Fragments from a Carolingian Bible
Two large fragments of a Lectern Bible, in Latin, manuscript on vellum [Germany, 11th century].
A fine example of Caroline minuscule, with 15th-century ecclesiastic provenance from the romanesque church of St Aposteln, Cologne.

c. 430 × 285mm (the two fragments stitched together). The upper part of one leaf and the side of another, each written in 2 columns of at least 42 lines, written in a fine Caroline minuscule with chapter numbers in elegant red rustic capitals, the text of one with Numbers 6:6–19 (‘Omni tempore […] fermento unam de ca[nistro]’) and 6:22–7:13 (‘Locutus est dominus ad Moysen […] in sacrificium’), with chapter numbers XIII–XVI at Numbers 6:22, 7:1, and 7:10, continuing on the verso; the text of the other comprising Numbers 20:9–18 (‘quae erat in conspectu domini […] armatus occurram’), and 20:27–21:7 (‘Fecit Moyses ut praeceperat […] Peccavimus, quia locuti’), with chapter numbers XLVIII–LII at Numbers 20:14, 21:1, and 21:5, continuing on the verso from Numbers 21:16(?) to 22:12, the chapters each starting on a new line with a red initial (recovered from use as pastedowns in a tanned leather binding, with consequent cropping and stains, the glued side of each difficult to read, the two parts sewn together in the 19th(?) century).

Provenance:
(1) Peter Sennekamp(?), vicar of the romanesque church of St Aposteln, Cologne: inscribed in a 15th-century hand ‘Liber iste pertinet Petro Senepkamp animarum vicario in ecclesia sanctorum Apostolorum Colon.’; presumably given or sold by him to:
(2) Georg Buckes, vicar of the romanesque church of St Gereon, Cologne: inscribed in another 15th-century hand ‘Modo pertinet Georgio Buckes de [...] vicario sancti Gereonis’. The churches of St Gereon and St Aposteln are about a 10-minute walk from each other.
(3) Colker MS 199, acquired in 1972 from Maggs.

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