Beschreibung:

BOOK OF HOURS, use of Chartres, in Latin and French, ILLUMINATED MANUSCRIPT ON VELLUM [Paris, c.1485] 192 x 140mm. i + 192 + i leaves: 1 12 , 2-6 8 , 7 6 , 8 9 (ix a singleton), 9 6 , 10-11 8 , 12 10 , 13 8 , 14 6 , 15 10 , 16-23 8 , 24 6 (of 8, vii-viii cancelled blanks): COMPLETE, 17 lines written in brown ink in a lettre bâtarde between two verticals and 18 horizontals ruled in red, justification: 95 x 60mm, rubrics in red, one-line initials of liquid gold on grounds of red or blue with liquid gold decoration, two- and three-line initials with staves of blue or pink monochrome foliage against grey on grounds of liquid gold, every page with a panel border of one of two types, either of sprays of naturalistic fruit and flowers and blue and gold acanthus, sometimes on divided grounds of liquid gold, some including animals or grotesques, or banderoles or branches with text or foliage in colours or liquid gold against grounds of solid colour, SEVENTEEN FULL-PAGE OR LARGE ARCH-TOPPED MINIATURES accompanied by full-page borders of similar forms, THIRTY-THREE SMALL MINIATURES (small wormholes in margins of first three leaves, small pigment losses affecting the miniatures on folios 20v, 29 and 175, smudging to miniatures on folios 92v and 100, dampstaining to final five leaves). 17th-century French red morocco gilt (spine damaged at head, small stains to lower cover, slightly rubbed). PROVENANCE: 1. The feminine form of Obsecro te and the use of the Office of the Virgin show that the manuscript was written for a woman of Chartres. She is depicted, dressed in black, kneeling before the Virgin and Child in the large miniature on folio 20v and kneeling in a graveyard in the small miniature introducing the prayer for the dead on folio 196. The unusual inclusion of a ?rowan tree in the lower border of folio 180 and in the panel borders of both sides of folios 185 and 192 raises the possibility that this had some personal emblematic significance. 2. Various borders, parts of borders and three miniatures were overpainted at the end of the 15th century. It appears to have been in this campaign of painting that were added the coats of arms on folios 20v and 185, azure three birds argent beneath a crescent gules , and the shields with initials joined by a tasselled cord -- P, D and M on ff.21 and 54, P and M on ff.85 and 134 and G, M and I on ff.21v, 54v, 85v and 134v. It could be that the frequent inclusion of scallop shells in these overpainted borders has some emblematic significance. 3. A. Brölemann: his bookplate inside upper cover and no 68 in the catalogue of his collection 4. Commandant Paul-Louis-Weiller: his bookplate on front endleaf and lot 19 in the 30 November 1998 sale of his books, Paris, Drouot CONTENT: Calendar ff.1-12; Gospel extracts ff.13-20; Obsecro te ff.20v-24; O Intemerata ff.24v-28; Office of the Virgin, use of Chartres ff.29-99: matins f.29, lauds f.48, Hours of the Cross f.59, Hours of the Holy Spirit f.60v, prime f.62, terce f.69, none f.79, vespers f.84v, compline f.92v; Seven Penitential Psalms ff.100-118; Office of the Dead ff.120-169; Suffrages to the Trinity f.170 and to Sts Michael f.171, John the Baptist f.171v, Peter and Paul f.172, John the Evangelist f.172v, James and Philip f.173, James f.173v, Andrew f.174, Christopher f.175, Stephen f.176, Sebastian f.176v, Lawrence f.177, Blaise f.177v, Eutropius f.178, Adrian f.178v, Nicholas f.179, Martin f.179v, Antony f.180, Francis f.180v, Magdalene f.181v, Catherine f.182, Margaret f.182v, Barbara f.183, Apollonia f.184, All Saints 184v; Prayers for the Dead f.185, to Christ, opening O bone et dulcissime ihesu per tuam misericordiam f.186v; Seven verses of St Bernard f.190-192 ILLUMINATION: The miniatures of this manuscript are among the most innovative works by the Master of Jacques de Besançon, the illuminator whose dated works range from 1485 to 1498. This illuminator not only took over the workshop and circle of patronage of his predecessor, Maîtr