A historiated initial (“D”) from the Rhenish Illustrator (?) c. 1400 of the Martyrdom of Saint Ursula.*

Freeman's has put together an amazing sale of Western Manuscripts and Miniatures. It has been curated by internationally renowned scholar Dr. Sandra Hindman. The sale will take place in Chicago during the morning of July 9, 2026. If you're thinking of the wild American West, you are off by several centuries. This sale is filled with material that could have come here with Columbus had he been a book collector. He wasn't even born when many of these items were created. A place called “America” wouldn't exist as neither had Amerigo Vespucci made his appearance. This is very old material, and not even Gutenberg could have handled it as some pre-date the first printing press.

One thing you will find here is something so much of the printing that followed it lacked, beauty in illustrations and lettering. You had to be skillful and artistic to produce books by hand. Patience was handy as well. Along with complete books you will find numerous leaves and fragments. At this level, individual pages can be quite beautiful and valuable. Complete copies are no longer always available.
 

Freeman's described this collection as “the firm’s most significant offering in the category to date.” Christopher Brink, Associate Vice-President and Senior Specialist, Books and Manuscripts, explained, “This sale brings together exceptional manuscripts, illuminated leaves, and miniatures from some of the finest private collections in Europe and the United States. We’re pleased to offer collectors a rare opportunity to acquire works that have shaped our understanding of medieval art, learning, and devotion.”
 

Describing highlights of the sale, Freeman's noted, “At the core of the sale are two distinguished collections of richly illuminated Books of Hours, assembled by prominent European bibliophiles in Switzerland and Germany. These collections showcase works attributed to some of the most celebrated artists and workshops of the late medieval period, including the Master of the Beaufort Saints, the Rosenberg Master, the Master of Lee Hours, the Master of Buchanan E.5, and a close collaborator of Willem Vrelant.
 

“Among the most important highlights is the Missal of Jean d'Amboise (Lot 51, estimate: $100,000-$120,000), a rare, illuminated manuscript commissioned for Jean I d'Amboise, peer of France and bishop-duke of Langres (1482–1497). As one of the few surviving witnesses to manuscript illumination in late fifteenth-century Champagne, the missal offers remarkable insight into the region's artistic production during this period.
 

“An additional standout is a spectacular illustrated Romanesque manuscript, almost certainly produced at Lambach Abbey (Lot 25, estimate: $150,000 - $200,000), a foundational center of medieval art, culture, and intellectual life. This beautifully preserved volume—containing Origen’s homilies on Genesis and Exodus—features extensive illustration, including a full-page miniature, and retains its original medieval binding bearing the abbey’s historic shelf mark.”
 

There are many other special antiquarian items in this sale, 64 in all. There is a 12th century work on heretics by Peter the Venable. Peter, born in 1092, was an intellectual force in the church during his time. His approach to heretics and heretical works was to convince their adherents how wrong their beliefs were and convert them to Christianity, which is certainly preferable to being burned at the stake. But, he never doubted the correctness of his own ways.

Other highlights from the sale are illuminated manuscripts on parchment of Books of Hours, by the Pink Canopies Group (c. 1390-1400), the Master of Lee Hours (c. 1460), and the Master of the Apocalypse of Aymar de Potiers (c. 1480-1485).

Freeman's is noted as the American auction house. They are the oldest, over 220 years, with the most locations, 16 in the United States, from Boston to San Diego, Milwaukee to Miami, and, of course, their founding home in Philadelphia. Naturally, Americana is a big part of their business, but European works, and very old ones in particular, have long been a major part of their sales. This reaffirms that role, and with emphasis on incunabula and older, sometimes by several centuries.

You can view the lots in this Western Manuscripts and Miniatures sale and register to bid at the following link: freemansauction.com/auction/6522-western-manuscripts-and-miniatures

*St. Ursula was a British princess who led a contingent of 11,000 English virgins to Cologne. On the way, they were overtaken by Huns, who killed all 11,000 but spared Ursula because she was so beautiful that the Governor wanted to marry her. She stalled but turned him down and clung to her faith, hence her execution. This is one version of her story, which has numerous variables. I have not seen one before that her head being chopped off on a boat. Naturally enough, this is a legend and should not be taken as historical fact. It is likely based on some event from the fourth century, but not on quite such a grand scale.