The St Albans Bible

 

On this St Albans Bible, see this blogpost.

I attempt here to record only leaves that have, or once had, a historiated initial at the beginning of the books of the Bible:

• Numbers. Initial excised. Sotheby’s, 1983, part of lot 87
• I Samuel. Hannah kneeling before Eli, who censes an altar. Houghton Library, MS Lat 471
• I Kings. Initial excised. Sotheby’s, 1983, part of lot 87
• I Chronicles. The descendants of Adam. Kansas City, Missouri, Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Karen Gould Collection, MS 52 (formerly John Windle, Cat. 216 (2015), no. 8 [PDF])
• II Chronicles. Initial excised. Sotheby’s, 1983, part of lot 87
• Nehemiah. Initial excised. St Alban's Abbey (formerly Sotheby’s, 1983, part of lot 87)
• II Esdras. Initial excised. Sotheby’s, 1983, part of lot 87
• Tobit. The Blinding of Tobit. McCarthy Collection, BM1286
• Song of Solomon. Initial excised. Sotheby’s, 1983, part of lot 87
• Esther. Initial excised. Sotheby’s, 1983, part of lot 87
• Psalm 26. The initial excised and replaced with a cutting from a bas-de-page depicting A lion between two trees. Tokyo, National Museum of Western Art
• Psalm 38. David kneeling, pointing to his mouth, before God. Sotheby’s, 6 July 1964, part of lot 239 (ill.).
• Psalm 52. The Fool, with ball and club. Duschnes, [1965], no. 16 (ill.). Sotheby’s, 21 June 1994, lot 17. Christie’s, 2015, lot 8 (col. ill.).
• Psalm 68. David in water, below; God blessing, above. McCarthy Collection, BM2657b
• Psalm 80. Two monks (singing?) at an open book on a lectern. Duschnes, [1965], no. 17 (ill.).
• Ecclesiastes. The Judgement of Solomon. Duschnes, [1965], no. 18 (ill.); at The Gilded Lion, Princeton, in 2007.
• Wisdom. Initial excised. Sotheby’s, 21 June 1994, lot 18(a); subsequently Fogg, 1995, no. 62 (ill.).
• Ecclesiasticus. Initial excised. Sotheby’s, 1994, part of lot 17
• Lamentations. Initial excised. Sotheby’s, 1994, lot 18(b)
• Ezekiel. Initial excised. Sotheby’s, 1994, lot 18(c)
• Daniel. King Nebuchadnezzar besieging Jerusalem. Sotheby’s, 1964, 239 (ill.)
• Matthew. Missing by 1964
• Mark. Missing by 1964
• Luke. Missing by 1964
• John. Missing by 1964
• I Corinthians. St Paul giving his epistle to a messenger. Sotheby’s, 1964, 239 (ill.).
• II Corinthians. Initial excised. Sotheby’s, 1983, part of lot 87; Sotheby’s, 5 December 1989, lot 23(2) and 19 June 1990, lot 47(4).
• Colossians. Initial excised and replaced by modern illuminator. St Alban's Abbey
• I Thessalonians. Initial excised. Robert Weaver, London (forermly Sotheby’s, 1983, part of lot 87)
• I Timothy. Initial excised. Sotheby’s, 1983, part of lot 87
• Hebrews. Initial excised. Sotheby’s, 1983, part of lot 87
• I Peter. St Peter giving his epistle to a messenger. UC Berkeley, MS UCB 130:ff1200:19
• I John. Initial excised. Boulder, University of Colorado, MS 345