Book of Hours, Use of Rome, in Latin, illuminated manuscript on vellum [northern France (Rouen), c.1490-1500]

Estimate

20,000 - 30,000 GBP

bidding is closed

Description

Vellum

152 leaves (and original endleaves), 190mm. by 125mm., wanting a leaf or two at end, else complete, collation: i-ii^{6, iii-xviii^{8, xix-xx^{6, single column, 17 lines in dark brown ink in lettre bâtarde, capitals touched in yellow, rubrics in red, one-line initials in liquid gold on blue or terracotta-red grounds and line fillers in same, larger initials in brown or blue highlighted with liquid gold scrolls on contrasting grounds, the infill of each initial with a flower, foliage, flies or tiny dragons picked out in white or liquid gold penwork,}}} eighteen small miniatures within rectangular frames (approximately 105mm. high; fols.14v, 16r, 17v, 18v, 21v, 33v, 141v, 142r, 143rv, 145r, 146v, 147r, 149rv, 150v, 151v, 152r), and twelve large miniatures (fols.13r, 24r, 45r, 49r, 52v, 55v, 59r, 64v, 85r, 89r, 93r, 112r), within arch-topped frames, above 2 lines of text and within full borders of acanthus-leaves and more naturalistic foliage on dull gold grounds with birds, insects and bulbous dinosaur-like drolleries (3 per miniature page), original vellum reference tags, fold in miniature on fol.45r, some small spots and an occasional minor smudge, else in virtually flawless condition, original binding of dark leather over wooden boards, blind-tooled with patterns of small fleur-de-lys within 4 connecting squares and the arms of France, once covered with dark coloured velvet (remnants under each pastedown), some small cracks to spine (one at base skilfully repaired) and headbands of spine worn away

Provenance

provenance

(1) Henri Auguste Brölemann (1775-1869) of Lyons: his smudged pencil inscription at head of front pastedown, and his blue-edged polygonal label (as illustrated in Hidden Friends, following no.10); by descent to his grandson, Arthur Brölemann (1826-1904), art collector and donor; sold by his daughter, Madame Etienne Mallet, in our rooms, 4 May 1926, lot 48, £70 to 'Gregory'.

(2) Acquired by the present owner on 2 March 1968 from the bookseller Louis Moorthamers, Brussels.

Catalogue Note

text

The volume contains: a Calendar (fol.1r); Gospel readings (fol.13r); the Obsecro te and O intemerata (fol.18v) in the male form: "famulo tuo" on fols.20rv; the Hours of the Virgin, with Matins (fol.24r), Lauds (fol.33v), Prime (fol.45r), Terce (fol.49r), Sext (fol.52v), None (fol.55v), Vespers (fol.59r), Compline (fol.64v); the Hours of the Cross (fol.85r); the Hours of the Holy Spirit (fol.89r); the Seven Penitential Psalms (fol.93r) with a litany; the Office of the Dead (fol.112r); Suffrages to the Saints (fol.141v), ending with perhaps a leaf or two wanting.

illumination

The miniatures have been attributed by François Avril to the Rouen illuminator, Robert Boyvin (fl.1487-1536), "cela ne fait aucun doute". This prolific artist came from a family established in the Rouen book trade since the early fifteenth century, and by 1503 he held a commanding position within the city's artistic community. In that year, he illuminated a manuscript of Seneca's Epîtres for Archbishop Georges d'Amboise of Rouen (cf. I. Delaunay, 'Le manuscrit enluminé à Rouen au temps du cardinal Georges d'Amboise: l'oeuvre de Robert Boyvin et de Jean Serpin', Annales de Normandie, xlv, 3, 1995, pp.211-44, and E. König in Tenschert, Leuchtendes Mittelalter, IV, 1992, esp. pp.523-35).

The large miniatures comprise:

1. fol.13r, John the Evangelist seated with his attribute the eagle in a grassy landscape touched with tiny strokes of liquid gold; two birds and a winged drollery in the border.

2. fol.24r, the Annunciation to the Virgin, within a richly decorated gothic interior; a bird, a fly and a four-legged drollery monster in the border.

3. fol.45r, the Nativity; a bird, a fly and a four-legged drollery in the border.

4. fol.49r, the Annunciation to the Shepherds, with five shepherds kneeling in a hilly landscape with sheep before a medieval walled town; two birds and a winged drollery in the border.

5. fol.52v, the Visitation of the Magi; two birds and a butterfly in the border.

6. fol.55v, the Presentation in the Temple, with the Christ Child held by the priest and reaching for his kneeling mother; two birds and a long-necked four-legged drollery monster in the border.

7. fol.59r, the Flight into Egypt; a bird and a butterfly in the border.

8. fol.64v, the Coronation of the Virgin by three angels in white, before an enthroned Christ, God the father and the Holy Spirit as a dove, and a host of angels picked out in liquid gold on the vivid blue background; two birds and an insect in the border.

9. fol.85r, the Crucifixion; two birds and a snail in the border.

10. fol.89r, Pentecost; two birds and a peacock in the border.

11. fol.93r, David kneeling in prayer within a stone courtyard and before a large medieval building with stained glass windows, as God appears to him in a mandorla; two birds and a winged drollery in the border.

12. fol.112r, Job in the dung heap; two birds and a winged bird-headed drollery in the border.