Sales catalogue: Quaritch

Date:
3rd June 1873
Reference:
WA/HMM/CM/Sal/17/10
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Sales catalogue: Quaritch. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    50/126 page 44
    Lor 370 Chandler and BooTH. Illustrations of the Natural Order of Camelliz, LARGE PAPER, BEAUTIFULLY COLOURED PLATES, calf ex. gilt leaves 1831 371 Chaucer (G.) Workes, with Life and Glossary by Speght, black letter, calf 1602 372 Chaucer (G.) Workes, edited by Urry, portraits and plates, calf 1721 373 Chinese Drawings of Ships, six in number, oN RICE PAPER, half morocco 374 CHRISTINE de PISAN. Les Centr Hisrorres DE TROYE, roy. folio, Jdound in velvet, with silver gilt clasps, 57 leaves ; size, 163 by 12. MAGNIFICENT MANUSCRIPT ON VELLUM, WITH ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTEEN MINIATURES; EXECUTED FOR PHILIP THE BOLD, DUKE OF BURGUNDY AND EARL OF FLANDERS, SON OF JOHN, KING OF FRANCE, * * The work is a mixed composition in prose and verse, the scope of which is to afford a young prince such instruction for the conduct of life as may render him the honour of knighthood. The Text is written in verses of four feet, and contains a brief moral deduction from each of the one hundred events, or traits of fabulous and heroic history; and this Text is accompanied by a Gloss, or Commentary, which explains and moralizes the stories. It is remarkable that, in all other known copies, Christine of Pisa has dedicated this work to the Duke of Burgundy’s nephew, Louis, Duke of Orleans, second son of Charles V. King of France, a great patron of letters, to whom she had also addressed one or two other works. This is the more singular, as there was so much rivalry between the Dukes of Burgundy and Orleans: and the present richly -ornamented volume acquires additional interest from that circumstance, as we may hence conclude that it is the earliest copy. It is said that Christine did not begin to write until after the death of her husband in 1389, and Philip the Bold died in 1404, so that this manu- script ‘must have been executed at the close of the Four- teenth Century. Her son accompanied the Earl of Salis- bury to England ; but when that nobleman was beheaded, our Henry the Fourth took him into his service, and, having seen some of theworks of Christine, was most anxious to have her in his Court. The invitation he sent her, first by his heralds, and then by her own son, was, however, refused. She is universally allowed to have been the most learned
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