Saturday 29 November 2014

The Vassar Leo X Cuttings, Part II

In a previous post I mentioned that the the newly-recognised cuttings from a Missal of Pope Leo X have a "companion" in New York.

At the Morgan Library and Museum is a Preparatio ad missam manuscript (MS H. 6) with a full-page frontispiece depicting Pope Leo X:
Source

Wednesday 26 November 2014

A Triple Trompe-L'Œil (Midweek Miscellany 4)

Browsing photographs of manuscripts at the Houghton Library, Harvard, I found this unusual example of a trompe-l'œil fly, on a trompe-l'œil face, formed of the edge of a trompe-l'œil piece of parchment:
Department of Printing and Graphic Arts, Houghton Library, 
Harvard University, MS Typ 219, fol. 484r

Tuesday 25 November 2014

Another Leo X Cutting

I have just returned from a three-week trip to the USA (where I collected lots of material for future blog posts) which is why I missed my regular Saturday post this past weekend. Until I have time to write another full post, here is a small snippet to fill the gap.

The Morgan Library in New York has a Preparatio ad Missam manuscript closely related to the newly-identified cuttings from a Missal of Pope Leo X that were the subject of a previous post. In the Morgan's files is a note of another cutting, offered for sale in 1993 by the London art dealer Antiquus, which clearly comes from the same set:


Sunday 16 November 2014

Another Soranzo MS, now in Philadelphia

Browsing images of manuscripts at the Free Library, Philadelphia, I recently came across another unrecognised manuscript (Lewis E 219) formerly owned by Giacomo (alias Jacopo) Soranzo, with the distinctive foliation described in a previous post:

Saturday 8 November 2014

Alan Thomas and the Gabárty-Brandeis Manuscripts

In a previous post I discussed a cutting from the Bible of Pedro of Pamplona that was owned by Eugene Gabárty. I mentioned that he had sold it, with an Italian illuminated leaf, but somehow re-acquired them, and gave them both Brandeis University.

Since writing that post, I have acquired some auction catalogues, including a few that were owned by the bookseller Alan G. Thomas (1911–1992), who traded as Commin's, in Bournemouth (there is an online obituary and a appreciation on the website of the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association).

Saturday 1 November 2014

New Cuttings From a Missal of Leo X, Illuminated by Attavante c.1520 [Part I]

In preparation for a visit to manuscript repositories within a few hours drive of New York city, I contacted Vassar College Library's Special Collections. They have a online listing of their leaves and cuttings, which included this tantalizing description:

I enquired about this and other items, and was kindly sent images by Ronald D. Patkus, Head of Special Collections and Adjunct Associate Professor of History, and Dean Rogers, Special Collections Assistant. I was not at all prepared for what I received: