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.

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]

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]

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]

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]