Two leaves from a Gospel Lectionary, in Latin, decorated manuscript on vellum, two large single leaves, each with double column of 33 lines of a good Romanesque bookhand, with et-ligature used occasionally integrally at end of words and strong st-ligature, capitals touched in red, red rubrics, simple red initials (some oxidising), recovered from reuse on a later binding and with large section missing from upper corner of one leaf, folds, spots and stains, overall fair condition, in fitted cloth covered case, each leaf approximately 310 x 210mm., [Germany], [late tenth or early eleventh century].

*** These leaves are probably all that remains of a handsome Romanesque liturgical book. The script here, with earlier Carolingian letterforms employed without the characteristic square aspect of Germanic tenth-century script, compares closely to a fragment of a manuscript of Gregory the Great’s Moralia, dating to c. 1020-30 (now Marburg Staatsarchiv, Hr. 6 fasc 7: reproduced in Fuldische Handschriften aus Hessen, no. 46).

Provenance: Sold by Bernard Breslauer to Walter Hirst in 1961 (see copy of typically caustic Breslauer letter included). By descent to present owner.