Title: Book of Hours, Use of Paris, Circa 1460. Illuminated Manuscript on Parchment from France. With 9 Large Miniatures, 22 Calendar Miniatures, One Historiated Initial, 134 Border Illustrations. Beautiful Illuminated Decorative Borders to every page. With A Rare Bonus Illumination of the Side Wound of Christ
Condition: Very Good
A mid 15th century illuminated Book of Hours, inscribed in a flowing gothic script, likely produced in Paris, and brilliantly illuminated, with a vast suite of 31 miniatures, and additional illustrations.
This Book of Hours is written in a 14-line format, with the Calendar written in a 16-format.
This Book of Hours is illuminated throughout, with 9 large three-quarter page miniatures, each one brightly illuminated and shining. To the borders are flowerings tendrils against a gold background, and there is a large three-line initial below, along with smaller initials in gold against red or blue. There are 22 calendar miniatures as well, depicting various scenes, and Zodiac creatures. There is also one 3-line historiated initial of Christ, and a large, illuminated illustration of two angels grasping a large chalice, portraying the Side Wound of Christ, a relatively scarce and frankly, rare depiction not seen very often in Books of Hours. Every and every single page is decorated with beautiful, illuminated borders with acanthus leaves, foliage, trawling vines, and roughly 134 border illustrations, containing various animals, mythological creatures like centaurs, and bizarre grotesques, from snail men to fantastical beings, and much more. Many of the border illustrations have been enhanced with illumination as well. There are hundreds of 1 and 2-line illuminated initials on a red and blue background, as well as numerous red and blue line fillers throughout, all enhanced with illumination.
The miniatures are as followed, starting with the large three-quarter page examples:
Folio 12r depicts Saint Matthew
Folio 17v depicts Saint Mark
Folio 18r depicts the Most Holy Virgin carrying Christ
Folio 52r depicts the Nativity
Folio 65v depicts the flight into Egypt
Folio 73v depicts the coronation of the Virgin
Folio 107r depicts Pentecost
Folio 112r depicts the Office of the Dead
Folio 159r depicts the Holy Grail
Following this, are the 22 smaller, calendar miniatures, depicting the Labors of the Months, as well as representations of the Zodiac.
This Book of Hours, is structed in the following form:
ff 2-12v contains the Calendar (written in French)
ff. 13-17 contains the Gospel of John and a continuation of the Gospels of Luke, Matthew and Mark
ff 18-25 contains the prayers to God and to the Blessed Virgin
ff 26-95r contains the Hours of the Virgin, comprising of Psalms, Hymns, Primes, Thirds, Sexts, Nones, etc.
ff 95v-106 contains the litanies of the saints, as well as the “Agnus Dei”, “Kyrie” and other prayers
ff 107-146v contains prayers and orations to the Blessed Virgin
ff 147-155v contains various prayers, specifically in French, and written in a different hand
ff 156-164 again, contains various prayers, back in Latin (Leaves 158v-159r are in French)
ff 165-171 contains the Psalm for the Annunciation
The volume is in an early 16th century brown calf fanfare binding, with beautiful, tooled designs to the covers.
The manuscript bears the provenance of one Louis Roger, a priest at Pont-l’Eveque, dated 1750.
The month of January is mostly lacking from the calendar, with excision points between folios 12-13, 25-26, 58-59, 79-80, 100-101, 146-147, 150-151, 161-162, and another point at the end.
One illuminated manuscript in 18mo, 170 leaves on parchment
This manuscript is in very good shape, with some rubbing and wear to the binding, with some leather loss to a portion of the spine. The gutters are exposed in between a few leaves. Several of the large miniatures are worn, with a bit of ink smudging. Some of the leaves show signs of stretching due to age and environmental exposure. There is minor, scattered soiling affecting a few leaves.