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Miscellaneous artifacts, mostly related to writing or printing and including such things as papyrus fragments, palm-leaf manuscripts, medals, seals, playing cards, old eye glasses and pens, Arabic scrolls, print blocks, including six by Theodor Jung, and two marble (alabaster?) busts, one of Charles Dickens and one of Dante, nd.

Materials consist of three ampullae (or pilgrim flasks) and one oil lamp. The ampullae are of the "St. Menas ampulla" type. One ampulla is mostly intact while the others are incomplete. The complete one mould on both side with the saint (St. Menas) as an orant, nimbed, flanked by two camels and two crosses; another flask showing on one side the saint on a horse and the inscription ‘blessing’ on the other in Greek characters; and a fragmentary example inscribed with the word ‘blessing’ and a cross on one side and ευλογiα του αγiου Μηνa (or, in Latin script, EULOGIA TOU AGIOU MENA) - "[Receive the] blessing of Saint Menas" on the other.

The collection consists of Roman and Byzantine coin weight sets from approximately the 3rd-8th century A.D.

A leaf from a Carolingian folio of a major patristic text.

Sentemir and his wife Florídia sell land in Castellar del Vallès (near Barcelona) to Baió and his wife Todesera for 12 solidi. Signed Trasovario (scribe and priest) and witnessed by Marazinus (deacon).

Chinese translation of a Mahayana text originally from India, which has women as central figures or contains important discussions about women.

Contains text of II Samuel 24: 9-25 (end) and beginning of I Kings 1:1-3. Incipit: "Dedit ergo Ioab numerum descriptionis populi regi..." Explicit: "...et calefaciat dominum nostrum regem. Quaesierunt igitur" There are some textual variations, for example "mortui sunt ex populo a Dan usque ad Bersabee sexaginta [instead of the canonical septuaginta] millia virorum" in II Samuel 24:15

A document recording an agreement between Guillelm, his bothers Guillelm and Joan, and their sisters Guisla and Fruiló, and Sunyer Argemir, before a court in Sant Julià d’Altura, concerning vineyards in Marçans, belonging to Sant Llorenç del Munt, that they inherited from their mother. Written with 14 lines in a somewhat cursive Caroline minuscule, the first initial enlarged, the names of the witnesses each preceded by word ‘Sig+num’ (containing a cross with a point in each quadrant, that in the lower right larger than the others, and perhaps added by the witnesses), the final line identifying the scribe Benedictus and with his notarial mark in the form of a knotwork design, endorsed by medieval hands 'Ad mon. de Llorenz del munt a Terraça' and 'Terraca mercans' and ‘Monte 1062' by Plandolit. [From dealer description]

Includes words (dealing with Saint Stephen) and chant notation.

Nearly complete large folio leaf from Tractaus in Iohannem written in double columns of a fine late Carolingian script, brown ink, 42 lines, ruled with a hard point; one column of text shaved with loss of text, creased from use as an archival wrapper, with labelling in an eighteenth-century hand. The text here discusses "virginity of the mind," baptism and the Donatists.

15 manuscript fragments or cuttings of various sizes (circa 110x100 to circa 315x220 mm), most of which have been recovered from use in bindings and thus with creases and staining, consisting of: (a) two leaves with consecutive text (Matt.17:12-18:5; 17:22 with a red initial i.e. treated as the start of a chapter) from a glossed gospel of Matthew, a primitive layout with a widely-spaced main text, with short interlinear glosses and longer glosses in the outer margin [Italy, c.1130s]; (b) two cuttings from a Psalter (with parts of Pss.52:1-7 and 59:10-60:9), each preserving part of a major illuminated initial [Germany, 13th century]; (c) two nearly complete leaves from a Psalter (Pss.28:6-30:8, 35:1-14) with large and small red initials [Germany, Austria, or Switzerland, c.1200-1250]; (d) three column-wide strips and an incomplete bifolium of a canon law text, with series of subjects arranged alphabetically, and a table headed ‘Tituli et capitula Decretalium hic sunt registrata et signata’, with an 8-line puzzle initial ‘U’ [France, 14th century]; (e) a section of letter in German, beginning with a mention of ‘sein hausfrau’ and mentioning ‘Regenspurg’ (lines 2, 7) [Germany (Regensburg?), 15th century]; (f) most of a leaf from a Missal including parts of the 8th-10th Sundays after Pentecost, the lections marked-up in red, presumably to aid reading aloud [Germany, 15th century]; (g) two partial bifolia, including part of Augustine’s Sermon 354, citing authorities including Hugo, Bernard, and Gregory [Netherlands or Germany, 15th century]; (h) a fragment of a Breviary, with parts of lessons IV-VI apparently for Christmas day [Netherlands, 14th century] [Descriptive information provided by dealer]

A collection of fragments from six manuscript leaves, circa 12th century Germany, from the Historiarum adversum paganos. Two complete bifolia and two single leaves with vertical borders trimmed away, each with text in single column of 31 lines of a tiny and precise early gothic bookhand, remains of one simple red initial, another in green with foliate penwork and a very large initial in red penwork touched with green wash, terminating in an acanthus leaf frond (opening book VII). Pricking for lines visible at vertical edges of larger leaves, cuts and splits in places, some darkening and translucency from reuse on binding. Areas covered in black paint (that once was on outside of binding that these fragments survived on), these areas scored with three parallel lines in multiple places. The largest leaves are approximately 230 x 160 mm. Orosius (perhaps Paulus Orosius was one of the most important historians of the period which saw the collapse of the late Roman Empire and the dawning of the Middle Ages. He was a student of Augustine of Hippo,, and may have collaborated with that author on the City of God. Orosius lived in Hispania until the invasions of circa 410 forced him to flee to Hippo, from where he traveled to Palestine to liaise on Augustine's behalf with Jerome. On his return to Hippo, be began this work, his magnum opus, completing it circa 417. The work sets out to prove that the world had improved greatly since the recent Roman conversion to Christianity and was designed to complement Augustine's City of God. The leaves here contain parts of book V, 20-22, VI, 2-6 and 15-22, and the opening of book VII which detail the Second and Third Punic Wars, as well as the campaign against the Celtic Iberian trive of the Lusitani, the destruction of Corinth, the battles of Thapsus adn of Munda in 46 and 45 BCE during Julius Caesar's war with Pompey and the Roman Republic. The last words of book VI her enote the emergence of Christ, before book VII opens with a discussion of Christianity and paganism. [From dealer description]

A collection of 5 silver ingots, or "grivna," dating from the pre-coinage period in Russia. They are from the Tartar period in old Russia, of the "Novgorod type" as well as of the "Lithuanian type" from northern regions of ancient Russia. [From dealer descriptions]

A manuscript fragment of a part of the Corpus juris civilis, Digesta.

A will drawn up prior to the testator’s departure on pilgrimage ‘ad sanctum sepulchrum domini’, i.e. to the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.

Fragment from a work of the lives of saints. Text describing the life of St. Barnabas including his journey to Cyprus: "Barnabas repeteret cyprum insulam qua exortus erat." The journey of St. Barnabas' journey to Cyprus with St. Paul is recorded in Acts chapter 13.

• I, Ḥadā'iq al-sālikīn (folio 1-7) in Persian and copied by author, 1163
• /1750. II, Rawḍat al-Ḥaramayn (folio 11-41, copied 1167/1753). III, Leters of intercession from Dar al-Sʻādah Ağası to Masʻūd (folio 41-43), Sharif of Mecca, witten by ʻUmar Nuzat. IV, Letters written by al-Ḥāj ʻAtıf Mustafa to Sultan Maḥmūd concerning adjustment of salaries needed because of variation of solar and lunar years in March. V, Letters and documents (folio 47-80) written by ʻUmar Nuzhat as secretary of various dignitaries (dating from the 1750s). IV, Folio 99, note death of Sultan Mustafa on 7th Zulkaedah 1187/1774 and accesion to the throne of Sultan ʻAbd al-Hamid I.

A work on Islam, and Islamic ethics.

This text (28:16-26) has the better part of the description of the garments of the priests contained in the verses of Exodus 28. It is written in a large textura hand, each sentence or lengthy phrase beginning with a red or blue capital. The Biblical text is presented in a single, narrow column just under 2" wide. To its left and right is the extensive commentary of Bede (ca. 672-735), the Anglo-Saxon Benedictine scholar and theologian. The commentary is written in a smaller textura hand. There is additional inter-linear commentary within the column of Bible text in an even smaller hand.

These two leaves form part of the New Testament portion of the HISTORIA.

A lectionary contains a collection of scripture readings appointed for worship on a particular day. This text includes a portion of Deuteronomy:1 and Ezekiel:18.

Containing feasts for Saint Sebastian (20 January), Saint Agnes (21 January) and SS Vincent and Anastasius (22 January).

St. Gall neumes written without staves.

St. Gall neumes written without staves, marginal musical cues.

A fragment of an unidentified devotional text treating the dangers of worldly temptations occasioned to the believer in the Christian life by the vices of the world.

Manuscript fragment on the subject of worms and intestinal ailments from an unidentified medical text.

Nearly complete leaf with the life of St. Bartholomew from a Vitae Sanctorum, or collection of saints' lives. Written in double columns of late Carolingian script, brown ink, 37 lines, ruled lightly with plummet; a trivial crease on one side from use in a binding, the top line of text trimmed, otherwise in excellent condition. The identifier "M623" is written in pencil in the bottom right corner of the recto.

From an early manuscript of the verse Bible traditionally known as the Aurora for the light it shed on obscure passages of scripture. The present text appears to be the second of the three original versions (see the note to Sotheby’s, 26 November, 1985, lot 48), and the parent manuscript is among the earliest known (see Stegmüller, Repertorium, IV, 1954, pp. 380 – 82, and P. E. Beichner, Aurora Petri Rigae Biblia Versificata, University of Notre Dame, 1965). [dealer description]

Parts of St. Jerome's prologue to Job.

St. Gall neumes written without staves.

Primarily land leases and conveyances. Includes a Royal Letters Patent of Henry VIII settling a land dispute.

Rectangular manuscript cutting, with remnants of 7 lines from a single column (suggesting this was once a double column manuscript, that here too slight to allow easy identification, but including the phrases “la place de la cite” and “je veul dist il q[ue] [com]mander”), the script on the front just visible in normal light, that on reverse visible only in UV light, that overlaid with red ink on front marking out shapes of imprinted letters in reverse, small strip cut from upper part (for red script to be printed through during secondary use as frisket), scuffs, cuts, overall fair condition, 35 by 95mm. [From dealer description]

The text comprises a long alphabetical list of Latinized Hebrew words, followed by their meanings, translations or explanations. Mostly they are names of characters in the Old Testament such as David ("manu fortis"), Jethro ("honorabilis"), Ruth, Obadiah, Naomi, etc. as well as places like Hebron and Jericho ("luna... ut odor eius") but also frequently used words, e.g. omen ("sum fiat"). The text exists in both long and short versions -- this is the long, much fuller, and much to be preferred. [Notes from dealer description]

The names included here run in two sequences, from O to V and from A to M. Familiar names present with their glosses include Benjamin, Ismael, Isaac, Judith, Jacob, Joseph, etc.

Unidentified Latin vocabulary, this portion part of the letter M, with a total of 35 lemmata (a word or phrase that is glossed; headword).

A single leaf from the Libri quatuor sententiarum

The text includes Biblical readings for Mass on Holy Saturday (ff. 1-21), ending on f. 12 with the readings for the Vigil of Pentecost, and concluding with a note that the readings are followed by a collect and the Litanies..

A collection of 85 manuscript documents related to the Selby Family of Biddlestone, Northumberland. Includes materials from the 13th to 17th centuries, some with wax seals intact. Collection represents legal documents, indentures, material related to real estate

This is a fragment (lines 78-105, with commentary) of the didactic poem De pulsibus by Gilles de Corbeil (Aegidius Corboliensis), a Parisian physician and master, written 1190-1200. The De pulsibus in its standard form has 380 verses in Latin hexameters, based on a Latin translation of the 7th-century prose treatise De pulsibus of Theophilus Protospatharius. Several thirteenth-century medical masters, including Gilles himself, wrote prose commentaries on Gilles' De pulsibus. It is not clear which one is found here. The De pulsibus, without commentary, is available in Aegidii Corboliensis Carmina Medica, ed. J. L. Choulant (Leipzig, 1826), pp. 19-43. One version of the De pulsibus, with commentary by Gilles and Gentile da Foligno, is available in print: Gentile da Foligno, Carmina de urinarum iudiciis et de pulsibus. Un trattato trecentesco di nefrologia e cardiologia, ed. Mario Timio; ed. and tr. Daniele di Lorenzi (Perugia: EFFE, 1998). [Information supplied by Winston Black]

A storehouse of mythology -- in most of the tales a human is changed into a non-human form. 15 books in hexameter.

St. Gall neumes written without staves.

Sammelband containing florilegia from the Church Fathers as well as medieval theological writings, particularly on the theology of love, the soul, and confession. From the 13th Century to the late 14th Century. Includes a table of contents indicating seven separate titles. And with two additional sections added at an early date. Among these titles are selections from the works of St. Augustine, St. Bernard, Hugh of St. Victor, and Honorius of Autun.

A 13th century bifolium with 2 columns, 31 (or 32) lines of writing per line. Ruled writing space is about 3 ¼" by 2 5/16." Unused rulings for 2 or 3 additional lines visible at the bottoms of columns; top line of writing is beneath top line of ruling. 12 2-line initials in gold, with painted decorative surrounds in blue, red, and white. The script is likely Derolez’s Southern Textualis, as practiced in Southern France, with straight d occasionally used; two-compartment a is frequent, with upper lobe closed by a hairline. Lower-case t with a prominent vertical hairline termination. Accompanied by a slip with descriptive text very like a Foliophiles label, describing the book as having been purchased in Lyon, and dating from the 13th century. Slips with similar wording are recorded in online listings from Foliophiles sources; the closest parallels appear to be associated with leaves at Denison and Ohio University, though neither of those leaves appears to be from the present manuscript. The presence of this descriptive label may mean this book was broken between the 1920s and the 1960s. [From dealer description]

The only document by Wolfger von Erla ever seen in the trade, in excellent state of preservation. Although most well known as the patron of the Minnesinger Walter von der Volgelweide, Wolfger von Erla played important roles in the Crusades and as an international diplomat during a very turbulent historical period in Europe and the Middle East. At the request of abbot Ulrich, Wolfger, writing as patriarch of Aquileia, confirms to St Paul's Abbey, Lavanttal, privileges of toll exemption granted by his predecessors Ulrich II and Gottfried to the abbot Pelegrine and his monks. The research of Reinhard Härtel (Graz) has traced a total of fifty documents and letters by Wolfger von Erla, who served first as bishop of Passau and then, from 1204 until his death, as patriarch of Aquileia. Not one of them appeared in the trade of the last 100 years. 22 of the documents were sealed, one of which was a duplicate: hence, we know of 23 sealed documents, of which - apart from the present one - only ten or eleven have survived as originals. In spite of its defects, the present well-preserved patriarchal seal therefore significantly expands the known sphragistic source material. In his travel account book, Wolfger famously noted a generous gift of 5 shillings, given on St Martin's Day 1203 to "Waltherus cantor de Vogelweide" for purposes of purchasing a fur coat - a journal entry which provides not only the only certain date in the life of the Minnesinger, but also the only document at all that refers to a German poet of the High Middle Ages citing his profession. Wolfger enjoyed a reputation as a skilful diplomat and negotiator. He participated in the highest levels of the politics of the Holy Roman Empire, travelling frequently between Germany and Italy, where he served as Imperial legate: among other missions, he was involved in negotiating the release of Richard the Lionheart in 1194. In 1197/98 he took part in the Crusade of Henry VI, in the course of which he played a role in founding the Teutonic Order. The present document was missing at least since St Paul's Abbey was dissolved by Emperor Joseph II in 1782/87; it was known only from later copies. The original, which has now resurfaced from a private collection, has been examined by Professor Dr Mark Mersiowsky of the University of Stuttgart, editor of the documents of King Henry (VII), the son of Frederick II, for the Diplomata series of the MGH, and we are indebted to him for the description. [From dealer description]

This leaf contains entries for "Anae" through "Armenii."

The letters of St. Paul, glossed, in Latin

This bifolium was once part of the Chudleigh Bible, an illuminated manuscript probably produced in northern France but related to Parisian work. Entries Mesraym - Odura are arranged in alphabetical order.

A single vellum leaf from an English gothic manuscript Bible, double columns of 60 lines.

Text of Solomon 2:15-8:14 and Book of Wisdom 1:1-3:2.

A single leaf with construe or preachers' marks in both Arabic and Roman numerals, and an unusual animal illustration, perhaps a monkey, squirrel or cat.

This leaf is from the ‘Principles of Grammar’ of the early sixth-century Roman grammarian Priscian of Caesarea. Book 3, from which the present fragment comes, deals with comparatives, superlatives and diminutives. (Institutiones grammaticae, in Latin, book 3, ch. 36–43, vol. 2 pp. 110–114; ed. M. Hertz in H. Keil, Grammatici Latini, Leipzig, 1859).

A binding with wrap-around flap formed from two overlapping bifolia from a large legal codex, double column of 68 lines in a small and rounded Italian bookhand, red paragraph marks, small red initials, these leaves laid down on pasteboards with small sections folded over at head and foot of later binding. [From dealer description]

French Old Testament Bible. 41 lines of double-column manuscript Latin text on each side, including illuminated initials and decoration in red and blue. Page headings and chapter numbers in red and blue. Slight closed tear to side margin.

Fragment including parts of books 11 and 12 of an elaborate treatise in praise of the Virgin Mary, once attributed to Albertus Magnus.

This is one of the earliest known records of the deserted village of Cowlam, north east of York, and contains the name of the earliest known priest of the community. The estates there were granted as the dowry of Isabella, to her husband-to-be, Henry, the serf of Gerard. Henry was then to pay an annual rent of one penny a year for religious services in the church of St. Andrew's at Cowlam. It is witnessed by John the priest of Cowlam, Stephen his chaplain and a number of local men. The village of Cowlam dwindled in the post-medieval period and was deserted by the eighteenth century. [From dealer description]

Contains the text of Postilla in librum Job which constitutes an important part of Hugo de Sancto Caro's monumental corpus of Biblical exegesis. The bifolium includes the text from the end of Chap. XV to beginning of Chap. XVII, with the entire text of Chap. XVI (Commentary on Job 16) present.

This collection of English deeds consists of 12 manuscripts, all vellum, along with 14 seals, dating from the mid 13th century to the 1570s. Manuscript deeds include a Shropshire deed with an armorial seal with a well-preserved and clear impression, circa 1252-1263; five deeds from Shropshire, Staffordshire, and Yorkshire: Burton, 1352; Hawkesworth, 1341, 1344, and 1469, Lichfield, 1369; three deeds from Hertfordshire and Nottinghamshire: Burton, 1352, 1398; two deeds, each with the Great Seal of Elizabeth I, 1572 and 1577. The armorial seal appears to be the earliest record of the arms of the lords of Leighton, Shropshire; a deed concerning lands in Criddon, Shropshire, granted by a chaplain to his brother forbids transfer of the property to religious or Jews ("exceptis viris religiosis et ludeis") pre-dating the Expulsion of the Jews from England in 1290; three Straffordshire grants by husbands and wives, 1369-1425, have two grantor's seals each; one of the two Elizabethan grants refers to former monastic lands in Essex. [Descriptive information provided by dealer]

A work on an anthology of Arabic poetry.

Papal bull (mandate with hemp cord but "bulla" missing) ordering the Franciscan order of The March of Treviso to pay a special tax in support of a crusade to The Holy Land. The bull authorizes The Franciscans to collect money for this purpose throughout The March of Treviso.

Composed of 3 distinct parts, the Statuta Antiqua, the Capitula Pacis (the peace treaties between Charles d'Anjou and the City of Marseilles), and the Statuta Facta Post Pacem, the statutes embrace every aspect of life in the Middle Ages. A partial list of topics include city government, courts and their operation, duties of city officials, regulation of commerce, treatment of foreigners, the public morality, import lists, and taxes.

A late 13th-century French or Flemish psalter, possibly Gwara Handlist 166. The visible page (the verso) shows a large initial A, opening Psalm 122 (Ad te leuaui oculos meos), although the bottom corner of this initial letter has been replaced by a patch taken from a similar leaf. The lower corner of the leaf exhibits numerous stitching holes (and a lingering bit of thread) suggesting something was once attached: neither the pattern nor any accompanying indentations clearly suggest an attached pilgrim badge, but something of the sort may once have been sewn here. There may also have been some sketching in the lower margin as part of a plan of illumination? In every way, this would seem to be a leaf with a complex and fascinating history. Written and apparently illuminated in the late 13th century, there is evidence in the extra ruling lines and possible sketching that it may have originally been prepared for a different illumination plan. At one corner something (perhaps a pilgrim badge?) was once sewn on, its removal perhaps prompting the repair or patch. The leaf was apparently marketed by Ege (on the basis of the mat), while other leaves possibly from the same manuscript may have been cut down to a smaller size; the patch may have been supplied at the time of marketing or earlier. Smudges and psalm numbers or folio numbers in a crude early modern hand also attest to a period of use for the book. And it’s a potentially useful leaf for the history of one of Ege’s more obscure manuscripts—especially if it provides the proper leaf dimensions. If it is not Gwara Handlist 166, it may derive from a previously unidentified Ege book. [From dealer description]

Byland Abbey was founded in the Ryedale district of North Yorkshire as a Savignac house in 1135, but absorbed by the Cistercian order in 1147. By the fourteenth century, it had grown to be one of the leading abbeys of the north on the wealth of the wool trade, and had one of the finest early Gothic churches of Europe. The influential Neville family were among their staunchest patrons, and other parts of the same gift as recorded here, from Hugh de Neville (d. before 1275) to the abbey, are also recorded in two other charters (one with the same seal as this charter) in Yorkshire Deeds, VI, nos. 189-90. [From dealer description]