SACRARAMENTARY LEAF Ref 466 verso

This is a Sacramentary leaf with Insular style decoration that was probably made in Northern Germany (the Rhineland) in the first half of the tenth century.

 

The text consists of prayers and Benedictions and ending with a Lection followed by a Benediction. The Texts are: -

 

A prayer at the fireplace “Omnipotens sempiterne deus cuius sapientia”;

A prayer entering the hall “Via secundum omnium Iesu Christi”;

A blessing of the fruit “Te deprecamur, omnipotens deus”;

A blessing of the trees “Deus qui huius arboris poma”;

Another blessing (could be a blessing of the salt) “ Sancte Domine creator omnium creaturarum”;

Another blessing (could be another blessing of the salt) “ Domine sancte pater omnipotems aeterne deus”;

A blessing of the soap “Summe deus qui ima et media summaque”;

First Lection of Feria IIII in the month of December, a Lection from the Prophet Isaiah “In diebus illis. Loqui est Ahaz dicens”; and

A blessing of the candles at the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary “Domine Deus omnipoieus qui hodierna die legalia sacrificia”.

 

There are 33 lines on the recto but only 29 on the verso (one line unwritten before the Lection and three lines unwritten at the bottom of the page) in a superb Carolingian minuscule in brown and with rubric in red rustic capitals.

 

The leaf is not illuminated but it is decorated.

There are nine large initials and whilst generally set against one line they are large enough to be classified as two-line initials. On the recto, the initials are: -

An “O” composed of outer and inner rings and segmentation all in dark brown with most of the segments in-filled in ochre.

A “V” in red, the left arm crenelated and the right arm partly in-filled in ochre.

A “T” outlined in dark brown and in-filled in orange.

A “D” outlined in red, the left side in-filled in ochre, a red line through the top and the remainder of the abbreviated word within the body of the initial.

An “S” outlined in dark brown in-filled at the terminals in the same colour and in the centre in orange.

On the verso the initials are: -

A “D” outlined and segmented in dark brown, the upper terminal crenelated and tipped with red, the centre segment of the bowl in-filled with ochre.

Three initials, “S”, “I”, and “D” in red.

 

ALL THE INITIALS ON THE RECTO AND THE TOP INITIAL “D” ON THE VERSO DISPLAY DISTINCT INSULAR INFLUENCES.

 

The overall size of the leaf is 300mm x 225mm (11 8/10ins. x 8 17/20ins.).

 

OVERALL CONDITION: -

The leaf has been used to cover a book. Because of this, the recto is clean and bright and most of the verso is quite dirty. There are two quite severe creases, one in the bottom margin and one towards the outside of the leaf about 1ins. into the text. There are some small holes within these creases and some letters are lost because of the vertical crease. There are some losses of vellum to the inside and outside margins as well as there being a large piece missing at the bottom outside corner.

 

GENERAL COMMENTS: -

Despite its condition, the problems of which are not too severe, this is a wonderful leaf to have in any collection. The script is quite superb and the Insular elements to the initials are very seldom found on manuscripts that are offered for sale. The nature of the prayers and blessings would indicate that the leaf is from a monastic manuscript. In reference material that is available to me, I have found only two items with initials in a similar style as here. One is a bifolium (Lot 8, Sotheby's June 1997) from St. Amand (on the border of Flanders and Artois) and dated to early ninth century which I think is too early for this leaf. The other is a Sacramentary leaf (Item 26, Bernard Quaritch, Catalogue 1147, 1991) from Belgium or the Rhineland and dated to mid-tenth century. Not only does this date seem more realistic than early ninth century but the formation of the letter”g” is the same on both my leaf and the Quaritch leaf. It is because of this that I have given this leaf the heading that I have.

Done