The Souvré Hours, Use of Paris and Rome, in Latin [France (Tours), c.1500]

208x143mm, vellum, i+301+i leaves, complete, collation: i-ii6, iii-vii8, viii-ix6, x2, xi6, xii4, xiii-xv8, xvi9 (i inserted), xvii-xix8, xx4, xxi3 (last blank cancelled), xxii-xxiv8, xxv6, xxvi-xli8, xlii4 (including last flyleaf), 16 lines, 145x82mm, 1 large miniature with full borders (f.21r, Annunciation), 2 historiated initials with full borders (f.77r, King David; f.95v, Job), spotting and darkening of first two leaves, large miniature with small pigment loss to Gabriel's face and slight smudging of border, bound in late 17th-century gilt brown calf over pasteboards, gilt-tooled c.1880 to a mid-16th-century Parisian strapwork design, the spine similarly decorated with gilt title “Officivm / B. Mariæ”, an unusually successful pastiche

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing where appropriate.
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A Book of Hours in a very attractive binding, in exceptionally large script, with a long series of prayers and devotions, and an interesting provenance

provenance

(1) Written and illuminated in Tours in the workshop of Jean Bourdichon. The litany includes the extremely rare Avertinus, a Deacon who died at Tours, and Gatian, first bishop of Tours, who also has two feasts in the calendar (2 May, 18 December, in blue).

(2) Partially erased notes record the births and baptisms, in the churches of St Germain l’Auxerrois in Paris and St Saturnin in Tours, of the children of a branch of the De Souvré family (ff.141r-142r); Monsieur le Marechal and Madame la Marechalle de Souvré are recorded as godparents at least twice; Souvré (d.1626) was governor of Touraine from 1585 and was appointed maréchal de France in 1613. The final entry is “Deneufville 1632” (f.142r).

(3) The Jesuit Collège de Clermont, Paris, subsequently the Collège Louis-le-Grand: with their usual ownership inscription: “Colleg: Paris. Societ. Jesu.” (f.1r); in March 1762 the order was suppressed; their books were seized in 1763: inscribed “Paraphe au desir de Larrest du Cinq juillet / Mil Sept Cens sioxante trois / [signed:] Mesnil” (f.1r); and offered for sale in 1764, with the catalogue number “297” (fol.1r); perhaps p.139 no.CDXXVI: a book of prayers in honour of the Blessed Virgin Mary, elegantly decorated with images, 15th century, 297 parchment leaves, small quarto.

text

Calendar (f.1r); Gospel extracts (f.13r); Hours of the Virgin, Use of Paris, with Matins (f.21r), Lauds (f.31r), Prime (f.40r), Terce (f.45v), Sext (f.49r), None (f.52v), Vespers (f.56r), Compline (f.61v); Hours of the Cross (f.67r); Hours of the Holy Spirit (f.71v); Seven Penitential Psalms (f.77r), litany (f.89r), and three collects; Office of the Dead, Use of Rome (f.95v); Hours of the Passion (f.141r); Hours of the Compassion of the Virgin (f.171r); an extensive sequence of Prayers and Devotions to Christ and the Virgin (f.194r), including the Twelve Joys of the Virgin (f.210r), Stabat mater (f.212r), the prayer on the Seven Last Words (f.217r), Salva sancta facies (f.218v), O intemerata in the two main versions (ff.228v, 233v), Obsecro te (f.237); Passion of Christ according to John (f.243r); followed by further prayers and devotions (f.244v); Gospel extracts (f.267v); further prayers and devotions (f.273v), including suffrages to Sts Sebastian (f.275v) and Michael (f.281r).

The manuscript is written in two sections: the first scribe’s work ends in the Office of the Dead on f.101r, and the second scribe continued on a new quire on f.102r. It seems likely that the first section was available ‘off the shelf’ from a stationer, and that the remainder was a special bespoke commission. This perhaps explains various oddities such as the two sets of gospel extracts (ff.13, 267v), and different Uses of the Hours of the Virgin and the Office of the Dead. The patron must also have been responsible for stipulating that he wanted the very long series of prayers, including both versions of the prayer which begins “O intemerata”.