Four Sacramentary Leaves for the Use of Reims Cathedral

4 leaves, in Latin, illuminated manuscript on vellum [France, presumably Reims, third quarter of the 12th century], c.235×145mm, ruled very lightly in plummet for one column of 27 lines written in brown ink in a somewhat angular late Romanesque script, ruled space c.175×80mm, with one rubric and a few incipits in square capitals, illuminated with two large initial ‘D’s in gold, with red, green, and blue penwork ornament, a few three-line and smaller initials in varying combinations of colors, two initials including animal heads (with considerable damage to one or both of the upper corners of each leaf, affecting text and minor decoration to greater or lesser extents, but the major decoration barely affected). Bound in grey buckram by Bøthuns Bokverksted, Tønsberg, Norway, 2018.

These leaves come from a unique sacramentary with significant royal lineage, the majority of which is preserved today at the Walters as W.28. It was created ca. 1170 for use in Reims Cathedral, and was therefore almost certainly made for Henry of France (son of King Louis VI), who was the archbishop of Reims at that time. Reims was the site of coronations for Capetian kings in that era, and a special text in the bound group of leaves in the Walters collection contains an incantation for the crowning of kings. Therefore this manuscript served an important role for the cathedral, and for all of 12th century France. What makes the book even more exceptional and significant is that the entire text is rare – its readings for the liturgy are not the standard ones that came to be used, but are an indigenous variant that capture the customs and traditions of that moment and place. As it was soon replaced by a more universal and standardized version of the mass, this manuscript is a rare witness to an early moment of religious practice, and offers an important window into lost traditions. These leaves help fill in gaps in our knowledge of those unique practices, as in addition to the prayers to be read during mass, they also contain extensive rubrics that explain how that part of the ceremony would have been performed. These unique texts contain instructions to the archbishop involving, for instance, the use of holy oil and other ephemeral aspects of his ritual that are otherwise lost to time. One of these texts includes mention of an archbishop and of a pallium (worn only by archbishops and popes), which would relate directly to Henry of France in his role at the cathedral.

Provenance

Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object.

Produced for use at Reims Cathedral, France, 3rd quater 12th century. Beauvais Cathedral Library, France, by 1464. Louis Le Caron de Troussures Sale, Paris, 9 July 1909, lot 14; purchased by Léon Gruel, Paris, 1909. Sam Fogg, London, ca. 1994; purchased by Schøyen Collection, Norway, 1994; purchased by Walters Art Museum, 2019.