Title: Two Leaves from Jacobus de Voragine’s Golden Legend, or Legenda Aurea, Early 14th Century. Italy. Latin Manuscript on Parchment. 41 Lines of Gothic Script
Author: Jacobus de Voragine
Condition: Good
Two early 14th century leaves from a manuscript of de Voragine’s Legenda Aurea, also known more commonly as the Golden Legend of the Passion of the Saints, a famed collection of 153 hagiographies (biography or life of a saint or ecclesiastical figure), widely read in Europe during the Late Middle Ages. This manuscript was likely from Italy.
These leaves contain a section from the Life of Saint Paul the Apostle, here with parts about his birth.
These leaves are written in Latin, using a gothic textualis script, with red and blue rubrics, and a few initials strokes.
These leaves themselves were once used as binder’s waste, saved from a bookbinding, likely as pastedowns.
These leaves bear provenance of the Colker Collection, which was previously acquired from Maggs Brothers in 1966.
Two leaves on parchment, 21.6 x 16.1 cm
These leaves are in good shape, with some rubbing and wear to the parchment, and significant text loss to one side of each leaf.