261 - MANUSCRIPT. — The Holy Mass. No place, no date [c. 1900]. In-4 manuscript (198 x 158 mm) comprising 41 unnumbered leaves, ivory vellum, double gilt rule, metal corners, smooth decorated spine, gilt edges (contemporary binding).

MANUSCRIPT. — The Holy Mass. No place, no date [c. 1900]. In-4 manuscript (198 x 158 mm) comprising 41 unnumbered leaves, ivory vellum, double gilt rule, metal corners, smooth decorated spine, gilt edges (contemporary binding). A delightful manuscript on parchment, finely illuminated in the style of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. It is adorned with 4 full-page paintings, including a large cartouche decorated with a cherub’s head, acanthus leaves, and garlands of flowers, featuring a view of a church in the center (unfinished, two coats of arms sketched in pencil at the top), and a depiction of the Virgin in triumph trampling the serpent, as well as four smaller paintings (including the Annunciation, the Presentation in the Temple, and the stag appearing to Saint Hubert). The text, copied in black and red ink, is set within large borders richly decorated with various motifs: scrollwork, foliage, flowers, fruits, birds, insects, mythical creatures, vases of flowers, biblical scenes, saints, etc. Notably, the gilded border on the 12th folio features a depiction of the Church of Saint Nicholas in Lorraine. The decorative framing on the last three pages is unfinished, and the space intended for the text remains blank.