TWO BIFOLIA AND A LEAF WITH TWO HISTORIATED INITIALS AND TWO PENWORK INITIALS FROM THE GRAMMONT ABBEY BIBLE [Flanders, Grammont Abbey, diocese of Cambrai, c.1200]

Graced with ravishing historiated initials, whose refined style and glowing gold grounds represent the pinnacle of Flemish illumination of the 12th century, these New Testament leaves come from the final book of a magnificent three-volume lectern bible made for Geraardsbergen [or Grammont] Abbey. These monumental Romanesque bibles were luxurious works of great cost, reflecting the widespread revival of monasticism across Europe in the 11th and 12th centuries, and are very rare in private hands. Indeed, only 9 monumental Flemish bibles from this period survive across public institutions worldwide. We can find no auction records from the past forty years for Geraardsbergen leaves with historiated initials.

The historiated initials are: St Luke writing his Gospel, opening the first book of the Acts of the Apostles (‘Primum quidem sermonem feci [...]’) and the Beheading of St Paul, opening Romans 1:1 (‘Paulus servus Jesu Christi [...]’). The two penwork initials open Peter 1:1 and the preface to Acts.

Provenance:
- Made for, presumably in, the Benedictine abbey at Geraardsbergen itself: the second volume bears a colophon Liber beati adriani de Geraldi monte [Geraardsbergen] in the same hand as the text. Founded in the 8th century in the village of Dikkelvenne, the abbey’s move to the strategically situated town of Grammont was necessitated in the 11th century by a series of Viking raids. In 1100 the abbey was rededicated to St Adrian following the translation of his relics.
- It is assumed that the three volumes were dispersed after the suppression of the monasteries in 1796: Volume I remains lost, Volume II and much of Volume III are now in the Schøyen Collection (MS 6/1 and MS 6/2), including leaves from the New Testament, having moved through various important European collections (including Hornby and Abbey), and other private holdings.
- Dr. Walter Eichenberger, Switzerland: perhaps one of the 65 New Testament leaves disbound from Vol. III and dispersed.
Measurements:
Five leaves, 450 x 310mm. 2 columns of 42 lines, penwork initials 16-20 lines, the historiated initials 250 x 80 (St Luke) and 240 x 70mm (martyrdom of St Paul).

Bibliography:
W. Cahn, Romanesque Bible Illumination, New York, 1982.
‘The Geraardsbergen Bible’, in The Schøyen Collection.

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