Beschreibung:

The Holy Trinity in a large historiated initial on a leaf from the De Thou Gradual, illuminated manuscript on parchment [northern France (Paris), parent manuscript dated November 1537] Single large leaf, with a large initial 'B' in blue overlaid with delicate white foliate penwork, enclosing Christ as a naked figure with a white loincloth, facing God the Father as a bearded man wearing the papal crown, holding an open book between them and both wrapped in a single red robe edged with liquid gold penstrokes, as the Holy Spirit descends in the form of a white dove, light in form of liquid gold lines pouring out into the scene from behind the dove, the whole initial on a burnished gold ground with red, green and blue baubles, full border of coloured foliage and fruit on coloured and dull-gold panels, with two sets of arms in bas-de-page (de Thou and Tuelue) within wreaths, two initials in calligraphic penstrokes with two skilfully drawn human faces, original red folio no. "f xxxix", capitals touched lightly in yellow wash, 8 lines of the precise and professional late gothic liturgical hand of Jerome Fortier, an otherwise unrecorded Franciscan scribe (see below), with music on a 4-line red stave (rastrum: 22mm.), some scuffs here and there in borders, some small flaking from gold, some stains to main text, silver in both sets of arms now oxidised, slightly cockled in places, verso with text faded, overall good condition, 509 by 358mm. From the Gradual written by the Franciscan Jerome Fortier for Christophe de Thou (1508-82), 'Premier President du Parlement de Paris' and seigneur of Bonneüil and Cely-en-Biere, and Jacqueline Tuelue, his wife, for presentation to the church of Saint-André-des-Arts. They were the parents of the historian, bibliophile and binding patron, Jacques-Auguste de Thou (d. 1617), and the first set of arms here with a chevron between three flies sable will be familiar to connoisseurs of fine sixteenth-century bindings. Two other leaves from the same parent-codex, one with the lengthy colophon in French naming the scribe and dating the completion of the work to November 1537, were offered by Laurence Witten, cat. 18 (1983), no. 49, then sold in Sotheby's, 25 June 1985, lot 13, for £4400 to Alan G. Thomas, reappearing in Thomas' posthumous sale in the same rooms, 22 June 1993, lot 51, there realising £4830. Another possible leaf was identified by Patrick King in 1984 in his Bulletin, 5, no. 59, as then in his possession.