THREE LEAVES WITH THREE HISTORIATED AND THREE ILLUMINATED INITIALS FROM THE CHUDLEIGH BIBLE, illuminated manuscript on vellum [north-eastern France, perhaps Arras, c.1220-30]

Three leaves from what would doubtless have been a monumental and prestigious 13th-century illuminated Bible. The style of illumination is derived from that of the early Parisian Moralised Bible ateliers, and particularly the Alexander atelier, which takes its name from the inscription at the top of a Bible, now Bibliothèque nationale de France, ms. lat. 11930-11931. That said, this particular production fits into a group of illuminated manuscripts associated with the abbey of St-Vaast in Arras and was perhaps made there: a testament to early regional collaboration in manuscript illumination.

The initials are: (i) illuminated initial ‘C’ opening the prologue to the book of Tobit; historiated initial ‘T’ with Tobias plucking the white spots out of Tobit’s eyes, relieving him of his blindness (surely one of the earliest depictions of cataract surgery?), opening the book of Tobit; (ii) illuminated initial ‘T’ opening the prologue to the book of Zephaniah; historiated initial ‘U’ with Zephaniah, opening his book; (iii) illuminated initial ‘U’ opening the prologue to the first book of Kings (1 Samuel); historiated initial ‘F’ with Hannah, kneeling in prayer before the priest Eli, her husband Elkanah standing behind her, opening 1 Samuel (or 1 Kings).

Provenance:
- The parent manuscript was probably made in Arras c.1220-30.
- LORD CLIFFORD OF CHUDLEIGH: his sale, Sotheby’s, 7 December 1953, lot 51, and again 8 July 1970, lot 104.
- Leaves have appeared in Quaritch, cat.1147, 1991, no 15; Maggs, cat.1167, 1993, no 2; and Sotheby’s, 6 December 2005, lot 16 and 8 July 2014, lots 13-14.

Measurements:
Three leaves, c.285 x 190mm. 54 lines in two columns, written space: 185 x 120mm.

Bibliography:
R. Branner, Manuscript Painting in Paris during the Reign of Saint Louis, 1977, p.30, n.17.
- L.M.C. Randall, Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts, I, 1989, p.43.

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