158 - Middle Ages

Middle Ages (Mary as an Orant). Single leaf from a missal with a historicized initial "D." Features a tempera initial on a gold-leaf ground with a border, as well as red Lombard capitals with scrollwork. - Latin manuscript on parchment. Probably Italy (Central Italy, Tuscany), circa 1450–1500. Gothic rotunda script in black with red rubrics. Regarding the initial: The historicized “D” initial depicts Mary as an Orant (half-figure, red cloak, blue-gray robe) on a green dotted background. She stands within a black-framed field of polished gold leaf, and the body of the letter is blue with white detailing. The left border, consisting of flowers, feather spirals, and radiant gold spheres, corresponds to the 15th-century Italian style, likely from central Italy. Regarding the paleography: The text is written in a uniform Gothic rotunda of Italian influence that exhibits elements of Textura. The stems are serifed, the letters are tightly packed, the “a” is round and open, and the “r” is written in the rotunda style following the round letters. The capital letters are designed as serifed, Fraktur-like decorative letters. The abbreviations are those customary in liturgical texts: dñm nrm, shortening marks for n/m, the Tironian note “7” for et, qz for -que, and e-caudata for ae. Filler marks appear at the end of lines, and the rubrics are introduced by black paragraph marks. The main text is in a single hand. No corrections or later additions are discernible. The decoration on the recto consists of a blue initial “D” on a square gold-leaf background. In the inner field is a half-figure of the praying Virgin Mary with a red cloak and a nimbus. To the left, the initial is flanked by a border of acanthus and leaf tendrils in green, pink, and blue. It is adorned with gold spheres, rays, and delicate featherwork. This type of decoration is common in 15th-century Italian book illumination, particularly in the Florentine school. Red Lombard capitals with feather ornamentation on both sides complete the design. The dating is based on the terminus post quem of the Feast of Corpus Christi (introduced in 1264, widely observed since 1317) as well as on the script and decorative style. Regarding the content: The leaf preserves prayers from the Roman Mass formula for the summer liturgical season following Pentecost, in Latin. The recto first presents the conclusion of a preceding prayer (".adversis. Per dominum nostrum”) and then the rubric *Pro commemoratione dominice prime post penth(ecosten). Oratio.* with the collect “Deus in te sperantium fortitudo, adesto propitius invocationibus nostris.” This is followed by the rubric *Post com(munionem) trinitatis* with the beginning of the postcommunion prayer: “Proficiat nobis ad salutem corporis et animae.” On the verso, this prayer continues up to “.huius sacramenti susceptio et sempiternae sanctae Trinitatis eiusdemque individuae unitatis confessio.” This is followed by the Postcommunion for the First Sunday (Post com. dominice .i.): “Tantis Domine repleti muneribus: praesta quaesumus, ut et salutaria dona capiamus et a tua laude numquam cessemus.” The leaf ends with the rubric *In solennitate sacratissimi corporis Christi. Oratio.* and the beginning of the Collect: “Deus, qui nobis sub sacramento mirabili.” The sequence of texts (Trinity Sunday, the Sunday after Pentecost, Corpus Christi) and the fact that it consists solely of prayers without readings suggest a missal or a prayer book. — A decorative and vividly colored single leaf. A decorative and vividly colored single leaf that, with its clear, powerful Rotunda script, the bright red Lombardic initials, and the gold-ground initial featuring the praying Mary, offers a striking glimpse into the book art of the Italian Late Gothic and Early Renaissance periods. Medieval - (Mary as Orant). Single leaf from a missal with a historiated initial “D.” Features a body-colored initial on a burnished gold ground with a marginal border, along with red Lombardic initials adorned with penwork flourishes. - Latin manuscript on parchment. Italy (central Italy, Tuscany), second half of the 15th century. Gothic rotunda script in black with red rubrics. On the initial: The historiated initial “D” depicts Mary as an orant (half-length figure, red mantle, blue-gray robe) against a green dotted ground. She stands within a black-framed field of polished gold leaf, and the body of the letter is blue with white decoration. The left border, featuring flowers, penwork spirals, and radiating gold balls, corresponds to the 15th-century Italian style, likely from central Italy. Regarding the paleography: The text is written in an even Gothic rotunda of Italian character, with elements of textura. The stems are broken, the letters are compressed, the “a” is round and open, and “r rotunda” follows round letters. The majuscules are designed as broken, Fraktur-like ornamental letters. The abbreviations are those customary in liturgical texts: dñm nrm, suspension strokes for n/m, the Tironian note “7” for et, qz for -que, and e-caudata for ae. Filler marks stand a