Anonymous Coptic scribe
Lives of Saints and devotional readings, in Coptic, decorated manuscript on paper [Egypt, 15th or 16th century]

168 x 116mm. 228 leaves numbered 20-40, (19 later unnumbered leaves with consecutive catchwords), 71-109, 111-311 and one unnumbered leaf, gatherings mostly in eights, tens and twelves, 14-15 lines written in dark brown ink in a broad Coptic uncial hand (some leaves in a later hand), headings in red with openings of the readings with tall decorated initials in brown, red, yellow and black, with sub-headings in Arabic, twenty-three large decorated head- and tailpieces in traditional strapwork with animals and birds in the margins, five full-page illustrations of the cross and decorative borders similarly illuminated, pagination in Greek alphabetic numerals (a few leaves loose, some stains and tears with occasional loss of text). Modern old-style blind-stamped calf.

The text includes lives of Saints Filias, Philotheos, Mercurios and Menas among others, interspaced with anaphoric prayers. As usual this manuscript has signs of considerable use, with missing leaves of text replaced. The hand is comparable with another described by M. Cramer, Koptische Palaeographie, 1966, plate 88, a manuscript of 1486 from Wadi Natrun.

Sotheby's 7 December 1999, lot 27.

No VAT on hammer price or buyer's premium.
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