Beschreibung:

BREVIARY, Premonstratensian use, in Latin. ILLUMINATED MANUSCRIPT ON VELLUM. [Northeastern France, possibly Laon, ca. 1290-1300] 180 x 132 mm. 451 leaves (of 456): 1 7(of 8, viii presumably blank cancelled) 2-8 8 9-11 1 2 12-18 8 19-22 1 2 23 1 3(vi+1) 24 1 2 25 1 1(of 12, lacking vi) 26 9(of 12, lacking vi, vii, ix) 27 1 2 28-34 8 35 1 1(of 12, lacking i) 36-45 1 2 46-47 2. Traces of contemporary quiring in extreme lower left corners of rectos. Two columns of 29 lines written in brown and red ink in two sizes of gothic textura script between 4 vertical and 30 horizontal lines ruled in lead, justification: 115 x 85 mm; calendar ruled with 6 vertical and 36 horizontal lines in blue ink and written in burnished gold, blue, and two shades of red. Line-fillers in red and blue penwork, text initials with delicate penwork in brown ink, frequently filled with yellow or green, initials in the top line of text sometimes extended into the upper margin and elaborated to form cadels incorporating grotesque faces, thousands of one-line Lombard initials in red or blue with penwork of the opposite color as versal initials to Psalms, antiphons, etc., hundreds of two-line Lombards in red or blue with pen-flourishing of the opposite color introducing chapters or readings, pen-flourishing in red and blue extending the height of every column except those with illuminated initials and borders, this flourishing with tendrils extending into the top and bottom margins and punctuated in columns without large initials by small grotesque heads in penwork or liquid gold, ca. EIGHTY ILLUMINATED INITIALS of 3-15 lines alternately mauve on a blue ground or blue on a mauve ground with white tracery infilled with blue and orange ivy leaves on burnished gold grounds and with marginal extensions often the height of the page terminating in ivy leaves and tendrils, many initials or extensions incorporating faces or small grotesque creatures, THIRTY-ONE HISTORIATED INITIALS of 8-10 lines each WITH FULL BAR BORDERS in mauve, blue, burnished gold and burnished silver with ivy-leaf finials, accompanied by NUMEROUS BIRDS, ANIMALS, GROTESQUES AND HUMAN FIGURES engaged in various activities, one similar border without initial, the calendar with VIGNETTES OF THE LABORS OF THE MONTHS AND THE SIGNS OF THE ZODIAC. (Cropped touching borders, slight rubbing to some borders, occasional minor smudges, some offset or bleed-through from borders, the silver oxydized, f. 247 a later vellum insert originally blank, neatly incised hole to f. 374 removing one line of text, clean tears to ff. 167 and 238, ca. 35 leaves with discreet vellum repairs mostly to blank margins but in ca. 15 instances clearly before writing or illumination.) Blind- and gilt-tooled sheep in the style of the 16th century, vellum endleaves (slight wear, three tiny wormholes); cloth case. Provenance : Laon, Premonstratensian monastery of St. Martin: on the evidence of calendar, liturgical use, and a series of ownership inscriptions, the manuscript was written for this monastery and remained there probably until the house was suppressed in 1790; 14th- or 15th-century exlibris ( Iste liber est ecclesie sancti Martini Laudunensis ), f. 446r; 17th-century inscription ( Ex communitate sancti Martini Laudunensis ), f. 2r; 18th-century inscription with the same wording, f. 1r; in the 16th century the manuscript was used by Brother Quintinus Matar of the monastery, who wrote his name and mark on f. 263v ( Frater Quintinus Matar religiosus sancty Martini ... Teste meo signo ), where a contemporary hand entered the date 1538, and also scribbled his name on ff. 145v-146r and 151 -- ms.11 in an unidentified collection: spine label, number on pastedown -- Eric Sexton (1902-1980): bookplate; sale, Christie's New York, 22 May 1981, lot 3 (to Lathrop Harper). Contents : calendar, with numerous contemporary and later alterations and additions (including several erasures not legible under ultraviolet light) (ff. 1v-7r, 1r bla