Two leaves from thirteenth-century bibles, in Latin, illuminated manuscripts on vellum

two leaves, (a) the opening leaf of St. Jerome's Prologue to the Gospels, 212mm. by 150mm., written space 142mm. by 98mm., 49 lines dark brown ink in a small accomplished gothic hand, capitals touched in red, rubrics in red, one 7- and one 9-line initial in pale pink or blue on contrasting grounds (one with a gold fig leaf, the other with a small animal-headed lattice-work creature), northern France (probably Paris), second half of the thirteenth century; (b) a leaf from the opening of the Book of Jeremiah, with a 10-line historiated initial 'U' enclosing the figure of Jeremiah seated holding a book, as God appears in the upper right hand corner, all on tessellated background, overall 230mm. by 150mm., written space 169mm. by 109mm., 51 lines in dark brown gothic script, two 3-line initials as above but with organic infill (one with ascender stretching two thirds of page down margin), northern France (probably Paris), c. 1275; both in excellent condition, with slight staining around edges from mounting, in card mounts (one with Folio Fine Art label on reverse)

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing where appropriate.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Item (a) is an important leaf from the Bible which was once in the library of the Carthusian abbey of Villeneuve-lès-Avignon, and as noted by Ker (Medieval Manuscripts, I, p. xii, n.2: see also Manion, Vines & de Hamel, Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts in New Zealand Collections, 1989, no. 68, for fuller discussion) it shows the unusual punctus flexus punctuation (recto, line 5 here & passim), typical of Carthusian and Cistercian books. The manuscript was apparently dispersed by the Folio Society in 1961 and, while a large number are recorded by Manion, Vines & de Hamel (p. 90), the present leaf is not listed there. Item (b) is a fine leaf from a fragmentary manuscript once in the collection of Chester Beatty (his MS. 116; exhibited in Dublin in 1955), and sold in our rooms 3 December 1968, lot 14, again acquired by the Folio Society and subsequently dispersed.