A BIFOLIUM FROM AN ILLUMINATED BIBLE with unusual decorative penwork borders [southern France or Spain, mid-13th century]

A bifolium from an impressive illuminated Bible with eccentric and unusual penwork border decoration. The tradition of gold and penwork borders developed in France and England in the second quarter of the 13th century, and we find a similar use of reds, blues and bright greens in a Psalter attributed to William de Brailes in Cambridge (Fitzwilliam Museum, MS 330). That said, the tironian ‘et’ in the present leaves is not crossed – and by this time both in France and England it would have been. Perhaps the parent manuscript was produced in France by a Spanish scribe.

The biblical text is Daniel, from the end of chapter 2 to the chapter 3, verse 100.

Measurements:
298 x 218mm. 39 lines of text in two columns.

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