An illuminated French Bible leaf - photo 1
An illuminated French Bible leaf - photo 2

An illuminated French Bible leaf

Sold
£ 1 890
Auction dateClassic
12.12.2022 00:00UTC +01:00
Auctioneer
CHRISTIE'S
Event location
United Kingdom, London
Archive
The auction is completed. No bids can be placed anymore.
Archive
ID 869475
Lot 73 | An illuminated French Bible leaf
An illuminated French Bible leaf
The Creation in a historiated Genesis initial on a leaf from a Bible, in Latin, illuminated manuscript on vellum [France (Paris ?), mid 13th century].
An unusual variant of a common iconography for the Seven Days of Creation.

243 × 168 mm. 2 columns of 49 lines, written below top line, capitals stroked in red, the text comprising the end of a prologue to the Pentateuch and Genesis 1:1–2:12 (‘est illud. Ex Egypto […] illius optimum’), running title and chapter number in blue and red, illuminated with a historiated initial extending above and below the columns of text, the verso with a large initial in red with penwork flourishing extending almost the full height of the page (the lead white pigment used for faces in the initials mostly flaked, minor cockling, dirt, and wormholes).

Provenance:
(1) Maggs Bros, with their pencil acquisition note dated December 1985; offered in their European Bulletin 13 (July 1986), no. 41 (full-page ill.); another leaf was no 42, and on p. 1 they note “we have in stock several examples of some of the items – these include nos. […] 41 […]’.
(2) Colker MS 376; acquired in 1986 from Maggs.

Illumination:
As is often the case, it is difficult to be sure exactly what is represented in each tiny compartment of the initial, especially as illuminators did not always follow the biblical sequence closely. Often the final scene, at the bottom, is God Resting on the Seventh Day, or a Crucifixion; here, however, it appears that the top scene shows God Resting: he is enthroned, blesses, and holds an orb of the Earth (divided into three parts by an inverted ‘T’-shape). In the remaining scenes he stands: the separation of dark and light (?), the separation of the Earth from the firmament (?), the Creation of the Sun and Moon (? God holds a crescent), the Creation of trees and plants, the Creation of animals, and the Creation of Adam and Eve.
Genre:Religious genre
Place of origin:France
Address of auction CHRISTIE'S
8 King Street, St. James's
SW1Y 6QT London
United Kingdom
Preview
28.11.2022 – 12.12.2022
Phone +44 (0)20 7839 9060
Email
4FQ.AYGKAGLUQ@FO3G@
Buyer Premium see on Website
Conditions of purchaseConditions 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.