ABAA-IPLA-PBFA

Two leaves from the Llangattock Breviary
Illuminated manuscript leaf on vellum

Ferrara, c.1450. [a] 267 x 197 mm. Four borders consisting of colored flowers and burnished gold disks on scrolling vine stems or of burnished gold bars flowering at top and bottom into sprays of leaves, buds and gold disks connected with elaborate pen-work stems; one 4-line illuminated initial in mauve, blue and burnished gold, four 2-line initials in burnished gold on mauve or blue grounds with white tracery; one-line initials in burnished gold with blue pen-flourishing or blue with red pen-flourishing. Double columns of 30 lines, ruled in lead, justification: 161 x 125mm, written in a rounded gothic liturgical script in black ink, rubrics in red, capitals washed in yellow (some flaking of ink from flesh side). [with] [b] 270 x 1978 mm. Two columns of 30 lines written in brown ink in a gothic bookhand, rubrics in red, two-line initial of burnished gold on a blue ground with white filigree decoration, one-line initials alternately of gold and blue with flourishing of blue and red, four full-length bar borders of burnished gold with terminal or marginal sprays of scrolling penwork tendrils supporting foliage, flowers and golden disks (slightly faded). These leaves come from a manuscript that was sold in Christie’s London rooms (8 December 1958, lot 190) as part of the estate of the 2nd Baron Llangattock. Many miniatures had already been removed and after the sale the remaining leaves were separated and dispersed. All aspects of this luxury manuscript - size, format and illumination - correspond with those of the Missal of Borso d’Este, marquis and then Duke of Ferrara (Modena, Biblioteca Estense, Ms OE W.5.2, Lat.239) and the Breviary was certainly made either for him or his predecessor Leonello and intended, like the Missal, for use in the ruler’s chapel. It is now usually identified with the Breviary recorded in accounts in the d’Este archives, as having been illuminated for Leonello by Giorgio d’Alemagna, Bartolomeo di Beninca, Guglielmo Giraldi and Matteo de’ Pasti: F. Toniolo ed, La Miniatura a Ferrara dal Tempo di Cosme, Tura all’eredita di Ercole de’ Roberti (1998), pages 19, 20, 76-77. Full description and images available on my website. (Item ID: 8717)

$11,750.00