Book of Hours, Use of Cambrai, in Latin and French, illuminated manuscript on vellum [French-Flanders (perhaps Mons), c.1460]

Estimate

10,000 - 15,000 GBP

bidding is closed

Description

Vellum

107 leaves (plus an original flyleaf at end), 162mm. by 120mm., complete, collation: i-ii^{6, iii^{2, iv^{11 (9 a singleton), v-viii^{8, ix^{9 (miniature on iii on singleton), x-xii^{8, xiii^{9 (miniature on i on singleton), xiv^{8, xv^{2, 17 lines in brown ink in a good late gothic hand, rubrics in red, one-line initials in gold and blue with contrasting penwork, 2-line initials in burnished gold on blue and pink grounds touched in white penwork, 4-line historiated initial in pink on gold grounds enclosing the Visitation of the Virgin to St. Anne (fol.33r) with full border of foliage,}}}}}}}}} fourteen small arch-topped miniatures with gold borders in the Suffrages of the Saints, eighteen three-quarter page arch-topped miniatures in burnished gold frames (those on fols.14v, 22v, 57v and 88v each facing a page with similar border decoration and a 4-line blue initial on gold grounds enclosing tessellating green and red flowers), gold scuffed in places (that of background on fol.47r quite smudged), some smudges and stains (see in particular fol.46v and 57v), leaves somewhat cockled, edges trimmed, eighteenth-century brown leather over pasteboards, tooled with swirls of foliage, some scuffs and splits

Provenance

provenance

1. Written and illuminated for a patron in French-Flanders, with St. Waldrud in red in April in Calendar (French Waudru, Dutch Waldetrudis, d. c. 688, the patron saint of Mons).

2. Jacques Arnoulx: his inscription dated 1678 on fol.62r.

3. William C.S. Carmichael of Ailly: his nineteenth-century armorial bookplate.

4. J. Cauvin, "curé de St. Denis du St. Sacrement": his inscription dated 1862 and pencil notes on front flyleaf.

Catalogue Note

text

The text comprises: a Calendar (fol.1r); the Lesser Hours of the Virgin (fol.15r); the Greater Hours of the Virgin, with Matins (fol.28r), Lauds (fol.35r), Prime (fol.41v), Terce (fol.45r), Sext (fol.47v), None (fol.50r), Vespers (fol.52v), Compline (fol.57r); Seven Penitential Psalms (fol.60v) followed by a Litany; Suffrages to the Saints (fol.70v); readings from the Gospel of John (fol.85v); Office of the Dead (fol.89v).

illumination

This is a rustic product, but has a wealth of miniatures and border details, such as the pelican stabbing its own breast to feed its chicks on fol.22v, the jumping stag on fol.27r and the bear on fol.42r.

The miniatures comprise:

1. Fol.14v, the Garden of Gethsemane; a full border of rinceaux terminating in gold leaves and coloured flowers and acanthus-leaf sprays, enclosing two brown birds.

2. Fol.16r, the Kiss of Judas; border as before with a stork pecking at a strawberry.

3. Fol.17r, the Scourging of Christ; border as above.

4. Fol.18r, Christ carrying the Cross; border as above.

5. Fol.19r, the Crucifixion; border as above, with a brown owl with liquid gold eyes staring out at the viewer.

6. Fol.20r, the Deposition from the Cross; border as above.

7. Fol.21r, Christ being laid in his tomb; border as above.

8. Fol.22v, Pentecost; border as above with a green parrot and a pelican stabbing its own breast to feed its chicks.

9. Fol.26v, the Annunciation to the Virgin in a detailed interior; border as above with a large blue bird with gold eyes and a jumping stag.

10. Fol.39v, the Nativity; border as above.

11. Fol.42r, the Annunciation to the Shepherds; border as above with a black bear (somewhat smudged) in bas-de-page.

12. Fol.44v, the Visitation of the Magi; border as above.

13. Fol.47r, Massacre of the Innocents before a tessellated background; border as above.

14. Fol.49r, the Presentation in the Temple, with a head with two faces poking out from a red coif in the initial; border as above with a peacock.

15. Fol.54r, the Flight into Egypt; border as above with a monkey in upper part.

16. Fol.60v, Judgement Day; border as above.

17. Fol.74v-84r, 14 small arch-topped miniatures with gold borders, of saints with their attributes, each appearing as if a tiny panel painting laid on the page.

18. Fol.85v, John holding a chalice.

19. Fol.88v, a funeral; border as above.