The Presentation in the Temple, miniature on a leaf from a choirbook, illuminated manuscript on vellum [France?, 15th and 19th century]

A fragment of a 15th-century choir book enlivened with 19th-century Pre-Raphaelite-esque forgery.

c.300 x 361mm. The large historiated initial 'A' with the Presentation in the Temple opening the Alleluia for the 11th Sunday after Pentecost: 'Alleluia Exultate deo adiuto[ri nostro iubilate deo] Iacob sumite psalmum iucundum cum cithara', followed (on the verso) by the offertory 'Exaltabo te domine quoniam suscepisti me nec delectasti inimicos meos super me domine clama[vi ad te et sanasti me]', 3 lines of visible text and music on a 4-line stave, verso with 6 lines of text and 5 of music, initials in blue and red, rubrics in red, contemporary foliation 'CLXII' (cockled, the text a little faded, the upper margin somewhat frayed). Mounted and framed. Provenance: Dan Morphy Auctions, Denver, PA, 29-30 August 2018, lot 263.

The large historiated initial has been painted, likely in the late 19th century and in an accomplished Pre-Raphaelite style, over 3 bars of music, with the staves showing through the illumination. The rubric 'ps' visible above suggests that the illumination is covering three lines of a Psalm.