Truly one of the finest Illuminated Manuscript Leaves ever offered for sale on Ebay. This leaf once belonged to what was formerly called "The Chester Beatty Bible" (now often referred to as the Mailhac - Faber Bible) and comes with a distinguished provenance. 

 

This stunning leaf consists of the opening and complete first chapter of the GOSPEL OF JOHN beginning with “In principio erat Verbum et Verbum erat apud Deum et Deus erat Verbum…” (In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God) continuing to the second chapter, verse 23. Origin is Southern France, perhaps Bordeaux ca. 1275 - 1300. 13” x 9” (332mm x 232mm), double column, 40 lines of text, in an extraordinarily fine Gothic book hand. See provenance and historical summary below. 

Present on the recto is a large (11 line tall) historiated initial ‘I’ incorporating the Apostle John (Iohannes) with a burnished gold halo, holding a book. The letter runs the entire length of the script, the descender terminating at bottom in the head of a bird with gold decorations near its beak and embellished at the top with a small drollery/grotesque consisting of a bird with a human-like face. Headings and chapter number alternating red and blue, rubrics in red, capitals stroked in red. Verso has one 2-line initial in blue with red pen-flourishing and an elaborate border with penwork extending the entire length of the page.

Leaves from this particular Bible appraise and list for $11K - $17K when offered for sale by antiquarian book and manuscript dealers. This is a wonderful and exceptional leaf, an extraordinary addition for the discerning collector.

HISTORY and PROVENANCE
Chester Beatty, known as the "King of Copper", was a wealthy mining magnate and famous manuscript collector who owned one of the most extensive and the highest quality manuscript collections ever acquired. This includes the famous 3rd century 'Chester Beatty Papyri'. Manuscripts and leaves once owned by Beatty are found in both private collections as well as universities and museums around the world. Well-known collectors who have owned some of Beatty's former manuscripts include Martin Schøyen, Sir Paul Getty, St John Hornby, Major J.R. Abbey, Philip Hofer, Eric Millar, William Scheide, A.S. Yahuda, and Peter Ludwig. Other known manuscripts are now in possession of institutions such as: Harvard University, Getty Museum, British Library, Bibliotecanazionale centrale di Roma, Chester Beatty Museum, Morgan Library, NY Public Library, Bodmer Collection, Walters Art Museum, Yale University, Boston Public Library, Lincoln College Oxford, National Library of Israel, Princeton University, Sir Paul Getty Library, and Stuttgart Landesbibliothek.

Based on the style of the illumination, the parent Bible of the leaf currently offered for sale here was likely produced in a religious house as opposed to a secular scriptorium. It is known to have remained in a monastic library until at least the 16th or 17th century as there are two inscriptions (‘Frere Jehan Mailhac’ and ‘Frater Renatus Faber Bourdelois’) from that time. This suggest a south-western origin, which would have been consistent with the regional style of the illumination employed there in the late 13th century. The Bible was eventually purchased by Sir Thomas Phillipps (1792-1872) [his MS. 2506] from the London bookseller Thomas Thorpe as part of a group, many of which came from famous libraries. It was eventually inherited by Phillip's grandson Thomas Fitzroy Fenwick. Sir Alfred Chester Beatty (1875-1968) purchased it privately [his MS.W.173] from the Phillipps Collection in 1920 or 1921. In 1955, this Bible was on display at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland (see: Western Illuminated Manuscripts from the Library of Sir Chester Beatty, 155, no. 9). It was sold again at auction June 24, 1969 (Lot 57) at Sothebys of London where it was acquired by Alan Thomas (1911-1992). Sometime after that it was sold to Philip Duschnes of New York who broke it up. Over time these leaves were sold, auctioned off, and scattered, many likely ending up in private collections and no longer accounted for.

CONDITION
This is truly a beautiful item listed here. I have included photos in various light (indoor and out in the sun) with two different cameras to give an accurate representation of condition. As demonstrated by the pictures, the leaf is well preserved and in excellent condition. The illuminated letter, associated imagery, designs, flourishes, are all clean and bright. The burnished gold is vibrant. There is some toning and cockling of the vellum as well as some browning at the very far edges. All of this is typical and consistent with a handwritten manuscript of this age. The are no visible tears or issues of concern, the vellum is intact and of high quality. The backside has two narrow strips of mounting tape visible in the pictures. These do not encroach on the text, do not detract from the leaf, and would be hidden when framed or can be removed if desired. At the very bottom of the leaf written in small lettering are the words "St John France 1300".  The leaf is currently loose in matting with no glass. It would be shipped securely, protected, with tracking, in the matting. The matting itself has no value and I would assume the buyer would want to replace it for re-framing.

Immediate payment is required. All serious offers considered. In person pick up possible if feasible for the buyer.