Cistercian neumes - photo 1
Cistercian neumes - photo 2

Cistercian neumes

Sold
£ 6 048
Auction dateClassic
08.11.2023 11:00UTC +01:00
Auctioneer
CHRISTIE'S
Event location
United Kingdom, London
Archive
The auction is completed. No bids can be placed anymore.
Archive
ID 1053155
Lot 41 | Cistercian neumes
Cistercian neumes
A leaf from a noted Breviary, in Latin, manuscript on vellum [France, mid-12th century]
A substantial portion of a leaf from a sumptuous, large-format noted Breviary with charming penwork initials.

c.330 x 300mm, 2 columns of 36 visible lines written in dark brown ink in a Romanesque bookhand in two sizes, French (Cistercian) neumes on a 4-line staff, 4 large ornamental penwork foliate in red, green, blue, and yellow, initials alternately red or blue, rubrics in red (cropped at top with loss of text, some marginal staining but generally in excellent condition). Bound in grey buckram at the Quaritch bindery.

Provenance:
(1) Bernard Rosenthal, his I/4.

(2) Bernard Quaritch, Bookhands V, cat.1147 (1991), no 46, acquired in 1991 by:

(3) Schøyen Collection, MS 721.

Text:
The text is from the Feast of Sts Peter and Paul (29 June), beginning: '[omnia Ecclesiae membra provexit, ut eos in] corpore cui caput Christus est', followed by the responsory 'O claviger regni celorum', the canticle, gospel reading, etc. and ending 'Gloria patri et [filio]'.

Script and music:
The script is large and well spaced, and typical of French manuscripts of the middle of the 12th century. The charming decorated initials are reminiscent of those found in the mid-12th-century Montmajour Gospels (Christie's, 25 May 2016, lot 2). The neumes are written on ruled staves with a red F-line and occasional green line, in a style widely adopted by the Cistercian order.
Place of origin:France
Address of auction CHRISTIE'S
8 King Street, St. James's
SW1Y 6QT London
United Kingdom
Preview
02.11.2023 09:00 – 17:00
03.11.2023 09:00 – 17:00
04.11.2023 12:00 – 17:00
05.11.2023 12:00 – 17:00
06.11.2023 09:00 – 17:00
07.11.2023 09:00 – 17:00
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.