ID 869463
Lot 62 | An Austrian or Bohemian Missal leaf
Estimate value
£ 3 000 – 5 000
Leaf from a Missal in Latin, decorated manuscript on vellum [Austria or southern Bohemia, late 12th (or early 13th?) century].
An imposing leaf written in extremely regular and elegant script from one of Otto Ege’s finest manuscripts.
c.347 × 235mm. 24 lines in an extremely regular and elegant bookhand, the text comprising the end of one general mass for the dead, all of another, and the start of a mass for angels (‘Postcommunio. Sumpta quesumus domine sacramenta […] Generalis. Sanctę dei genitricis Marię […] De angelis. Adorate deum omnes angeli eius […] & angelica prestitisti suffra[gia]’, rubrics and elegant one- and two-line initials in red (two medieval sewn repairs in the fore-edge margin, overall in fine condition).
Provenance:
(1) Although always described in the past as Cistercian, there is no clear evidence that the parent volume was written for a Cistercian house: although it does use punctus flexus punctuation, typical of Cistercian books, but the text originally lacked the feast of St Bernard (d. 1153), patron of the Cistercian Order, canonised in 1174 (yet the script probably suggests a date later than this).
(2) From the library of the Cistercian abbey of Hohenfurth in Southern Bohemia (now Vyšší Brod in the Czech Republic, a little north of Linz, near the modern border with Austria): their Cod. CXXXIV; it was perhaps here in the 15th century that the feast of St Bernard was added.
(3) Emil Hirsch, Munich, offered in his undated catalogue Valuable Manuscripts of the Middle Ages, Mostly Illuminated [1928?], no 17; Hirsch had many other manuscripts from Hohenfurth/Vyšší Brod, including one now at the British Library.
(4) Arnold J. Mettler, of St Gall, sold at Parke-Bernet Galleries, New York, 29–30 November 1948, lot 317.
(5) Otto F. Ege (S. Gwara, Otto Ege’s Manuscripts, 2013, Handlist no 2).
(6) Colker MS 442; acquired in 1992 from Ferrini.
For a demonstration of the Hohenfurth/Vyšší Brod provenance, see the blogpost ‘Hohenfurth, Emil Hirsch and Otto Ege’ by Katharina Kaska, posted on 15 April 2015. She also suggests that the manuscript should be dated to the 13th century.
Genre: | Religious genre |
---|---|
Place of origin: | Austria |
Genre: | Religious genre |
---|---|
Place of origin: | Austria |
Address of auction |
CHRISTIE'S 8 King Street, St. James's SW1Y 6QT London United Kingdom | |
---|---|---|
Preview |
| |
Phone | +44 (0)20 7839 9060 | |
Buyer Premium | see on Website | |
Conditions of purchase | Conditions of purchase |
Related terms
Frequently asked questions
First of all, you should register to be able to purchase at auction. After confirming your email address, enter your personal information in your user profile, such as your first name, last name, and mail address. Choose a lot from the upcoming auction and the maximum amount you want to place on it. After confirmation of your choice, we will send your application by e-mail to the appropriate auction house. If the auction house accepts a request, it will participate in the auction. You can view the current status of a bid at any time in your personal account in the "Bids" section.
Auctions are performed by auction houses and each of the auction houses describes their terms of auction. You can see the texts in the section "Auction information".
The results of the auction are published within a few days after the end of the auction. In the top menu of the site, find the tab "Auctions". Click on it and you will be on the auction catalog page, where you can easily find the category "Results". After opening it, select the desired auction from the list, enter and view the current status of the interested lot.
The information about the auction winners is confidential. The auction winner will receive a direct notification from the auction house responsible with instructions for further action: an invoice for payment and the manner in which the goods will be received.
Each of the auction houses has its own payment policy for the won lots. All auction houses accept bank transfers, most of them accept credit card payments. In the near future you will find detailed information for each case in the section "Auction information" on the page of the auction catalog and the lot.
Shipment of the won lot depends on its size. Small items can be delivered by post. Larger lots are sent by courier. Employees of the auction houses will offer you a wide range to choose from.
No. The archive serves as a reference for the study of auction prices, photographs and descriptions of works of art.