ANONYMOUS SOUTHERN FRENCH ILLUMINATOR
Leaf from an Antiphonary with a Historiated Initial ‘I’ of Saint Augustine, in Latin, illuminated manuscript on parchment [Pyrenean region, c. 1310–1330]

A compelling leaf from a large Antiphonary, possibly produced in the Pyrenean region, from which surviving art is uncommon.

503 × 352 mm. Single leaf from a large Antiphonary, ruled in red ink for musical staves and with drypoint or faint plummet lines for vertical bounding lines (justification: 422 × 275 mm), foliated "69" in the upper right margin. Text in Gothic script with versals, psalm incipits, and responsories marked by red initials, additional one-line red initials indicate new sequences, musical notation comprises square neumes on a four-line red staff, with distinctive stylized custodes at line ends, each terminating in an elegant, sweeping diagonal flourish, ONE HISTORIATED INITIAL ‘I’ depicting Saint Augustine, labeled Augustus episcopus, standing in episcopal attire and forming the vertical shaft of the letter. Notable wear to the painted surface—especially the face and halo—suggests devotional handling, likely prompting later overpainting. Slight cockling and minor discoloration to the vellum, otherwise in good condition.

This visually arresting leaf comes from a large-format Antiphonary made for monastic or cathedral use, possibly in the region of the Pyrenees (Toulouse?), in the early fourteenth century. The text begins with the responsory Invenit se Augustinus longe esse a Deo, the first response of the First Nocturne for the Feast of St. Augustine (28 August). A vertical historiated initial ‘I’ encloses the saint, shown standing in episcopal vestments, wearing a mitre and holding a crozier and book—iconographic attributes that emphasize his authority as both bishop and Doctor of the Church. He is set against a deep red ground within the shaft of the letter.

The painting exhibits features broadly familiar from early fourteenth-century manuscript production in southwestern France. The compact figure, sharp linear outlines, and angular drapery—paired with a restrained palette of reds and browns—resonate with stylistic tendencies found in Antiphonaries produced in Toulouse and the wider Languedoc region. However, due to some overpainting—likely the result of later devotional engagement—such comparisons remain tentative. The visible wear to the figure, particularly in the facial area and halo, underscores the manuscript’s prolonged liturgical use and devotional significance within its original ecclesiastical community.

Provenance
(1) Manuscript marks include: foliation “69” in a late medieval or early modern hand; dealer or ownership numbers “#4” and (possibly) “184” in modern pencil in upper margin on verso; in lower margin verso a pencil inscription misattribution “Italian 13th Century.”

(2) Sotheby’s London, 1 December 1998, lot 41, acquired by

(3) Robert McCarthy, London, MS BM 1214b

Parent manuscript and sister leaves
Presently unidentified.

LITERATURE
Unpublished; Related literature: Jean-Pierre Boyer, Les Manuscrits à peintures du Midi de la France: XIIIe et XIVe siècles, Paris, 1985; Yolanta Zaluska, Les manuscrits liturgiques à peintures du XIIIe siècle conservés à la Bibliothèque municipale de Toulouse, Paris, 1987; Manuscrits enluminés des Pyrénées: trésors gothiques de Languedoc, Catalogne et Aragon, Toulouse: Musée des Augustins / Generalitat de Catalunya, 1995; Thomas Falmagne, “Fragments et bibliothèques médiévales à Toulouse,” Cahiers de Fanjeaux 51 (2016), pp. 249–278.

We thank Senior Consultant Sandra Hindman and Peter Bovenmyer for their assistance in preparing this sale.

The Robert McCarthy Collection

This lot is located in Cincinnati.

Christopher Brink

Associate Vice President, Head of Sale, Senior Specialist, Books & Manuscripts

[email protected]312.334.4217

Darren Winston

SVP, Head of Department, Books and Manuscripts, Philadelphia

[email protected]267.414.1247

Darren Winston, Senior Vice President at Freeman’s, has served as Head of Department for Books & Manuscripts, Philadelphia, since 2018. He has been a trustee of the Rosenbach Museum and Library since 2022, is a member of The Manuscript Society, The Bibliographical Society of America, and Philadelphia’s Philobiblon Club.

Raised in northern New Jersey, Darren moved to New York City in 1988 and began his career there as a bookseller in 1995. He spent the next 18 years selling to private clients and at East Coast book fairs. In 2003 he moved with his young family to Sharon, Connecticut where, in 2009, he opened his own bookshop. Darren Winston, Bookseller offered rare and vintage books, prints, fine art, and more, and hosted over 50 book signings and art shows. He was a trustee and, later, Board President, of the Sharon Historical Society, and for six years a trustee of Indian Mountain School in Lakeville, Connecticut.

Darren has hosted the radio program "Darren Winston's Book Report" for NPR-affiliate WHDD since 2009, appeared in the 2014 book-themed documentary The Paper Trail, and in 2024 he joined Antiques Roadshow as a books and manuscripts appraiser. From 1999 to 2005, Darren was the buyer and consultant to the Fine and Rare Books Department at Asprey, the British luxury goods company, at its New York headquarters. While there he spearheaded various in-store events including readings by Salman Rushdie and Dominick Dunne.

In 1993, Darren was hired as a Creative Consultant to Columbia Records, where he assisted in the repackaging of their 12-record Aerosmith back catalogue. He later sold his extensive collection of Aerosmith memorabilia, which he began amassing at the age of 14, directly to the band.

Darren now lives on the Main Line, outside Philadelphia, with his wife, two children, and dog. The family travels frequently to his wife's native England and Scotland. When not bookselling, he plays guitar in Pumped, an Aerosmith tribute band. Darren also appears on the top-rated PBS television program Antiques Roadshow.

Sandra Hindman

Senior Consultant, Medieval and Renaissance Manuscript Illumination

[email protected]312 280 1212

Sandra Hindman, Senior Consultant, is a leading expert in Medieval and Renaissance manuscript illumination. Professor Emerita of Art History at Northwestern University, Professor Hindman is author, coauthor or editor of more than twelve books, as well as numerous articles on the history and reception of illuminated manuscripts and on medieval rings. She is a member of the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America, the National Antique and Art Dealers Association of America, the Syndicat National de la Librairie Ancienne et Moderne, and the Syndicat National des Antiquaires,The Grolier Club and the Caston Club. In 2023, the French Republic named Sandra Hindman a Chevaliere de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters). She is the owner and CEO of Les Enluminures Paris Chicago and New York founded in 1991.

Western Manuscripts and Miniatures

ANONYMOUS SOUTHERN FRENCH ILLUMINATOR
Leaf from an Antiphonary with a Historiated Initial ‘I’ of Saint Augustine, in Latin, illuminated manuscript on parchment [Pyrenean region, c. 1310–1330]

Western Manuscripts and Miniatures

ANONYMOUS SOUTHERN FRENCH ILLUMINATORLeaf from an Antiphonary with a Historiated Initial ‘I’ of Saint Augustine, in Latin, illuminated manuscript on parchment [Pyrenean region, c. 1310–1330]

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ANONYMOUS SOUTHERN FRENCH ILLUMINATOR
Leaf from an Antiphonary with a Historiated Initial ‘I’ of Saint Augustine, in Latin, illuminated manuscript on parchment [Pyrenean region, c. 1310–1330]