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Book of Hours, - in Latin and French, illuminated manuscript on parchment [northern... in Latin and French, illuminated manuscript on parchment [northern France (most probably Paris), c. 1470] 137 leaves (plus 2 endleaves at front and 1 at back), bound too tightly to collate, wanting leaves after fols.24, 74, 88, 94 and 129 (once with miniatures, the remnants visible in offset), single column, 14 lines in a fine late gothic bookhand, capitals touched in yellow, red rubrics, one- and 2-line initials in liquid gold on blue and pink grounds heightened with white penwork, eleven border panels of single line foliage with gold and coloured leaves and fruit (fols.18r, 22r, 34v, 44v, 49v, 53v, 57v, 61v, 69v, 122v, 127r), fifteenth-century paper devotional sheet with the heart pierced by the Cross between the inscription: Ihs est amor meus pasted to recto of second front endleaf (upper lefthand corner torn away), some small smudges and slight cockling to a few leaves, else excellent and clean condition, 142 by 102mm., modern tooled calf over pasteboards in medieval style by R. Petit, Missel gilt tooled on spine, gilt edge This diminutive Book of Hours comprises: a Calendar (fol.1r); Gospel Readings (fol.13r); Obsecro te (fol.18r); O intemerata with the title Orison devote a la vierge me (fol.22r); the Hours of the Virgin, with Matins (fol.25r), Lauds (fol.34v), Prime (fol.44v), Terce (fol.49v), Sext (fol.53v), Nones (fol.57v), Vespers (fol.61v) and Compline (fol.69v); the Seven Penitential Psalms (fol.75), with a Litany (fol.85r) and prayers; the Hours of the Cross (fol.89r); the Hours of the Dead (fol.95r), followed by prayers, including the xv ioyes nostre dame (fol.122v) and the vii requestes nostre seigneur (fol.127r), both in French. The volume ends with further prayers of the fifteenth, sixteenth and seventeenth century.

The Hours of Gabrielle d’Estrées, - Use of Paris, illuminated manuscript in Latin and French on... Use of Paris, illuminated manuscript in Latin and French on parchment [northern France (Paris), c. 1480] 150 leaves (plus 2 original endleaves at front), complete, collation: i-xi8, xii6, xiii-xvii8, xviii6, xix10 (the last quire including last endleaf and pastedown), catchwords, single column, 20 lines in an angular letter batârde, capitals touched in red, red rubrics, small initials in liquid gold on burgundy, pale blue or brown grounds, line-fillers in same, larger initials accompanying three-quarter miniatures in white scrolls on burgundy grounds enclosing foliage sprays on brightly burnished gold ground, Obsecro te on fol.17v with three-quarter border of coloured acanthus leaf and other foliage, undersides of leaves heightened in dull-gold, 8 quarter-page miniatures (for Hours of the Virgin after Matins: fols.37v, Lauds; 47r, Prime; 51r, Terce; 54v, Sext; 58r, Nones; 61v, Vespers; and 68r, Compline) with three-quarter borders as before, 6 three-quarter page arch-topped miniatures with figures and draperies heightened with liquid gold strokes, and with borders of foliage on dull-gold and blank parchment shapes, some thumbing to a small number of borders with only significant smudge in border of fol.107r, slightly trimmed at edges with damage to catchwords and loss of outer vertical borders up to edges of decoration on some miniature pages, later coloured printed faces within architectural frames pasted to front endleaves, 152 by 105mm., late seventeenth-century French binding of dark leather over pasteboards, profusely gilt-tooled with floral sprays and s shapes within 2 rows of double fillet, cracking at spine edges, but solid in binding, fitted cloth covered slipcase Provenance: (1) Written and illuminated for a Parisian patron in the late fifteenth century, perhaps the young woman who is shown being struck down by a skeletal death on fol.107r. (2) Evidently later in the library of Gabrielle d Estrées, King Henry IV of France s mistress, devoted companion and intended second wife, who died in childbirth before their marriage in 1599. She is the presumed subject of the painting Gabrielle d Estrées et une de ses soeurs of 1594, now in the Louvre, in which she and her sister sit half-naked in a bath as she holds Henry s coronation ring in her fingertips. An inscription in French of the seventeenth-century on the inside of the front pastedown here, describing this book as manuscrit a[ve]c armes de Gabrielle d Estrees (the arms presumably once on the previous binding), and recording its provenance as from the chateau de Prince de Conde . Text: The volume comprises: a Calendar (fol.1r); the Gospel readings (fol.13r); the Obsecro te (fol.17v); the Hours of the Virgin, with Matins (fol.21r), Lauds (fol.37v), Prime (fol.47r), Terce (fol.51r), Sext (fol.54v), Nones (fol.58r), Vespers (fol.61v) and Compline (fol.68r); the Seven Penitential Psalms (fol.77r) followed by a Litany and prayers; the Hours of the Cross (fol.101r); the Hours of the Holy Spirit (fol.104r); the Office of the Dead (fol.107r); Suffrages to SS. Christopher, John the Baptist, Genevieve, and Mary Magdalene, followed by prayers to the Virgin. The endleaves at the back are filled with near-contemporary prayers. Illumination: This artist was a follower of Maître Francois ( fl . c.1460-80), and employs this artist s stylistic facial types with pale skin tones and rosy cheeks, angular interior architectural details and gold highlighting of the draperies. His work was the foremost influence on the Parisian book arts in the early decades of the second half of the fifteenth century. The scene of Death here as a skeletal corpse, striking down a young woman before an open charnel house, with skulls staring on, is a rare and grisly one, and was perhaps meant to frighten the young woman depicted away from potential sin. The large miniatures comprise: (1) fol.13r, St. John seated in a grassy landscape, writing on a scroll, as his attribute the eagle appears to him; (2) fol.21r, the Annunciation to the Virgin in a richly decorated gothic room, with a small bird in the margin; (3) fol.77r, David kneeling at the foot of a hill as God appears to him in the sky above; (4) fol.101r, the Crucifixion, with a small yellow bird in the border; (5) fol.104r, the Pentecost in a detailed gothic interior; (6) fol.107r, Death as a tall corpse wrapped in a white shroud, lifting a spear aloft to strike a young woman in blue dress, as she staggers back in horror, the whole scene set in a grassy space before a half-timbered charnel house, with the skulls of the dead stacked up inside the rafters of the building.

Leaf from a decorated manuscript Lectionary - with readings from Gregory the Great, Dialogues and John Chrysostom with readings from Gregory the Great, Dialogues and John Chrysostom, Homily XLI, in Latin on parchment [probably Low Countries or Rhineland, last decades of the twelfth century] Single leaf, with double column, 38 lines of an angular early gothic bookhand with few biting curves and written below topline, capitals touched in red, rubrics in red, one very large initial H (opening Homo rex dicitur … , the opening of John Chrysostom, Homily XLI, ch. 22), in split brushstrokes of red and blue ending in zigzagging tails, infilled with simple and near-abstract penstrokes picking out curling acanthus leaves, recovered from a limp parchment binding and with tiny scuffs and holes from stitching (obscuring a few letters), but in remarkably clean condition, 485 by 340mm This leaf is from an exceptionally large and probably monastic book, doubtless produced for public reading. The initial here is executed in a few minimalistic strokes, exploiting the brushwork to its fullest to convey quite charming sweeping curves and tiny undulating terminals with the least possible decoration, and has a simple and abstract beauty. It shares several characteristics with contemporary Cistercian manuscripts, and is markedly close to a twelfth-century copy of Augustine s Sermons from the Cistercian abbey of Cambron (Brussels, Bibliothéque royale, MS. 21843: T.G. de Grand, Manuscrits cisterciens , 1990 no. 50, illustrated pp.190-2), and may well be the product of the same scriptorium.

Bifolium from an early musical manuscript, - probably a hymnal, in Latin on parchment [probably southern France probably a hymnal, in Latin on parchment [probably southern France, second half of the twelfth century] Bifolium, each leaf with 11 lines in a small but good quality early gothic bookhand, with music in neumes arranged around a red F-clef line (the C- and F-clef lines marked by marginal initials), capitals touched in red, initials in irridescent red (the larger 15 initials one and a half times the height of the text and neumes), 4 initial A s in different forms, the last quite ornate, once used as a pastedown and endleaf hence with some areas of discolouration and small scuffs, parchment with heavy grain pattern, each leaf 208 by 159mm. A fine and elegant leaf with readings from the Sanctus and Agnus Dei hymns.

Three fragments from a decorated manuscript - of Augustine’s Confessions and City of God , in Latin of Augustine s Confessions and City of God , in Latin, on parchment [Low Countries (probably Southern Netherlands), c. 1280] Three fragments cut vertically from leaves from a single codex, two of which preserve the complete height of the original page (113mm. high total, and written height 87mm.), remains of 18 lines (with parts of books 10 and 11 of the Confessions and book 22 of City of God) in a fine angular early gothic bookhand with pronounced fishtailing to ascenders and a hairline ct-ligature, one red rubric, small red initials, recovered from reuse as spine supports in a binding and hence with stains, scuffs and folds, overall fair condition, 114 by 57mm., 110 by 42mm. and 113 by 54mm. These three fragments are most probably all that survives of a pocket volume of Augustine of Hippo s most important and influential works: the Confessions , written between 397 and 400 AD., and acclaimed as the first Western biography ever written; and the City of God , written in the early fifth century. Between them, the two works covered the fundamental questions about an individual s complex move towards Christian spirituality and the grand progress of human history along the same path. They were of commanding importance, and were prescribed reading for almost every literate Christian in the Middle Ages.

Bifolium from a manuscript Missal, - in Latin on parchment [Low Countries or northern Germany in Latin on parchment [Low Countries or northern Germany (probably Rhineland), third quarter of the thirteenth century] Bifolium, with remains of double column, 28 lines in 2 sizes of an angular early gothic bookhand (with readings for Feast of St. Petronilla, the supposed daughter of St. Peter), the smaller script accompanied by neumes, capitals touched in red, rubrics in red or underlined in red, recovered from the binding of an account book and with some stains in lower parts and loss of outermost vertical borders with edges of outer columns from both leaves, overall in good and presentable condition, each leaf 350 by 220mm. This leaf contains a very late example of the use of neumes to write music. The hand and initials compare closely to that of Cologne, Dom Hs. 260 (from Liège, c . 1280-90: Glaube und Wissen , 1998, no. 87), but is clearly some decades earlier, and unlike that manuscript this one employs neumes without any trace of staff lines. The stave is thought to have been invented by Guido of Arezzo (d. after 1033), but was still prevalent throughout Europe in the twelfth century. By the last decades of the thirteenth century, however, it was the principal way of writing music in almost all regions of Europe, and so sadly this Missal would appear to have been obsolete within only a few decades of its creation.

Five strips from a single leaf - from an early manuscript copy of Rudolf von Ems, Weltchronik from an early manuscript copy of Rudolf von Ems, Weltchronik , in German verse, manuscript on parchment [Germany, second half of the thirteenth century (probably third quarter)] Five strips, from the middle of a single leaf, collectively with remains of 2 columns, 28 lines in a square German vernacular hand (cf. the late thirteenth-century hand of the contemporary copy of the same text in Munich, Staatsbibl., Cgm 8345: illustrated in Deutsche Literatur des Mittelalters, 2003, no.16, pl. 16), the text written as prose with different verse lines separated by a punctus elevatus mark, placenames beginning with a capital, 4 small simple initials in red or pale turquoise, recovered from spine supports from a binding, and hence with areas of discolouration, scuffs and small holes, but all legible and presentable, in fitted card case, each strip approximately 30 by 122mm. Rudolf von Ems ( c . 1200-1254) rightly towers over German literature like a colossus. He was one of the most learned and productive poets of his time, and stood at a crucial crossroads of German vernacular literature, composing in his mother tongue at the moment it became self-conscious of its own literary merit, and elevating it to the status that previously only Latin had held. He was born in the Vorarlberg in modern Austria, and was a knight in the service of the Counts of Montfort. The present work was his magnum opus , in 33,346 lines of German verse, composed at the behest of Emperor Conrad IV, and intended to be a history of the entire world culminating in an explanation of the role of the Hohenstaufen in history. It was cut short by the death of its author in Italy in 1254, most probably while accompanying Conrad. The text here is from the geographical description of the world at the opening of the text (with parts of lines 744-898), with Bactria, [H]ircania (a satrap south of the Caspian Sea, based in part of modern Iran and Turkmenistan), Albania, Armenia, die berge Ara[rat] (where Noah s ark was thought to rest), Asia, Nicea un Nicke , Betnia (for Bythnia), Galicia, Isauria (inland central Anatolia), Cilicia and Eg[ipte Mesra]im Canaanes kin[t] , clearly readable. In the last few lines here, the text draws closer to its homeland, noting Europa and the Montes Ryphei (the Riphean mountain range, a fictional geographical point placed in the north of Europe by Classical authors). Owing to the widespread popularity of the text in the Germanic lands, over 90 manuscript witnesses survive (see D. Klein in Studien zur Weltchronik Heinrichs von München , I, 1998, pp.1-112, and the online Handschriftencensus ), the later ones with vast cycles of miniatures clearly made for elite reading. However, these fragments here distinguish themselves in this large group, by being among the very earliest to survive, dating from only decades after the death of the author. Only 2 codices survive from the thirteenth century: Munich, Staatsbibl., Cgm 8345 (ex Bodmer), and Heidelberg, Universitätsbibl., Cpg 327; and 11 fragments: Berlin, Staatsbibl., mgf 748, Bl. 7-8 (2 small fragments, end thirteenth century), and mgf 923 Nr. 23 (a bifolium, end thirteenth century), Freiburg i. Br., Universitätsbibl., Hs. 980+Nuremberg, Germanisches Nationalmuseum, Hs. 42521 (3 bifolia, late thirteenth century), Freiburg i. Br., Universitätsbibl., Hs. 532,3 (1 leaf, end thirteenth or early fourteenth century), Graz, Landesarchiv, Fragm. Germ. 3 (2 fragments, last quarter of thirteenth century), Cracow, Bibl. Jagiellońska, Berol. mgq 1698+Vienna, Öster. Nationalbibl., Cod. Ser. nova 213 (2 bifolia, end thirteenth or early fourteenth century), Munich Staatsbibl., Cgm 5153d+Vienna, Öster. Nationalbibl., Cod. Ser. nova 231 (1 leaf, last quarter thirteenth century), Strassburg, National- und Universitätsbibl., ms. 2203 (1 bifolium, end thirteenth century), and ms. 2270 (1 bifolium, last quarter of thirteenth century), Vienna, Haus-, Hof- und Staatsarchiv, Cod. Rot 334 (2 leaves, last quarter of thirteenth century), Zürich, Staatsarchiv, C VI 2, Nr. 16 (small fragment, end of thirteenth century) and pieces from 4 leaves from the second half of the thirteenth century, which were recorded in 1952 in the collection of the medievalist Gerhard Eis (1908-82: see Colligere Fragmenta , 1952). Apart from the last listed here, the present fragments are the only recorded examples of this age in private ownership.

Fragments from a German Renaissance copy - of Cicero, De officiis , in Latin on paper [northern Germany of Cicero, De officiis , in Latin on paper [northern Germany, fifteenth century] 6 fragments, with remains of single column of up to 9 lines in angular semi-cursive hand sometimes used in Germanic countries for Classical texts, rather than humanist script (cf. the similar fifteenth-century hand used for a copy of Vergil, Aenied and Georgics, also surviving as fragments, and offered for sale by AVoA in Litterarum Lumen: Humanist Manuscripts in Renaissance Europe, 2015, pp.55-7, and now in a private collection), capitals touched in red, rubrics in red, one large simple initial S (opening Sed cum hominibus … ), extensive glosses in margins and interlinear notes in a tiny contemporary hand, watermark of a bull s head, cut from leaves to collectively form pasteboards of a later book, all with damage to edges and wormholes, and offset in places from other leaves, overall fair condition, each approximately 100 by 160mm. The Renaissance did not initially burn as brightly in Germany as in Italy and France, but the interest in Classical texts which was kindled there produced some interesting palaeographical variants on humanist manuscripts, often in a distinctively Germanic hand as here and with frequent signs of study and scholarly comparison of witnesses. Cicero s De Officiis or On Duties was written in 4 weeks in 44 BC., the same year in which he was assassinated. In it Cicero discusses the best way to live, behave, and observe moral obligations, while frequently referring to the contemporary events of the final days of the Roman Republic. The text was adopted by early Christians and humanists alike, with Ambrose pronouncing it legitimate for the Church to use in 390, and Augustine, Jerome and Thomas Aquinas drawing from it. Its popularity during the Renaissance was so widespread that nearly 700 manuscript copies survive, and it was the second book to be printed, after the Gutenberg Bible.

Leaf from a monumental manuscript - copy of Pope Boniface VIII, Sextus Liber Decretalium copy of Pope Boniface VIII, Sextus Liber Decretalium , in Latin on parchment [Italy, early fourteenth century] Single large leaf, with the main text set in a notably small and square text block of 2 columns of 15 lines in a tall and square Italian bookhand in the centre of the leaf (with parts of Lib.I, Tit.VI, De electione et electi potestate ), the very wide margins filled with 67 lines of the standard commentary (the so-called Epitome Decretalium) encasing the main text, capitals touched in yellow, paragraph marks in red and blue, running titles in red and blue with other contemporary roman numeral section numbers in contemporary pen, one contemporary text correction, other fifteenth-century marginalia, modern folio no. 23 on recto, old water damage and spotting to outer upper corner, but overall in good and presentable condition, 450 by 300mm. This is a large and handsome leaf from a copy of the Sextus Liber Decretalium promulgated by Pope Boniface VIII in 1298 to fill some of the gaps in ecclesiastical law left by Gratian s Decretum .

Leaf from an illuminated manuscript hymnal, - in Latin on parchment [Southern Netherlands in Latin on parchment [Southern Netherlands (probably Bruges), mid fifteenth century] Single leaf, with an initial K in gold on angular-edged blue and pink grounds heightened with white penwork and terminating in sprays of pink and blue trilobed flowers at corners, initial extending into text border down entire inner margin with large flourish of mirrored acanthus leaves and bezants at foot, tall and thin 2-line initials in red or blue with ornate contrasting penwork, one similar in black penwork, rubrics and original folio number c.ij. in red, capitals touched in red, single column, 10 lines of text with music on 4-line red staves (rastrum 14mm.) containing the hymn Gloria and the antiphon Asperges me, original stitch holes down inner margin and one near-contemporary correction of last word on recto, slight scuffs to gold, some sight discolouration and smudges to borders, else good condition, 345 by 245mm.

Two fragments of leaves - from a pocket Missal with music, manuscript in Latin on parchment... from a pocket Missal with music, manuscript in Latin on parchment [probably England, thirteenth century] 2 fragments, one from centre of a leaf, the other from bottom half of a leaf (preserving much of lower border), with remains of up to 10 lines in a round early gothic hand with many ligatures, with neume-like music on a 4-line red stave (one line oxidised and now silver), capitals touched in red, rubrics and small initials in red, one large initial I in pale blue with red penwork, recovered from a binding and with spots, stains and cockling, overall fair and presentable condition, both approximately 150 by 105mm. Recovered from the contemporary binding of a copy of De Sacris Ecclesiae ministeriis ac beneficiis libri VIII (London: G. Bishop, 1585), and most probably from an English manuscript.

Bernard of Clairvaux, - parts of Liber de Modo Vivendi and a number of sermons parts of Liber de Modo Vivendi and a number of sermons, manuscript in Latin, on parchment [England, late fourteenth or early fifteenth century] 2 leaves, single column, 39 lines in an excellent anglicana script with a striking capital A formed of twisting curls of a single penstroke with angular loops at its corners outside its main body, red or blue paragraph marks, red rubrics, three 3-line initials in blue with red penwork forming floral infill and long scrolling border decoration, one leaf with a catchword, leaves recovered from a binding, and hence with small holes, stains and scuffing to reverses, 330 by 215mm. These leaves are from a large manuscript of the works of St. Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153), perhaps produced for public reading in a monastic setting. He was an abbot, theologian, aesthetic and one of the primary founders of the Cistercian Order. He is perhaps best known for denouncing the scholastic theologian Peter Abelard to the Pope and the Papal Curia, and then having being pressed by Abelard repeatedly for a public debate on his supposed heresy, Bernard agreed to this only once he had privately won over many of the council where their views where to be judged. After Bernard s opening statement, Abelard withdrew and submitted himself to the council s condemnation, retiring thereafter to Cluny where he died two years later.

Grant of Arms for Jean Belmain, - French tutor to King Edward VI and Queen Elizabeth I French tutor to King Edward VI and Queen Elizabeth I, illuminated manuscript charter, in Latin, on parchment [England (doubtless London), 20 November 1552] Single sheet charter, with a large miniature of Sir Gilbert Dethick, Garter Principal King of Arms (90 by 80mm.), wearing the coronet and tabard of his office, pointing to the arms in the margin and to the opening line of the text, full border on 2 sides of painted foliage including a Tudor rose surmounted by a detailed crown and a gold fleur-de-lys, large arms in lefthand border surmounted by a helm (azure, engrailed chevron of ermine argent, between 3 bezants or, each with a demi-lion rampant gules, the helm with a torse of argent and gules, a griffon s head between 2 wings, azure with bezants or a mantle gules lined with argent, both 175mm. high), 26 lines of fine Tudor English italic hand, opening words in scrolling thin gold capitals, remains of 2 parchment ties which once supported seals (probably Great Seal of England and Dethick s seal of office, now wanting), eighteenth-century antiquarian notes on reverse, some small spots and folds, with slight damage to bottom of miniature, else good and presentable, 303+45 by 500mm., set in card mount Jean Belmain (also Bellemain and Belmanior, fl . 1546-59), was a humanist and zealous Huguenot friend of Calvin, who served in the court of King Henry VIII as private French tutor to the monarch s sickly son Edward and then daughter Elizabeth. He grew to be an intimate member of the royal household, and attended the funeral of Edward in Westminster Abbey after his untimely death on 6 July 1553, becoming in turn a close friend to Elizabeth. He completed a French language translation of the devotional Lamentacions of a Sinner written by Catherine Parr, and in 1553 wrote an autograph translation of the Second Prayer Book of Edward VI with a dedicatory epistle to the king, which is now British Library, Royal 20 A xiv. The present manuscript was written and illuminated during the final year of his service of Edward, and is doubtless a prestige copy made for him, and kept among his effects while in attendance of the court. Sir Gilbert Dethick (c.1500-84) became Garter King of Arms in 1550 and was knighted in the following year. He was also close to Edward (for whom he was involved in 3 separate marriage negotiations) and Elizabeth (with whom he regularly exchanged New Year presents). He is remembered as having a high opinion of his place in court, and has been described as unmanageable when a herald, very unsociable, insolent and tempestuous . He appears on other contemporary presentation copies of charters (including one made for Sir Nicholas Bacon in 1569: British Library, Additional 39249, and another for George Toke dated 1547: College of Arms), and there is a portrait of him in College of Arms, but the present manuscript is still of exceptional value as an original portrait from life of a Tudor statesman by an artist who knew his subject personally.

Armorial Roll for the Palmer family, - issued by Robert Cooke, Clarenceaulx King of Arms issued by Robert Cooke, Clarenceaulx King of Arms, illuminated manuscript scroll on parchment with Latin inscriptions [England (London), 1567-84] Scroll on 4 membranes, with 29 armorial shields and 68 green roundels enclosing the names and familial links of the members of the family (but not their dates), all joined by thin red lines, 3 grand coats-of-arms of the family with helms topped by a coronet and plumes, a white horse s head and a griffon at base, above inscription of the compiler of the document: Rob Cooke Alias Clarenceulx Roy Darmes in scrolling calligraphic script, the silver of the arms in places oxidised, some small spots, smudges and slight discolouration to end membranes, else in crisp and fresh condition with bright colours and clean parchment of highest quality, 2600 by 410mm. Following the use of genealogical scrolls by late medieval English kings to advertise their dynasty s longer or more legitimate claims to rule (see S. Anglo, The British History in Early Tudor Propaganda , Bulletin of the John Rylands Library 44, 1961-62, and the scroll in Middle English sold in Sotheby s, 4 December 2007, lot 49), such items became popular among noble families, and were either hung up in the home or used in public displays of their genealogical heritage and influential marital links. This manuscript was issued by Robert Cooke ( c . 1535-92/93), who held office as Clarenceaulx King of Arms from 21 April 1567. In 1584 he was appointed Acting Garter King of Arms on the death of Sir Gilbert Dethick (see previous item). However, late in life he came under suspicion of skulduggery, with Ralph Brooke, York Herald, noting that he had granted a staggering 500 new coats-of-arms during his tenure, and William Segar, Norroy King of Arms, criticising him for making such grants to base and unworthy persons for his private gaine onely . The family here were not noble, but clearly were wealthy, and the absence of dates from their ancestors is a strange feature which renders the document uncheckable. This may well have been part of the Tudor equivalent of a cash for honours scandal. That said, such scrolls have a measured and elegant beauty, with tiny details such as the pale green spread-eagled bird, muzzled bear s and leopard s heads and doleful looking ravens which delight the eye.

A series of cuttings - from an early liturgical codex, fragments reused on the binding of... from an early liturgical codex, fragments reused on the binding of several volumes of Claudius Galenus, Operum Omnium (Venice: Johannes de Farris, 1541-45), from a manuscript in Latin, on parchment [probably northern France, first decades of ninth century, or perhaps last decades of eighth century] A number of cuttings (4 visible), each approximately 60 by 33mm. used between central sewing stations as spine supports (endbands apparently using blank edges of same leaves), on a series of 8 volumes of printed texts, 2 volumes with perished outer leather of spines revealing manuscript fragments with up to 6 lines of 2 sizes of early Carolingian minuscule with pronounced clubbing to ascenders, a short t whose top bar joins to the next letter and a pronounced ct-ligature, one faded red rubric, the introit [Sal]us populi ego sum d[icit dominus] … identifiable in smaller script, another letter or so from cuttings from same manuscript visible through wear in bindings of other volumes, 2 further volumes with all binding material along spines missing, so some 12 possible places in undamaged bindings where further cuttings might be hidden, all with stains and scuffs, but legible The hand here shows the influence of Carolingian minuscule, the script perfected during the life of Charlemagne, but retains older letter forms which suggest a date early during the dissemination of that script across Europe. Affordable examples of such early script are rare to the market.

Fragment of a Hebrew manuscript - on parchment, on the outside of a binding of Iulius Aresius on parchment, on the outside of a binding of Iulius Aresius, Epistolarum Hieronymi Bossii Ticinensis, Libri V (1613) [Italy, probably fifteenth century] Two cuttings, from a large manuscript (probably liturgical), the larger with remains of 17 lines in a Hebrew cursive hand, the smaller a strip from the top of the same manuscript used to reinforce the edge of the front board, slightly scuffed and discoloured on outside at edges of later binding (but script still legible), overall in good condition

Eight decorated initials on cuttings - from a Romanesque Bible manuscript, in Latin, on parchment [France from a Romanesque Bible manuscript, in Latin, on parchment [France (probably the north), c . 1150-60] 8 cuttings, most with readings from the Old Testament: all different shapes and sizes, the largest 90 by 60mm., with 3-line initials in red, blue green and pale yellow with delicate multi-coloured floral infill often in facing or mirrored patterns, remains of lines in excellent and precise early gothic bookhand, with no biting curves, one with chapter number in red roman numerals, another with ornamental cadels in topmost line, and one long thin cutting with small initials in red, blue and pale yellow, in fine and presentable condition, framed These are the sister initials of those sold in our rooms, 8 July 2015, lot 17. These were Sotheby s, 10 December 1996, lot 6 (illustrated full-page there), and identified as not the Bible itself, perhaps Josephus , presumably as the chapter number of one of these (and two of those in our previous sale) is inconsistent with the standard numbers for the Old Testament. They are, perhaps, in fact numbers taken from the capitula -lists which precede each book, and as such this must have been a transitional version of the text, in which its copyists attempted to harmonise the numbering of these prefatory lists with the sections of the main text.

David and Goliath, - and the Pentinence of Mary Magdalene, four miniatures from an... and the Pentinence of Mary Magdalene, four miniatures from an illustrated manuscript of Spiegel der Menschlichen Behaltnis , the Speculum Humanae Salvationis in German translation, fragment from a leaf on paper [western Germany (probably Rhineland, perhaps Düsseldorf), first half of the fifteenth century (c. 1412)] Rectangular fragment, with 4 painted scenes: front left David swinging a slingshot as Goliath stands as a medieval knight with sword and spear before him, and to the right, David cutting off the giant s head, offset of a jug from preceding leaf in parent volume; on the reverse: David wielding the giant s club and striking a bear with it, and a detailed scene of the Penitence of Mary Magdalene, as Christ with a deep red halo sits at table with followers as she grovels at his feet and dries them with her long flowing blond hair, some offset of figures from following leaf in parent volume; each scene accompanied by some lines of text in a skilled German vernacular hand and an occasional caption in same, bull s head watermark on other leaves from same parent manuscript close to Briquet 14691 (Düsseldorf, 1412), faded and edges damaged with losses on 3 sides and splits in paper, perhaps recovered from use in binding, overall fair condition, 185 by 125mm. Provenance: Sotheby s, 18 June 1996, lot 11 (part 3), and illustrated there. Another leaf from the same manuscript reappeared in Sotheby s, 6 December 2001, lot 26. Text: The Speculum Humanae Salvationis matches the stories of the Gospels with parallel scenes from the Old Testament. It was translated into German, French, Dutch and even Czech in the Middle Ages. This leaf is from a finely illustrated copy of the German text, most probably produced in the Rhineland in the opening decades of the fifteenth century for the contemplation of a wealthy patron. The text here corresponds to parts of chs. 13-14 (following I Kings 17:49-51 and Luke 7:36-50).

Nebuchnezzar’s Vision of the Image, - the Baptism of Christ and the Brazen Laver the Baptism of Christ and the Brazen Laver, three miniatures from an illustrated manuscript of Spiegel der Menschlichen Behaltnis , the Speculum Humanae Salvationis in German translation, fragment from a leaf on paper [western Germany (probably Rhineland, perhaps Düsseldorf), first half of the fifteenth century (c. 1412)] Rectangular fragment, with 3 painted scenes: front with a title and a column of text in a skilled German vernacular hand side by side with Nebuchnezzar s vision of the image, the king with his head on a pillow in a meadow of flowers with a naked figure on a pillar with a broken shield and a lance (partial offset from leaf once preceding this in parent volume, with Pharaoh crowning Moses); the reverse with the Baptism of Christ (left), with St. John the Baptist standing among flowers on the banks of the River Jordan pouring water onto Christ s head, and the Brazen Laver (right) as a vast chalice supported by the heads of 5 oxen, accompanied by text and with remains of a large red initial I (partial offset of Nathan bathing); bull s head watermark on other leaves from same parent manuscript close to Briquet 14691 (Düsseldorf, 1412), faded and edges damaged with losses on 3 sides and splits in paper, perhaps recovered from use in binding, overall fair condition, 200 by 130mm. From the same parent manuscript as the preceding lot. Here the text corresponds to chs. 11-12 (following Matthew 3:13-17, Daniel 2:31-35 and III Kings 7:23-26).

A Roman council, most probably the Senate, - large miniature from an illuminated manuscript of Cicero’s works... large miniature from an illuminated manuscript of Cicero s works in the French translation of Laurent de Premierfait, on parchment [central France (perhaps Nantes or Tours), third quarter of the fifteenth century] Large cutting from a leaf, with a miniature showing a richly decorated bench within a gothic interior with detailed carved figures set in the walls, the contours of these highlighted with liquid gold brushstrokes, the bench filled with old men, most with long and bedraggled beards, as two young men approach, border on 2 sides of coloured acanthus leaves and other foliage with red flowerbuds and pale blue flowers, the border enclosing another bearded man in a russet robe with large buttons up the front, who stands and gazes at the scene with a single finger raised perhaps denoting that he is speaking and thus the narrator of the text, some small scuffs and losses to paint, firmly laid down on wooden board, nineteenth-century no. 475 on reverse, 215mm. by 153mm., carved gilt frame This cutting is one of a series of miniatures from an aristocratic copy of the French translation of Cicero s De Senectute and De Amicitia of Laurent de Premierfait ( c . 1380-1418), the early French humanist of the court of King Charles VI and his bibliophilic relatives Louis de Bourbon, bishop of Liège and Jean, duke de Berry. The present miniature perhaps illustrates De Senectute , ch. 11, in which the narrator take the form of an old man who declares that research and reading are my intellectual gymnastics; these the race-courses of my mind; and while I sweat and toil with them I do not greatly feel the loss of bodily strength. I act as counsel for my friends; I frequently attend the senate, where, on my own motion, I propose subjects for discussion after having pondered over them seriously and long; and there I maintain my views in debate, not with strength of body, but with force of mind . The artist was a follower of Jean Fouquet (1420-81), the preeminent French painter of the fifteenth century and court painter to King Louis XI at Tours. The parent manuscript of this cutting with its large number of entirely secular miniatures may well have been commissioned by a member of the royal family or household.

Leaf from an illuminated manuscript Book of Hours - with a four-compartmented miniature showing the Evangelists with a four-compartmented miniature showing the Evangelists, in Latin on parchment [northern France, c. 1440-60] Single leaf, with a three-quarter page miniature of the Evangelists (John with his attribute the eagle seated in a grassy landscape writing on a scroll; Mark in a detailed gothic interior with his attribute the lion; Luke seated holding a writing board and examining his pen as his attribute the ox walks into the foreground; and Matthew with his attribute an angel), above a 3-line initial I (opening In principio erat … the Gospel Readings) in blue with coloured ivy leaf scrolls and on gold grounds, all within thick text borders of pink, blue and gold with burnished gold sections and cornerpieces, and full borders of acanthus leaf sprays and other foliage, 14 lines of text on reverse, trimmed to edge on 2 sides, face of John perhaps with later retouching, slight smudges and small damage to one writer s head, else good, in brown leather covered slipcase The English seizure of Paris in the second decade of the fifteenth century scattered the artistic communities there, and apparently forced many artists out into the surrounding northern French countryside where they founded smaller, provincial and often more rustic workshops. The parent volume of this leaf would appear to be the product of one of these.

The Birth of the Virgin, - historiated initial from an illuminated manuscript choirbook on... historiated initial from an illuminated manuscript choirbook on parchment [northern France (probably Paris), c. 1500] Cutting, enclosing a bedchamber in which the Virgin as a swaddled child is held by a nursemaid, while her mother (St. Anne) lies sleeping in the bed before her, and her father (St. Joachim) in the foreground writes in an open book on his knee, figures with gold haloes and with liquid gold highlights to draperies, the floor with distinctive green marble-like tiles, all within a large gold architectural initial H (perhaps from the late fifteenth century office recorded in the Historia nova pulchra devote et autentica de sancta anna, Hec filia vostra beatissima a peccatum actuale … ) on green ground heightened with scrolling liquid gold penstrokes, reverse with two lines of text in angular bookhand with music on 4-line red stave (rastrum 29mm.), some slight wear to miniature along scored rastrum lines, reverse with remnants of paper and glue perhaps from once being stuck down in an album and nineteenth-century 15 in pencil, else good condition, set within card mount and visible on both sides, 113mm. by 78mm. The artist s delicately depicted faces, bold palette and use of liquid gold to heighten draperies shows his debt to the leading northern French artists of his day, notably Jean Poyer (fl. 1483-after 1504) and Jean Pichore (c.1503-c.1521). The scene here is a rare one and follows the apocryphal tradition of the identification of SS. Anne and Joachim as the Virgin s parents. Another initial from the same manuscript, which was sold in Sotheby s, 18 June 1991, lot 23, has the equally unusual scene of David before the Ark of the Covenant, and the parent choirbook was clearly a highly individual commission.

Large illuminated initial cut - from a liturgical manuscript, probably a Missal from a liturgical manuscript, probably a Missal, in Latin on parchment [Germany (probably south), fifteenth century] Rectangular cutting, with a large initial E (opening Ego autem sic oliva … following the incipit: Incipit Commune de Sanctis primo In vigilia appostolorum offi. ) in green acanthus leaves and geometric patterns, all on green-blue grounds tessellated with liquid gold penwork or dull gold grounds decorated with brown radiating arms, acanthus leaves in border, rubrics in red, capitals touched in red, 13 lines from head of a single column, same on reverse with simple red and blue initials addressing Fratres , near-contemporary C 89 at head, slight discolouration in places, else good condition, 129 by 150mm.

Five cuttings from Romanesque manuscripts, - all in Latin on parchment [twelfth century] 5 cuttings all in Latin on parchment [twelfth century] 5 cuttings: (a) vertical strip from a single leaf from a liturgical volume, perhaps a Missal or a Lectionary, preserving dimensions of 3 outer borders, 3-line initial S formed of a long necked bird in red ink on pale blue grounds, other simple red initials with baubles set within their bodies, red rubrics, 32 lines of text in delicate early got hic script (some with music in neumes), late medieval folio no. CI , France, mid-twelfth century, 297 by 100mm.; (b) another cutting from same manuscript as before, but from along the top of the bifolium, remains of single column with 9 lines of text, later medieval folio no. XCIIII , 324 by 87mm. (original page width 215mm.); (c) 2 small cuttings which join together to make a fragment from a copy of Leo the Great, Sermons, with parts of double column, 9 lines from sermon LVIII, France, mid-twelfth century, 220 by 100mm.; (d) cutting from a Missal, with readings from the Feast of St. Sigismund of Burgundy (d.524), king of the early medieval nation of Burgundy, who was expelled from power by the sons of Clovis, executed and thrown into a well, from where his remains where later recovered and transferred to a monastery he founded at Agaune in Valois (south western Switzerland), remains of single column, 16 lines in a large rounded bookhand with simple red initials and rubrics, second half of twelfth century, probably Switzerland, 140 by 104mm.; (e) large cutting from a Martyrology, with remains of a single column, 32 lines in a professional rounded bookhand, red rubrics, capitals and chapter numbers, 1 initial in red with scrolling foliate penwork infill and remains of another, probably northern France, last decades of twelfth century, 310 by 95mm.; all recovered from bindings and hence with spots, scuffs and small splits

St. Agnes holding her attribute the lamb, - in an initial on a page from a devotional manuscript book in an initial on a page from a devotional manuscript book, in Latin on parchment [southern Germany (perhaps Augsburg, mid-fifteenth century] Single leaf with a large initial O (opening O gemma pudicicie virginitatis … ) in burnished gold enclosing the saint with a simple white face and rosy cheeks, the saint in a brown robe with a bright red cloak, and holding a lamb (the agnus dei, following the closeness of her name to the title of this religious symbol), all on pale green grounds and within a realistic interlaced soft pink frame, red rubrics, capital touched in red, 15 lines in a fine late gothic German hand, small scuffs to gold, else in excellent condition, c. 110 by c. 75mm., in arch-topped nineteenth-century frame with brown velvet mount as a religious icon (this 183 by 135mm.), old collection sticker and label in Swedish on reverse The illumination here is in the style named Nonnenarbeiten (see J. Hamburger, Nuns as Artists, The Visual Culture of a Medieval Convent , 1997), and associated with predominantly female monastic decoration of their own devotional books. Appropriately, the saints are often, as here, women. The style while simple has great rustic charm, and has recently seen a boom in collecting interest with single leaves sold in Christie s, 6 June 2007, lot 17, for £2280, and Sotheby s, 5 July 2005, lot 25 for £1560, and entire volumes in Sotheby s, 3 July 2013, lot 44, for £15,000.

Large decorated initial - on a leaf from a manuscript Antiphoner, in Latin on parchment [Italy on a leaf from a manuscript Antiphoner, in Latin on parchment [Italy (probably Bologna, perhaps Arezzo), second half of thirteenth century] Single leaf, with a large and tall initial V (145 by 130mm.; opening Vidi dominum sendentem … a responsory for the first Sunday in November), in pale brown acanthus leaves with baubles and red and green knots mounted in its righthand vertical stroke, terminating in swirling foliage, enclosing intricate interlaced grey-vine foliage with green fruit and orange and yellow leaves, all on dark pink and blue grounds and within a green and light brown frame, followed by a single line of highly calligraphic ornamental capitals touched in iridescent yellow wash (2 with detailed human faces picked out in penwork in their bodies), with elaborate penwork also to musical notes accompanying these words, simple red initial with blue penwork, red rubrics, 6 lines of text with music on a 4-line red stave (rastrum 34mm.), large seventeenth-century folio number 63 on recto, small spots, else excellent condition, 574 by 384mm. Another leaf from this elegant early Antiphoner was offered by Maggs, European Bulletin 16 (1990), no. 26 (illustrated in colour on p.32). The elongated shape of the initial filled with thin swirling foliate fronds is closely linked to that on a leaf in the Metropolitan Museum, New York (their MS. 96.32.4: Choirs of Angels , 2008, p. 31, and ascribed there to Arezzo).

Four leaves from two manuscript Choirbooks, - two with decorated initials, in Latin on parchment [northern Italy two with decorated initials, in Latin on parchment [northern Italy, fourteenth and fifteenth century] 4 leaves: (a) 2 leaves from a Gradual, one with a large initial I (115mm. high, opening Iustus es domine … the Introit for the 17th Sunday) formed of pink and orange knotwork on blue grounds heightened with white penwork, another initial D (opening Deus in adiutorium … Introit for the 12th Sunday), both leaves with red or blue initials with contrasting penwork, rubrics in red, 6 lines of text with music on a 4-line red stave (rastrum: 25mm.), some splits to edges (that at lower border of first leaf repaired with later parchment patch), good condition, Bologna, mid-fourteenth century, 490 by 370mm.; (b) 2 leaves from an Antiphoner, one large variegated initial E (opening Eugeserue bone et fide … ) with purple penwork, other smaller initials in red or dark blue, 7 lines of text with music on a 4-line red stave (rastrum: 27mm.), slight scuffs and smudges, overall fair, northern Italy, second half of fifteenth century, 540 by 380mm.

Substantial fragment of an illuminated Antiphoner - decorated by Frater Iulianus de Florentia decorated by Frater Iulianus de Florentia, in Latin on parchment [Italy (probably Florence), c. 1470] 54 leaves (many single leaves, some bifolia and remnants of a number of gatherings), each leaf with at least one large initial in blue or iridescent red, with foliage, knotwork, geometric shapes and tiles picked out in contrasting penwork, many initials with liquid gold lines or dull gold sections added to the penwork infill, numerous smaller calligraphic initials with hairline penstrokes and green wash, rubrics in red, capitals with calligraphic cadels and touched in yellow wash, 5 lines of text with music on a 4-line red stave (rastrum 43mm.), small spots and scuffs, else excellent condition, 575 by 415mm. The signature of the artist of the initials here: Iulianus de Florentia appears within the borders of an initial, in blue ink on scrolling banderoles (that leaf included here as a singleton with original folio number 33 ). Another leaf from the same parent manuscript with Marcus Aurelius and his father Aurelius Pius within an initial was Ferrini, cat.1, no. 60, previously Quaritch, cat.1036, Bookhands of the Middle Ages , 1984, no.50. There this Iulianus de Florentia was identified as the the artist Guiliano Amidei (fl. 1446-96), a Camaldolese monk in the monastery of San Benedetto a Pinti in Florence. He was a prolific painter and manuscript illuminator, notably in the service of Pope Paul II, and perhaps a student of Piero della Francesca.

Vast initial with a fish - from a manuscript Gradual, in Latin on parchment [northern Italy , c from a manuscript Gradual, in Latin on parchment [northern Italy (perhaps Florence or Siena), c. 1500] Single leaf, with an initial I (155mm. high, opening In virtute tua domine laetabitur iustus ), with a vast silver and blue salmon-like fish with silver-grey feathery wings, his tail knotted into a clump of coloured acanthus leaves and he biting on another spray of leaves, all on a brightly burnished gold ground within a wide frame formed of gold and silver chevrons on pink and green grounds, the acanthus leaf sprays with gold triangular fruit and extending into 2 borders with green prickly foliage, large flowerheads with gold tongues, large bezants, a cluster of 5 bezants with green penwork surround forming a sun, and a grey bird, a single line of text in highly calligraphic penstrokes, with initials of same opening next 2 lines, in total 4 lines of text in a fine late gothic bookhand with music on a 4-line red stave (rastrum 36mm.) on front, folio number CI in red and blue in mid-margin, slight folds and smudges in places, slightly cockled, overall good and presentable, c. 530mm. by c. 380mm., gilt frame Lot 81 in our last sale and a leaf in Sotheby s, 2 December 2014, lot 21, were from the same strange and fascinating parent volume as this leaf. They all share a startling mix of a notably fine calligraphic hand with colourful and eclectic illumination with numerous animals and fish. The artist seems to have known Florentine models, however, he was clearly not part of the mainstream of that tradition, and further study might well place these in an as yet unidentified centre in the hinterland of that city.

Large illuminated initial on a leaf - from a manuscript Gradual, in Latin on parchment [northern Italy from a manuscript Gradual, in Latin on parchment [northern Italy, early sixteenth century] Single leaf, with a large initial A (90 by 85mm, opening Agnus dei qui tollis … , from the Divine Office) in soft pink with fine acanthus leaves picked out in penwork and edged in dull gold, a knot with green leafy sprays at head and terminating in crisp coloured swirls of acanthus leaves, the upper and lower compartments with single flower heads with pink petals enclosing a bulbous yellow stamen radiating white penwork lines, on dark blue and brightly burnished gold grounds, followed by a single calligraphic letter enclosed in colour wash brushstrokes, 3 initials in red or blue with contrasting penwork, rubrics in red, 5 lines of text with music on a 4-line red stave (rastrum 45mm.), tiny cracks to gold, else in outstanding condition, 630 by 457mm., in card mount From the same parent manuscript as the previous lot.

Charter for William Griffiths, - countersigned by Bishop George Griffiths of St countersigned by Bishop George Griffiths of St. Asaph and with his seal of office, manuscript document in Latin on paper [Wales (St. Asaph/ Llannelwy ), dated 26 August 1625] Document on a bifolium, 18 lines of secretarial hand with opening words (the name Guilielmus Griffith ) in larger script, signed at base by Thomas Drayeot as royal officer and at side by Georgius Griffith beneath remnants of large oval episcopal seal (red wax under paper, much of wax lost), endorsed on reverse (26) in near contemporary hand, some stains, folds and small holes, overall good condition, 200 by 315mm. Manuscript material of Welsh origin is rare on the market, and this document can be connected to an important figure in the early seventeenth-century history of the country. George Griffith (1601-66) was born at Penrhyn, Carnarvonshire, and was educated at Winchester School and Christ Church, Oxford. He was a very public voice of the church in Wales, campaigning in 1640 for a new edition of the Welsh Bible, accepting the challenge of Vavasour Powell to all Welsh churchmen to dispute his calling (resulting in publications in which both sides claimed victory), and in his own words he had withstood popery both by writing and preaching as much as any minister in Wales . After the Restoration, he was elected to the episcopacy of St. Asaph, and in this role is thought to have undertaken the translation of the revised prayer-book into Welsh as well as the pamphlet On some Omissions and Mistakes in the British translation of the Bible in 1666.

SIR ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE. A manuscript article entitled 'A Day at Borstal', penned in response to a note from Sir Edward Shortt, the Home Secretary, regarding a proposed 'surprise visit' to the Portland Borstal Institution, signed and dated Dec 19 [1921] and written in black ink on the reverse of Grosvenor Hotel headed notepaper (a total of 13 large post octavo sheets), with pencil amendments and envelopeNote: The article was published in the Daily Telegraph on 27 December 1921Provenance: From the estate of Sir Edward Shortt and thence by descent

Oil on canvas 51 x 36cm (20 x 14 in) Please note the present work is after the portrait of David Garrick, painted by Thomas Gainsborough (1727-1788) circa 1766, later engraved in mezzotint by Valentine Green (1739-1813).   Please note that this lot also includes two pen and ink manuscript letters, one signed by David Garrick.

A Collection of manuscript Birmingham Canal Navigation Share Certificates, dated 1780s-1820s (84) and one for Dudley Canal Navigation 1826, generally G-VG (85)

A piece of John F. Kennedy's Hair, as certified by Louis Mushro from the Manuscript society, contained within small gilt frame inset into a signed certificate

A piece of Napoleon Bonaparte's hair, as certified by Louis Mushro from the Manuscript Society; contained within small gilt frame, within further framed signed certificate featuring reproduction full length portrait of Napoleon and historical background to the hair

HARDY THOMAS: (1840-1928) English Novelist. A hardback edition of Moments of Love - Poems to Emma by Thomas Hardy, published by The Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 1997, being an attractive manuscript facsimile and printed text of poems written by Hardy and inspired by his wife, Emma. With an original printed limitations page signed ('Thomas Hardy') by Hardy with his name alone in bold black ink lightly tipped in. Limited Edition number 153 of 157. Green leather quarter binding with green cloth covers and contained in a matching slipcase. Some extremely minor, very light age wear, VG

KRAY REG: (1933-2000) English Gangster who, with his brother Ron, were the foremost perpetrators of organised crime in London during the 1950s & 60s. Group of five A.Ls.S., Dad, twelve pages (total), 4to, n.p. (various prisons including Nottingham), August - December (1991), all to Brad Lane. In the first letter Kray states that he and Brad's mother must get together to 'patch up our differences as the way it is it is no good to any of us….Your mother and I can sort out our differences easy enough with a bit of give and take both ways. I know this.', in further letters referring to money, telling Brad 'Don't ever doubt me', enquiring about a page of manuscript from a book about villains which he has mislaid etc., also including a further two A.Ls.S., Reg, five pages (total), 4to, 1st March 1991 & 26th June (1991), each to Kim, in the letters referring to various friends and business associates ('Terry went bankrupt'…..'I have no wish to see Rose….my visits are too precious'…..'Tell him he owes me a favour. don't trust him at all. He is dangerous and does not keep word….') etc. Five of the letters are accompanied by the original envelopes. Generally VG, 7

CUVIER GEORGES: (1769-1832) French Naturalist & Zoologist. A.L.S., G Cuvier, one page, 8vo, n.p., n.d., to Monsieur Dumont, in French. Cuvier informs his correspondent that the deliveries of the manuscript of the eighth volume have been cancelled following last Monday's meeting, and continues to list three other dates for February and March. With integral address leaf (small area of paper loss). About VG

[HENRY VIII]: (1491-1547) King of England 1509-47. Manuscript document from the reign of King Henry VIII, one page (vellum), oblong 4to, 1536, in Latin. The document is an Indenture concerning a Grant by Richard Follde of Boston, Husbandman, to Richard and Elizabeth Cole, regarding land in Surfleet, Lincolnshire. Several witnesses are named as Richard Burton, John Pett and John Algate. With a contemporary docket to the verso and with the original seal-ties to the foot. An attractively penned and clean example. Some very light, extremely minor creasing and age wear, otherwise VG

ANNE: (1665-1714) Queen of England, Scotland & Ireland 1702-07 and Queen of the Kingdom of Great Britain 1707-14. D.S., Anne R, as Queen, at the head, one page (vellum), oblong folio, Court at Windsor, 2nd August 1709. The manuscript document is a military commission appointing John Lloyd to be a Captain in the Regiment of Foot commanded by Archibald, Earl of Ilay. Countersigned at the foot by Henry Boyle (1669-1725) 1st Baron Carleton. Anglo-Irish Politician, Lord Treasurer of Ireland 1704-15 & Northern Secretary 1708-10. Lacking the seal although with the pale blue revenue stamp affixed in the left margin. Some light overall age wear and a few minor stains, G Archibald Campbell (1682-1761) 3rd Duke of Argyll, Earl of Ilay (from 1706). Scottish Nobleman, Politician & Soldier. One of the founders of the Royal Bank of Scotland.

VICTORIA: (1819-1901) Queen of the United Kingdom Great Britain & Ireland 1837-1901. D.S., Victoria R I, as Queen, at the conclusion, two pages, folio, Court at Windsor Castle, 5th November 1866. The manuscript document is addressed to the President of the Dominican Republic and acknowledges receipt of their letter 'in which you acquaint Us that you had been elected by the result of the vote of the Dominican People to the Presidency of the Republick', continuing to offer congratulations 'on this signal mark of the Esteem and Confidence of Your fellow Citizens' and further stating 'We assure You that it is Our earnest desire to maintain and improve the Relations of Friendship which happily subsist between Great Britain and the Dominican Republick, and to which We attach a high value…' Countersigned at the foot by Edward Stanley (1826-1893) 15th Earl of Derby. British Statesman, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs 1866-68 & 1874-78. Some light overall age toning and staining and a small area of paper loss to the upper left corner, just affecting two words of text. About G Jose Maria Cabral (1816-1899) Dominican General, Supreme Chief of the Dominican Republic 1865 and President of the Dominican Republic 1866-68.

PEEL ROBERT: (1788-1850) British Prime Minister 1834-35 & 1841-46. A.L.S., Rob Peel, one page, small 8vo, n.p., n.d., to ‘My dear V’. Peel writes a somewhat hurried letter, informing his correspondent that he is going to Hatfield and continuing ‘Will you get the manuscript & Report - and as far as you can correct the proofs of the speech….’ further remarking ‘If you find you can do it completely will you return them to R & V for publication. If not leave them for me’. Very slightly irregularly torn to the upper and lower edges, not affecting the existing text or signature, about VG

[CHURCHILL WINSTON S.]: (1874-1965) British Prime Minister 1940-45, 1951-55. Nobel Prize winner for Literature, 1953. MARSH EDWARD (1872-1953) British Polymath & Civil Servant, Private Secretary to Winston Churchill for many years. Autograph Manuscript, unsigned, three pages, 8vo, The Palace, Khartoum, 24th December 1907. Marsh’s manuscript recounts the funeral of Scrivings, which had taken place earlier that evening, in part ‘The funeral procession left the Civil Hospital at 5.30. It was headed by the band of the Royal Dublin Fusiliers; then followed a detachment of the men; and after the coffin, which was placed on the gun carriage and covered with the colours, then walked Mr. Churchill, Col. Wilson, Mr. Marsh, Capt. Dickinson, an officer who had accompanied Mr. Churchill through Uganda and down the Nile…..Mr Churchill had put a cross of white chrysanthemums & other flowers on the coffin. The cemetery is about half a mile from the hospital & the procession went at a foot’s pace, the band playing Chopin’s Funeral March….the coffin was placed on the shoulders of six men of the Royal Dublins, who carried it to the grave. Mr. Gwynne proceeded to read the burial service, during which the sun set and darkness came gradually on. At the end, the Last Post was sounded on the bugles, and three volleys of blank cartridges were fired into the air’. Some light age wear and a few neat splits at the folds, only very slightly affecting a few words of text. Together with three A.Ls.S. by Marsh (‘E Marsh’), five pages (total), 8vo, [Khartoum] & Whitehall, 1st February (1908) - 19th May 1911, all to Mrs. Scrivings, on the printed stationery of the Colonial Office and the Home Office. Marsh writes on behalf of Winston Churchill, sending his correspondent some photographs and a letter (none present), stating that Churchill has carefully considered her request and writing ‘He thinks there would be a great deal of risk in committing the annual pension by a lump sum now. You might invest it in a business which wd not prosper & you wd then be left without any support at all….Mr Churchill knows that you are a very good cook, & he cannot understand why, with the testimonials you have received & the recommendations which he is quite prepared to renew, you cannot keep a good situation….’ and in another letter sending a cheque (no longer present) for £25 on behalf of Churchill. Further including an interesting Autograph Manuscript Signed by Frederick Temple Barrington-Ward, a barrister and the Recorder of Hythe, two pages, folio, 24th June 1909, being an Opinion on Churchill and stating, in part, ‘This is a case which naturally arouses in any one who reads the papers relating to it the greatest possible sympathy for Mrs. Scrivings in her unfortunate position. There can be no doubt at all but that Mr Churchill and some of his relations made definite promises to provide for the widow of his former valet and the only question for consideration is whether or not such promises are valid in law - Being promises made otherwise than by deed they are not binding unless there is sufficient consideration to support them - if the first proposal made by Mr Churchill came after his servants death I fear that there is no consideration at all for his promise and that it is only morally binding in the court of conscience alone. If on the other hand it should be that Mr Churchill induced Scrivings to accompany him to Africa by a promise to provide for his wife and children in case anything should happen to him while away from England - then I think that the subsequent promise would be supported by the consideration of Mr Scrivings undertaking the risks upon the faith of Mr Churchill’s word……In any event it is quite clear that a gentleman of Mr Churchill’s position should be given an opportunity of doing what is morally right towards the widow of his former servant and the first step I should advise is for Mrs Scrivings to write a letter in her own language putting the matter before Mr Churchill in a respectful manner and asking for an early reply.’ The lot also includes a small number of A.Ls.S. and documents relating to Mrs. Scrivings etc., being letters of testimonial etc., one written by an official at the Board of Trade on 27th July 1909 on behalf of Churchill and informing Scrivings that ‘the matter is receiving attention’. Some light overall age wear, generally G to about VG, 12 George Scrivings accompanied Winston Churchill on a journey to East Africa in 1907 but was never to return as he caught an illness and died there.

LOUIS XIV: (1638-1715) King of France 1643-1715. D.S., Louis, as King, at the foot, one page (vellum), oblong folio, Versailles, 23rd November 1695. The manuscript document, in French, is a military commission promoting Captain Souliard to a vacant regiment following the departure of a Colonel to an Infantry regiment, praising Souliard's services 'where you have truly proven your valour, courage, experience....vigilance and good conduct' and instructing that he shall 'command, lead and deploy it under our authority and that of our dear and beloved cousin, the prince of Epinoy, Colonel of our regiment' Some light, although extensive staining at the base of the document, not affecting the King's signature, and with some creasing and an area of paper loss to the lower right corner, G

LOUIS XVI: (1754-1793) King of France 1774-92, executed during the French Revolution. D.S., Louis, as King, two pages, folio, Council of Royal Finances, 26th March 1776, in French. The manuscript document provides details of the capitation tax, and features a list of various people and places and their taxes, totalling 6150.4. Signed by the King at the conclusion and countersigned by six other individuals including Anne Robert Jacques Turgot (1727-1781) French Economist & Statesman. Some extremely light, very minor age wear, VG

CONINGHAM ARTHUR: (1895-1948) British Air Marshal of the Royal Air Force, a senior officer during World War II. The personal Flying Log Book of Air Vice Marshal Coningham, the 8vo hardbound book bearing manuscript entries recording Coningham's flights from 6th May 1922 to 26th October 1940. The log book records the dates of flight, aircraft, passengers, destinations etc., as well as the total number of hours flown for each month, and covers Coningham's service in Iraq, Egypt and Syria, as well as various flights from Cranwell etc. Completed in Coningham's neat hand, in various coloured inks, the log book features 31 signatures of Coningham as well as signatures of Air Vice Marshal Sir Paul Maltby, Air Vice Marshal Sir Geoffrey Bromet, Air Chief Marshal Sir Douglas Evill, Group Captain Eric Murray etc. With attractive wrappers featuring an original pen and ink illustration of an aircraft in flight. Together with Coningham's original miniature medal bar and wings, removed from his uniform and attractively mounted above and below an original vintage 7 x 9 photograph of Coningham by Roger Forster of Paris, showing him in a profile head and shoulders pose wearing his uniform with the same wings and miniature medal bar. Framed and glazed in a gold coloured frame to an overall size of 14 x 17. Rare. VG, 2

HISTORICAL: Two fine folio volumes containing over 350 signed clipped pieces, Free Front envelope panels, fragments, A.Ls.S. etc., by a wide range of British 19th century historical figures, including Horatio Nelson (1758-1805) British Admiral during the Napoleonic Wars, the victor of the Battle of Trafalgar, 1805. Unusual D.S., Nelson & Bronte, one page, small oblong 4to, given on board HMS Victory, 12th July 1804. The manuscript document certifies that Francisco Brasilino ('aged 21 years 5 feet 11 inches high Brown Hair Grey Eyes...') had presented himself before Nelson and declared that he had 'voluntarily enlisted himself to serve His Majesty King George the third in the Royal Marine Forces', adding that he has been duly enlisted and that the 'second and third Articles of war against Mutiny and Desertion were likewise read to him and he has taken the oath of Fidelity', boldly signed by Nelson at the conclusion and countersigned by George Magrath (1775-1857) in his capacity as Surgeon on board the Victory and confirming that he has examined Brasilino and found him sound and fit for service; Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge (2), Duke of Wellington (laid down opposite a sprig of Verbena removed from Walmer Castle), Henry Paget, 1st Marquess of Anglesey, Philip Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield (a charming A.L.S., Chesterfield, one page, 4to, Bath, 1st January 1758, to a Lady, complimenting her on some delicious turkey and cheese, 'and as for the Ham I do not regret it, being in that respect, by the Law of my Doctors, a Jew'), Earl Liverpool, Earl of Aberdeen, Viscount Melbourne, Viscount Palmerston, John Sumner (as Archbishop of Canterbury), Henry Brougham, Lord Raglan, William Gladstone, Richard Cobden, Robert Peel, Charles Grey, George Cruikshank (2; one a fine, large example, 15th July 1853), Charles Kean, Richard Oastler, Louis Blanc, Arthur Clifton, Queen Adelaide (2), Olivia Serres (scarce A.L.S. by the English Imposter who claimed the title of Princess Olive of Cumberland) and many others. Each of the autographs are neatly laid down (most in multiples) to the pages. One volume is dedicated to autographs of males and the other females and both are well presented with calligraphic titles to the heads of most pages, some with attractive colour coats of arms above the signatures, both with indexes and each bearing the ownsership signature of the collector, E. Day, along with the date, 25th October 1849. Both volumes are handsomely bound in leather with identical and highly decorative gilt stamped borders to both covers and the spine, which also feature raised bands. All edges gilt. Some extremely minor, light age wear, generally VG, 2

PRIVY COUNCIL: A large portion removed from the conclusion of a Privy Council document, Court at Whitehall, 31st August 1666, possibly addressed to the Lord Lieutenant of Norfolk, with manuscript text to the recto and verso, referring to various individuals including Captain Thomas Bodham of Swaffham and John Newton, committed to Lynn Gaol, bearing the signatures of Thomas Wriothesley (1607-1677) 4th Earl of Southampton. English Statesman, Lord High Treasurer 1660-67, John Maitland (1616-1682) 1st Duke and 2nd Earl of Lauderdale. Scottish Politician and leader within the Cabal Ministry, Henry Bennet (1618-1685) 1st Earl of Arlington. English Statesman, Secretary of State for the Southern Department 1662-74, Anthony Ashley Cooper (1621-1683) 1st Earl of Shaftesbury. English Politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer 1661-72, William Morice (1602-1676) English Statesman & Theologian, Secretary of State for the Northern Department 1660-68 and several others. Some light overall age wear and minor fraying to the edges, G

[COOKERY]. A MID 18TH CENTURY MANUSCRIPT RECIPE & HOUSEHOLD ACCOUNT BOOK circa 1750-72, the recipes including those for 'Napell Bisketts'; 'Savoy Bisketts'; 'Maccaroons'; 'Queen Cakes'; 'Plumb Cake'; 'Cheese Cakes'; 'Half Penny Bunns'; 'Mince Pyes'; 'Ginger Bread'; 'Marmalade of Apricots'; and 'Rasberry Jamm'; the noted expenditure mainly on provisions, with an ownership inscription to front free endpaper 'Wm Grove Esq / at Buckland near Kingsland / Devon', full leather binding, later papered, 16cm x 11cm.

[SOMERSET]. A MANUSCRIPT ACCOUNT BOOK RELATING TO THE HIGHWAYS IN THE PARISH OF BROMPTON RALPH covering the period circa 1778-1829, comprising disbursements by the appointed surveyors, and rates on labourers for maintenance, half leather bound (corner pieces worn; a few pages detached), 21.5cm x 17cm.

An exceptional tortoiseshell sewing box of elaborate rectangular form, circa 1830, the stepped lid with a central panel inlaid with engraved mother-of-pearl flowers, leaves and birds, within an ivory line, within curved stepped outer mouldings, the sides of serpentine section with white metal escutcheon to the front, raised on bold carved ivory bun feet, the interior with ruched pink silk lid lining over a pink silk compartmentalised and lidded tray with a pair of outer tortoiseshell lids revealing fitted pincushions and double fixed ivory reels, a further lid revealing four divisions, the centre fitted with a flush fitted purple tray with mother-of-pearl needlebook, waxer, emery, silver earspoon/tweezer, damaged scissors and four ivory sink winders, below the tray a selection of Bristol card pieces, a manuscript notebook and three calling cards for Mr. E. Bulman, the lock stamped Patent and G.R. twice, 32cm x 21.5cm x 18cm.

Asian Art - a framed set of gaming tokens; a pair of Oriental lacquer panels, framed; a framed print of a Middle Eastern manuscript (3)

A Christian psalms Illuminated manuscript book of hours circa 1470, gilt-heightened, framed.

10th century AD. A heavy, iron sword pommel of Petersen's Type L with sub-triangular profile, a pair of opposed spiral elements to each face sprouting from a central column with a trilobed 'crest' above, lobed feature on the upper edge of the base; insertion point at the base for the tang. Cf. Peirce, I. Swords of the Viking Age, Woodbridge, 2002, p.77ff. 252 grams, 63mm (6 1/2"). Property of a gentleman; previously in an old English collection formed in the 1950s. In overall form this pommel resembles the famous example from the River Witham at Monks Abbey, Lincoln, although the decoration is more reminiscent of the Winchester Style of manuscript art. The River Witham sword belongs to the small group of weapons bearing the +LEUTLRIT (and variants) name; it is possible that the present piece is an Anglo-Scandinavian copy of the same date and type. Fair condition.

1916 and 1935 AD. Dated 10 July 1916, serial number F/12 36072. Obv: black on dark red paper; with manuscript 'FORGERY' annotation and lines across in red ink. Rev: design in black. Dated 1 January 1935, serial number I/5 41382. Obv: portrait and text in blue on multicolour. Rev: tiger and bust in blue. See Pick 1b (for type)/Pick 16b. 12 x 6cm. [2, No Reserve] Heavily circulated/worn and circulated.

Late 8th-9th century AD. A bronze appliqué formed as a canine head with triangular ears, piriform muzzle, pellet eyes; the neck formed as a shallow channel. Cf. Webster, L. & Backhouse, J. The Making of England. Anglo-Saxon Art and Culture AD 600-900, London, 1991. 9.69 grams, 27mm (1"). Property of a London businessman, from his grandfather's collection formed after World War II; thence by descent, 1972. The head is typical of 8th-9th century Anglo-Saxon zoomorphic metalwork with similarities to those shown on the Strickland brooch (Webster & Backhouse, item 189) and a range of strap ends (ibid., item 191) and other items of personal adornment. The style recalls the details of manuscript illustration in e.g. the mid-8th century Stuttgart Psalter, produced in the scriptorium at Echternach founded by the Anglo-Saxon missionary, St. Willibrord (ibid., item 128a, initial to Psalm 1, detail of the 'e' in 'beatus'). The fragmented neck suggests that the object formed the finial to a decorative strip, perhaps similar in kind to the crest of the Coppergate helmet (ibid., item 47). [No Reserve] Fine condition.

Framed illuminated manuscript together with an unframed similar, possibly 16th Century Spanish

1913-24 ½d, die proof in black on glazed card, 92mm x 60mm, h/s 'BEFORE/ HARDENING' and dated '7/1/13' in manuscript, fine and rare

1913-24 2d, die proof in black on glazed card, 92mm x 60mm, h/s 'BEFORE/ HARDENING' and dated '7/1/13' in manuscript, reverse bears h/s 'L..F.H. HARPENDEN.', fine and rare