Hours: MS 154

Titles

Hours

Maker(s)

Attavanti, Vante di Gabriello di Vante
Master of the Hamilton Xenophon

Entities

• Book of hours
• Use of Rome

Categories

• Illuminated manuscript
• Manuscript

Description

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Parchment, ii paper flyleaves + i modern parchment flyleaf + 195 fols. + i contemporary parchment flyleaf + ii paper flyleaves, 142 x 102 mm (67 x 47 mm), 12 long lines, ruled in red ink, catchwords.

BINDING: Nineteenth century, red velvet over wooden boards, edges gilt and gauffered.

CONTENTS:
fols. 1r-12v Calendar
fols. 14r-83v Hours of the Virgin
fols. 85r-99r Penitential Psalms
fols. 99r-109v Litany and prayers
fols. 111r-114v Short Hours of the Cross
fols. 115r -147r Hours of the Passion
fols. 147v-188v Office of the Dead
fols. 189r-194v Prayers to the Virgin, St Sebastian, and the Guardian Angel

DECORATION: Three full-page framed miniatures with four-sided floral borders containing putti, jewels, candelabra, and medallions with scenes or busts of prophets: fol. 13v Hours of the Virgin, Matins, Annunciation, with four-sided border containing medallions with the Sacred Monogram (lower border, centre), a leopard, two deer, busts of prophets and God the Father blessing (top border, centre); fol. 84v Penitential Psalms, David beheading Goliath, with four-sided border containing medallions with busts of prophets and the Sacred Monogram (top border, centre); fol. 110v Short Hours of the Cross, Crucifixion, with four-sided border containing medallions with Pelican in her piety (top border, centre) and busts of prophets, including Isaiah holding a scroll inscribed Vere lan[guores] (Is. 53:4).

Thirteen historiated initials formed of foliage, gems and precious stones on burnished gold ground, and accompanied by four-sided floral borders identical with those surrounding the full-page miniatures at major text divisions or by one-sided floral borders at lesser text divisions: fol. 14r Hours of the Virgin, Matins, [D, 8 ll.] Adoration of the Child, with four-sided border containing medallions with busts and the Sacred Monogram (lower border, centre); fol. 24r Lauds, [D, 5 ll.] Bust of a holy virgin, with one-sided floral border; fol. 45v Prime, [D, 4 ll.] Bust of a holy virgin, with one-sided floral border; fol. 51r Terce, [D, 4 ll.] Bust of a holy virgin, with one-sided floral border; fol. 55v Sext, [D, 5 ll.] Bust of a holy virgin, with one-sided floral border; fol. 58v None, [D, 5 ll.] Bust of a holy virgin, with one-sided floral border; fol. 62r Vespers, [D, 5 ll.] Bust of a holy virgin, with one-sided floral border; fol. 69v Compline, [D, 5 ll.] Bust of a holy virgin, with one-sided floral border; fol. 85r Penitential Psalms, [D, 8 ll.] David penitent in the wilderness, with four-sided border containing medallions with busts of prophets; fol. 111r Short Hours of the Cross, [D, 8 ll.] Lamentation, with four-sided border containing medallions with Sacred Monogram (top border, centre), busts of prophets and the Man of Sorrows (lower border, centre); fol. 115v Hours of the Passion, [D, 9 ll.] Flagellation, with four-sided border containing medallions with a cross (top border, centre), busts of prophets and bust of Christ (lower border, centre); fol. 147v Office of the Dead, Vespers, [D, 8 ll.] The three living and the three dead, including a nimbed hermit kneeling in prayer, with four-sided border containing medallions with crowned skulls, an altar with three crosses (top border, centre) and bust of a crowned skeleton with a scroll inscribed Memento mortis (lower border, centre); fol. 157r Office of the Dead, Matins, [V, 8 ll.] Bust of a crowned skeleton, with one-sided border.

ORNAMENTATION: Foliate initials [4 ll.] on burnished gold grounds with floral infill of liquid gold on blue or red grounds and one-sided floral borders; alternate gold and blue initials [2-3 ll.] with blue or red pen-flourished infill and marginal extensions; alternate gold and blue one-line initials with blue or red pen flourishing.

Notes

History note: Richard, seventh Viscount Fitzwilliam of Merrion (1745–1816), acquired in 1812; his bequest, 1816.