Beschreibung:

Gargantuan Antiphoner, in Latin, decorated manuscript on parchment in its contemporary binding [Spain, c. 1500] 44 leaves (plus pastedowns recovered from similar volume and reused), many of these cut from codex for dispersal and with a number of leaves wanting throughout, original foliation of leaves that remain: 2-3, 7-34, 41-2, 47-8, 51-53, 56-7, 65, 67, plus one loose unnumbered leaf at each end, these with 5 lines of text in very large Iberian liturgical script, with music on a 5-line red stave (as common in late medieval Spain and not indicating polyphony), rastrum: 80mm., red rubrics, penwork initials in split interlacing bands, red or blue with ornate foliage and penwork in contrasting colour, or simple red, two large variegated initials in red and blue enclosing detailed penwork foliage and with penwork frames, one vast initial N (opening Nativitas gloriose virginis …) in riotously tessellating shapes of red and blue enclosing tiles of penwork with flowerheads, and enclosed within detailed penwork frame, some leaves loose (see above), scuffs and stains, else fair condition, 790 by 560mm.; contemporary binding of brown leather over massive wooden boards, metalwork cornerpieces and four central mounts on each board (wanting cornerpieces from backboard), leather of spine missing but binding structures in place, scuffs and tears to leather with losses at edges, fair condition