ANGLO-NORMAN ILLUMINATOR
A small cutting, with historiated initial ‘L’ with pope and clerics presenting a manuscript, in Latin, illuminated manuscript on parchment [France or England, c. 1300]

Refined Gothic style typical of late thirteenth-century Anglo Norman manuscript production.

65 × 55 mm. Single cutting, the reverse written in a Gothic textualis with the end of eleven lines of text, followed by a blank space and one additional line, ONE HISTORIATED INITIAL ‘L’ featuring a Pontifical scene, painted in a rich blue patterned with thick white pen-stroke filigree on a ground of faint rose; the interior of the letter forms a stage-like setting for the enthroned pope and surrounding figures. Some losses to the original pigment, revealing the underdrawing, clarity of the scene and the finely articulated gestures of the figures remain legible and effective.

This is a finely executed historiated initial introducing the prologue to Innocent IV’s Decretals, depicting the Pope enthroned and distributing a codex to kneeling clerics before an assembly of cardinals and bishops, rendered in a refined linear Gothic style typical of late thirteenth-century Anglo-Norman manuscript production. The historiated initial ‘L’ (for Legitur?) depicts a seated pope—likely Innocent IV—distributing a codex, almost certainly a copy of the Decretals, to a group of kneeling clerics, while a surrounding assembly of ecclesiastics, including cardinals in red galeri, bishops in miters, and figures in monastic habits, observe the act of transmission. The scene is set within a large initial painted in rich blue with foliate white penwork, bordered on the left by a slender architectural column and set against a pale rose ground. The pope, distinguished by his red mantle and papal tiara, is the only seated figure, bestowing the book with his left hand while raising his right in benediction. A kneeling cleric in a blue robe receives the text, reinforcing the moment’s ritual and juridical significance.

The composition emphasizes hierarchical order and the authoritative dissemination of ecclesiastical law, likely illustrating either the promulgation of the Decretals or the opening of Innocent IV’s prologue to his gloss (prooemium), traditionally beginning with Legitur in Ezechiele. This interpretation is supported by the text visible on the verso, which contains the conclusion of Chapter II and the beginning of Chapter III of Innocent IV’s commentary on the Decretals. Stylistically, the miniature reflects the linear Gothic idiom of the late thirteenth to early fourteenth century, with slender figures, angular drapery, and pronounced contour lines. The figures' facial expressions and postures are articulated with clarity and subtle individuality, despite pigment losses that expose underdrawing in grey ink. The palette—vermilion, blue, white, and traces of shell gold—was typical of Parisian and Anglo-Norman legal and scholastic manuscripts of the period. The refinement of gesture and costume, especially in the rendering of ecclesiastical headdress and liturgical vestments, suggests an illuminator trained in the production of institutional or academic manuscripts, possibly affiliated with a university or cathedral scriptorium.

Provenance
(1) Sold at Prunier, Louviers (Normandy), 25 May 2013, lot 15.

(2) Robert McCarthy, London, MS BM 2409.

LITERATURE
Prunier, Haute Époque, Louviers, 25 May 2013, lot 15; Peter Kidd, The McCarthy Collection: French Miniatures, London, 2021, no. 87.

We are grateful to Peter Kidd for permission to quote from his catalogue in this entry, and we thank Senior Consultant Sandra Hindman and Peter Bovenmyer for their assistance in the preparation of this sale.

The Collection of Robert McCarthy

This lot is located in Chicago.

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

ANGLO-NORMAN ILLUMINATOR
A small cutting, with historiated initial ‘L’ with pope and clerics presenting a manuscript, in Latin, illuminated manuscript on parchment [France or England, c. 1300]

Western Manuscripts and Miniatures

ANGLO-NORMAN ILLUMINATORA small cutting, with historiated initial ‘L’ with pope and clerics presenting a manuscript, in Latin, illuminated manuscript on parchment [France or England, c. 1300]

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ANGLO-NORMAN ILLUMINATOR
A small cutting, with historiated initial ‘L’ with pope and clerics presenting a manuscript, in Latin, illuminated manuscript on parchment [France or England, c. 1300]