Monday, October 25, 2010

Huon Mallelieu Selects

Huon Mallelieu: Behind that warm smile is a rapier sharp eye
You never know whom you'll meet at the Show.  I happened upon connoisseur par excellence, Huon Mallelieu, one of my personal heroes. While he couldn't divulge all of his choice picks of the show, he did share one with me. (You'll have to read the next issue of Country Life for the others.)

Mallelieu's discerning eye singled out the two volume Biblia Latina, an illuminated manuscript on vellum, dating to 1435-45, at Dr. Jorn Guenther Rare Books.  This glimpse into the world of rare manuscripts and books left me feeling as if I had stepped into the da Vinci Code.


EEE: Why is this manuscript such a standout?

HM:  Because of the exact quality of the illuminations, the initials.  There’s something wonderfully modern in the coloring. And the colors themselves are really quite unusual.  It’s in wonderful condition.  Look at that gold just sparkling off it – it’s absolutely glorious.
 
How did it come to be so well-preserved?

Dr. Jorn Guenther: You have to remember that these kinds of books were hand-written before the invention of printing.  They were the most expensive treasures of a monastery and so they were always very expensive to produce.  It’s the equivalent of 30 sheep with which you could buy a small house.

 

It was taken care of because it was so valuable.

Yes, if it was destroyed by fire or something like this, they would have lost their intellectual treasure.  You can replace an altarpiece in an amount of time, but to replace this manuscript would take about two years.  You could only copy one from the other.  And of course book lovers love books!

Which monastery does it come out of?

We don’t know exactly, but it was done in Utrecht.  We know the person who commissioned it.  It is signed and dated which is unusual. 

Oh – why is that unusual?

They did it [the transcribing] for the faith of God, not to sign their name.


Ah – it’s a sign of vanity…

That’s twentieth century.

HM: Ego…

How long have you had these?

I would say something like a year.

Do a lot of people collect religious manuscripts?

HM: It’s a rather small but very sophisticated market.

We have connoisseurs and collectors, not decorators.  If someone starts a collection, they’ll keep it going 20 or 30 years.

It’s not just institutions then?

I would say it’s about 80% private clients.

Really?!  That is fascinating. 

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