[ENLUMINURES]. Important set of illuminated leaves and piece - Lot 1

[ENLUMINURES]. Important set of illuminated leaves and pieces, handwritten and printed, on vellum skin, the majority cut out and mounted in an album. French, German, Flemish and Italian schools. 14th-18th centuries. It includes 12 large polychrome illuminated lettrines, part of a cut-out border, 27 blue and red lettrines on interlacing backgrounds, 2 gold initials on blue and red backgrounds, a blue initial, a red initial, 6 red and blue capital bands, 10 lettrines and red and blue on interlacing backgrounds with gold or green highlights, a very large antiphonal lettrine in black, green and violet, an initial formed of green, yellow and pink foliage, 4 large Italian initials with gold background and gold drops, including one depicting a woman at prayer, 11 initials and initials in blue, red and green on a gold background, 4 border sections, 8 historiated initials depicting portraits of saints and Christ, 17 leaves from the same book of hours handwritten on vellum, illuminated initials, rubricated in red, 35 leaves from books of hours, some from the same copies, 24 leaves, probably from the same copy, with a rich border of flowers and strawberries on a gold background alternating with blue and gold foliage, illustrated with a miniature of Saint John the Evangelist on the first leaf and including 6 calendar pages, 18 leaves from the same or a similar copy with rich blue and red filigree decoration, 6 leaves with gold lettering on a blue or red background and a polychrome and gold border of foliage and flowers, 32 leaves of books of hours printed on vellum, the initials and 18 engravings enhanced in color, 2 large leaves of handwritten psalms, blue illuminated lettering A on a gold background on the second leaf printed from a work by Bekenhaub, 3 large illuminated leaves, one with historiated lettering and an important extension running the length of the text in blue, red and gold featuring two dog heads bearing a flower (14th c.).), 2 large illuminated leaves with borders featuring stylized dragons (late 14th-early 15th c.), 3 illuminated lettrines, one in blue with pink foliage and a bird in a basket (18th c.). Magnificent set, the majority of illuminations dating from the 15th century. (some wear, traces of illuminations previously removed from the album). Provenance: According to family tradition, this album was acquired from the estate of Maurice RHEIMS (1910 - 2003) and came from the ROTHSCHILD collections.