Two illuminated miniatures by the Spanish Forger on vellum, and St. Peter, large historiated initial on a cutting from a manuscript choirbook on vellum

Estimate

3,000 - 5,000 GBP

bidding is closed

Description

3 large miniatures, comprising (a) scene by the 'Spanish Forger', approximately 222mm. by 152mm., depicting a man with a lute standing on a grassy mound playing to a woman in a tower, as another woman emerges from a door in tower below, castle in background, with burnished gold sky, pink and blue frame with white tracery, burnished gold outer frame, (b) another scene by same artist, approximately 213mm. by 182mm., an interior, containing a woman in bed holding a rose, another woman sitting beside her, both listening to a man playing a harp, burnished gold background, blue frame with white tracery, burnished gold outer frame with small medallions surrounded by gold in corners and middle of outer frame, in both of these items the gold is crackled and either rubbed or partially peeled away (damage perhaps intentional), overall in good condition, (c) a cutting, approximately 320mm. by 290mm., large historiated initial 'S' in an elaborate foliage design of blue and orange, on a burnished gold ground, enclosing St. Peter standing with his feet in the lower compartment (containing grass and trees) and his upper body in the upper compartment (containing sky), with wide border present on two sides decorated with acanthus leaves terminating in flower buds and bezants, some water damage and loss of paint and gold on right-hand side, overall in fair condition, all three items framed separately

Catalogue Note

For a description of the Spanish Forger see the preceding lot. Neither item a or b appear in W. Voelkle's catalogue The Spanish Forger, 1978, but they share many aspects of their composition with nos. 220 and 225 there (both then Hartman Galleries, Beverley Hills, and originally from a single private collection in Nice).