Private devotional book, in German, illuminated manuscript with early paper engravings, on vellum [Germany (most probably Nuremberg), 1584]

58 leaves (plus 2 original vellum endleaves), 142mm. by 90mm., complete, collation: i-iii², iv⁶, v², vi-xiii⁴, xiv-xv⁶, c.34 lines in black ink in an angular German Renaissance bookhand, set within printed frames of scrolls of architecture and foliage (contemporary colouration and gilding), rubrics in red or liquid gold, titles and some initials in liquid gold, first six leaves with brilliantly coloured engravings of the Evangelists, God the Father surrounded by animals and holding a gold-framed roundel with a micrographic German manuscript text inside, 4 further pages with similar smaller texts within roundels in engravings, and 2 further pages with Moses holding the Ten Commandments atop 5 similar roundels forming a cross, and a German prayer written in a decreasing circle, sixty-two contemporary coloured engravings showing Christ, the Annunciation to the Virgin and smaller scenes from the life of Christ, slight scuffs throughout, else good condition, contemporary panel-stamped pigskin binding over bevelled wooden boards, with Justice holding a sword and scales on front cover within a border of roundels containing human faces, and the arms of Erecher family of Brandenburg within similar roundels on back cover, skilfully rebacked, two working metal clasps

Written in 1584 by Hieronymus Örtel of Augsburg (1524-1614) for a member of the Erecher family of Brandenburg: his dated signature in gold and red ink on fol.7r at front of main text, and their contemporary armorial binding. Örtel was the Hofprokurator and Notar am Hof to Emperor Rudolf II, but was banished in 1580 after becoming a Protestant reformer. He spent the rest of his life in Nuremberg. He also copied a manuscript of Die zwolff Hauptartikel unsers Christlichen Glaubens, dated 1603 (now Berlin, Staatsbibliothek, Preußischer Kulturbesitz: Wilken, Geschichte der königlichen Bibliothek zu Berlin, 1828, p.232) and another German prayerbook, dated 1605 (now Wölfenbuttel, Herzog August Bibliothek: see Dackerman, Painted Prints: the revelation of color in Northern Renaissance and Baroque engravings, 2003, p.36), and both the latter and the present manuscript probably served at the basis of his later printed prayerbook for women.

This is a brightly-gilded, eye-catching book, produced at the point when print had begun to take over from manuscript production, but had not completely replaced its predecessor. The micrographic manuscript prayers and liquid gold texts are among the finest of their type, and the contemporary-coloured engravings add much to the appeal of the volume, appearing in numbers beyond that of miniatures in similar manuscript books.

The volume includes: part-engraved, part-manuscript leaves as noted above; followed by a title page in liquid gold and red ink (fol.7r); readings from Ambroise, Chrysostom (fol.8r), and prayers to Christ; a detailed contents list (fol.9r) followed by the image of Christ; two Biblical textual tables (fol.14r); a reading from Matthew (fol.14v) with the engraving of the Annunciation; prayers accompanied by scenes from the life of Christ (fol.15v); ending with other prayers, devotional quotations and Psalm 130.