TEXT IN LATIN

Western Germany [perhaps Cologne], second half of 15th century. 125 x 92 mm. (5 x 3 5/8"). Single column, 12-13 lines in four different gothic hands. 49 leaves, all but one gathering consecutive (see below).
19th century red plush fabric, paper endleaves. Rubrics in red (and occasionally blue), initial decoration of two different kinds: the majority of leaves with one- to three-line initials in blue with red penwork or gilt with purple penwork; other leaves with plain blue or red initials measuring one to two lines; OPENING PAGE WITH A BEAUTIFUL BURNISHED GILT BORDER decorated with acanthus leaves painted green and blue, and a six-line initial in blue and white, filled with a pink grid with a repeating "X" design. From the collection of Sir Thomas Phillipps, the front pastedown with his ink inscription "Phillipps MS 22947." ◆Fabric a bit worn, opening page trimmed close (just touching border at head and fore edge), vellum a bit soiled here and there (perhaps a quarter of the leaves more so), occasional wrinkles and small stains, other trivial defects, but the contents still in very good condition, with no major faults.

This fragment from a Book of Hours comes with notable provenance, having been part of the most expansive manuscript collection of the 19th century--if not of all time. The opening page contains a stunning gilt border and an impressive initial, and there are additional large gilt and penwork initials appearing at regular intervals throughout the work. The text includes the Seven Penitential Psalms, part of Compline for the Hours of the Virgin (incorrectly interspersed into the previous section in the first gathering), the Litany, and Vespers and Matins for the Office of the Dead. Despite this being a fragment of a complete work, the gatherings here appear to be consecutive, with matching catchwords and continuous text (except as previously noted). We were able to discern four different scribal hands in this manuscript (possibly five, if you include the very last two-line entry). The script and decoration here are, in fact, so obviously different from one another, that we initially thought this fragment may have been composed of gatherings from three separate manuscripts. However, there are several instances of different scribal hands occurring on the same page, confirming that multiple scribes worked on this one manuscript. Although there are no clues as to the manuscript's early provenance, we do know about its more recent history thanks to a handwritten notation on the pastedown marking it as part of the Phillipps Collection and its appearance in the Phillipps' catalogue as no. 22947. Sir Thomas Phillipps (1792-1872) amassed an astonishing collection of more than 40,000 printed books and 60,000 manuscript items during his lifetime, including thousands of Medieval manuscripts. Phillipps collected on an obsessive level, spending his inheritance and putting his family into considerable debt in order to fund his passion. His is considered one of the largest--and greatest--private collections ever put together. It took nearly a century to disperse the contents of Phillipps' estate, mostly through sales to national institutions, auctions at Sotheby's, and rare book dealers. According to the Schoenberg Database of Manuscripts at the University of Pennsylvania, the present fragment was sold at Sotheby's on 5 June 1899, where it appeared as lot 1000. The fragment was then described as having 55 leaves, which could account for the rather odd first gathering. Regardless, this fragment would make a worthy subject for further study, and its provenance alone makes it a desirable piece of book history..