BOETHIUS, De consolatione philosophiae; [Anonymous], Expositio quinque librorum de consolatione philosophiae (Commentary on the five books of the Consolation of Philosophy)

BOOK DESCRIPTION: A true medieval bestseller AND the most widely copied work of secular literature of the Middle Ages. In Latin, illuminated manuscript on parchment, Northern France (Anchin Abbey?), dated 1422. Dimensions: 218 x 150 mm., 145 folios on paper, three watermarks, complete, written in brown ink in gothic cursive script, four large initials in red and brown inks and blue paint decorated with dragons, soldiers and flowers. BINDING: contemporary binding of limp vellum reusing an act of the Antipope John XXIII dated 1415 in Constance, overall in good condition. TEXT: copied and almost certainly decorated (in an exuberant fashion) by a young scribe who inserted his name in multiple colophons, Pierre Toullet. The text was an essential schoolbook throughout the Middle Ages and this copy was certainly used for study. It includes an anonymous commentary and interlinear glosses, making its monastic provenance particularly interesting. PROVENANCE: The entire manuscript was copied by Pierre Toullet in 1422; belonged to the famous Parisian bookseller and bibliophile, Lucien Gougy (1863-1931), no. 613 in the catalogue of the sale of his personal library in Paris in November 7-9, 1934; private European Collection. CONDITION: some minor water stains, first quire detached, and several loose, otherwise overall very good condition. (TM 1279)