Book of Hours

Image data

• Illuminated Manuscript. Book of Hours. Folio 157 recto. Grote, Geert. Parchment, ii contemporary parchment flyleaves + 170 fols., 194 x 141 (104 x 64) mm, 21 long lines, ruled in brown ink and crayon. BINDING: Fifteenth century, blind-stamped leather over wooden boards, sewn on 5 supports, central motif of Agnus Dei within mandorla with inscription ‘Sied dat lam goe dat boer dine sonden d werl’, Evangelists’ symbols in corner medallions, traces of two fastening devices on fore edges, saddle stitched endbands, edges gilt. Northern Netherlands, Haarlem. 1480-1499. CONTENTS: fols. 1r – 12v Calendar ; fols. 16r – 44v Hours of the Virgin; fols. 47r – 63v Hours of the Eternal Wisdom; fols. 66r – 83r Hours of the Cross; fols. 85r – 104v Hours of the Holy Spirit; fols. 108r – 121r Penitential Psalms and Litany; fols. 123r – 148v Office of the Dead; fols. 149r – 167v Prayers. DECORATION: Six full-page framed miniatures with full acanthus and floral borders including birds or figures on plain parchment grounds at major text divisions: fol. 15v Hours of the Virgin, Annunciation, with Tree of Jesse in border; fol. 46v Hours of the Eternal Wisdom, Christ blessing and holding open book inscribed Ego sum via veritas et vita; fol. 65v Hours of the Cross, Crucifixion; fol. 84v Hours of the Holy Spirit, Pentecost; fol. 107v Penitential Psalms, David penitent; fol. 122v Office of the Dead, Funeral in churchyard, with mourners, acolyte holding processional cross, and priest sprinkling holy water on shrouded corpse. Four historiated initials in blue with white and gold ornament on gold grounds, or formed of foliage scrolls on gold ground (fol. 157r), or in gold on blue ground (fol. 159r), with bar borders framing text block and full or three-sided acanthus and floral borders including animals, birds, butterflies, and grotesques similar in style to the borders of the facing miniatures, but by a different artist: fol. 16r [H, 9 ll.] Virgin and Child clothed in the Sun on crescent moon; fol. 66r [H, 9 ll.] Christ Child with Instruments of the Passion; fol. 157r Passion prayer, [O, 9 ll.] Arms of the Passion, with cockerel in border; fol. 159r Prayer to St Catherine, [W, 5 ll.] bust of St Catherine crowned. ORNAMENTATION: Blue initials [9 ll.] with white and gold ornament, floral infill on gold grounds, bar borders framing text block, and full acanthus and floral borders identical with those for the historiated initials and including motifs related to the text (e.g. Pelican in her piety at the Penitential Psalms, fol. 108r); gold or blue initials [4 ll.] with foliate infill on pink and blue or gold grounds, bar borders framing text block, and three-sided acanthus and floral borders; red or blue initials [2 – 4 ll.] with purple or blue pen flourish; alternate red and blue one-line initials; capitals occasionally highlighted in red.
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