Beschreibung:

Bifolium with a large white-vine initial, from a copy of Augustine, Enarrationes in Psalmos, in Latin, decorated manuscript on parchment [Southern Germany or Austria, mid-twelfth century] Two conjoined leaves, with a 12-line high initial G (opening Gratias grano tritici …, on Psalm 69), in finely drawn split red bands, their centre-sections infilled with red, and held together at highest and lowest points by distinctively German bands with small circles (that seem to represent riveted metal bands used to hold timber together), the lower tail of the initial turning in on itself and filling its own body with sprays of curling acanthus leaves, explicits and incipits in fine red capitals, some capitals touched in red in opening of text following large initial, small initials in red (one formed from a distinctive minuscule e with a tongue that widens to a wedge at its outermost end to resemble a trumpet), single column of 3 lines in a small and precise early gothic bookhand (on Psalms 68 and 69; trimmed at top with loss of two lines of text), one contemporary marginal note nomen, some folds, scuffs, areas of discolouration and a small hole in margin, overall good condition, each leaf 257 by 192mm. A fine example of an early German white-vine initial, with their characteristic penwork riveted bands holding the sections of the body of the initial together. Compare F. Avril and C. Rabel, Manuscrits enlumines dorigine germanique, 1995, no. 122, pl. cxv (that one Austrian).