A FINE ROMANESQUE ILLUMINATED INITIAL, cut from Jerome, Praefatio in evangelio, in Latin, illuminated manuscript on vellum[Germany (Rhineland), 12th century (3rd quarter)]
a cutting, c. 100 × 90mm, the reverse preserving parts of 13 lines of text written in a fine bookhand (‘emendandos. Unde acci[dit] ... Lucas Iohannes. In secundo tres’), the illuminated initial ‘B’ doubtless from the incipit ‘Beato papae Damaso Hieronymus’, the initial itself composed of openwork segments in shades of green, red, or gold, filled with scrolling vegetal stems with offshoots, leaves, and terminations in the form of small lush Channel-style ‘Byzantine blossoms’, and symmetrical interlace knotwork at the corners, all set against a pale blue ground; trimmed to the edges with neat cuts at the left left extremities, slight overall wear, but still in good condition and very attractive; framed with a photocopy of the reverse of the cutting stuck to the back of the frame.
PROVENANCESold in our rooms, 18 June 1996, lot 10; bought by Sam Fogg, apparently on behalf of:The Boehlen Collection, MS 1101
The cropping of this initial to the edges of the decoration, to remove all trace of text from the front, suggests that it may have been excised from its parent volume early in the 19th century, in the wake of the secularisation of religious houses in Germany. In this period it was common to consider illumination as completely separate from the text it adorned, especially if the text was religious, and especially in Protestant countries where there was little appetite for texts associated with the Catholic church. Later in the century it became common to trim such initials to a square or rectangle, preserving some of the surrounding text, or to excise entire leaves rather than just initials, as if to proudly emphasise that a catholic book has been cut up to produce a specimen of medieval art.
The quality of the illumination and script here are both very high, and the cutting must come from a very fine manuscript. The repertoire of ornament and its execution bear comparison with contemporary English work, such as a Glossed Psalter thought to have been made at Winchester in the mid 12th century (Bodleian Library, MS. Auct. D. 2. 4), whose Psalm 109 initial is formed of very similar openwork panels, enclosing similarly shaded spirals.
A FINE ROMANESQUE ILLUMINATED INITIAL, cut from Jerome, Praefatio in evangelio, in Latin, illuminated manuscript on vellum[Germany (Rhineland), 12th century (3rd quarter)]
a cutting, c. 100 × 90mm, the reverse preserving parts of 13 lines of text written in a fine bookhand (‘emendandos. Unde acci[dit] ... Lucas Iohannes. In secundo tres’), the illuminated initial ‘B’ doubtless from the incipit ‘Beato papae Damaso Hieronymus’, the initial itself composed of openwork segments in shades of green, red, or gold, filled with scrolling vegetal stems with offshoots, leaves, and terminations in the form of small lush Channel-style ‘Byzantine blossoms’, and symmetrical interlace knotwork at the corners, all set against a pale blue ground; trimmed to the edges with neat cuts at the left left extremities, slight overall wear, but still in good condition and very attractive; framed with a photocopy of the reverse of the cutting stuck to the back of the frame.
PROVENANCESold in our rooms, 18 June 1996, lot 10; bought by Sam Fogg, apparently on behalf of:The Boehlen Collection, MS 1101
The cropping of this initial to the edges of the decoration, to remove all trace of text from the front, suggests that it may have been excised from its parent volume early in the 19th century, in the wake of the secularisation of religious houses in Germany. In this period it was common to consider illumination as completely separate from the text it adorned, especially if the text was religious, and especially in Protestant countries where there was little appetite for texts associated with the Catholic church. Later in the century it became common to trim such initials to a square or rectangle, preserving some of the surrounding text, or to excise entire leaves rather than just initials, as if to proudly emphasise that a catholic book has been cut up to produce a specimen of medieval art.
The quality of the illumination and script here are both very high, and the cutting must come from a very fine manuscript. The repertoire of ornament and its execution bear comparison with contemporary English work, such as a Glossed Psalter thought to have been made at Winchester in the mid 12th century (Bodleian Library, MS. Auct. D. 2. 4), whose Psalm 109 initial is formed of very similar openwork panels, enclosing similarly shaded spirals.
.jpg "Quelle: Christie's")
.jpg "Quelle: Christie's")
.jpg "Quelle: Christie's")
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.jpg "Quelle: Christie's")
