LEAVES
LEAVES
A
“Puzzle” Initial “M”
— Oxford, 1210?
Petrus
Riga. Aurora.
Manuscript on vellum, in Latin. England (Oxford?), ca. 1210? 8vo (23.7 ×
12 cm, 9.25" × 4.625"). [1] f. 
five-line
blue and red “puzzle”initial with pen tracery
also in blue and red. (“Puzzle” initials are inked to appear as
if made up of colored “pieces”—like a jigsaw puzzle—and
they are distinctively, if not uniquely, a feature of English and French 13th-century
manuscripts.) The verso has 3 two-line red initials, 1 three-line, and 1 two-line
blue initials—each of these initials has pen flourishes in the contrasting
color (i.e., blue or red).
The text is written in one column of 50
lines on the recto and 51 lines on the verso. The leaf is faintly ruled in
lead on the verso only, the impression of the ruling showing on the recto,
the top line of text being above the top line of ruling; on the right edge
of the page are double rules enclosing the first letter of each line. On
the outer edge are prickings for the ruling. The left edge of the recto has
directions to the rubricator, the explicits of each section being done in
darker ink in a different hand. One line on the verso has been crossed out
with a single thin line of ink. At the bottom of the verso is the quire number
VIII and remnants of a catchword can just be seen at right on the bottom
edge. 
English
manuscripts from this period are rare.
Provenance: Ex–Zion Research Foundation (later known as the Endowment for Biblical Research); very likely to Zion from Ege.
• Judith, Manuscripts Sacred and Secular, 18, f. 9. A small hole in the lower margin. Parchment a little soiled, especially on the hair side, as is not unusual with English vellum. Traces of adhesive from mounting on the corners of the verso.
“Assumpta
est Maria”Catholic
Church. Liturgy & Ritual. Antiphonal.
Manuscript on vellum, in Latin. Spain?, ca. 1750? Folio extra (55 × 33.5
cm, 21.5" × 13.25"). [1] f. 
• Vellum soiled, with a few holes or tears along the edges and a few small holes in the text. Pieces of cellophane tape have been affixed in the margins of the verso, one running out beyond the page. Much of the text and music has been erased, or covered over with strips of vellum, and rewritten. Interesting to look at. Though this is one of our smaller pictures, it is one of our larger leaves!
PRINTED
in Black &
Red — Woodcut
Initials — PLANTIN
LEAVES
(Plantin Press). Offered are a selection of very attractive leaves from a sadly incomplete and imperfectly identified Roman Missal printed at Christopher Plantin's press in Antwerp, circa 1570. All leaves are 8vo, measuring approximately 197 x 142 mm or 7 3/4" x 5 3/8" (h x w), and each page is printed in double-column format, in black ink with some words or lines in red; amount of printing in red varies from page to page. 
Available AT THIS WRITING, subject to prior sale: C (the Israelites gathering manna), D (man kneeling in prayer, before a radiance), I, M (woman giving alms), S, and V (the Ascension).
• Each leaf is offered unmatted, in a museum-recommended and -approved clear Mylar sleeve that will allow it to be enjoyed without worry of soiling it with hand oils or dust.
From a Famous
GEOGRAPHY
Magini, Giovanni Antonio. Geographiae universae
tum veteris, tum novae absolutissimum opus, duobus voluminibus distinctum. In
Agrippinensium Colonia: Excudebat Petrus Keschedt, 1597. 4to. [1]f. (pp. 127–28).
Simple
& Clean
French
Renaissance Typography
—Giovio, Paolo. Pauli Iouii Nouocomensis episcopi
Nucerini, historiarum sui temporis.... Paris: Ex off. typog. Michaelis Vascosani,
1553. Folio. [1] f. (f. 113). 
• This leaf is folded in half to fit the folder, with a good scattering of medium-sized, perfectly round pin-type wormholes.
Hand-Rubricated
Hieronymus de Villa Vitis. Panis quotidianus.... Hagenau: Pr. by Heinrich Gran for Johannes Rynmann of Augsburg, 1509. 4to. [1] f. 
And You Thought
LATIN
Abbreviations Were ARCANE!
Lucianus Samosatensis. [Greek, then] ...opera,
qvae Graece extant, omnia.... Basileae: Michael Isengrinus, 1545. 12mo. [1]
f. (pp. 135–36).
• "From Lucian in original Greek, a small 12mo volume, printed in 1545 by Michael Isengrin of Basle. Isengrin, by the way, married the widow of John Bebel, and thereby acquired his celebrated palm-tree device, originally designed by Holbein. The style of Greek here shown was that adopted by Aldus, and is based largely on the cursive or running hand used in contemporary Greek MSS. This became the accepted standard throughout Europe, and with minor modifications, despite many efforts to introduce a more classical character, is still in general use." A small sheet, with a pleasantly compact text block.
Clarity
& Compactness
— Short Slim Page
&
TINY
Print
Seyssel, Claude de. Respublica, sive, status
regni Galliae diuersorum autorum. Ludguni Batavorum: Ex Officina Elzeviriana,
1626. 12mo. [1]f. (pp. 9–10).
• "From a miniature Elzevir, viz., the much-prized volume on France in the `Republic Series', the little pocket library of travel books that have acquired a fame in inverse ratio to their size. The history of the Elzevir family and the growth of the business until it assumed international importance makes fascinating reading; suffice it to state here that Bonaventura, the son of Louis, the founder, and his nephew Abraham were the most capable members of the family, and it was during their control that these miniature volumes were at their best. Printed in Leyden, 1626." This leaf is only 4 1/4 inches tall and two inches wide. That's a woman's forefinger, not a man's thumb, in the picture . . .
That's
it, for the printed “portfolio” leaves!
Leaves from a Large 18th-Century CHOIRBOOK (A
Beautiful Present)? Leaves from a Graduale romanum.
Venice: Balleoniana, 1729. Folio extra (19.25" x 13.625"). 1 f. 
Click either image for an enlargement. This particular choirbook was printed with 10 lines of text and music per page. Each leaf contains music and words, and is printed in black and red; text is in black, with an occasional small letter in red, and the music is provided for all the antiphons in black square notation on a four-line red staff. Antiphons begin with a tall decorative initial printed in red, as high as the text and music together. The initials vary from leaf to leaf.
• Crisp, wide margined leaf with slightest bleed-through from one side to another. Printed on handmade paper of 100% rag. 
A marvelous display, accent, or gift item.
For an array of complete SERVICE
Leaf-lovers
should see
also, perhaps,
our BROADSIDES.
. .
& PLAYBILLS . . .
