Heading: (Book of Hours - Use of Rome)
Author:
Title: Book of Hours, Use of Rome, in Latin. Illuminated manuscript on vellum, mid-15th century
Place Published:
Publisher:
Date Published: c.1450
Description: 183 leaves. Manuscript on vellum. Illustrated with 4 mounted full-page illuminated miniatures, 12 text leaves at section openings with 4-line initials with foliate motifs in red, blue, and gold with full borders, three of which in grisaille (black, gray, gold, white), the remainder in color with gold, blue, red, green, and white with floral and acanthus sprays, animal, human and fantastic creature motifs; text leaves with rubrics in red, one-line initials alternately blue with red flourish and gold with black flourish, two-line initials in gold on red and blue grounds with white and black tracery, in a gothic textura script between two verticals and 18 horizontals ruled in faint red; several leaves at front and rear undecorated in an early cursive hand. Leaves: 116x97 mm (4¾x3½"); text: 66x45 cm (2¾x1¾"), period or early blindstamped calf over wood boards.Complete book of hours, likely produced during the mid-15th century in a workshop under the Flemish or French sphere of influence. Often called a medieval "bestseller," this manuscript would have been used by a wealthy layperson for personal devotional use. The term "book of hours" derives from the use of the book to guide daily prayers at particular hours of the day, with the center of the devotional practice being the Hours of the Virgin. This manuscript also contains, as is common, the Hours of the Cross, the Hours of the Holy Spirit, the seven penitential psalms, the Office of the Dead and related prayers, and a liturgical calendar. It also features the text for a Mass for the Blessed Virgin Mary, and additional devotions likely in the hand of an early, possibly the original, owner.
An attractively illustrated exemplar featuring four full page illuminated miniatures: f.38, The Annunciation; f.77, The Nativity; f.93, The Circumcision; f.106, The Coronation of the Virgin. Each has been mounted on inserted parchment leaves, with their original edges slightly trimmed. The miniature of the Annunciation has a full ground of gold and appears to be in a slightly different style than the others; they appear early but possibly executed separately. Particularly interesting are the text leaves with full borders executed in grisaille, or grayscale style, here with gold. They appear deliberately planned to introduce solemn sections, namely at the start of the third hour of the Hours of the Virgin, corresponding to the time Jesus was crucified (Mk. 15:25), as well as for Office of the Dead, containing the standard mourning liturgy. Several leaves at the front and rear in the cursive hand of an early owner (likely 15th or early 16th century), generally with devotional text, fol. 1v. depicting a wound of Christ in red. Provenance: f.3r, in a late 18th or early 19th century hand, "Ce livre appartient(?) a Anna Duclu 25 Janvier".
Contents:
ff.1-3: Prayers in early cursive hand
ff.4-15: Calendar
ff.16-22: Officium sanctae crucis - Office of the Holy Cross
ff.23-26: Officium de sancto spiritu - Office of the Holy Spirit
ff.27-37: Missa beatae Virginis Mariae - Mass of the Blessed Virgin Mary
f.38v: Full page miniature of the Annunciation
ff.39-106r: Officium beate Mariae Virginis secundum usum Romanae ecclesiae - Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary according to the Use of Roman Church
f.39r: Matins
f.56r: Lauds
f.68r: Prime
f.72r: Terce
f.77v: Full page miniature of the Nativity
f.78r: Sext
f.82r: None
f.86r: Vespers
f.93v: Full page miniature of the Circumcision
f.94r: Compline
f.105v: Full page miniature of the Coronation of the Virgin
ff.107r-126: Septem psalmi penitentiales - Seven penninential psalms
ff.127-171: Vigile mortiorum - Office of the Dead
ff.172-175v: Obsecro te - I beseech thee
175v-178r: O Intemerata - Oh unspotted one
ff.178v-181: Additional prayers in same hand as ff.1-3
ff.182-183: Blank except for modern notes on f.182r

Binding heavily worn with loss to leather, volume split between ff.85-86 and subsequent gathering with ff.86-93 nearly loose, spine strip cracking but still attached to bottom portion; light to moderate soiling throughout, generally more to leaves with full-page borders and illuminations, the same rubbed with some smudging and soiling, full-page illuminations with some cracking; a very good specimen with really no more and no less than the expected wear.