Original leaf from a manuscript Spanish Antiphonal on animal parchment. (600 x 400mm – 23 ¾ x 15 ¾’’). The manuscript text and music (seven lines of music on red five-line stave)s were beautifully executed by hand in black ink with rubrics in red over 400 years ago!!!
This is the first leaf of the Antiphonal. It contains the scribe’s name, date and city (recto) and opens (verso) the Feast of Saint Lawrence.
Seville, 1612 - Signed and dated by the scribe on the frontis (recto) “Simon Rodriguez Caravallo…en la ciudad de Sevilla, Anno domine 1612”.
One exceptional illuminated initial (150 x 150 mm – 5 7/8 x 5 7/8’’) in red and blue with an elaborate internal and external floral "puzzle design" (in the Moorish influenced Mudejar style) in intricate red, violet and blue penwork.
The elaborate “C” begins the Psalm 95 (King James 96) 6: “Confessio…” (Confession and beauty are in his sight. Sanctity and magnificence are in his sanctuary).
“A pen with a long slit - half or three-quarters of an inch - was used for drawing these flourishes” (Reference: Mudejar Ornament in Manuscripts, by Frances Spalding, p. 4, Hispanic Society of America, 1953). Aside from the pen a sizable amount of talent was also required to produce this amazing fluid puzzle design!
As is usual with Medieval and Renaissance parchment, the hair side of the leaf is darker than the flesh side, but may take ink somewhat better. The differences in tone caused scribes to arrange their quires so that the hair side of one sheet faced the hair side of the next, and the flesh side faced the flesh side.
A remarkable leaf: Signed and dated manuscript leaves of this period are extremely uncommon. Because it is the first leaf of the volume. it shows significant staining and wear from devotional use. There are a number of wormholes and other small holes, and a series of four slits in the inner blank margin from the binding. Nonetheless, the puzzle initial is stunning and largely unaffected.
Shipped unmatted
