Western script is at the heart of Ernst Boehlen’s collection. He was diligent in his pursuit of examples of early and rare writing. The oldest item in the collection dates from the early 8th century, and is one of no more than three examples of Luxeuil script in private hands. The bifolium of the Sacramentary of St Boniface is a scarce specimen of Northumbrian script from much the same period, further enhanced by large decorated initials – these constitute the only recorded Anglo-Saxon leaves with any significant decoration in private hands.

Early Script

The invention of printing with movable type changed script forever, and effectively ushered in an age of mass communication. Unsurprisingly, early types were based on the monastic hands which had preceded them. The Boehlen collection contains rare specimens from two important early-printed works: the Gutenberg Bible (the first printed book), and the so-called 36-line, or Bamberg, Bible, the second printed edition of the Bible. Early printed works such as this were frequently embellished or decorated by hand by artists such as the Master of the Playing cards whose designs illuminate a copy of the Gutenberg Bible at Princeton.

Early Printing

The decorated initial is perhaps one of the most recognisable aspects of medieval manuscript art, used to differentiate sections of text, and also to demonstrate the skill of the artist. The Boehlen collection is rich in initials, from the 8th-century Northumbrian (see lot 2), to later, incredibly elaborate illuminations, such as lot 13 (a fine Romanesque initial from 12th-century Rhineland) and lot 60, a 15th-century Italian historiated initial showing the Annunciation.

The Art of the Initial

The names of the scribes and artists who created and embellished these manuscripts are generally lost to us. Over the centuries, however, scholars have been able to group together works and ascribe them to particular hands, there after identified as a Master. The Boehlen collection contains an array of such identified hands ranging from the Sarum Master, one of the most important English illuminators of the 13th century (see lot 22), to the Dunois Master, the leading illuminator in 1440s Paris (see lots 64 and 65), to the rather prosaically-named Master of the Prayer Books of Around 1500 (lot 54).

Medieval Masters

The essential nature of the majority of medieval manuscripts is devotional; scriptoria were by and large engaged in the activity of spreading the word through Bibles, books of hours, missals and so on to a comparatively small constituency of well-heeled patrons. But not all productions were religious in nature, and the Boehlen collection reflects this.

Secular Matters

London

Head of Department, Europe, Books & Manuscripts

Dr. David Goldthorpe

Deputy Director, Specialist, Books & Manuscripts

Charlotte Miller 

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The collection of Ernst Boehlen is remarkable in its survey of western script, spanning a crucial period of the dissemination of the written word from the early 8th century (fragmentary leaves of Luxeuil minuscule script) to the dawn of printing in the mid-15th century (represented by a bifolium from the Gutenberg Bible), and beyond. To these extraordinarily early specimens of handwriting, the collection also contains beautiful examples of medieval decoration and illumination, ranging from the elegant ornament of the 8th-century Sacramentary of St Boniface, to the exuberant borders and initials of an early 16th-century Prague choirbook, perhaps made for King Vladislaus II of Hungary. Please also note that fine works of art from the Boehlen collection are being offered as part of 
 
 <a class="Link" href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/auction-catalogue/2024/master-sculpture-from-four-millennia-L24264/the-collection-of-the-late-ernst-boehlen" target="_blank">Master Sculpture from Four Millennia</a>
 
 in London on 3 July.

Important Medieval Manuscripts From the Collection of the Late Ernst Boehlen