Rochefoucauld Grail
Encyclopedia
The Rochefoucauld Grail, also known as Amsterdam, Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica, MS 1, is a three volume illuminated manuscript
from the 14th century which was auctioned by Sotheby's
in London on 7 December 2010. It realised a hammer price of £2,100,000 (£2,393,250 including the buyer's premium.) A fourth volume is divided between the Bodleian Library
in Oxford (Douce Ms. 215) and the John Rylands Library
in Manchester
(Ms Fr 1). It contains the Lancelot-Grail
cycle in French prose, the oldest and most comprehensive version of the legend of King Arthur
and the Holy Grail
. The page size is about 405 mm by 295 mm, and the three volumes have respectively 118, 233 and 104 leaves, all appearing complete. The text is in two columns, by a number of scribes.
It is claimed that the Rochefoucauld Grail is one of the finest medieval manuscript
s to still be privately owned. Two other complete versions of the text are held by the British Library
, MS Additional 10292-4 of c. 1315 and MS Royal 14.E.iii, both produced by the same team of artists and scribes. The Rochefoucauld Grail contains 107 beautifully painted illustrations, with backgrounds of gold leaf
, showing the tale of King Arthur
, the Knights of the Round Table, Guinevere
, Lancelot
and Merlin
and their quest for the Holy Grail
. The hides of about two hundred cows would have been used in the manuscript's production.
The four volumes were created in Flanders
or Artois
for the French
nobleman Guy VII, Baron de Rochefoucauld, between 1315 and 1323. The four volumes are presumed to have belonged to the Rochefoucauld family until the 18th century, but were dispersed by the 1720s. The three volumes previously in Amsterdam were acquired in two separate purchases by the 19th century English antiquary and book collector
Sir Thomas Phillipps
and have subsequently been sold twice. The manuscript was sold by Sotheby's of London on 7 December 2010. Dr. Timothy Bolton of Sotheby's said of the Rochefoucauld Grail, "It is a monumental format, with 107 miniatures, each a dazzling jewel of early Gothic
illumination. The scenes often have a riotous energy... lofty towers poking through the borders... and figures tumbling out on to the blank page as they fall or scramble to escape their enemies."
The three-volume manuscript was sold by its previous owner, Mr Joost Ritman
, for the benefit of the Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica
in Amsterdam
. It had been on deposit at that library and is also known as Amsterdam, Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica, MS 1.
Illuminated manuscript
An illuminated manuscript is a manuscript in which the text is supplemented by the addition of decoration, such as decorated initials, borders and miniature illustrations...
from the 14th century which was auctioned by Sotheby's
Sotheby's
Sotheby's is the world's fourth oldest auction house in continuous operation.-History:The oldest auction house in operation is the Stockholms Auktionsverk founded in 1674, the second oldest is Göteborgs Auktionsverk founded in 1681 and third oldest being founded in 1731, all Swedish...
in London on 7 December 2010. It realised a hammer price of £2,100,000 (£2,393,250 including the buyer's premium.) A fourth volume is divided between the Bodleian Library
Bodleian Library
The Bodleian Library , the main research library of the University of Oxford, is one of the oldest libraries in Europe, and in Britain is second in size only to the British Library...
in Oxford (Douce Ms. 215) and the John Rylands Library
John Rylands Library
The John Rylands Library is a Victorian Gothic building on Deansgate in Manchester, England. The library, which opened to the public in 1900, was founded by Mrs Enriqueta Augustina Rylands in memory of her late husband, John Rylands...
in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
(Ms Fr 1). It contains the Lancelot-Grail
Lancelot-Grail
The Lancelot–Grail, also known as the Prose Lancelot, the Vulgate Cycle, or the Pseudo-Map Cycle, is a major source of Arthurian legend written in French. It is a series of five prose volumes that tell the story of the quest for the Holy Grail and the romance of Lancelot and Guinevere...
cycle in French prose, the oldest and most comprehensive version of the legend of King Arthur
King Arthur
King Arthur is a legendary British leader of the late 5th and early 6th centuries, who, according to Medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against Saxon invaders in the early 6th century. The details of Arthur's story are mainly composed of folklore and literary invention, and...
and the Holy Grail
Holy Grail
The Holy Grail is a sacred object figuring in literature and certain Christian traditions, most often identified with the dish, plate, or cup used by Jesus at the Last Supper and said to possess miraculous powers...
. The page size is about 405 mm by 295 mm, and the three volumes have respectively 118, 233 and 104 leaves, all appearing complete. The text is in two columns, by a number of scribes.
It is claimed that the Rochefoucauld Grail is one of the finest medieval manuscript
Manuscript
A manuscript or handwrite is written information that has been manually created by someone or some people, such as a hand-written letter, as opposed to being printed or reproduced some other way...
s to still be privately owned. Two other complete versions of the text are held by the British Library
British Library
The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom, and is the world's largest library in terms of total number of items. The library is a major research library, holding over 150 million items from every country in the world, in virtually all known languages and in many formats,...
, MS Additional 10292-4 of c. 1315 and MS Royal 14.E.iii, both produced by the same team of artists and scribes. The Rochefoucauld Grail contains 107 beautifully painted illustrations, with backgrounds of gold leaf
Gold leaf
right|thumb|250px|[[Burnishing]] gold leaf with an [[agate]] stone tool, during the water gilding processGold leaf is gold that has been hammered into extremely thin sheets and is often used for gilding. Gold leaf is available in a wide variety of karats and shades...
, showing the tale of King Arthur
King Arthur
King Arthur is a legendary British leader of the late 5th and early 6th centuries, who, according to Medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against Saxon invaders in the early 6th century. The details of Arthur's story are mainly composed of folklore and literary invention, and...
, the Knights of the Round Table, Guinevere
Guinevere
Guinevere was the legendary queen consort of King Arthur. In tales and folklore, she was said to have had a love affair with Arthur's chief knight Sir Lancelot...
, Lancelot
Lancelot
Sir Lancelot du Lac is one of the Knights of the Round Table in the Arthurian legend. He is the most trusted of King Arthur's knights and plays a part in many of Arthur's victories...
and Merlin
Merlin
Merlin is a legendary figure best known as the wizard featured in the Arthurian legend. The standard depiction of the character first appears in Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae, written c. 1136, and is based on an amalgamation of previous historical and legendary figures...
and their quest for the Holy Grail
Holy Grail
The Holy Grail is a sacred object figuring in literature and certain Christian traditions, most often identified with the dish, plate, or cup used by Jesus at the Last Supper and said to possess miraculous powers...
. The hides of about two hundred cows would have been used in the manuscript's production.
The four volumes were created in Flanders
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
or Artois
Artois
Artois is a former province of northern France. Its territory has an area of around 4000 km² and a population of about one million. Its principal cities are Arras , Saint-Omer, Lens and Béthune.-Location:...
for the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
nobleman Guy VII, Baron de Rochefoucauld, between 1315 and 1323. The four volumes are presumed to have belonged to the Rochefoucauld family until the 18th century, but were dispersed by the 1720s. The three volumes previously in Amsterdam were acquired in two separate purchases by the 19th century English antiquary and book collector
Book collecting
Book collecting is the collecting of books, including seeking, locating, acquiring, organizing, cataloging, displaying, storing, and maintaining whatever books are of interest to a given individual collector. The love of books is bibliophilia, and someone who loves to read, admire, and collect...
Sir Thomas Phillipps
Thomas Phillipps
Sir Thomas Phillipps, 1st Baronet was an English antiquary and book collector who amassed the largest collection of manuscript material in the 19th century, due to his severe condition of bibliomania...
and have subsequently been sold twice. The manuscript was sold by Sotheby's of London on 7 December 2010. Dr. Timothy Bolton of Sotheby's said of the Rochefoucauld Grail, "It is a monumental format, with 107 miniatures, each a dazzling jewel of early Gothic
Gothic art
Gothic art was a Medieval art movement that developed in France out of Romanesque art in the mid-12th century, led by the concurrent development of Gothic architecture. It spread to all of Western Europe, but took over art more completely north of the Alps, never quite effacing more classical...
illumination. The scenes often have a riotous energy... lofty towers poking through the borders... and figures tumbling out on to the blank page as they fall or scramble to escape their enemies."
The three-volume manuscript was sold by its previous owner, Mr Joost Ritman
Joost Ritman
Joost R. Ritman is a businessman from Netherlands. He is the founder of Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica. He was knighted in the Order of the Dutch Lion in 2002.-External links:**...
, for the benefit of the Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica
Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica
The Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica or J. R. Ritman Library is a private Dutch library founded by Joost Ritman. The Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica brings together manuscripts and printed works in the field of Hermeticism, more specifically the 'Christian-Hermetic' tradition...
in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
. It had been on deposit at that library and is also known as Amsterdam, Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica, MS 1.
External links
- The Rochefoucauld Grail in artdaily.org
- The Rochefoucauld Grail in The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
11 November 2010