BIBLE (Old and New Testaments; Interpretation... - Lot 28 - Giquello

Lot 28
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Estimation :
50000 - 70000 EUR
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Result : 81 900EUR
BIBLE (Old and New Testaments; Interpretation... - Lot 28 - Giquello
BIBLE (Old and New Testaments; Interpretation of Hebrew names) In Latin, illuminated manuscript on parchment France, Paris, ca. 1240-1260 With two historiated initials (Atelier dit Mathurin [Mathurin Atelier]), 83 ornate initials and numerous watermarked initials 604 ff, preceded and followed by one sheet of white parchment (endpapers), old foliation perceptible but trimmed a bit short, modern foliation in pencil, complete [collation: i-xi24, xii14, xiii-xviii24, xix22, xx26, xxi-xxiii24, xxiv14, xxv-xxvii24], alphabetical signature system A-Z, Aa, Bb, Cc, alternate quire numbering system in lower left corner of first few leaves of each quire, fine, highly abbreviated gothic handwriting, numerous corrections or marginal notes by strictly contemporary hands, text in two columns, 48 lines per column (justification: 65 x 100 mm), ruled in graphite, running titles in alternating blue and red capitals, headings in bright red, chapter numbering in red and blue in the justification of the text, sometimes spilling over into the margins, numerous initials painted in red or blue, plethora of initials watermarked in red or blue (some initials are "puzzle" initials) with pale blue or red watermarked decoration extending into the margin, 83 ornate initials painted in blue and dark pink with burnished gold decoration and colored interlacing, zoomorphic hybrids, dragons, snakes, sometimes extending into the margin, and 2 historiated initials (ff. 1 and 4v), of the same style and palette, one of which presents 7 small distinct miniatures (7 four-lobed medallions and a miniature at the foot of the initial). Modern binding (19th c.) of pale red velvet (tending to pink), cardboard boards covered with velvet, smooth spine, metal clasps with engraved motifs of flowers and foliage, gilt edges (worn velvet). Small tear and restoration of the folio (fol. 4) with small loss to the historiated initial in the upper left corner (fol. 4v). A few small wormholes and stains, not serious. Tear to one leaf (f. 309), without loss of text. One leaf shorter (fol. 570). Size of leaves: 90 x 138 mm; size of binding: 100 x 145 mm. A very fine 13th-century portable Bible, datable to around 1240-1260 on stylistic grounds. A true technical feat of the 13th century, portable Bibles (or preachers' Bibles) never cease to amaze us by their meticulousness and elegance. The present manuscript is very small: the average size of portable Bibles is closer to 115/125 x 170/185 mm. The Bible presented here measures 90 x 138 mm and this smaller size is worth noting. Portable Bibles contain the complete text of the Vulgate in a small, easily transportable volume. The development and manufacture of these "portable Bibles" certainly changed the way the Bible was read and used in preaching circles, especially by the mendicant orders, who needed to be able to easily refer to the sacred texts when writing their sermons. The first examples of these portable Bibles were copied in Paris in the late 1220s or early 1230s, and the format was quickly adopted throughout Europe. Paris was also the center for the dissemination of a new text of the Vulgate, known as the "Paris Bible." The latter was characterized by the new order of the biblical books, new prologues, and a new system of chaptering. Its fine writing testifies to the skill of the copyists and its elegant decoration by a Parisian workshop confirms its origin. Provenance : 1. a manuscript copied in Paris, on textual grounds (text, order of the biblical books and choice of prologues from the "Paris Bible") but above all corroborated by stylistic elements linked to the filigree initials with the inclusion of ornamental elements found in Paris from the 1240s onwards (see below the "Illustration" section, in particular the work of P. Stirnemann (1990)) and the treatment of historiated and ornamented initials attributable to the "Mathurin Atelier" studied by R. Branner (1977) and of which comparisons can be found in other Bibles painted by this workshop, in particular the typical treatment of the large initial "I" introducing Genesis). 2. Mention of an old purchase price, cursive writing, in Latin, difficult to read. The word "Emptus xii..." can be distinguished. 3. France, private collection. Text : Absolutely complete, it gathers : the Old Testament which occupies the ff. 1-447v. - the New Testament which occupies ff. 448-556v. - the Interpretation of the Hebrew names which occupies ff. 557-604. Old Testament: ff. 1-3v, Saint Jerome, Epistula 53 ad Paulinum, incipit, Fr.
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