DPL Reed MMF54

Jacobus de Voragine, Legenda Aurea, Latin. France or England, fourteenth century

France or England, fourteenth century.
Two fragments. 103 by 178mm. Double column, originally about 42 lines, ruled in leadpoint, written space originally ca. 183 by 140mm; rounded gothic bookhand.

Text: (leaf 54a), from the lives of SS. Cosmas and Damian, and Forsey. (leaf 54b), from the lives of SS Forsey and Michael.
Decoration: Two-line initials in red or blue with contrasting penwork.
Provenance: 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 1056 (1985), no. 95.
Reference: Manion, Vines, de Hamel no. 116.
Shelfmark: RMM Fragment 54a. 54b

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).