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Chained Canon Law texts

Lot 37
11.06.2024 14:00UTC +00:00
Classic
Starting price
£ 40 000
AuctioneerCHRISTIE'S
Event locationUnited Kingdom, London
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ID 1214894
Lot 37 | Chained Canon Law texts
Estimate value
£ 40 000 – 60 000
Chained Canon Law texts
Casus breves and other texts, in Latin and Middle High German, manuscript on paper [Germany, ?Heidelberg] 5 December 1433
A legal compilation, signed and dated by the scribe, in a chained monastic binding, with contemporary additions localising it to Heidelberg.

143 x 109mm. i + 278 leaves, complete, collation: 116, 2-1012, 1110, 12-1912, 20-2216, modern foliation in pencil 1-280 followed here, ff.2-229v written by Ny[colaus?] over 24-28 lines, ruled space: 105 x 53mm, ff.230-280v a varying number of lines by different contemporary hands, catchwords survive, initials touched in red, titles framed in red, contemporary annotations throughout, occasional inserted paper slips, some blank, some with text (e.g. between ff.117-8),13th-century pastedowns with excerpts from sermons, including one on the Visitation (opening leaves darkened, some marginal thumbing, but generally in clean, fresh condition).

Binding:
Contemporary German brown leather over wooden boards, sewn on 2 double and 3 single thongs, iron chain of 7 links and ring, 390 mm, vellum strap with brass fastener, vellum label on upper cover (edges scuffed, a few wormholes, a few losses to the leather, spine somewhat worn).

Provenance:
(1) The main text of the compilation, the 'Casus Breves' is signed and dated by the scribe Ny[colaus?] de H. on f.229v: 'Expliciunt casus breves cum regulis juris ffinite sub anno domini millesimo quadringentesimo trigesimo tercio. Feria quinta proxima post ffestum Sancti Andree apostoli. Per me Ny. d. de h,', ie the fifth feria after the Feast of St Andrew (30 November), which is 5 December 1433. Heidelberg is mentioned on f.263, and a previous cataloguer suggested the compilation might have been produced for the Faculty of Theology of the University of Heidelberg in the 15th century.

(2) E.M. Jaarsma of Amsterdam, likely of the same family who owned furnace factories in the Netherlands. A letter addressed to him from Herman de la Fontaine Verwey (1903-1989) from the University Library of Amsterdam dated 1 March 1955 includes an analysis of the present manuscript, which had been lent to the University.

(3) H.D. Pfann, booksellers of Amsterdam. Hendrik Daniël Pfann (1889-1957) founded the famous bookshop in Oudemanhuispoort, which was taken over by his son, H.D. Pfann junior (1911-1974) in 1957. This manuscript was sold at their collection sale at Van Gendt Book Auctions, Old and rare books from the collection of H.D. Pfann Booksellers, Amsterdam, 20 September 1977, lot 86.

(4) Jörn Günther, Hamburg, acquired in October 1991 by:

(5) The Schøyen Collection, MS 1393.

Content:
Horoscopes for John the priest in Docrii, the Chaplain in Stein and others, in Middle High German and Latin, f.1-1v; Definition of the Holy Trinity f.2; 'Casus Breves cum regulis juris' ff.3-229v; aphorisms from Seneca f.230-230v; On multiple benefices, an excerpt from Distinctiones 4 f.231-231v; a discussion on the election of the Holy Roman Emperor and the King of Bohemia f.232; excerpts from Bonifacius VIII, Liber Sextus Dexretalium; and Cicero, De Topicis f.232v; brief maxims on the practice of Canon law ff.233-256; notes on Canon Law, citing Pope Hadrianus, Johannes Andrea's Decretals, etc. ff.256-263; Assaying the money of Heidelberg, in Middle High German, with, apparently, rates of exchange and mention of goldsmiths f.263-263v; quotations from Johannes Andreas, Decretals, and Bonifacius VIII, Liber Sextus Decretalium Book 4, etc. ff.264-276; about good wine and a bet with Magister Ludovicus de Buscho, in Middle High German f.276v; Canon Law quotations alluding to classical texts, mentioning the Gospels, etc. ff.277-280v.

The 'Casus breves cum regulis juris' closely follows the Decretals of Gregory IX, also called the Liber extra, compiled at the Pope's behest by his Dominican chaplain and confessor Raymond of Penafort.




Exhibited

Conference of European National Librarians, Oslo September 1994.
Place of origin:Western Europe, Germany, Europe
Auction house category:Books and manuscripts
Address of auction CHRISTIE'S
8 King Street, St. James's
SW1Y 6QT London
United Kingdom
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11.06.2024 – 11.06.2024
Phone +44 (0)20 7839 9060
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