Legenda aurea
- France, 1300
France, 1300. France: 1300.
Full Description:
[VORAGINE, Jacobus de. Legenda aurea. France: n.d.c.a. 1300].
Illuminated manuscript on vellum. Small quarto (7 3/4 x 6 inches; 198 x 150 mm.). 264 leaves. Apparently complete. Two columns of forty lines, written written in a small regular gothic script. Justification: 6 1/8 x 4 1/8 inches; 135 x 105 mm. Early ink foliation to the upper outer corner of the text [i-iii, 1-525]. Rubrics in red. Running headings in red above each column. Alternately red or blue one-line initials for the list of contents (fols. 1v-2). Major sections introduced by large 5- to 9-line puzzle initials in blue and red with penwork flourishingalong the text column in both colours at pp. i, 1, 143 (Resurrection), and 206 ('Tempus peregrinationis'), three-line initials alternately blue flourished in red, or vice versa, introduce the lesser feasts and the etymologies of names etc., one-line initials and paraphs alternately blue or red. Some neat annotations and corrections in the margins.
Bound in 18th-century French polished dark red calf. Spine stamped in gilt with floral device. Spine with two leather labels, lettered in gilt. One in olive-green leather with 'Legenda Aurea', and the other in black with 'MS du XIV siecle' at the foot. All edges dyed blue. Marbled endpapers. Some rubbing to edges and corners. A piece of adhesive tape affixed to both front and back boards. The opening and closing leaves a bit darkened and some staining towards the end. A few small cuts or tears and some natural vellum flaws to margins of some leaves. A small hole in the margins of pages 230 and 308 not affecting text. Page 254 with a hole and a tear, just touching one letter. Page 496 with two small holes, just touching a few letters. Overall a very good copy.
Content:
Jacobus de Voragine, Legenda Aurea, 'Incipit prologus super legendas sanctorum quas compilavit frater Jacobus nacione Januensis de ordine fratrum predicatorum. Universum tempus presentis uite in quatuor distinguitur [...] ab octavo pentecosten usque ad adventum domini. Explicit prologus super legendas sanctorum.', p. i; 'Incipiunt capitula tocius libri. De aduentu domini / De sancto andrea apostolo / [...] / De dedicatione ecclesie', pp. i-1; main text: 'De adventu domini. Adventus domini per quattuor septimanas agitur [...] vivit et regnat deus per omnia secula seculorum. Amen. Expliciunt legende sanctorum deo gratias', pp.1-525.
Jacobus de Voragine, who became a Dominican in 1244 and died in 1298, after six years as bishop of Genoa, wrote various works of which the Golden Legend, perhaps of the 1260s, was by far the most successful. A compilation to accompany the major feasts in the church calendar, the Golden Legend details the lives and miracles of saints and explicates events in the lives of Christ and the Virgin, ordered according to the liturgical year. It must have been the most widely consulted authority on these matters and is consequently an invaluable insight into what was generally known by writers, artists, and their patrons. About a thousand manuscripts survive, in the original Latin and in translation, and about a hundred printed editions had appeared before the sixteenth century. The original text of 176 chapters was expanded over the years with updating and with feasts specific to certain localities. It was also translated into many languages including the first English edition by William Caxton in 1483
It was also translated into many languages (including English, by William Caxton).
Illumination:
The flourished initials, and border decoration are northern French or south Netherlandish in character.
Provenance: (1) Pierre Goyet (1724-1794), numismatist, archaeologist, bibliophile, and canon of Villefranche-sur-Saone (north of Lyon), who died at the guillotine (on whom, and for a reproduction of his book label, see W. Poidebard et al., Armorial des bibliophiles de Lyonnais, Forez, Beaujolais et Dombres (Société des bibliophiles lyonnais, 1907), pp. 278-79): his book-label. Goyet's library was sold in Lyon on 10 April 1809 at auction: the catalogue is extremely scarce.
(2) Unidentified 20th-century German-speaking dealer, with his typescript description stuck to the first flyleaf.
(3) Howard Lehman Goodhart (1884-1951), stockbroker and bibliophile: his leather book label inside upper cover. By descent to his daughter:
(4) Phyllis Goodhart Gordan (1913-1994): her leather book label inside upper cover, MS 28. On deposit at Bryn Mawr, BMC 10. Published in De Ricci, Census, II, p.1682, no 28.
HBS 69543.
$85,000.
Full Description:
[VORAGINE, Jacobus de. Legenda aurea. France: n.d.c.a. 1300].
Illuminated manuscript on vellum. Small quarto (7 3/4 x 6 inches; 198 x 150 mm.). 264 leaves. Apparently complete. Two columns of forty lines, written written in a small regular gothic script. Justification: 6 1/8 x 4 1/8 inches; 135 x 105 mm. Early ink foliation to the upper outer corner of the text [i-iii, 1-525]. Rubrics in red. Running headings in red above each column. Alternately red or blue one-line initials for the list of contents (fols. 1v-2). Major sections introduced by large 5- to 9-line puzzle initials in blue and red with penwork flourishingalong the text column in both colours at pp. i, 1, 143 (Resurrection), and 206 ('Tempus peregrinationis'), three-line initials alternately blue flourished in red, or vice versa, introduce the lesser feasts and the etymologies of names etc., one-line initials and paraphs alternately blue or red. Some neat annotations and corrections in the margins.
Bound in 18th-century French polished dark red calf. Spine stamped in gilt with floral device. Spine with two leather labels, lettered in gilt. One in olive-green leather with 'Legenda Aurea', and the other in black with 'MS du XIV siecle' at the foot. All edges dyed blue. Marbled endpapers. Some rubbing to edges and corners. A piece of adhesive tape affixed to both front and back boards. The opening and closing leaves a bit darkened and some staining towards the end. A few small cuts or tears and some natural vellum flaws to margins of some leaves. A small hole in the margins of pages 230 and 308 not affecting text. Page 254 with a hole and a tear, just touching one letter. Page 496 with two small holes, just touching a few letters. Overall a very good copy.
Content:
Jacobus de Voragine, Legenda Aurea, 'Incipit prologus super legendas sanctorum quas compilavit frater Jacobus nacione Januensis de ordine fratrum predicatorum. Universum tempus presentis uite in quatuor distinguitur [...] ab octavo pentecosten usque ad adventum domini. Explicit prologus super legendas sanctorum.', p. i; 'Incipiunt capitula tocius libri. De aduentu domini / De sancto andrea apostolo / [...] / De dedicatione ecclesie', pp. i-1; main text: 'De adventu domini. Adventus domini per quattuor septimanas agitur [...] vivit et regnat deus per omnia secula seculorum. Amen. Expliciunt legende sanctorum deo gratias', pp.1-525.
Jacobus de Voragine, who became a Dominican in 1244 and died in 1298, after six years as bishop of Genoa, wrote various works of which the Golden Legend, perhaps of the 1260s, was by far the most successful. A compilation to accompany the major feasts in the church calendar, the Golden Legend details the lives and miracles of saints and explicates events in the lives of Christ and the Virgin, ordered according to the liturgical year. It must have been the most widely consulted authority on these matters and is consequently an invaluable insight into what was generally known by writers, artists, and their patrons. About a thousand manuscripts survive, in the original Latin and in translation, and about a hundred printed editions had appeared before the sixteenth century. The original text of 176 chapters was expanded over the years with updating and with feasts specific to certain localities. It was also translated into many languages including the first English edition by William Caxton in 1483
It was also translated into many languages (including English, by William Caxton).
Illumination:
The flourished initials, and border decoration are northern French or south Netherlandish in character.
Provenance: (1) Pierre Goyet (1724-1794), numismatist, archaeologist, bibliophile, and canon of Villefranche-sur-Saone (north of Lyon), who died at the guillotine (on whom, and for a reproduction of his book label, see W. Poidebard et al., Armorial des bibliophiles de Lyonnais, Forez, Beaujolais et Dombres (Société des bibliophiles lyonnais, 1907), pp. 278-79): his book-label. Goyet's library was sold in Lyon on 10 April 1809 at auction: the catalogue is extremely scarce.
(2) Unidentified 20th-century German-speaking dealer, with his typescript description stuck to the first flyleaf.
(3) Howard Lehman Goodhart (1884-1951), stockbroker and bibliophile: his leather book label inside upper cover. By descent to his daughter:
(4) Phyllis Goodhart Gordan (1913-1994): her leather book label inside upper cover, MS 28. On deposit at Bryn Mawr, BMC 10. Published in De Ricci, Census, II, p.1682, no 28.
HBS 69543.
$85,000.
Details
Title
Legenda aurea
Author
VORAGINE, Jacobus de
Condition
Unknown
Publisher
France
Date
1300