A. Rodocanachi, bookplate
10. Raphaël Esmerian, bookplate (sale, Paris, part 2, 8 December 1972, lot 28)
11. The present owner
ILLUMINATED CALLIGRAPHIC MANUSCRIPT ON VELLUM, 83 leaves, plus 6 vellum flyleaves, original scribal pagination in ink, [3] 2-160 [4], 124 x 79 mm. (4 7/8 x 3 1/8 in.), each page within a gold and red ruled frame, written in brown ink in a highly accomplished roman hand, the Planctus Virginis and rubric running-titles and headlines in italic, initials in red, principal section headings and 2-line initials in blue or gold, title written in gold, red, and blue roman capitals within a finely painted border of flowers, fruits, ribbons and arabesques, 6 painted floral head-pieces, 7 floral initials, and one tail-piece (p. 8) of florals and arabesques framing the initials C.H.B.N.O.L.E.P., in gold,surmounted by a Marquis's coronet, the recto of the last leaf with a full-page illumination of the arms of Henri de Bullion, Marquis de Courcy, Seigneur de Fontenay.
TEXT
Institutio christiana. Texts and lists including the Apostles' Creed, Ten Commandments, Lord's Prayer, Hail Mary, etc. (pp. 1-8). Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary (pp. 9-25). Litanies of the Virgin (pp. 26-31). Hymns of the Virgin (pp. 32-38). Modus ministrandi et respondendi in missa, including Nicene Creed and Athanasian creed (pp. 39-59). Prayers (pp. 60-70). Penitential Psalms and litanies (pp. 71-114). Sunday office for Vespers and Compline (pp. 115-144). Hymns (pp. 145-159). Oratio ad expiandos in recitatione defectus ex Leone Papa X (pp. 159-160). Index (p. 161).
BINDING
Contemporary Parisian binding ATTRIBUTED TO THE ATELIER OF FLORIMOND BADIER, red morocco over pasteboard, covers tooled in gold to a fanfare-style design of interlacing ribbons formed of double and single fillets forming compartments containing pointillé spiral and small flower tools punctuated by gilt dots of various sizes, roll-tooled outer border, spine gilt in seven compartments, two chased brass fore-edge clasps, matching morocco doublures with gold-tooled center- and corner-piece design consisting of a central quatrefoil from which emanate four lozenge-shaped masses of pointillé tooling and gilt dots, within a double rule frame built up of fillets and gouges, spiral tooling and arabesques at corners, and a roll-tooled outer border, gilt edges, modern morocco pull-off case, slight wear to joints and extremities, spine slightly darkened, slight darkening around clasps on upper cover, offsetting of doublures to vellum free endleaves.
Nicolas Jarry (c. 1615-1674), considered "the most famous exponent of the court school of calligraphy" (J.I. Whalley & V.C. Kaden, The Universal Penman, 1980), was appointed "noteur de la musique du roi" by Louis XIV in 1637. Between 1633 and 1663 he copied numerous volumes of prayers, books of hours, and other religious texts, mainly as commissions for members of the royal family and upper ranks of the nobility. In 1896 Baron R. Portalis listed [ ] manuscripts signed by or attributed to Jarry, of which the present manuscript is no. 72.
The binding, called by the Esmerian catalogue "un chef d'oeuvre de finesse et d'élégance", is attributed to the atelier Florimond Badier, the principal Parisian bindery of its day. In his Douze tableaux synoptiques sur la reliure au XVIIe siècle, Esmerian lists 28 Jarry manuscripts bound in this shop (Annexe A-IV, nos. 47-62). "L'Atelier Badier semble avoir travaillé très étroitement avec le calligraphe Nicolas Jarry. J'ai même l'impression qu'entre les années 1641 et 1652 un seul relieur s'occupait de ses manuscrits. Ils présentent entre eux des points de ressemblance assez frappants..." (Esmerian II, p. 27). The present example is one of the more interesting of Esmerian's bindings from this atelier, in that it combines both of the two principal styles employed there, the fanfare style and the characteristic center- and corner-piece style incorporating veritable clouds of pointillé tooling. The Rothschild collection at the Bibliothèque nationale contains a nearly identical binding on a closely similar manuscript by Jarry, apparently of the same text with similar if not virtually identical illumination (Picot/Rothschild I, 34, color illus.) (See also lot 191, infra.)
Brunet III, 814; Baron Roger Portalis, "Nicolas Jarry et la Calligraphie au XVIIe sècle", Bulletin du Bibliophile, 1896, p. 635, no. 72.
Provenance:
1. Signed and dated by Jarry on the title, executed for Henri de Bullion, Marquis de Courcy, painted coat-of-arms as above
2. Louis-Jean Gaignat (sale, Paris, 10 April 1769, lot 204)
3. Count Justin de Mac-Carthy-Reagh (sale, Paris, Jan.-April 1817, lot 427)
4. William Beckford, bequeathed to Alexander hamilton, tenth Duke of Hamilton (sale, Sotheby's, 23 May 1889, lot 91)
5. Gustave Guyot de Villeneuve (sale, Paris, 26-31 March 1900, lot 15)
6. Louis Lebeuf de Montgermont (sale, Paris, part 7, 1914, lot 52)
7. Édouard Rahir, bookplate (sale, Paris, part 1, 7-9 May 1930, lot 114, to Maggs)
8. Mortimer L. Schiff, bookplate (sale, Sotheby's, part 1, 23-25 March, lot 248)
9. A. Rodocanachi, bookplate
10. Raphaël Esmerian, bookplate (sale, Paris, part 2, 8 December 1972, lot 28)
11. The present owner