Beschreibung:

Bible with prologues, in Latin, illuminated manuscript on vellum
[England, Oxford, mid 13th century]
ii+445+iii leaves, c.185×130mm, apparently complete despite varying quire sizes, collation: 1–212, 318, 4–1516, 1614, 17–2116, 2214, 2316, 2414, 25–2716, 2814, 2910 many quires with contemporary quire signatures in roman numerals, some with catchwords, some traces of leaf signatures, written in 2 columns of 51 lines, the ruled space c.120x75mm, DECORATED WITH PAINTED INITIALS IN COLOURS to each book of the Bible, sometimes with dragons or animal heads, once with a human head wearing a hat, puzzle initials to each prologue, and flourished initials to each chapter; sewn on five bands and bound in modern brown leather, the spine with title “Holy Bible”, in a slip-case; intermittent stains and signs of wear, the headers often cropped, margins sometimes dirty, some natural and later flaws with repairs, the first leaf lacking one corner and more dirty than the rest, but overall in good condition
PROVENANCE1.        The style of illumination and especially the palette, plus the non-Paris order of books, the absence of the Interpretations of Hebrew Names, etc., point to production at Oxford.
2.        Philip, chaplain of Eitorf (a few miles east of Bonn): the final page with late 15th-century donation inscription in red: ‘Laus deo. Istam bibliam dedit nobis venerabilis dominus Philippus de Eyttorp alterista et capellanus ibidem. Oretis fideliter pro eo in visceribus Ihesu Christi. Anno domini .1138. [sic]’
3.        Francisco Pascual Chiva, canon of San Juan, Valencia; sold in The Hague as part of the Bibliotheca Chivaeana Hispano-exotica, ou Catalogue raisonné d'une très curieuse collection de livres ... dont le recueil a été fait par Franc. Pascual Chiva, 3 September 1759 and following days, lot 1 on p. 22.
4.        Joseph Ermens (1736–1805), of Brussels: bibliographique de la bibliothèque de Joseph Ermens, imprimeur-libraire: Tome 1, 12 November 1805, and following days, lot 114.
5.        Louis-Marie-Joseph Duriez (1753–1825), of Lille (one whom see the blogpost for 22 July 2016 at histoire-bibliophilie.blogspot.com), sold in Paris in 1927: Catalogue des livres composant la bibliothèque de feu M. Duriez, 22 January 1828, lot 5
6.        Jean Marthe Félicité (1785–1832), Marquis de Bruyères-Chalabre (on whom see the blogpost for 29 January 2013 at histoire-bibliophilie.blogspot.com); he bequeathed his library to Anne-Françoise Boutet (1779-1847), an actress known as “Mademoiselle Mars”, who sold it in Paris in 1833: Catalogue des livres imprimés et manuscrits et des autographes, composant le cabinet de feu M. de Bruyères Chalabre, 6 May 1833, and following days, lot 1.
TEXT
The books and prologues mostly follow the Paris order, but: Joshua has no prologue; Hosea has only the first of two usual prologues; the second and third prologues of Amos are written as one; the two prologues of Obadiah are not treated as one; the two prologues to Maccabees are those often attributed to Rabanus Maurus (‘Domino excellentissimo’ and ‘Reverendissimo et omni caritatis’); the Canonical Epistles precede the Pauline Epistles and Acts; the prologue to Deuteronomy follows Revelation.The final page has an added 15th-century verse mnemonic list of the books of the Bible in the normal Paris order (not that of the present manuscript), ‘Biblia quem retinet sequitum sic metricus ordo …’. This is followed by a verse found in several incunable printed editions, beginning ‘Fontibus ex Graecis hebraeorum quoque libris …’, but here the word ‘impressa’ has been altered to ‘inscripta’.Condition reportCondition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, where appropriate
The lot is sold in the condition it is in at the time of sale. The condition report is provided to assist you with assessing the condition of the lot and is for guidance only. Any reference to condition in the condition report for the lot does not amount to a full description of condition. The images of the lot form part of the condition report for the lot. Certain images of the lot provided online may not accurately reflect the actual condition of the lot. In particular, the online images may represent colors and shades which are different to the lot's actual color and shades. The condition report for the lot may make reference to particular imperfections of the lot but you should note that the lot may have other faults not expressly referred to in the condition report for the lot or shown in the online images of the lot. The condition report may not refer to all faults, restoration, alteration or adaptation. The condition report is a statement of opinion only. For that reason, the condition report is not an alternative to taking your own professional advice regarding the condition of the lot. NOTWITHSTANDING THIS ONLINE CONDITION REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE/BUSINESS APPLICABLE TO THE RESPECTIVE SALE.