Birds, a Frog, and a Monkey with Pointed Red Shoes

Vita Christi. Nuremberg, Anton Koberger, 20 December 1478.

Two volumes, imperial folio, ff. [372]; [a–m8 n6 o–z8 [et]6 A–Z8]; gothic type printed in two columns, f. 1r bearing contemporary south German illumination comprising an initial ‘F’ in green against a red and gold ground and with extensive marginal decoration of scrolling foliage incorporating two bearded faces, a frog, three birds, and a monkey wearing pointed red shoes and grasping a rope, first leaf of text [a4] bearing a large initial ‘D’ composed of blue foliage against a burnished and overpainted gold ground and containing the blessing Christ before a richly woven cloth held up by an angel with wings spread, first initial in vol. II in the form of a fish and acanthus leaves against a ground of blue, green and dark pink quatrefoils within a green frame infilled with gold, smaller initials and paraphs in red or blue (some highlighted with a yellow wash), yellow initial strokes, some headings and chapter titles with a coloured wash (presumably once yellow, now darkened), the names of three of the Evangelists written in red in margins of [Y1]; illumination on first leaf trimmed at top and foredge (the foot of the leaf folded up to retain the decoration), [a4] with section of decoration excised at foot and also trimmed at margins, [A1] with decoration at foot cut away, [C1.8] strengthened along gutter, a few small wormholes (more at end of vol. II), final leaf in vol. II somewhat worn, occasional light staining or soiling, but a good crisp copy; bound in eighteenth-century German vellum stained purple (now mostly faded) over pasteboard, green vellum lettering-pieces, blue patterned edges; rubbed, tear in vellum of upper cover of vol. II, flyleaves removed, small paper labels at foot of upper covers; annotations to c. 15 pp. in an early sixteenth-century hand, and to c. 50 pp. in a late sixteenth- or early seventeenth-century hand, various manicules, clipping from an English sale catalogue pasted to inside front cover with the price £10-10-0 in pencil, with the bookplates of Bishop John Vertue (1826–1900).

£45,000

Approximately:
US $60,331€51,921

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Early incunable edition of Ludolph of Saxony’s popular and influential life of Christ, with lively south German illumination.

The Vita Christi is the principal work of the Carthusian monk Ludolph of Saxony (d. 1378). It is one of the most comprehensive of such works, bringing together the writings of about sixty authors, from Church Fathers such as Augustine to secular philosophers such as Cicero. Written in a deliberately straightforward style, it was widely disseminated in manuscript in both Latin and German, and first printed in Cologne in about 1472. Two further editions, both of 1474 (Strasbourg and Cologne), precede our edition, and Koberger printed further editions in 1483 and 1495.

The characteristically south German illumination here was produced in numerous centres and is often difficult to localise with any certainty. There are, however, affinities with the work of Augsburg-based illuminators such as Heinrich Molitor and Conrad Wagner, and our volumes may have been decorated for a patron in or near that city. The artist has used silver (now oxidised) as well as gold.

The annotations are concentrated in a few sections of the text; the earlier annotations are mostly single words (or corrections), but the later annotations are more detailed, showing more engagement and understanding of the text. There are numerous manicules appearing throughout, of varying degrees of artistry.

Provenance: largely erased inscription at foot of first leaf of vol. I ‘Liber Fr[atr]um B MARIAE […] subscr[…] 1689 […]’.

H 10292*; BMC II 417; GW M19215; Goff L339; BSB-Ink L-261; Bod-inc L-187; ISTC il00339000.