BELGIUM. TONGRES. LIÈGE Chronicle of Tongeren... Lot 8

[BELGIUM]. [TONGRES]. [LIÈGE] Chronicle of Tongeren and Liege until the year 1462 In French, decorated and watercolored manuscript on paper Belgium, most likely Liège, ca. 1550-1575 Format in-4°, 159 ff. (missing leaf 6; one booklet "P" bound upside down but not missing [ff. 112-119]; there are two leaves numbered "127"), preceded by 3 paper endpapers and followed by a paper endpaper, paper with a watermark of the type "pot à ne anse couronné surmonté de deux fleurs/fleurons" (see Briquet, no. 12634, Namur, 1549 or Bruxelles, 1550-1552 or no. 12637, Namur 1563), text inscribed in a frame drawn in ink (justification: 142 x 225 mm), cursive writing in dark brown ink, one hand but erasures and corrections in places, annotations in the margins, some titles copied in red ink, ornamented cartouches drawn in ink, shields with coats of arms, often watercolors. Bound in modern full vellum, smooth spine with black lettering : " Chronique de Tongres et de Liège ", leather fastenings (boards a little rubbed, some stains, first leaves reinforced with paper restorations, some leaves soiled, pen tests, traces of wear, but without hindrance to the reading) Dimensions of the leaves : 202 x 267 mm ; dimensions of the binding : 207 x 275 mm. This manuscript contains a Chronicle of the bishops of Tongeren and Liège, a priori unpublished, which mixes episcopal chronicles, urban events with more general history and hagiographic accounts. The first part (ff. 1-29) concerns the bishops of Tongeren; the second part (ff. 29-159v) relates the history of the bishops of Liege: "Saint Hubert premyer evesque de Liege et dernyer evesque de Tongre" (fol. 29). Explicit, "[...] the year 1462 about the cooenchement of January was held...to grant peace with the bishop and the The work seems to be interrupted in the course of writing. To note at the very end of the manuscript a mention dated 1605 (added?): "l'an 1605 ont esté trois bourgeois de Liege bracleurs decapités scavoir Jehan Bourguiel...". The title is given according to a loose leaf at the beginning of the work, later (XIXth century): Chronique de Tongres et de Liège until the year 1462. Manuscript from the 16th century. The present Chronicle must be compared with at least two other manuscripts, namely Cronicque des rois, ducs et évesques de l'ancien royaulme de Tongre, et évesques de la noble cité et pays de Liège (Liège, ELB-ULG-ALPHA-Ms464), attributed to Henri van der Berch (manuscript dated 1619), also coming from the sale of the Baron de Crassier; and also the Chronicque de la noble citez de Liege comencant a la destruction de Tongre, mis en lumiere et colligez a grande diligence hors de plusieurs anciens livres, puis escript comme ici dedens trouverez avec la pourtraiture de leurs armoirie et blasons, l'an 1609 (datable 1609-1610) (Legacy Baron A. Wittert; Liege, ULG- MsW85). Provenance 1. Manuscript copied in the 16th century on paleographic and stylistic grounds (ornate initials). 2. Former collection of Baron Crassier. Guillaume- Pascal de Crassier (1662-1751). A note slipped into the manuscript indicates that the present manuscript occupies in the Catalogue of the sale of Crassier the number 3456, p. 437 : " Histoire des évêques de Liège depuis S. Materne jusqu "en 1462 ". See Catalogus librorum bibliothecae Guillelmi S.R.I.L. Baronis de Crassier..., Liège, 1754. Baron Crassier is known as a collector: he maintained a correspondence with great scholars (among them Bernard de Montfaucon, Dom E. Martène, Jean- Frédéric Schannat). Guillaume-Pascal de Crassier was adviser to the prince-bishop of Liege and adviser to the Chamber of Accounts. It is necessary to distinguish this manuscript from the work attributed to Henri van der Berch, entitled : Cronicque des rois, ducs et evesques de l'ancien royaulme de Tongre, et evesques de la noble cité et pays de Liège [see Catalogus librorum bibliothecae Guillelmi S.R.I.L. Baronis de Crassier..., Liège, 1754, p. 437, no. 3453; now University of Liège, ELB-ULG-ALPHA-Ms464].