Illuminated Bible leaf on vellum, 13th century, Paris. Start Price USD 600.00 Current Price USD 600.00 Time Left - Bid Count 1 Buy It Now Price - Reserve Price - Start Time Wednesday, August 20, 2008 End Time Saturday, August 30, 2008 Location Boston, MA See more about 'Illuminated Bible leaf on vellum, 13th century, Paris.' Description I bought this beautiful illuminated leaf several years ago, directly from famous manuscript collector Charles Edwin Puckett (www.cepuckett.com), when he came to Boston for an antique show. I bought it for $750, the price tag is still there. I loved the extremely small gothic script and illuminated initial. There are some more pictures, a close-up of the initial, and some deciphering of the text on my personal website : http://guillermito2.net/calli/bible_13.html. I never bought it as an investment, but because I always loved calligraphy and medieval history, and this leaf is a magnificent example of both. The small leaf is inserted in a bigger mat, and the whole thing is protected by a transparent removable plastic layer. This leaf was stored like this for at least five years in a dry and dark place, not exposed to light, never suspended on a wall, so the colors are still vibrant (especially for a 800 years old piece of art).Size of the leaf : 140x90 mm (5.5 x 3.5 in)Size of the passe-partout (mat) : 36x28 cm (14.2x11 in)Description from CE Puckett, as written on the mat :Original leaf from a medieval manuscript pocket Bible from the Johannes Grusch Atelier. Red-ruled Latin gothic minuscule script in brown ink, on animal vellum. Rubricated chapter numbers, initials and marginalia in red and blue. 46 lines of text in double columns (12 lines per inch !). France, Paris, 1240 A.D.One six-line inhabited initial in blue with white tracery on a mauve ground, having two internal creatures with their heads facing each other in colors of gray, white, pink, blue, orange and gold. The initial extends into the margin in blue, mauve, white and gold. One four-line initial in red and blue surrounded by red and blue pen-work extending into the margin; one two-line initial in red with blue pen-work extending into the margin.This leaf begins with text for Habacuc (Habakkuk) 2:4 - 3:19. "Iustus autem..." ("The just shall live in his faith... all the earth shall be filled, that men may know the glory of the Lord..."). The illuminated initial opens the Book of Sophonias (Zephaniah) : "Verbum Domini..." ("The work of the Lord that came to Sophonias...").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.NB : I can send more detailed pictures upon requests.NB2 : I've added a few more detailed pictures on my website :http://www.guillermito2.net/tmp/front.jpghttp://www.guillermito2.net/tmp/back.jpghttp://www.guillermito2.net/tmp/1.jpghttp://www.guillermito2.net/tmp/2.jpghttp://www.guillermito2.net/tmp/3.jpghttp://www.guillermito2.net/tmp/4.jpg Place a Bid!