A lovely original leaf from a medieval manuscript pocket Bible, written in Paris c. 1240-50. In Latin gothic micro-minuscule script, ruled in red and written in brown ink in two columns of 44 lines on animal vellum. (150x100 mm). Included with the leaf is an original authenticated Biblical coin known as a Widow's Mite.
Rubricated chapter numbers, one multi-lined illuminated Lombard style initial &elegant marginalia red & blue. The gothic text is written in extremely tiny & very well formed letters, so small that there are twelve lines of text to the inch! Both front & back contain a scribal omission added in the margin – these omissions are surrounded by a red box indicating that the “transcription had been systematically checked for accuracy” (De Hamel, Scribes and Illuminators, p. 43).
This leaf begins Luke 19:36 - 21:23: “Eunte…” (And they brought him to Jesus. And casting their garments on the colt, they set Jesus thereon...It is written: My house is the house of prayer. But you have made it a den of thieves...Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's: and to God the things that are God's...he saw a certain poor widow casting in two brass mites. And he said: Verily I say to you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all: For all these have of their abundance cast into the offerings of God: but she of her want, hath cast in all the living that she had...).
Provenance; The book from which this leaf came was a very high-quality production, scribed in the Johannes Grusch Workshop in Paris. Calligraphy is excellent, & the vellum is of the finest style, extremely thin & very white. Other leaves from this same book were exhibited in the Jeanne Blackburn Collection, Cleveland Art Museum (pl. 7 & 8). This leaf is from a “portable” Bible of the Crusades period & would have been used in abstract study of theology or preaching of the Gospel around medieval countryside.
An attractive and historical medieval Bible leaf in nice condition. The last two images show the Widow's Mite coin included with purchase of this leaf.
Shipped unmatted
