Circle of the Master of Spencer 6 - photo 1
Circle of the Master of Spencer 6 - photo 2
Circle of the Master of Spencer 6 - photo 3
Circle of the Master of Spencer 6 - photo 4
Circle of the Master of Spencer 6 - photo 5

Circle of the Master of Spencer 6

Lot 20
11.12.2024 00:00UTC +00:00
Classic
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CHRISTIE'S
AuctioneerCHRISTIE'S
Event locationUnited Kingdom, London
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ID 1349792
Lot 20 | Circle of the Master of Spencer 6
Estimate value
£ 30 000 – 50 000
Circle of the Master of Spencer 6
Book of Hours, use of Nevers, in French and Latin, illuminated manuscript on vellum [Nevers or Bourges, c.1495-1500]
A richly illustrated Book of Hours for the unusual liturgical use of Nevers, illuminated by an artist influenced by the Master of Spencer 6.

204 x 141mm. 114 leaves, collation: 16, 27 (viii a cancelled blank), 3-78, 86 (of 8, lacking ii and vii), 96, 10-158, 161(of 2, ii a cancelled blank). 17 lines, ruled space: 105 x 64mm, modern foliation in pencil followed here, vertical catchwords survive, rubrics in red, small initials and line-fillers in gold on red and blue backgrounds throughout, larger initials with floral decorations, 12 large miniatures within full architectural borders, 19 small miniatures, 24 panel miniatures for the calendar with occupations of the month and zodiac signs, every page with one-sided acanthus borders inhabited by plants, fruits, birds and grotesques (lacking 2 leaves with miniatures after ff.54 and 58, occasional staining and marginal soiling, the miniatures generally in very good condition). Bound in 19th-century red morocco gilt (edges a little scuffed).

Provenance:
(1) The liturgical use of Nevers is extremely unusual, and the style of illumination indicates that the manuscript was produced not far from there, in and around Bourges.

(2) Otto Smith (1864-1935), industrialist, bibliophile and coin collector.

Contents: Calendar ff.1-6v; Gospel sequences ff.7-13; Hours of the Virgin, use of Nevers, ff.14-58v: matins f.14, lauds f.25, prime f.36, terce f.41v, sext f.45, none f.48v, vespers f.52, compline f.55 (lacking opening with miniature); Hours of the Cross ff.59-61v (lacking opening with miniature); Hours of the Holy Spirit ff.62-65; Seven Penitential Psalms and Litany ff.66-83; Office of the Dead, with the first three lections only, ff.84-98v; Obsecro te ff.99-102v; Suffrages ff.103-114.

Illumination:
The bold, rich colours and the figures with their high-domed foreheads show the influence of the Master of Spencer 6, an artist first identified by John Plummer in 1982 and named after the eponymous Hours in the New York Public Library. The Master was active at Bourges between c.1488 and 1510, but he is also worked for clients in Troyes, Paris and Tours and collaborated with Jean Poyet and perhaps too with the Master of Philip of Guelders. He borrowed his architectural framing from Jean Colombe and from Jean de Montluçon: we see similar influences in both the simple and more elaborate framing of the miniatures in the present manuscript.

The subjects of the large miniatures are as follows: St John on Patmos, his arrest, and martyrdom by being boiled alive f.7; Annunciation f.14; Visitation f.25; Nativity f.36; Annunciation to the Shepherds f.41v; Adoration of the Magi f.45; Presentation in the Temple f.48v; Massacre of the Innocents f.52; Pentecost f.62; David in prayer, David and Goliath and Bathsheba f.66; Job on the dung heap f.84; Virgin and Child enthroned among angels f.99.

The small miniatures are on ff.9, 10v, 12, 103, 103v, 104, 104v, 105, 106, 106v, 107v, 108, 109, 109v, 110, 111, 111v, 112, and 113.
Place of origin:Western Europe, France, Europe
Auction house category:Books and manuscripts
Address of auction CHRISTIE'S
8 King Street, St. James's
SW1Y 6QT London
United Kingdom
Preview
11.12.2024 – 11.12.2024
Phone +44 (0)20 7839 9060
Email
4FQ.AYGKAGLUQ@FO3G@
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