Book of Hours, in Latin and French | Illuminated manuscript on vellum, [France, later fifteenth century], red morocco

Book of Hours. Use of Rome

in Latin and French, illuminated manuscript on vellum. [France, presumably Paris, 15th century, third quarter]

c.195×145mm, viii (modern vellum) + 167 + v (modern vellum) leaves, not foliated, the first and last flyleaves formerly pasted down, bound too tightly to allow confident collation, but apparently COMPLETE, written with 16 lines of gothic textura script per page, the ruled space c.105×65mm, illuminated with SIX LARGE MINIATURES each above a three- or four-line illuminated initial and surrounded by a full border, three-line initials accompanied by three-sided borders for Lauds, Prime, etc., four-line initials accompanied by three-sided borders for the Obsecro te, etc., SIXTEEN ILLUMINATED BORDERS in all, one- and two-line illuminated initials and line-fillers throughout; traces of a pilgrim badge, formerly sewn in to the lower margin facing the first miniature; the extremities of decoration sometimes slightly cropped, some flaking of gold and smudging of pigments, modest signs of wear throughout

BINDING

Sewn on five bands and bound perhaps in the 1720s in very elegant English red morocco, with three concentric gilt panels on each outer cover, densely gilt spine, and doublures in richly gilt Harleian style, the edges of the boards with fleurs-de-lys, leaves with gilt edges, two metal clasps depict the Evangelists Mark and John; modern title in gold on a flyleaf. Structurally sound, and very attractive.

PROVENANCE

(1) Perhaps made for a Parisian named Christophe, to judge by the devotions at the very beginning of the text, and the emphasis on Genevieve in the calendar and litany.

(2) In England by the mid-18th century, when bound.

(3) ‘Morgan Graves Esqr.’, probably Morgan Graves (c.1707–1770), lawyer, of Micketon, Gloucestershire, with his Chippendale style armorial bookplate (Franks no. 12566).

(4) James Dick (1823–1902), Scottish businessman (he made his fortune with a rubber-like leather-substitute for the soles of shoes) and philanthropist (he paid for the museum, art gallery, and library in his hometown, Kilmarnock): inscribed with his name and address in Pollokshields, Glasgow; there is a loosely enclosed description of the manuscript and letter, written to Dick from Cuthbert Wood, O.F.M., dated 11 Nov. 1898 (‘This very beautiful MSS vellum is one of the finest specimens of the kind I have seen …’).

(5) Private collection, Scotland.

TEXT

(ff. 1r–2v) Prayers to St Christopher (‘... michi famulo tuo .N. …’) and Genevieve

(ff. 3r–14v) Calendar, in French, with an entry for almost every day; major feasts (in red) include Genevieve (3 January), Remi (1 October), Denis (9 October), and Severinus (25 November)

(ff. 15r–22v) The Gospel extracts, followed by prayers, including the ‘Anima Christi’

(ff. 23r–81v) Hours of the Virgin, Use of Rome, with Matins (f. 23r), Lauds (f. 41r), Prime (f. 51v), Terce (f. 55v), Sext (f. 60r), None (f. 64r), Vespers (f. 69r), and Compline (f. 77r); many of the rubrics in French

(ff. 82r–85v) Prayer 'Obsecro te ... famulo tuo .N. …’

(ff. 86r–89v) Prayer ‘O intemerata’

(ff. 90r–91v) Paraphrase of the Passion narrative from John’s Gospel

(ff. 92r–107r) The Seven Penitential Psalms followed (f. 103v) by a Litany of saints, including Genevieve, and three collects

(ff. 107v–110v) Hours of the Cross

(ff. 111r–113v) Hours of the Spirit

(ff. 114r–158r) Office of the Dead, Use of Rome; f. 158v blank

(ff. 159r–164v) The Fifteen Joys of the Virgin, in rhyming French verse, ‘Doulce dame de misericorde …’

(ff. 165r–167r) The Seven Requests to the Lord, in French, ‘Beau sire dieu regardes moy …’

(f. 167v) A prayer to the Cross in French rhyming verse, ‘Sainte vraye crois aouree …’, ending with a Pater noster and an Ave Maria.

ILLUMINATION

The subjects of the six large miniatures are:

(f. 23r) The Annunciation, with the Virgin under a canopy and Gabriel approaching from the right

(f. 92r) King David in Penitence, kneeling in a landscape

(f. 107v) The Crucifixion

(f. 111r) Pentecost

(f. 114r) A Burial in a walled graveyard, being performed by a sexton watched by two clerics and a mourner

(f. 159r) The Virgin and Child, enthroned 

It appears that the manuscript’s original Annunciation miniature was unsatisfactory for some reason, and this leaf replaced: the current miniature is on a leaf ruled for only 15 lines of text, instead of 16, and yet its text continues without omission or duplication on the following leaf. The verso also has a panel border, not found elsewhere in the manuscript. Yet the miniature appears to be by the same illuminator as the others, so it seems that the change was made when the manuscript was originally commissioned, presumably at the request of the patron who asked for the inclusion of the opening prayers to Sts Christopher and Genevieve.