Missale Pragense [Prague Missale]

Chancery folio (32.4 x 22.4 cm). Collation: [1⁴; 2⁸ 3⁸ (1+1: "-cro sancta"), 4-15⁸, 16-33⁸ 34⁴]; 264 leaves, leaf [1] blank; lacking the woodcut illustration of the Crucifixion (leaf [15]/8v) as in the Czech National Library copy. Printed in two columns in black and red; unsigned and without catch words, but foliated in pencil; printing in red normally in large blocks of one or more lines, with additional text throughout added in manuscript in red ink (within letterpress in black) or in brown ink (within letterpress in red); large initial and other page decorations in colors on leaf [5], large initials in red and brown elsewhere, and small capitals in red throughout. Watermarks throughout, including several variations of the bull's head watermark, e.g., bull's head with cross below, crown and 5-petaled flower on vertical bar with cross (cf. Briquet no. 14578); bull's head with 4-petaled flower and leaves on vertical bar (cf. Briquet no. 14857 and Morgan Library copy, p. 12); bull's head with triangle below and 5-petaled flower on vertical bar (cf. Briquet nos. 14871-14875 and Morgan Library copy, p. 247); and several other variants, especially in the number of flower petals, with or without leaves, crosses, crowns and other elements.

Occasional spotting and occasional light bleeding of red ink; light damp stain on inner margin from leaf [212] to end; small wormholes starting on leaf [47] through leaf [86], mostly on the upper inner gutter but affecting a few letters on leaves [48]-[59]; a few marginal tears; hinges cracked, final flyleaf detached, and some gatherings loose but holding. Contemporary blind-tooled calf over wooden boards, possibly Czech, strikingly similar to the bindings on the Morgan Library and Czech National Library copies; remains of one small brass clasp (of four) on front board; worn, front board scratched, a few small wormholes and perforations, with areas of leather loss on lower spine exposing sewing supports and on lower left corner of front board exposing wooden board, larger areas of leather loss and old stitched repair on rear board. Early 16th century ink annotation in Latin on front pastedown, "Anno domini M.CCCCC.X V F[ebruar]ii i[n] die Agathe virginis natus est filio no[m]i[n]e ffelis generoso domi[n]o Joanni de Sulewicz i[n] Crzizkowicz tu[n]c t[em]p[or]is residenti" ("In the year of our Lord February 5, 1510 on the day of the virgin Agatha, a son was born by the name of Felix to the generous Lord John of Sulewicz, at that time resident of Crzizkowicz"); another old ink annotation in Latin on facing flyleaf, likely also early 16th century, "In illo t[em]p[or]e dixit Ihesus discipulis suis amen, amen dico vobis" ("At that time Jesus said unto his disciples, 'Amen, Amen, I say unto you'"). Albeit these, generally a good and sound copy on crisp paper.

Rare incunable by the first printer in Bohemia, in a contemporary (and very possibly Czech) binding. According to the Czech National Library, seven works were printed by Bohemia's earliest printer, active in Pilsen from about 1475 through 1479 and referred to as the "Printer of the 'Statuta synodalia'" by the Incunable Short Title Catalogue (ISTC) and the "Printer of the 'Missale Pragense'" by Goff and the Gesamtkatalog der Wiegendrucke; his exact identity remains unknown. ISTC attributes five works with certainty to this printer including the Missale Pragense: a New Testament in Czech (c1475-76); Guido de Columna's Historia destructionis Troiae in Czech (c1476); Agenda Pragensis (c1476-79); Statuta Pragensia Synodalia (26 April 1476); and the Missale Pragense (19 Nov. 1479). Two other works are also tentatively attributed to this printer: Jacobus de Voragine's Legenda aurea sanctorum in Czech (c1476) and a New Testament in Czech (c1476). Most of these early Pilsen imprints are exceedingly rare and known in only two or three copies in the Czech Republic, the Austrian National Library, or the Library of Congress.

Of the five books attributed to this Pilsen printer with certainty, the Missale Pragense was by far his most ambitious work in terms of length and execution, having been printed in red and black and requiring additional text in manuscript in red or brown ink in shorter passages where printing in contrasting colors was not technically feasible.

PROVENANCE: The early 16th century annotation in Latin on the front pastedown indicates that the book passed through the hands of a Lord John of Sulewicz, at that time the resident of Crzizkowicz (probably the modern-day village of Krzyszkowice in southern Poland, and most probably a village close to Krakow). John of Sulewicz and his son, Felix, were likely members of the noble Kaplíř z Sulevic (i.e. Kaplíř von Sulevic) family of Bohemia, which produced bishops and political leaders from the 13th through the 17th centuries, including Felix Kaplíř z Sulevic (1602-1661), Prefect of King Frederick I of Bohemia (reigned 1619-20), who also served as Elector Frederick V of the Palatinate.

Very rare: ISTC and GW record only seven copies worldwide, one in the U.S. (Morgan Library) and six in the Czech Republic including the Czech National Library (digitized online).

Our copy includes an ArtLoss certificate.

With our thanks to Professor Consuelo Dutchke for identifying the provenance.

* Goff M-684; GW M24644; ISTC im00684000; Morgan Library, accession no. PML 18740, http://corsair.themorgan.org/vwebv/holdingsInfo?bibId=134987; National Library of the Czech Republic, "Incunabula", https://www.en.nkp.cz/collections/by-document-type/historical-book-collection/manuscripts-and-incunabula/inkunabule-en [accessed 3/13/2024]; "Kaplíř von Sulevic, Felix," in German Biography, https://www.deutsche-biographie.de/pnd1012305473.html [accessed 03/22/2024].

(Note: We were unable to consult Knihopis českých a slovenských tisků od doby nejstarší až do konce XVIII. Století (Prague, 1925-), the standard bibliography of Czech and Slovak imprints from the earliest times through the 18th century.)