Title: Book of Hours. Use of Rome, Circa 1460-1470. Flemish Use and written in Dutch. Illuminated Manuscript on Vellum from the Northern Low Countries
Condition: Poor
A mid 15th century illuminated manuscript Book of Hours, inscribed in a flowing gothic script, likely produced in the Northern Low Countries.
This Book of Hours is illuminated throughout, with a beautiful, illuminated opening following the calendar, the text surrounded by a blue border, accentuated with leaves, foliage, flowers, and two birds. There are 13 large 4-line initials illuminated with gold leaf, decorated with illuminated tendrils. There are 12 3-line illuminated initials on a red and blue background, 187 2-line illuminated initials also against a red and blue background, and hundreds of blue initials with red tendrils.
This Book of Hours is written in a 16-line format.
This Book of Hours has been bound in a contemporary brown calfskin binding of the late 15th century, decorated with blind-tooled designs.
There are several leaves lacking, likely containing miniatures or other historiated initials. Overall, still a substantially complete Book of Hours with several faults, and an interesting example providing some insight into the practice of biblioclasm, especially in regard to early manuscripts.
One blind-stamped leather-bound illuminated manuscript in octavo (17 x 12.5 cm), 199 leaves on vellum
This manuscript is in poor shape, the contemporary binding heavily worn, with the spine peeling in places, and the hinges cracked, with several cords to the front cover split. 23 leaves (including the illuminated opening) have been mutilated with excised initials or cut border tendrils namely from the larger 4-line initials, likely by 19th or 20th century owners who sought the illumination work for other purposes. Mercifully, most of the affected leaves have the text preserved, through some of the lines at the bottom have been partially obscured or affected by the excisions. There is some thumbing and staining throughout. A candidate for restoration, priced under the assumption that it will require repairs as the binding is largely falling apart. As in accordance with the previous owner’s wishes, this manuscript is being sold under the understanding that it will not be broken apart for the individual sale of leaves.