London: Office du Livre, 1977. Cloth, large 8vo, gilt device on front board, 32 cm, slipcased, 608 pp,
46 colour plates (some mounted), numerous black and white
illustrations. A catalogue of a superb collection, but more
than this since the catalogue was intended also to explain and
illustrate Delaisse 's method of examining and interpreting
manuscripts. The earliest manuscripts in the collection "are a
thirteenth century Italian Bible, which is decorated but not
illustrated, and a Liturgical Psalter, which was probaby written
between 1326 and 1328 and which was decorated and illustrated in the
workshop of Jean Pucelle. The remaining manuscripts are all fifteenth
or sixteenth century, and, with the exception of two Italian Books of
Hours, they are French or Netherlandish. The quality of the collection
is rather uneven. The outstanding manuscripts are two Books of Hours
illuminated respectively by Jean Bourdichon and by Simon Bening."-from
a contemporary review. From the introduction: "The material description
of each manuscript in this catalogue.describes in succession: I. The
material and its size. II. The construction of the book in quires or
gatherings. III. The preparation of the bifolio, by pricking and
ruling. IV. The text, of which contents and script are examined
separately, V. The decorations, in the order of their importance in
relation to the text: initials, paragraph signs, line endings, and
borders. VI. The illustration of the text with miniatures, of which the
subjects and techniques are distinguished. VII. The binding. VIII.
Additions to the book IX. Provenance.The analytical description is
followed by a commentary that attempts to interpret the material facts
discovered, to introduce the reader to the life of the books and to
understand,if possible, their social significance.Clearly the value of
a catalogue of this kind must depend to a great extent on the
illustrations. These have been made as numerous as possible and most of
the manuscripts are represented by reproductions in colour. Pages of
text are illustrated as well as those with miniatures, and one calendar
page from each Book of Hours is reproduced." The manuscripts described
are: 1. Bible (Italy, mid-thirteenth century); 2. Liturgical Psalter
(Paris, workshop of Jean Pucelle, 1326-1328?); 3. Thirteen Miniatures
from a 'Bible historiale' (Paris, f.1405); 4. Book of Hours of
Guillebert de Lannoy (Southern Low Countries?, c.1430); 5. Eleven
Miniatures from a Book of Hours (Southern Low Countries, c.1430); 6.
Book of Hours (Amiens, c. 1430-1440); 7. Book of Hours (Eastern
France?, c.1460); 8. Christine de Pisan, Epitre d'Othéa (Lille,
publishing house of Jean Miélot, f.1455), illustrated for Philip of
Cleves (Ghent?, c.1485); 9. Book of Hours for a Catalan, with additions
(Bruges, c.1460 and c.1475); 10. Book of Hours (Northern France,
c.1470); 11. Jean de Courcy, Chronicle called 'La Bouquechardière'
(Rouen, c.1465); 12. Book of Hours (Rouen, c.1470); 13. Book of Hours
(Paris?, late-fifteenth century); 14. Book of Hours (Rouen, c.1490);
15. Life and Fables of Aesop; Fables of Avianus (Ghent?, c.1490); 16.
Book of Hours (Florence, c.1490); 17. Statutes and Armorial of the
Order of the Golden Fleece (Flanders, 1481-1490; additions up to 1556);
18. Book of Hours (Naples, c.1497); 19. Missal (Paris, c.1500?); 20.
Book of Hours (Tours, workshop of Jean Bourdichon, c.1505); 21. Book of
Hours (Paris, i.1485-1500); 22. André Delavigne, Coronation of Anne of
Brittany (Paris, c.1505); 23. Book of Hours (Northern France,
early-sixteenth century); 24. Book of Hours of Jean Regnart (Paris),
Nicholas Forget, (c.1510); 25. Book of Hours (Rouen, c.1510); 26. Book
of Hours (Bruges, workshop of Simon Bening, 1540) Fine copy in slipcase with very slight corner wear. Free UK Postage. E.U Countries postage £20. USA, Canada postage £45.
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