BOOK OF HOURS FOR THE USE OF ROME
Netherlands (or Bruges?), ca. 1460-80
In Latin, illuminated manuscript on parchment
MATERIAL DESCRIPTION 108 ff. ; 184 x 125 mm (113 x 80 mm); on parchment; 20 long lines in carbon ink; rules in pale yellow ink; textualis formata ; 14 full-page miniatures, 22 illuminated vignettes (Pericopes, Obsecro te, O intemerata and suffrages), gilt painted champie initials with interlacing three-lobed flowers in the center (on six lines), gilt champie initials (on two lines) sometimes with filigree and flowery antennae, gilded or watermarked initials in the text, frames on gilded sifted background with blue and orange acanthus leaves and small simple vegetation in bright colors, endpapers in red and blue ink with a gilded shield in the middle (litanies), rubrics. Full calf with Renaissance tracery with remains of colored wax (XVIth c.), spine with 5 nerves with ornate boxes with double filleted frames, plates with rich decorations of interlacing and framing of fillets and roulette, rest of colored wax white, blue and red, corners reinforced by brass pieces and clasps partially period (attachment XIXth), roulette on the neck, gilt edges; restorations to the spine (headpieces and nerves) which weaken to the bit of the upper board, Superb book of hours for the use of Utrecht produced in Flemish workshops in the third quarter of the fifteenth century. TEXT List of texts, all in Latin : - ff. 1r-6v : Calendar for the use of Rome/Utrecht(?) : Variants : March 19 : Landoaldi pbri, March 31 : Valerie v., April 17 : Rufi mr., May 7 : Gaudencii mr. ( Godehardus ?), May 14 : Corone Virginis, May 21 : Valentis mr., July 5 : Donati mr. July 12: cleti pp., Sept. 5: Saturnini mr. (nothing at this date in CoKL), Sept. 12: Ypoliti, Oct. 12: Marvelli mr., Oct. 20: Asterius mr., Nov. 6: Winnoci abb. - ff. 7r-9v : Evangelical pericopes - ff. 11r-14v : Hours of the Cross - ff. 15r-18 : Hours of the Holy Spirit - ff. 18r-20 : Missa Beate Marie - ff. 21-23 : Obsecro te and O Intemerata - ff. 24-31ff. 24-31 : Suffrages (Holy Trinity, St. John the Baptist, St. Peter, St. Paul, St. John, St. Andrew, St. Lawrence, St. Jacob, St. Martin, St. Nicholas, St. Catherine, St. Agatha, St. Barbara, St. Margaret, St. Mary Magdalene, St. Anne) - ff. 33r-69v : Hours of the Blessed Virgin according to the usage of Rome : 33r: Matins - 43r: Lauds - 50r: Prime (antiphon "Assumpta es", capitulum "Que est ista") - f.53r: Tierce - f.56r: Sexte - f.59r: None (antiphon "Pulchra es" and capitula "In plateis sicut") - f.62r: Vespers - 67r: Compline. - ff. 71r-74v: Officium beate Marie quod dicitur per totum adventum - ff. 76r-81: Penitential psalms - ff. 82-85v: Litany and petitions - ff. 87r-108v: Office of the dead according to the usage of Rome (according to Knud Ottosen, order of the answers: 14, 72, 24, 46, 32, 57, 68, 28, 40)
ICONOGRAPHY The illuminations were probably done by a Dutch artist active in Bruges around 1470. List of full-page miniatures: - f.10v : Crucifixion with the Virgin and St. John; in the background a landscape of groves. - f.14v : Pentecost in the Upper Room. The Virgin is surrounded by the apostles in a building with open arches, revealing the enclosure of an estate. - f.17v: Nativity and adoration of the angels. The Virgin is holding the baby Jesus in front of two kneeling angels, in a gothic building with columns and ogival windows. - f.31v: Annunciation. The Virgin's room is colored orange and green; Gabriel wears a long red cloak. - f.41v: Visitation. The Virgin and Elisabeth meet on the threshold of a thatched cottage in front of an imposing, pointed-roofed, dog-eared lake house, flanked by a medieval blue-roofed tower with a drawbridge at the back. An entrance through the water is visible behind the Virgin. - f.47v: Nativity. The infant Jesus in his golden oval is framed by Mary, Joseph and the angel in the background, his wings spread, in a sort of threshold between the interior and exterior of a building with cross windows.
- f.50v: Annunciation to the shepherds. In front of a landscape alternating between different seasons, with a medieval castle in the background, two shepherds in the midst of their sheep are receiving the rays of the solar message. - f.53v. Adoration of the Magi. Two of the three wise men are standing, another is kneeling. - f.56v. Presentation in the Temple. The Virgin is accompanied by Joseph and a servant girl. - f.59v.: Massacre of the Innocents. Herod is depicted standing and ordering a soldier on the right with his sceptre to strike down his sword on a newborn child lying naked on the ground; in the distance, a scene shows a soldier killing the baby a woman is carrying in her arms. - f.64v: Flight into Egypt. The Virgin with the child is on a donkey, preceded by Joseph; in the distance a column whose statue is breaking is placed in the middle of a landscape of groves. - f.68v. : Ace
We use cookies to provide you with a better browsing experience, perform site traffic analysis, and deliver content and advertisements most relevant to your interests.
Cookie management:
By allowing these cookies, you agree to the deposit, reading and use of tracking technologies necessary for their proper functioning. Read more about our privacy policy.