Anonymous Coptic scribe - photo 1
Anonymous Coptic scribe - photo 2
Anonymous Coptic scribe - photo 3
Anonymous Coptic scribe - photo 4

Anonymous Coptic scribe

Lot 5
28.04.2021 11:00UTC +00:00
Classic
Sold
£ 60 000
AuctioneerCHRISTIE'S
Event locationUnited Kingdom, London
Buyer Premiumsee on Website%
Archive
The auction is completed. No bids can be placed anymore.
Archive
ID 519294
Lot 5 | Anonymous Coptic scribe
Estimate value
£ 7 000 – 10 000
Anonymous Coptic scribe
Lives of Saints and devotional readings, in Coptic, decorated manuscript on paper [Egypt, 15th or 16th century]

168 x 116mm. 228 leaves numbered 20-40, (19 later unnumbered leaves with consecutive catchwords), 71-109, 111-311 and one unnumbered leaf, gatherings mostly in eights, tens and twelves, 14-15 lines written in dark brown ink in a broad Coptic uncial hand (some leaves in a later hand), headings in red with openings of the readings with tall decorated initials in brown, red, yellow and black, with sub-headings in Arabic, twenty-three large decorated head- and tailpieces in traditional strapwork with animals and birds in the margins, five full-page illustrations of the cross and decorative borders similarly illuminated, pagination in Greek alphabetic numerals (a few leaves loose, some stains and tears with occasional loss of text). Modern old-style blind-stamped calf.

The text includes lives of Saints Filias, Philotheos, Mercurios and Menas among others, interspaced with anaphoric prayers. As usual this manuscript has signs of considerable use, with missing leaves of text replaced. The hand is comparable with another described by M. Cramer, Koptische Palaeographie, 1966, plate 88, a manuscript of 1486 from Wadi Natrun.
Genre:Religious genre
Place of origin:Egypt
Auction house category:Manuscripts
Address of auction CHRISTIE'S
8 King Street, St. James's
SW1Y 6QT London
United Kingdom
Preview
14.04.2021 – 28.04.2021
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.