Western Manuscripts and Miniatures

The Paris Bible was one of the thirteenth century’s most striking inventions, marking the origins of the modern Bible. This exceptional ensemble from the same Bible includes the frontispiece for Genesis and depictions of Kings David and Solomon.
 
198 x 137 mm. Four single leaves, ruled in plummet for two columns of 55 lines (written space: 134 x 89 mm), additional pair of horizontals in upper and lower margins, written in light brown ink in a small gothic book hand, completed with marginal additions most likely by the same hand, rubrics in red, versal initials touched with red, running headings and chapter numbers alternately in red and blue, two-lines chapter initials alternately in red or blue, accompanied with flourishing of the opposite color running the height of the margin, ONE LARGE ILLUMINATED INITIAL with hybrid, ONE SEVEN-LINE and ONE EIGHT-LINE HISTORIATED INITIAL in red and blue on gold ground, ONE LARGE HISTORIATED INITIAL extending in the upper and lower margin of the column, in red and blue on gold ground (slight browning and stains in the edges, slight cockling, else in very good condition).

This exceptional ensemble of four separate leaves comes from the same, as-yet unidentified, Bible, illuminated in Paris in the middle of the thirteenth century. Of particular note is the superb historiated initial introducing the Book of Genesis, which would have opened the manuscript. Its composition is reminiscent of other Bibles illuminated in the Vie de Saint Denis Workshop as well as in the Duprat Workshop, both christened and defined by Robert Branner in his seminal book on illumination at the time of King St. Louis (r. 1226-1270). Characteristic features include the oval shape of the gilt medallions, set on a blue ground adorned with light and white flourishes, the combed hair, and flat folds of the draperies deepened with a dark tone. Also characteristic of the Vie de Saint Denis Workshop are the two historiated initials that represent the two foremost kings of the Old Testament: David and Solomon. The secondary decoration and historiated initials of the leaves are best compared to Bibles illuminated in the Vie de Saint Denis atelier, such as Beaune, Archives hospitalières, MS 1, and Troyes, Bibliothèque municipale, MS 33.

The subjects of the historiated initials are: Leaf A, Six Days of Creation and Christ Blessing, initial I introducing Genesis 1; Leaf C: David in Prayer, initial D introducing Psalm 101; Leaf D: Solomon with a rod, initial D introducing Proverbs 2.

Text
Leaf A reads from Genesis 1:1, “In principio…,” to Genesis 3:22, “…et ait: ec[ce Adam];” leaf B reads from Genesis 42:16, “[Pharaonisex]ploratores estis…,” to Genesis 44:16, “…inventus est scyphus”; leaf C reads from Psalms 99:8, “omnes adinventiones…,” to Psalms 104:24, “…suumvehemen[ter]”; leaf D reads from Psalms 150:6, “eorum, et gladii ancipites…,” to Proverbs 3:35, “…exaltation ignominia” (ending perfectly).

Provenance
Private collection, California, USA, MSS 103, 147, 169, and 204.
 
LITERATURE
On the production of the Vie de Saint Denis Workshop, see Robert Branner, Manuscript Painting in Paris during the Reign of Saint Louis, Berkeley, CA 1977.

Freeman’s | Hindman thank Senior Consultant Sandra Hindman and Elliott Adam for their assistance in preparing this sale.