Book of Hours, Use of Paris, in Latin, illuminated manuscript on vellum [Northern France (Rouen or perhaps Paris), c.1510]

Estimate

8,000 - 10,000 GBP

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Description

vellum

178 leaves, 160mm. by 102mm., wanting single leaves (probably with miniatures) from the fifth, ninth and fifteenth gatherings, else complete, collation: i-ii⁶, iii-iv⁸, v⁷ (last leaf wanting), vi-viii⁸, ix⁷ (iii wanting), x-xiv⁸, xv⁴, xvi⁷ (i wanting), xvii-xxi⁸, xxii¹³ (last a singleton), xxiii-xxiv⁴, single column, 22 lines in black ink in a fine lettre bâtarde, some letters with ornamental cadels in upper border, capitals touched in yellow, rubrics in blue or red, one-line initials in liquid gold on red and blue grounds, 2-line initials in white scrolls enclosing single flowers on gold grounds, larger initials in same with flies and insects or on interlocking gold bars on coloured grounds (of form produced by Jean Pichore’s Parisian workshop: cf. ‘L’Art du Manuscrit de la Renaissance en France’, 2001, p.20), every page with a decorated border of acanthus leaves and foliage on gold and plain vellum shapes, with numerous insects and birds, a swan with a crown around its neck, a mallard, green frogs and drollery animals, Calendar with small miniatures of occupations and zodiac symbols above text and with three-quarter decorated borders, thirty-three small miniatures set within the text (fols.15r, 16v, 18r, 19r, 22v and 28 on fols.158r-78v; another on fol.24v opening ‘Stabat Mater’ now cut away), fourteen three-quarter page miniatures (fols.13r, 27r, 36r, 53r, 63r, 65r, 72r, 78r, 83r, 87r, 95r, 103r, 122r and 128r), many with small scenes in bas-de-page or figures of Sibyllic oracles, miniatures with some scuffs and scratches and flaking from faces, thumbing to a few borders, first leaf rubbed, spots and slight discolouration throughout, edges trimmed, else fair condition, somewhat battered seventeenth- or eighteenth-century gilt-tooled leather over pasteboards, covered in red cloth (torn in places, corners and edges bumped and scuffed, splitting along spine), single silver clasp

Provenance

provenance

Inscription at end of text, dated 26 March 1605, recording that it was carried to Paris by Jehan Bouquet to be given to the writer’s son, Pierre de Ponthieu, who was in the service of Monseigneur Jeannin, advocat en court de Parlement.

Catalogue Note

text

This is a charming Book of Hours with an impressive array of miniatures. The book contains: a Calendar (fol.1r); the Gospel Sequences (fol.13r); the Obsecro te (fol.19r), the O intemerata (fol.22v) and Stabat Mater (fol.24v); the Passion from the Gospel of John (fol.27r); the Hours of the Virgin (fol.36r), interspersed with the Hours of the Cross and the Holy Spirit, with Lauds (fol.53r), Matins (fol.63r), Prime (fol.65r), Terce (fol.72r), Sext (fol.78r), None (fol.83r), Vespers (fol.87r) and Compline (fol.95r); the Hours of the Conception (fol.103r) followed by prayers (wanting opening) and a Litany; the Office of the Dead (fol.122r); and Suffrages to the Saints (fol.158r).

illumination

The miniatures here are by a close follower of Jean Pichore (attested from 1502-23 in Paris), and share the stock figures, decoration and muted palette of his workshop. The use of elaborate ornamental gold columns containing arch-topped panels to frame the miniatures is notably close to another Book of Hours produced by him in 1503 (Musée Condé, MS.72 /XIV B.20: L’Art du Manuscrit de la Renaissance en France, 2001, no.3, pp.16-17), and while that book has miniatures of prophets in the bas-de-page, this here has the far rarer images of the Sibyllic oracles. In the Middle Ages twelve of these pre-Christian oracles were reinterpreted as having predicted the coming of Christ (mirroring the twelve Jewish prophets who predicted the coming of the Messiah), and were given new roles within Christian imagery.

The larger illuminations include: (1) fol.13r, St. John on Patmos, with St. John blessing the poisoned chalice in the bas-de-page; (2) fol.27r, the garden of Gethsemane, with the Kiss of Judas in the bas-de-page; (3) fol.36r, the Annunciation to the Virgin, with her weaving in the bas-de-page; (4) fol.53r, the Visitation of the Virgin to St. Anne, with the angel appearing to Joseph in the bas-de-page; (5) fol.63r, Pentecost, with the Libyan Sibyl “sibila lybica” in the bas-de-page as a woman against a blue sky with gold stars; (6) fol.65r, the Nativity, with the Persian Sibyl “sibila persica” in the bas-de-page as a woman holding the Crown of Thorns; (7) fol.72r, the Annunciation to the shepherds, with the Delphic Sibyl “sibila delphi” in the bas-de-page; (8) fol.78r, the Adoration of the Magi, with the Agrippine Sibyl “sibila agripa” in the bas-de-page as a woman with a golden rod on a burgundy background; (9) fol.83r, the Presentation, with the Phrygian Sibyl “sibila frigea” in the bas-de-page holding a cross; (10) fol.87r, the Flight into Egypt, with the Tirbutine Sibyl in the bas-de-page as a woman holding a flail; (11) fol.95r, the Coronation of the Virgin; (12) fol.103r, the Meeting at the Golden Gate, with the angel appearing to Zechariah; (13) fol.122r, Job in his dungheap, with Job tormented by a demon in the bas-de-page; (14) fol.128r, God the Father seated in Judgement in the heavens with the soul of a man on his lap, a sinner in chains being pulled at by a green and a horned demon in the bas-de-page.