MEDIEVAL ILLUMINATED MANUSCRIPT BIBLE LEAF c1240, PSALMS 117 & 118 - 10 INITIALS

When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

MEDIEVAL ILLUMINATED MANUSCRIPT BIBLE LEAF c1240, PSALMS 117 & 118 - 10 INITIALS:
$399.99

Original 13th Century Medieval Illuminated Bible Leaf, Paris, France - c. 1240-50
Text from PSALMS 117 & 118 (King James 118 & 119)!!!
“...It is good to confide in the Lord, rather than to have confidence in man. It is good to trust in the Lord, rather than to trust in princes…”

IM-11106: A lovely original leaf from a medieval manuscript pocket Bible. Latin gothic micro-minuscule script, ruled in red ink and hand-written in brown ink on both sides, on animal vellum. Rubricated chapter numbers, TEN multi-lined illuminated Lombard style initials and elegant marginalia in red and blue. 44 lines of text in double columns. The gothic text is written in extremely tiny and very well formed letters, so small that there are twelve lines of text to the inch! This leaf measures 150 x 100 mm (5 7/8 x 4”).

The front (recto) contains a scribal omission added in the left margin – this omission is surrounded by a red box indicating that the “transcription had been systematically checked for accuracy” (De Hamel, Scribes and Illuminators, p. 43).

This leaf begins Psalm 117 (King James 118) 8-29: \'\'Bonum est confidere...\'\' (It is good to confide in the Lord, rather than to have confidence in man. It is good to trust in the Lord, rather than to trust in princes...). The two-line illuminated \'\'B\'\' begins Psalm 118 (KJ 119) 1-86: \'\'Beati immaculati...\'\' (Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord...).

This leaf originates from Northern France (Paris), c. 1240-50. This leaf is from a “portable” Bible of the Crusades period and would have been used in abstract study of theology or preaching of the Gospel around medieval countryside. This is an original, not a reproduction, and its condition is excellent as shown in the photos.

The book from which this leaf came was a very high-quality production, scribed in the Johannes Grusch Workshop in Paris. The calligraphy is excellent, and the vellum is of the finest style, extremely thin and very white. Other leaves from this same book were exhibited in the Jeanne Blackburn Collection at the Cleveland Art Museum (pl. 7 and 8).

This leaf comes with a Certificate of Authenticity.

We prefer payment through PayPal. For international purchase we accept only PayPal. Ohio residents should add 6.75% sales tax. Shipping in the United States is $9.00 via USPS Priority Mail (insurance included). For multiple purchases shipped together, add $1.00 for each additional item. Outside US, shipping is $23.00 by secure Registered Mail. International Buyers – Please Note: Import duties, taxes, and charges are NOT INCLUDED in the item price or shipping cost. These charges are the buyer\'s responsibility. Please check with your country\'s customs office to determine what these additional costs will be prior to offerding or buying.

Add Me to Your My Favorite Sellers List!

We have been full-time dealers in Illuminated Manuscripts, Maps, Prints and Antiquities since 1980.
For more information about us please click on the About Me icon.