Beschreibung:

Two leaves from an Antiphonal, of Carthusian Use, in Latin, decorated manuscript on parchment [southern Netherlands (Ghent or Bruges), c. 1500] Two separate leaves, each with 10 lines of text in two sizes of a highly ornamental and calligraphic late gothic liturgical hand, with music on a 4-line red stave (with Antiphons and Psalms during the third nocturn on Good Friday and the Responses and Verses for Holy Saturday; and Benedictions, Psalms and Antiphons for the Octave Days of Easter, together with instructions relating to other feasts), original folio nos. 'CXIX' and 'CXXXIIII' at head of rectos, capitals touched in red, red rubrics, large initial in split penwork bands touched in red or simple red, one leaf with a large initial 'A' (opening 'Astiterunt reges terre ...') in red woody stalks, from which hang pendulous globe-like blue fruit, on a pastel blue ground, decoration in bas-de-page of a panel enclosing realistic foliage, fruit and a colourful bird on dull-gold grounds, the other with a large initial 'D' (opening 'Dignus es domine ...') formed from twisted green foliage on a green ground with liquid gold penwork, another border panel in bas-de-page with realistic foliage on dull-gold ground, second leaf rubbed at top with small losses to text there, both leaves trimmed at top and with water damage to lower margin causing some staining and cockling with affect to bottom edges of border panels, overall fair and presentable condition, each approximately 480 by 340mm. Provenance: 1. The presence of two responses from Matins in the version of the plain chant used by the Carthusians in one of the dispersed leaves offered by Maggs Bros in their cats. 1283 and 1319 (see below), indicates that the parent volume was made for use in a house of that order, and this also explains why another leaf offered by the same company in 1967 included the antiphon and response for the feast of Saint Hugh of Lincoln (a Carthusian monk and bishop of Lincoln, d. 1200). The parent codex appears to have been dispersed in London in 1960s, with leaves offered by Maggs Bros, in their Bulletin 5 (April 1967), nos. 45 and 46 (folio nos. 'CCXL' and 'CXXVI'); Folio Fine Art, cat. 47 (June 1967), no. 201; Sotheby's 20 June 1989, lot 2 (two leaves, folios 'CCXXX' and 'CLXXII'); Les Enluminures, cat. 5 (1996), no. 5; Sotheby's, 17 June 1997, lot 36 (folio no. 'XXXVI', and now in a private collection in New York); Sotheby's 7 December 1999, lot 17 (two leaves, folios 'CI' and 'CLXLI'); Maggs Bros., Illuminations, cat. 1283 (1999), item 36 (folio 'CCI'), and again cat. 1319, item 57. 2. The present leaves acquired in North American trade in 2009 and UK trade in 2014.