Search Results: Titles starting with C from Les Enluminures

ILLUMINATED CALENDAR FROM A PARISIAN PRAYER BOOK. In Latin, illuminated manuscript on parchment, France (likely Paris), c. 1400-1420. Dimensions 155 x 107 mm. 12 folios on parchment, (collation, one quire of twelve leaves), ruled in plummet, written in a gothic quadrata bookhand in black and red ink on 17 long lines, with 12 illuminated initials in burnished goldleaf on grounds of blue and purple with white tracery, with ivy leaf foliate and floral ornament in goldleaf extending into margin in the upper left quadrant of the leaves.
BINDING:Modern binding in quarter black Morocco. TEXT: Calendars from medieval manuscripts are rich sources for anyone who wants to learn about the medieval world. Without today's modern devices, they were how people knew what day it was and calculated the special feast days, such as Easter, that were so important to religious life. Most feasts were written in black (or dark brown) ink, whereas the more important feasts appear in red (hence, our term "red-letter day,"… Read More

SEVENTEENTH-CENTURY ILLUMINATED DOCUMENT FOR A SPANISH NOBLE FAMILY. In Spanish, illuminated manuscript on parchment, Spain (Valladolid), May 8, 1622. Dimensions 310 x 220 mm., 87 folios complete, some leaf and quire signatures, prickings visible, written in a humanist bookhand in 28 long lines, headings in gold capitals on grounds of blue and dark red, TWO FULL-PAGE MINIATURES. BINDING: Modern (19-20th century?) reddish purple velvet binding over wooden boards, with a center ornament and border impressed in the velvet, two ornamental silver clasps, housed in a protective box. TEXT: This Carta Executoria, granted on behalf of King Philip IV of Spain (1605-1665), authenticates the nobility of Juan de Nurueña y Alava, thereby granting him exemption from taxes along with other perks. Our document is the formal copy that was commissioned and retained by the family, copied in a beautiful script, and lavishly illuminated. ILLUSTRATION: Two full-page miniatures. f. 2v,Immaculate Conception of Mary with the… Read More

MANUSCRIPT FOR CARTHUSIAN MONKS ON HOW TO OBSERVE THE LITURGY. In Latin, decorated manuscript on paper, Southern France (Méounes-les-Montrieux), November 15, 1544.Dimensions 145 x 90 mm. 96 folios on paper, watermark: a cross on a mount (unidentified), complete, written in a gothic cursive bookhand in a single column on 25 lines, red rubrics and initials. BINDING: modern half binding in cream-colored parchment over pasteboards, marbled papers on covers, pastedowns and flyleaves, five raised bands on spine, in excellent condition. TEXT: A handbook for the Carthusian liturgy for new priests. This is a manuscript about the Mass and Divine Office, setting forth the rules that governed the complex liturgical life of a Carthusian monastery. The information it contains is thus very different than the contents of much more common liturgical manuscripts like Missals or Breviaries. How widely this text was disseminated within the Carthusian Order remains a question for further research. PROVENANCE: copied at… Read More

ILLUMINATED CHOIR BOOK MADE BY STENCILS. In Latin with some Italian, illuminated stenciled book on paper with musical notation, Italy, late 18th-19th century. Dimensions 460 x 320 mm, 23 folios, complete, on very thick paper, prickings remain, seven lines of text and seven red four-line staves on each page, FIVE LARGE ILLUMINATED INITIALS, equivalent to one line of text and a musical stave in the medieval style. BINDING: 18th-century BINDING of gold-tooled leather with an ecclesiastical coat of arms, border on both covers, smooth spine, edges dyed red. TEXT: Books made by means of stencils occupy a fascinating mid-ground between manuscripts and printing with movable type. This is a particularly well-executed example, adorned with illuminated initials. It was certainly made for someone in or close to the rare Piarist Order (the "Order of the Pious Schools"). Bound in an 18th-century gold-tooled armorial binding, this handsome book was surely made as a special presentation copy. PROVENANCE: Made… Read More