Breviary, of Franciscan Use, in Latin, illuminated manuscript on vellum

provenance

(1) The text is of Franciscan use.  The Calendar includes the Franciscan martyrs, Saint Berardus and his companions (16 January, also in the Sanctoral, fols.128v-130v), canonised in 1481, but not the more celebrated Franciscan theologian, Saint Bonaventura, canonised in 1482.  The feast of Saint Bonaventura appears as an addition at the end (fols.311r-315r), by the original scribe, perhaps supplied in the year of his elevation to sainthood.  Early additions to the Calendar include solemn feasts for Saints Gerard (23 April), Mansuetus (3 September), Aprus (15 September), all bishops of Toul, and, on 20 August, “sancti maximi abbatis, festum locale in barro”, which must be Bar-le-Duc, diocese of Toul, in the Meuse region, about 30 miles west of Toul, doubtless the Franciscan house which owned the manuscript.

(2) Philippe Desportes (1546-1606), French court poet and translator of the Psalms, inscribed on fol.1r, “Desportes” and “ex libris philippi Portae”

(3) The Jesuit Collége de Clermont, Paris, called the Collége de Louis-le-Grand from 1682 until the suppression of the Jesuit order in 1764, inscribed on fol.1r, “College paris. societ. Jesu” and on fol.7r, “Paraphé au desir de l’arret du 5 juillet 1763, Mesnil”.  The Clermont library included a number of manuscripts from the collection of Philippe Desportes (L. Delisle, Cabinet des manuscrits, II, 1874, p.360).  The library was sold in 1764, Catalogus manuscriptorum codicum collegii Claromontani; the present manuscript was p.138, lot 421.   Many of the manuscripts were acquired by the Dutch bibliographer, Gerard Meerman (1722-1771), and descended to his son, Jean Meerman (1753-1815), from whose collection they were dispersed in The Hague, 2 July 1824.

(4) Sold in our rooms, 15 March 1907, lot 383, £70 to Maggs; and again in these rooms, 26 July 1920, lot 463; Quaritch, A Catalogue of Illuminated and Other Manuscripts, 1931, pp.15-16, no.22.

(5) J.P.R. Lyell (1871-1949), bought from Quaritch in April 1933, with his bookplate

(6) H.L. Bradfer-Lawrence (1887-1965), bought from Quaritch, MS.27, as listed in P.M. Giles, ‘A Handlist of the Bradfer-Lawrence Manuscripts Deposited on Loan at the Fitzwilliam Museum’, Transactions of the Cambridge Bibliographical Society, VI, 1963, pp.86-99 (present MS on p.91), and A.S.G. Edwards, ‘The Bradfer-Lawrence Collection of Medieval Western Manuscripts’, The Book Collector, LIII, 2004, pp.64-69, as being “now in a private collection in Canada” (p.69).

text

A Calendar, of Franciscan use (fol.1r), including as duplex maius feasts entered in burnished gold those of Saint Francis himself (4 October, plus octave, and his translation, 25 May, together with the Portiucula, 2 August, and the Stigmata, 17 September), Saint Clare (11 August, and her translation, 2 October), Saint Louis of Toulouse (19 August, plus octave, and his translation, 8 November), Saint Anthony of Padua (13 June, plus octave, and his translation, 15 February) and Saint Bernardinus (20 May, plus octave, and translation, 17 May); a ferial Psalter (fol.7r), of the Use of the Roman Curia, used by the Franciscans, with the Psalms and Canticles; a Hymnal (fol.66r); the Common of Saints (fol.74r); the Office of the Dead (fol.101v); prayers for the sick (fol.104r), etc., including a Litany in which Saint Francis heads the confessors (fol.106r); benedictions (fol.110r) and absolutions; the Sanctoral, from Saint Saturninus (fol.114r), including the office of the Immaculate Conception “editum per reverendum patrem dominum leonardum nogarolum sacre theologie doctorem” (fol.118v, by Leonardo Nogarolo, contemporary humanist of Verona, the office written for Sixtus IV), to the feast of Saint Katherine; the office of Saint Bonaventura (fol.311r), and other short additions, ending on fol.321v.

illumination

The iconography of the Psalm illustrations is unusual and interesting.  The general style is Parisian, including the three-colour arrangement of the Calendar.  The occurrence of the manuscript in the diocese of Toul in eastern France, however, may suggest an origin in Lorraine, perhaps Metz, Toul or even Bar-le-Duc itself.   The subjects of the miniatures are:

1. Folio 7v, David in prayer, gazing up at God and with a banderole, “In cathedra pestilencie non” (Psalm 1:1), his harp behind him, historiated initial ‘B’, 10-line, 49mm. by 45mm., apparently having played his harp to King Saul, who watches seated on a throne with two companions.

2. Folio 20r, David in prayer on a hilltop, with a banderole, “appropiant me nocentes” (Psalm 26:2), historiated initial ‘D’, 8-line, 40mm. by 38mm., three soldiers in the foreground with a banderole, “morte morieris da” (II Kings 1:4).

3. Folio 26r, David in armour outside a cave, holding up the piece of the cloak of Saul which he has cut off as the king lay sleeping (I Samuel 24:4), historiated initial ‘D’, 8-line, 38mm. by 36mm., soldiers on both sides.

4. Folio 31r, Abigail alighting from her ass and paying homage to David and his army (I Samuel 25:23), historiated initial ‘D’, 8-line, 39mm. by 40mm., the ass laden with provisions, David and his companions emerging around a hill.

5. Folio 35v, David dressed in black in prayer before an altar, with a banderole, “deus dereliquit eum” (Psalm 70:11), historiated initial ‘S’, 8-line, 39mm. by 40mm., two well-dressed courtiers in conversation behind.

6. Folio 42r, David in prayer before the Ark of the Covenant, historiated initial ‘E’, 8-line, 40mm. by 38mm., two musicians on the right, David’s harp on the floor.

7. Folio 47r, David in prayer before the Ark, historiated initial ‘C’, 7-line, 34mm. by 37mm., two priests singing at a lectern behind.

8. Folio 57r, the Last Trump, Christ blessing, the Virgin in prayer, David with a banderole, “iudicabit in na[tionibus]” (Psalm 109:6), historiated initial ‘D’, 6-line, 30mm. by 32mm., the dead rising from their graves below.

9. Folio 66r, the Creation of Eve, historiated initial ‘C’ (the hymn Conditor alme syderum), 6-line, 29mm. by 32mm., God blessing Eve as she rises from the rib of Adam.

10. Folio 74r, All Saints, historiated initial ‘F’, 7-line, 35mm. by 40mm., half-length figures with their attributes.

11. Folio 114r, Saint Saturninus, historiated initial ‘D’, 5-line, 25mm. by 29mm., a half-length bishop blessing.

12. Folio 119r, the Meeting at the Golden Gate, historiated initial ‘S’, 7-line, 34mm. by 38mm., the couple embracing outside a church.