Medieval Bible Leaf - Luke ''Consider the Lilies...''

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 A lovely original leaf from a medieval manuscript pocket Bible, written in Northern France (probably Paris), c. 1260. In Latin gothic micro-minuscule script, ruled in red & written in brown ink in two columns of 43 lines on animal vellum. (156x103 mm).

Rubricated chapter numbers; one multi-lined illuminated Lombard style initial &elegant marginal penwork in red & blue. Calligraphy is excellent, & the vellum is of the finest quality, extremely thin & smooth. The gothic text is written in remarkably tiny (ten lines of text to the inch!) & very well formed letters.

This leaf contains Luke 11:44 – 12:54:  ''Ve vobis…'' (Woe to you, because you are as sepulchers that appear not & men that walk over are not aware…Woe to you lawyers also, because you load men with burdens which they cannot bear, & you yourselves touch not the packs with one of your fingers…Woe to you lawyers, for you have taken away the key of knowledge: you yourselves have not entered in, & those that were entering in, you have hindered…Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy…Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, & not one of them is forgotten before God? Yea, the very hairs of your head are all numbered…Take heed & beware of all covetousness; for a man’s life doth not consist in the abundance of things which he possesseth…Consider the lilies, how they grow: they labor not, neither do they spin. But I say to you, not even Solomon in all his glory was clothed like one of these…).

Provenance: parent book was a ''portable'' Bible of the Crusades period, used in study of theology or preaching of the Gospel. It was in England by 17th cent; ex coll. Lord Saltoun & later in the collection of Wm Foyle (1885-1963) at Beeligh Abbey.

The bible containing this leaf was very high-quality, illuminated in Paris & similar to work associated by Branner with the Dominican Painter (see R. Branner, Manuscript Painting in Paris during the Reign of Saint Louis).      

Shipped in archival 14x11'' mat.       

  • Inventory# IM-7377
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