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an old book with a picture of a woman on itan old book with a red and black writing on it
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158 - Middle Ages (Mary in prayer). Single leaf from a missal with…
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Estimate €1,500 - €2,000
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Description
Middle Ages (Mary in prayer). Single leaf from a missal with a historicised initial ‘D’. Featuring a gouache initial on a gold leaf ground with a border, as well as red Lombard capitals with scrollwork. - Latin manuscript on parchment. Probably Italy (Central Italy, Tuscany), c. 1450–1500. Gothic rotunda script in black with red rubrics. Regarding the initial: The historicised ‘D’ initial depicts Mary as an Orant (half-figure, red cloak, blue-grey robe) on a green dotted ground. She stands within a black-framed field of polished gold leaf, and the body of the letter is blue with white detailing. The left-hand border, consisting of flowers, feather-like spirals and radiant gold spheres, corresponds to the 15th-century Italian style, probably from central Italy. Regarding the palaeography: The text is written in a uniform Gothic rotunda of Italian influence, which exhibits elements of Textura. The stems are serifed, the letters are tightly packed, the ‘a’ is round and open, and the ‘r’ is written in the rotunda style following the round letters. The capital letters are designed as serifed, Fraktur-like decorative letters. The abbreviations are those customary in liturgical texts: dñm nrm, shortening marks for n/m, the Tironian note ‘7’ for et, qz for -que and e-caudata for ae. Filler marks appear at the end of lines, whilst the rubrics are introduced by black paragraph marks. The main text is in a single hand. No corrections or later additions are discernible. The decoration on the recto consists of a blue initial ‘D’ on a square background of gold leaf. Within the field is a half-figure of the praying Virgin Mary with a red cloak and a nimbus. To the left, the initial is flanked by a border of acanthus and foliage in green, pink and blue. It is adorned with gold spheres, rays and delicate featherwork. This type of decoration is common in 15th-century Italian book illumination, particularly in the Florentine school. Red Lombard capitals with feather ornamentation on both sides complete the decoration. The dating is based on the terminus post quem of the Feast of Corpus Christi (introduced in 1264, widely observed from 1317) as well as on the script and decorative style. Regarding the content: The leaf contains prayers from the Roman Mass formula for the summer liturgical cycle following Pentecost, in Latin. The recto first presents the conclusion of a preceding prayer (".adversis. Per dominum nostrum”) and then the rubric *Pro commemoratione dominice prime post penth(ecosten). Oratio.* with the collect “Deus in te sperantium fortitudo, adesto propitius invocationibus nostris.”. This is followed by the rubric ‘Post com(munionem) trinitatis’ with the beginning of the post-communion prayer ‘Proficiat nobis ad salutem corporis et animae.’ On the reverse, this prayer continues up to ‘.huius sacramenti susceptio et sempiternae sanctae Trinitatis eiusdemque individuae unitatis confessio’. This is followed by the Post-Communion prayer for the first Sunday (Post com. dominice .i.): “Tantis Domine repleti muneribus: praesta quaesumus, ut et salutaria dona capiamus et a tua laude numquam cessemus.” The leaf ends with the rubric *In solennitate sacratissimi corporis Christi. Oratio.* and the beginning of the Collect: “Deus, qui nobis sub sacramento mirabili.” The sequence of texts (Trinity Sunday, the Sunday after Pentecost, Corpus Christi) and the fact that it consists solely of prayers without readings suggest it is a Missal or a prayer book. – A decorative and vibrantly coloured single leaf. A decorative and vividly coloured single leaf which, with its clear, powerful Rotunda script, the bright red Lombardic initials and the gold-ground initial featuring the praying Mary, offers a striking insight into the book art of the Italian Late Gothic and Early Renaissance periods. Medieval – (Mary as Orant). Single leaf from a missal with historiated initial ‘D’. Featuring a body-colour initial on a burnished gold ground with a marginal border, plus red Lombardic initials with penwork flourishes. – Latin manuscript on parchment. Italy (central Italy, Tuscany), second half of the 15th century. Gothic rotunda script in black with red rubrics. On the initial: The historiated initial ‘D’ depicts Mary as an orant (half-length figure, red mantle, blue-grey robe) against a green dotted ground. She stands within a black-framed field of polished gold leaf, and the body of the letter is blue with white decoration. The left border, featuring flowers, penwork spirals and radiating gold balls, is characteristic of the 15th-century Italian style, probably from central Italy. On the palaeography: The text is written in an even Gothic rotunda of Italian character, with elements of textura. The stems are broken, the letters are compressed, the ‘a’ is round and open, and ‘r rotunda’ follows round letters. The majuscules are designed as broken, Fraktur-like ornamental letters. The abbreviations are those customary in liturgical texts: dñm nrm, suspension strokes for n/m, the Tironian note ‘7’ for et, qz for -que, and e-caudata for ae. Filler marks appear at the ends of lines, and the rubrics are introduced by black paragraph marks. The main text is in a single hand. No proofreaders’ marks or later additions are discernible. The decoration on the recto consists of a blue initial ‘D’ on a square, burnished gold ground. The inner field contains a half-length figure of the praying Virgin Mary with a red mantle and nimbus. To the left, the initial is flanked by a border of acanthus and leaf tendrils in green, pink and blue. It is studded with gold balls, rays and fine penwork. This type of decoration is common in 15th-century Italian book illumination, particularly in Florentine circles. Red Lombardic initials with penwork ornamentation on both sides complete the decoration. The dating is based on the terminus post quem of the feast of Corpus Christi (introduced in 1264, generally widespread from 1317 onwards), as well as on the script and decorative style. Regarding the content: The leaf contains prayers from the Roman Mass formulary for the summer season following Pentecost, in Latin. The recto first gives the end of a preceding prayer (”.adversis. Per dominum nostrum”) and then the rubric ‘Pro commemoratione dominice prime post penth(ecosten)’. Oratio, with the Collect ‘Deus in te sperantium fortitudo, adesto propitius invocationibus nostris.’ This is followed by the rubric ‘Post com(munionem) trinitatis’ with the beginning of the post-communion prayer ‘Proficiat nobis ad salutem corporis et animae.’ On the verso, this prayer continues to ‘.huius sacramenti susceptio et sempiternae sanctae Trinitatis eiusdemque individuae unitatis confessio’. Then comes the post-communion prayer for the first Sunday (Post com. dominice .i.): “Tantis Domine repleti muneribus: praesta quaesumus, ut et salutaria dona capiamus et a tua laude numquam cessemus.” The leaf ends with the rubric In solennitate sacratissimi corporis Christi. Oratio. and the beginning of the collect “Deus, qui nobis sub sacramento mirabili.” The sequence of texts (Trinity, Sunday after Pentecost, Corpus Christi) and the restriction to orations without readings suggest a missal or an orationale. - A decorative and richly coloured single leaf. With its clear, powerful rotunda, its vivid red Lombardic initials and the gold-ground initial depicting the praying Virgin Mary, it offers an impressive insight into the book art of the Italian late Gothic and early Renaissance. This lot is subject to standard tax. A 24.95% buyer’s premium is payable on the hammer price, and 7% (Books and Art) or 19% VAT (Manuscripts, Screenprints, Offset Prints, Photographs) is payable on the final invoice amount within the European Union. This lot is subject to the standard tax regime. A 24.95% buyer’s premium applies to the hammer price, and 7% (books and art) or 19% VAT (manuscripts, screen prints, offset prints and photographs) applies to the final invoice amount within the European Union.
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About the sale Valuable books, prints, historical photographs
Auction location
Auction time 10/24/2026 at 10:00 AM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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