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Literature and Music
Lot 156

KOBERGER BIBLE.
BIBLE, in Latin. With additions by Menardus Monachus. Nuremberg: Anton Koberger, August 6th, 1479.

21 November 2023, 10:00 EST
New York

Sold for US$15,360 inc. premium

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KOBERGER BIBLE.

BIBLE, in Latin. With additions by Menardus Monachus. Nuremberg: Anton Koberger, August 6th, 1479. Folio (395 x 280 mm). 468 leaves, 49-53 lines and headlines, double columns, Gothic types: 4:160G (headlines and headings), 3:110.G (text). Opening 14-line initial illuminated by a contemporary south-German artist, in blue with white modelling on a burnished gold ground with punch-dotted decoration, within frame in alternating green, red and mauve colors, central gold baguette with trefoil above and spiky acanthus extensions below, most 5-line initials in red and blue with green and mauve penwork infill and flourishes, 3 and 4-line initials alternating in red and blue, red capital strokes. 19th-century stained pigskin over paste-boards, blind tooled with double fillets and dentil board, brass clasps. Rebacked, old gilt lettered spine laid down. Table of contents laid down and bound facing incipit, contemporary annotations, minor toning, leaf 139 supplied: upper portion (27 lines) from the 1478 4th edition (GW 4232) lower portion from leaf 2 of the 1478 edition.
Provenance: Glogau, Silesia (Poland), cathedral library (inscription on first page of text, dated 1679); J. Bradford Pengelly (ownership inscription on flyleaf, dated January 1964); Nakles Collection of Incunabula (his sale Christie's New York 17 April 2000, lot 54); unnamed consignor (Christie's London, 11 July 2002, lot 58).

Fifth edition of Koberger's bible, using St. Jerome's Latin Vulgate text, and the fourth edition to contain the summary of the gospels by Menardus Monachus. It was first printed around 1474, largely based on the Fust and Schoeffer edition of 1462. BMC II, 417; Goff B-564; GW 4239 (and 4232); Hain 3072; Winship 3065.

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