Description
178 leaves, 160mm. by 102mm., wanting single leaves with miniatures at the beginning of the Hours of the Cross and the Penitential Psalms, else apparently complete, collation: i-ii6, iii-iv8, v7 (viii wanting, blank cancelled), vi-viii8, ix7 (iii wanting), x-xiv8, xv4, xvi7 (i wanting), xvii-xxi8, xxii2, xxiii-xxiv8, xxv3 (last a singleton), 22 lines in a gothic bookhand, some letters with ornamental cadels in upper border, capitals touched in yellow, rubrics in red or blue, one-line initials in gold on red and blue grounds, 2- to 6-line initials in white on gold grounds with flowers or in gold on blue grounds, the large initials also with flies and insects, 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 by Jean Coene (see previous lot), set within the text (fols.15r, 16v, 18r, 19r, 22v and on fols.160r-178v; another on fol.24v opening the Stabat Mater now cut away), fourteen three-quarter page miniatures by the same artist (fols.13r, 27r, 36r, 53r, 63r, 65r, 72r, 78r, 84r, 89r, 97r, 105r, 124r and 130r), many with small scenes in lower border or figures of Sibyllic oracles, miniatures with scuffs and scratches and flaking from faces, thumbing to borders, spots and slight discolouration throughout, edges trimmed, fair condition, somewhat battered seventeenth- or eighteenth-century brown 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
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
The text includes: a Calendar (fols.1r-12v); the Gospel Sequences (fols.13r-18v); the Obsecro te (fols.19r-22r), the O intemerata (fols.22v-24v) and Stabat Mater (fols.24v-26v); the Passion from the Gospel of John (fols.27r-35v); the Hours of the Virgin interspersed with the Hours of the Cross and the Holy Spirit, with Matins (fol.36r), Lauds (fol.53r), Matins for the Hours of the Cross (fol.61r) and for the Hours of the Holy Spirit (fol.63r), Prime (fol.65r), Terce (fol.72r), Sext (fol.78r), None (fol.84r), Vespers (fol.89r) and Compline (fol.97r); the Hours of the Conception (fols.105r-110v); the Penitential Psalms (fols.111r-123v) and a litany starting on fol.118v; the Office of the Dead with Vespers (fol.124r-129v) and Matins (fols.130r-159r); and Suffrages to the Saints (fols.160r-178v).
For a full listing of the miniatures see Sothebys.com
