(445 x 280mm – 17 5/8 x 11’’) Rare large leaf from a medieval illuminated manuscript on vellum, containing portions of the Decretales Pape Gregorii… (Decrees of Pope Gregory IX) – the standard medieval textbook in canon law. Italy, circa 1350.
This leaf has two central columns of forty lines each containing decrees, surrounded by commentary text with numerous contemporary annotations and glossing in the margins. The main text is an early Italian gothic rotunda script in brown ink and the contemporary notations are in smaller script in several hands. There are also numerous interlinear glosses and marginalia.
There are nine multi-lined illuminated initials with penwork executed in blue and red, and a two-line initial in colors and burnished gold on a blue ground. Marginalia includes three human heads (probably monks), dog, sheep, and boar heads, plus several manicules (pointing hands).
A very attractive example of 14th century legal writing. A sister leaf is pictured as lot 44d in Bloomsbury, Roger Martin Collection, London 6 Jul 2021.
Pope Gregory IX (1143-1241) ordered the first complete and authoritative collection of papal decretals for scholastic study and judicial reference. The decretals are canonical epistles, written by the pope alone, or by the pope and cardinals for ordering and determining some matter in controversy, and have the authority of a law in themselves.
Shipped unmatted
