LEAF FROM LOMBARD'S SENTENCES Ref 73 recto

This is an important leaf from of Peter Lombard's Sentences produced in England c.1280. (See also Ref 127).

 

The text forms part of the list of contents (chapter headings) of Peter Lombard's Sentences, Book IV. It starts at Distinction XLI, Chapter 6 (Chapter 233 of the book as a whole) and goes to the end of the book, Distinction L, Chapter 7 (Chapter 290 of the book as a whole). It says what the book is teaching. The verso of the leaf is blank.

 

The size of the leaf, including repair, is approx. 323mm x 210mm (12 7/10ins. x 8 1/10ins.).

 

Certain of the coloured initials have brown paraph marks to their left-hand side. Adjacent to these, in the margins, are numbers from 43 to 50 (the number 42 is missing where the leaf is defective). There is little doubt that these are the page numbers (or leaf numbers) and indicate the first chapter on that page or leaf.

 

In the outer margin in grey coloured ink is a block of characters [mentioned in the 1980 catalogue description] that have been described as "half-Greek". Attempts are being made, so far unsuccessfully, to establish their meaning. It has been suggested that it may be cipher writing.

 

In the last line of the right-hand column of text, in dark black ink, is the signature of the person who owned the book from which the leaf comes in the second half of the 18th. Century. This was one Edward Walmsley (see provenance below).

 

PROVENANCE: -

1. From a volume consisting of Books III-IV only of which this is the last leaf written in England about 1280;

2. Edward Walmsley, whose library was sold in London in 1795 (his signature in the bottom line of the outside column of text [mentioned in the 1980 catalogue description];

3. The manuscript was already imperfect by 1910 when a leaf was given by J.F.Lewis to the Free Library in Philadelphia (now Lewis fragment XIII:373);

4. Another leaf was owned in the late 1950's by the late Marquess of Cholomondley, who bequeathed it to the Society for Italic Handwriting, which still owns it;

5. Most of the volume, including the present leaf, was owned by Nell and Charles Wheeler (their sale, New York, 29th. July 1919, lot 593);

6. Purchased by the calligrapher C.L. Ricketts (and described in his possession by S. de Ricci, Census of Medieval and Renaissance MSS in the United States and Canada, I, 1935, p.646, No. 185, mentioning Ed. Walmsley [copy of entry attached];

7. Sold at Parke Bennett in New York, 24th. February 1939, lot 280, for $100;

8. Re-appeared, still bound, at Sotheby's, London, 24th. June 1980, lot 59;

9. Already broken up by late 1980 (see Sotheby's 14th. July 1981, lot 17).

 

CONDITION: -

The leaf is by no means in perfect condition. It has various brown stains and also some with a purple tinge. Red wine perhaps? There is a piece cut away from the bottom right corner and the leaf had obviously fallen away from the book and been repaired so that it could be re-attached. This repair must have taken place a considerable length of time ago, as even the newer velum has suffered some worming, as has the original leaf itself.

 

GENERAL COMMENTS: -

Whilst not in the finest condition, this is a leaf of the greatest interest being from a book that was "the fundamental book of all medieval theology" (Bernard Quaritch). The book was written in the 12th. Century by Peter Lombard whilst he was professor at the cathedral school in Notre Dame in Paris.

The leaf is also of great importance in that it is the final leaf from the book (the reason for there being no text on the verso) and that it is readily identifiable due to the autograph of its known 18th. Century owner.

It is a good example of the way that university textbooks were laid out - wide margins - as evidenced here by the wideness of the outside and bottom margins. They were made so to enable the student to write his notes about the text, the "Gloss". On this leaf we see a "Gloss" of half-Greek characters, or even cipher writing, but what does it mean?

 

 

Done