Richly illuminated English Psalter published in the standard survey of English illumination and strongly influenced by Herman Scheerre, thus surviving as an important witness to the spread of continental styles into English illumination.

115 × 77 mm, i (paper) + 302 + i (paper), foliated in modern hand 1–302 in upper right margin, cancelled at end, else complete, [collation: gatherings in quires of 8 with exceptions for ii6 and xxiv10], catchwords in decorative scrollwork cartouches throughout, ruled in single column for fifteen lines (justification: 64 × 41 mm), written in dark brown ink in a small and regular gothic semi-rotunda liturgical hand, rubrics in red, versal initials throughout in dark blue or bright red, with penwork in red or brown, OVER TWO HUNDRED ILLUMINATED INITIALS, 2-line in burnished gold on red and blue grounds with white tracery and penwork extensions with gold bezants and green or brown wash, TEN HISTORIATED INITIALS, with full borders, mainly 5-lines, in full color on burnished gold grounds with leafy knotwork bar borders with decorative extensions, worn extremities of illumination cropped, most outer margins defective and repaired with modern vellum (especially toward the beginning), other stains and signs of use. Early Seventeenth-century binding by Vincent Williamson of Eton with his gilt-blocked stamp of an olive tree and a tablet hanging from its branches inscribed “NOLI ALTUM SAPERE,” binding worn, covers and spine repaired, modern chain clasps.

Provenance
(1)The arms of the first owner (still unidentified) are placed on a shield below the illumination on f. 15r but are erased and appear to have been of 3 chevrons sable impaling barry of 6 argent (or or) and gules; the catchword on f. 78v shows the 3 chevrons and a crescent for difference, confirming the book was actually written for a specific client.

(2) Early seventeenth century binding executed in the workshop of Vincent Williamson, one of the few recorded bearing the famous device of Eton with the motto “Noli altum sapere” (Ep. Rom., 11: 20). For a similar binding see Bearman-Krivatsy-Mowery, Fine and Historic Bindings from the Folger Shakespeare Library, 1992.

(3) Augusta T. Jenkins by gift of Mary F. Jenkins with date 1876.

(4) Sotheby’s, London, December 6, 1983, lot 62.

(5) Collection of Scott Schwartz, his book plate and catalog number “MS 16” on front pastedown.

Text
ff. 1r–8v, Hymns (Cur mundus militat sub vana gloria); ff. 9r–15v, Calendar; ff. 16r–262v, Psalms; ff. 262v–264v, Canticles (ff. 264v–266v, Te Deum; ff. 266v–268v, Canticle of Three Youths; ff. 268v–272v, Canticle of Zechariah, ff. 268–272, Athanasian Creed; ff. 272v–282v, Litanies for each day of the week; ff. 288r–301r, Office of the Dead; 301v–302r, Commendation of Souls (breaking off).

Illumination
This Psalter was previously attributed to East Anglia and Bury St. Edmunds on stylistic grounds, although the internal evidence offers little support for a Suffolk origin. The calendar and litanies follow the general Use of Sarum, and notably overlook the region’s principal saints—Felix, St. Audrey (Etheldreda), St. Botolph, and St. Edmund—who are neither elevated in the calendar nor included in the litanies. Stylistically, the illumination aligns more closely with the London schools, showing notable influence from the work of Herman Scheerre.

The marginal decoration, with its dense acanthus foliage terminating in thick, explosive clusters of blooms interspersed with slender tendrils tipped in gold, is characteristic of manuscripts produced in London during the first quarter of the fifteenth century. The figures within the historiated initials strongly reflect Scheerre's influence: faces are modeled with white pigment and minimal flesh tone apart from dark brushwork; eyes are painted as intense, staring black dots; and the facial features are rendered slender and pointed. The backgrounds are set against vibrant red fields ornamented with fine gold filigree.

Herman Scheerre, active in London circa 1405–1425, was among the leading illuminators of his generation. Though his precise origins remain debated, he is generally thought to have been of German or Low Countries descent, with possible ties to Cologne. Known variously as Herman Lymnour, Herman Skereueyn, and Herman of Cologne, Scheerre was firmly established in London by 1407, likely operating a workshop on Paternoster Row. His workshop produced illuminated manuscripts for prominent English patrons, including members of the nobility. Among his most celebrated works are the Bedford Psalter and Hours (British Library, Add. MS 42131), the Chichele Breviary (Lambeth Palace Library, MS 69), and the Neville Hours (Berkeley Castle, Gloucestershire).

The subjects of the miniatures are as follows: f. 15r, King David seated holding his harp (Beatus vir; for Psalm 1); f. 52r, David, depicted in contemporary dress with a large hat, praying to God (Dominus illuminatio mea; for Psalm 26); f. 76v, David, again in contemporary attire, pointing to his mouth (Dixi custodiam; for Psalm 38); f. 99r, the Death of King Herod—a subject common in earlier manuscripts like the Ramsey Psalter but rare by the fifteenth century, when depictions of David and the Fool became more typical (Dixit insipiens; for Psalm 52); f. 119r, King David in water calling to God for help (Salvum me fac; for Psalm 68); f. 145v, David playing a set of bells (f. 145v, Exultate Deo; for Psalm 80); f. 193r, God and Christ enthroned together (Dixit Dominus Domino meo; for Psalm 109); f. 288v, three figures standing around a coffin ( for the Office of the Dead); f. 301v, three souls being carried up to God (for the Commendation of Souls)

LITERATURE
Published: Kathleen L. Scott, A Survey of Manuscripts Illuminated in the British Isles: Later Gothic Manuscripts, 2 vols, London, 1996, vol. 1, p. 378. Related literature: Margart Rickert, “Herman the Illuminator,” The Burlington Magazine, 66 (1935), pp. 38–40; Charles Kuhn, “Herman Scheerre and English Illumination of the Early Fifteenth Century,” Art Bulletin 22 (1940), pp. 138–56; Erwin Panofsky, Early Netherlandish Painting, Cambridge (MA), 1953, pp. 116–17; Gereth Spriggs, “The Nevill Hours and the School of Herman Scheerre,” Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes, vol. 37 (1974), pp 104–30. 193 n.1, p. 200; Susie Vertongen, Herman Scheerre, the Beaufort Master, and Flemish Miniature Painting: A Reopened Debate, PhD diss., University of Leuven, 1995; C. Christianson, London’s Late Medieval Manuscript-Book Trade: Patronage, Production and Profit, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1990, p. 96; Kathleen Kennedy, The Courtly and Commercial Art of the Wycliffite Bible, Turnhout, 2014, 93–125.

We thank Senior Consultant Sandra Hindman and Peter Bovenmyer for their assistance in preparing this sale and Peter Kidd for consultation on this entry.

Collection of Dr. Scott Schwartz