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PRAYERBOOK, in Dutch, DECORATED MANUSCRIPT ON PAPER , [Brabant, first third 16th century
PRAYERBOOK, in Dutch, DECORATED MANUSCRIPT ON PAPER , [Brabant, first third 16th century] 110 x 70 mm. i parchment (former pastedown) + iii + 252 + ii + i parchment (former pastedown), partially foliated from i as ff.1-256, 16 lines written in a black ink in a gothic bookhand above 16 horizontals and within two verticals ruled in brown ink, ruled space: 66 x 47 mm, rubrics in red, one- and two-line initials in red, some larger initials in red patterned in reserve, SIX LARGE INITIALS IN BLUE FLOURISHED WITH RED (two leaves excised from Calendar in contemporary emendation, leaf excised ff.19-20 possibly also a deliberate correction, partial watermarks traced in pencil ff.35, 110, remains of contemporary tabs). 19th-century brown calf reusing contemporary upper cover stamped with tools of an agnus dei , beasts and flowers and ?original boards, former pastedowns from a north-western German rhymed Bible narrative. PROVENANCE : (1) This very individual collection of prayers and offices was probably written and decorated by its first owner, since the mistakes in copying the calendar suggest the scribe was not a professional. Some months have too many days and others too few; the octave of the feast of St Lambert of Liège is entered but not the feast itself (17 September). It may have been in an attempt to rectify errors that two leaves seem to have been replaced. The feasts indicate the Dutch speaking area of the diocese of Liège: St Servatius of Maastricht is in red in the Calendar (13 May) and is invoked in a memorial, f.234v, as is St Hubert, Bishop of Liège, (3 November) with memorial f.127v. Some feasts specific to Tongeren, Mechelen and Maastricht are omitted but St Dympna of Geel (16 May) is included. The style of the flourishing makes it likely that the book originated in the Southern Netherlandish part of Brabant, perhaps around Leuven. The appearance of Augustine in red in the Calendar (28 August) and the prayers to, or attributed to, St Augustine suggest that the first owner was associated with Augustinians, perhaps of the Windesheim Congregation, and, from the use of the vernacular, with the devotio moderna ; the first recorded owner, a 'Suster Dingna Heyden' (verso of first paper leaf) shows that the book was early within a female religious community and was very probably produced in one. (2) 'L.M. van Eycke'(?): inscription on first paper leaf. (3) 'E. Slanghen souvenir à Monsieur J.V. Everts': inscription on first paper leaf; possibly EGIDIUS SLANGHEN (1820-1882), the historian of Limburg. (4) JOHANNES FRANCISCUS MARIA STERK (1859-1941): bookplate designed by Theo Molkenboer (1871-1920), inside front cover, with the monogram JFMS and quotation from Thomas à Kempis. J.F.M. Sterck, the Amsterdam book dealer, collector and expert on 17th-century Dutch literature, concentrated his collections on Amsterdam presses of the Golden Age and humanist printed books and manuscripts but he also owned some devotional manuscripts. CONTENT : Calendar ff.5-17; notes, mostly liturgical, on the calendar ff.18-22v; Hours of the Trinity ff.23-32v, Prayers ff.33-54: to Sts Elizabeth f.33, Andrew f.36v, James f.37v, Matthew f.39v, Thomas f.40, Augustine f.44, Jerome f.46, John the Baptist f.48, Vincent f.50, by St Ignatius f.51, to Sts Martin f.52, Vincent f.52v; Hours of St Catherine ff.54-66; Hours of St Agnes ff.66-70v; Hours of St Barbara ff.71-93; prayers, including on the Seven Bleedings of Christ ff.93-98v; the 15 Oes, often attributed to St Bridget ff.99-118v; prayer to the nine choirs of angels ff.118v-121; prayer attributed to St Augustine ff.121v-124; Sts Stephen ff.124v-125v, Quirinus ff.125v-127, Hubert ff 127v-128v; prayers and rituals around the Cross for Good Friday ff.129-148v, on the Paschal candle and for Easter ff.148v-156v; to St Erasmus ff.157-158v; Hours of All Saints ff. 159-197v; prayers ff.198-235v, including one with an indulgence also effective against plague f.200v, the Virgin f.203v, Sts Michael f. 203v, Aug