DPL Reed MMF48

Jacobus de Voragine, Legenda Aurea, Latin. Germany, fourteenth century

Two leaves. 266 by 226mm. Double column, 49 lines, ruled in pale pink, written space 205 by 147mm; gothic bookhand.

Text: (leaf 48a), from the account of the Holy Ghost and lives of SS. Gordian, Nereus and Achilleus, and Pancratius. (leaf 48b), from the lives of SS. Barnabas, Vitus and Modestus, and Quiricus and Julita.
Decoration: Five- and 6-line initials in red or blue.
Provenance: Recovered from a German binding. Leaf 48a inscribed ‘Lindenbr’, which may be the owner of the binding that reused these leaves. A potential candidate is Heinrich Lindenbrog (1570–1642), antiquarian and librarian to Duke Johann of Holstein. The fragment is from an album of fragments from Oxford bindings and elsewhere compiled by Philip Bliss (1787–1857). It sold in his sale, Sotheby’s, 21 August 1858, lot 100, and entered into the collection of Sir Thomas Phillipps (1792–1872). The album (probably Phillipps MS.15659) was lot 390 in the Phillipps sale, Sotheby’s, 24 April 1911, bought by E. H. Dring (d. 1928), managing director of Quaritch. This fragment and others were inherited by E. M. Dring (d. 1990), who donated some to the Bodleian and sold the remaining manuscripts to Quaritch. These binding fragments were mostly dispersed by Quaritch in 1984 and 1985. Purchased from Quaritch catalogue 1036 (1984), no. 99. 
Reference: Manion, Vines, de Hamel no. 110.
Shelfmark: RMM Fragment 48a. 48b.

Description reproduced from Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts in New Zealand Collections (London, 1989) by permission of the authors (Christopher de Hamel, Margaret Manion, and the family of Vera F. Vines).