Beschreibung:

PRAYERBOOK, in German and Latin, DECORATED MANUSCRIPT ON VELLUM [Germany, second half 15th century] 140 x 108mm. 325 leaves: 1 1 0(i as pastedown, unfoliated), 2 8, 3-32 1 0, 33 9(of 10, x cancelled blank, ix as pastedown, unfoliated), COMPLETE, some horizontal catchwords in lower margins of final versos and some signatures in lower margins of opening rectos, modern pencilled foliation omitting leaf after f.102, 14-17 lines written in black ink in a gothic cursive bookhand between two verticals and between two horizontals ruled in brown, justification: 78 x 64mm, rubrics in red, text capitals touched red, two- and three-line initials in blue or red, some with openwork patterning, TWO LARGE INITIALS WITH PENWORK EXTENDING INTO THE BORDERS, the staves in red and blue with openwork patterning with grounds and infills of maroon penwork (very slight discolouration in margins, original hole in vellum f.160, stitching lost from original repair f.246). Contemporary blindstamped calf over unbevelled wooden boards, panelled, with rampant lion, rosettes, garlands, scene with two hunters, and a central shield with an angel, flanked by two ihesus scrolls, brass cornerpieces and two fore-edge catches without leather straps and clasps, retaining six bead fore-edge tabs (some wear at spine with a little loss of leather). PROVENANCE: 1. The book may have been written for a woman or the use of a couple: some of the prayers are in the feminine, as f.68v, and the majority of the saints listed on ff.200v-201 are women, among them Benedicta -- either the foundress of Thorn or the Abbess of Susteren -- Afra, probably the martyr of Augsburg, and Ursula, whose cult spread from Cologne. The list opens with the Three Kings, who were also especially revered in Cologne. The style of the binding and features of the language would also be consistent with an origin in northwestern Germany. 2. Probably Balthasar Orth (1526-1569): his death recorded by his son on f.8; certainly Jacob Orth (1550-1602) of Kirn: records of his life, his appointment as parish priest of Kirn in 1577, his marriage to Catharina Kugelhart in 1578 at Kyrburg and the births, and some deaths, of his children from 1577-1592 on ff.296-303v. In 1578 he baptised Otto, Wild- und Rheingraf, the son of Otto I, Wild- und Rheingraf of Kyrburg and his wife, Anna of Hohenlohe-Waldenburg, who acted as godparents for his own son, Otto, in 1579. The names of Otto I's second cousins, Friedrich, Wild- und Rheingraf, count of Salm-Vinstingen (1547-1608) and his brother, Adolf Heinrich of Dhaun (1557-1606), appear on ff.4 and 1, dated 1578 and 1579 respectively. The name of their father, Philip Franz (1518-1561) also appears on f.1 but not clearly in the hand of the date. His name may have been given posthumously or Balthasar Orth may already have been on close terms with the family. 3. Otto Orth, Jacob's eldest son (1579-1631), of Windsheim: records of his father's and brother's deaths ff.9, 304, his arrival in Windsheim as apothecary in 1611, the births and deaths of his children 1612-1626, the death of his wife 1622 ff.302-313v. 4. Sebastian Orth (b.1619, Otto's only surviving child: record of his father's death f.314. CONTENT: Blanks with later inscriptions ff.1-17; prayer attributed to St Brendan to be said in times of war, opening Here jhu xpe durch dyne heilige verkundigunge ff.18-45; blanks ff.45v-48; prayer on going to confession, with rubric on f.48v, opening O hiemelscher vatter ich bitt dich f.49; prayers to be said after confession before a crucifix ff.49v-53v; prayer called das kynds broit und eyne licht des herzens , opening O got alles troist heilger geist ff.53v-68; further prayers to be said at the mass, including a sequence to accompany repeated pater nosters , opening O here jhu xpe ich neygen mych vor dyne fuss , ff.68-80v; two prayers to be said when taking the Holy Sacrament ff.80v-88; prayer to be said after seven Ave Marias and one Salve regina , opening O Maria du allerhe