Beschreibung:

440 [MEDIEVAL MANUSCRIPT] – BOOK OF HOURS (use of Paris) with Latin & French text. MANUSCRIPT ON VELLUM illuminated by an unidentified artist. BOURGES (France), late 15th-century (ca. 1480-1490). Consisting of 134 leaves (a few foliated in pencil) measuring ca. 154 x 99 mm. (writing area: ca. 80 x 50 mm.) with regular text (“littera textualis” by the hand of one scribe) in red & black ink in a single column (text-leaves: 14 lines, 12 calendar-leaves: 17 lines, 3 miniatures: 3 lines, all rubricated in pale red ink). With THREE LARGE ILLUMINATED MINIATURES (fol. 14r, 38r, 94r) by a FOLLOWER OF JEAN COLOMBE (each miniature surrounded by full borders of coloured flowers & leaves (in red, blue & green ink, partly heightened with gold) with a fantasy-creature in the middle), 7 large decorated capital letters (4 lines: fol. 50v, 63v, 69v, 73v, 77r, 80v, 87v), 6 decorated capital letters (3 lines: 14r, 20v, 25v, 33r, 38r, 94r), numerous smaller illuminated capitals & initials (in red & blue ink, partly heightened with gold) and for the greater part decorated with (ivy-)leaves in outer margins (in blue, green & pink ink, partly heightened with gold). Bound in a 18th-century red (burgundy) morocco binding (meas. ca. 16 x 11 cm.) with pale green silk doublures, both covers with gilt decorated (floral) borders, gilt spine with gilt-lettered “Heures Manusc”, all edges gilt. ¶ Formerly ascribed to a follower of the French miniature painter Jean Bourdichon (ca. 1457-1521), the style and iconography of the three miniatures obviously point at a follower of the French miniature painter and illuminator of manuscripts JEAN COLOMBE (ca. 1430-ca. 1493), who was born in Bourges and active there until his death. The name of Saint Ursin, mentioned in the calendar for 29th December, supports the assumption for Bourges as location where this Book of Hours was produced. ¶ EX BIBLIOTHECA Dr. Alfred Lucian Ritter von Pfeiffer (1858-1913) with his book-plate and inventory-ticket. His collection was sold by auction in May 1914 in Leipzig by C.G. Boerner (lotnumber 801). Ex bibliotheca Rudolf Busch (Mainz) whose collection was sold by auction in May 1921 in Frankfurt am Main by Joseph Baer & Co. (lotnumber 43). Ex bibliotheca “B[ob] L[uza]” with his circular book-plate. ¶ At least one text-leaf is missing (between fol. 27v & 28r). The large miniatures (sl.) cropped in upper & outer margin (touching the borderline). A few small stains, one quire loose, but altogether in a very good condition. ¶ Fol. [1]r-[12]v: French text with a calendar for the diocese of BOURGES, with the following names in red ink: “la circuncision” (01-01), “la typhaine” (01-06), “Saint uincent” (01-22), “Saint pol” (01-25), “la chandeleur” (02-02), “Saint pierre” (02-22), “Saint mathias” (02-24), “Saint gregoire” (03-12), “Nostre dame” (03-25), “Saint george” (04-23), “Saint marc” (04-25), “S. iaques. s. philippe” (05-01), “Sainte croix” (05-03), “S. iehan porte latin” (05-06), “Saint nicholas” (05-09), “Saint urban” (05-25), “Saint barnabe” (06-11), “Saint iehan bapt.” (06-24), “Saint eloy” (06-25), “Saint pierre s. pol” (06-29), “Saint martin” (07-04), “La magdalene” (07-22), “S. iaques s. xpofle” (07-25), “Sainte anne” (07-26), “Saint pierre” (08-01), “Saint estienne” (08-03), “Saint laurent” (08-10), “Nostre dame” (08-15), “Saint bartholomy” (08-24), “Saint iehan decol.” (08-29), “Nostre dame” (09-08), “Sainte croix” (09-14), “Saint matheu” (09-21), “Saint morise” (09-22), “Saint michel” (09-29), “Saint denis” (10-09), “Saint luc” (10-18), “S. symon s. iude” (10-28), “la toussains” (11-01), “les mors” (11-02), “Saint martin” (11-11), “Saint clement” (11-23), “Sainte katherine” (11-25), “Saint andre” (11-30), “Saint nicholas” (12-06), “Nostre dame” (12-08), “Saint thomas” (12-21), “le iour de noel” (12-25), “Saint estienne” (12-26), “Saint iehan” (12-27), “les innocens” (12-28), “Saint ursin” (12-29). ¶ Fol. [13]r-[13]v: Blank leaf. ¶ Fol. [14]r-20v: Latin text comprising Gos