Beschreibung:

PSALTER, in Latin, ILLUMINATED MANSUCRIPT ON VELLUM
PSALTER, in Latin, ILLUMINATED MANSUCRIPT ON VELLUM [Italy, late 15th century] 175 x 115mm. 227 leaves: 1-22 1 0, 23 7(of 8, viii cancelled blank), prickings and guide letters for initials visible in outer margins, vertical catchwords at lower inner margins on final versos of gatherings, 17 lines written in black ink in a humanistic hand between two pairs of verticals and 18 horizontals ruled in plummet, justfication: 100 x 57mm, rubrics in red, one-line initials of liquid gold on plain grounds of red, blue or green, similar two-line initials with gold decoration in infills and grounds, EIGHT LARGE INITIALS of burnished gold on grounds of blue or red, with divided infills of blue and green, or green and red, and foliate decoration in gold, with accompanying gold and black penwork foliate sprays in margins, later replacement opening leaf with full-page border of foliate and jewelled decoration incorporating 'IHS' roundel, a wreathed roundel containing bust-length figure of David, and two putti holding a coat of arms, (occasional smudging or staining, small hole to f.101 not affecting text). 18th-century red morocco gilt, with green morocco lettering-piece (wormholes to spine, rodent damage to bottom corner of lower board). PROVENANCE: 1. The frontispiece, a later replacement of the original opening leaf, bears the arms of a subsequent owner of the manuscript, a member of the Altieri family, Rome. 2. Walter Sneyd Florence (bookplate pasted inside upper cover), sold Sotheby's, 16 December 1903, Sneyd catalogue, lot 665. 3. Parke-Bernet, New York, 29 November 1948, lot 344. An attractive manuscript with a neat humanistic script and wide, clean margins. The skilfully-painted large initials open the customary eight major text divisions of the Psalter.