Book of Hours: MS 144

Titles

Book of Hours

Maker(s)

Author: Grote, Geert
Artists: Masters of the Dark Eyes

Entities

• Book of hours

Categories

• Illuminated manuscript
• Manuscript

Description

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Parchment, ii paper flyleaves + i contemporary parchment flyleaf + 163 fols. + ii paper flyleaves, 189 x 137 (108 x 71) mm, 19 long lines, ruled in pink ink, quire and leaf signatures.

BINDING: 18th century, gold-tooled brown leather over pasteboards, titles on spine in Dutch.

CONTENTS: fols. 1r – 12v Calendar; fols. 14r – 45v Hours of the Virgin; fols. 46r – 52v Prayers for Communion and indulgence; fols. 53r – 54r Prayers of St Gregory; fol. 54r Suffrage to St Lawrence; fols. 55r – 74r Hours of the Cross (Sext to Compline, with illustrations in the margin, missing after fol. 69); fols. 74v – 75v Prayer on the Name of Jesus; fols. 76r – 89v Penitential Psalms and Litany; fols. 90r – 101v Prayers to the Virgin, Guardian Angel and Saints; fols. 103r – 126v Hours of the Holy Spirit; fols. 128r – 160v Office of the Dead
fols. 160v – 163v Suffrages.

DECORATION: Three full-page framed miniatures with full borders combining strewn-flower and ornamental panels with scenes related to the main theme at major text divisions: fol. 13v Hours of the Virgin, Matins, Annunciation, Adoration of the Child in border; fol. 102v Hours of the Holy Spirit, Pentecost; fol. 127v Office of the Dead, Raising of Lazarus.

Twenty-two historiated initials [4 – 13 ll.] usually formed of gold or grey acanthus on red, blue or green grounds, with full borders identical with those surrounding the full-page miniatures; the same borders with scenes accompany lesser text divisions not marked by historiated initials: fol. 14r Hours of the Virgin, Matins, [H, 13 ll.] Virgin and Child, Tree of Jesse in border; fol. 21r Lauds, [G, 4 ll.] Circumcision, Adoration of the Magi in border; fol. 28r Prime, [G, 5 ll.] Presentation in the Temple; fol. 31r Terce, [G, 5 ll.] Massacre of the Innocents, in border Herod with soldiers, Miracle of the Harvest, Flight into Egypt; fol. 33r Sext, [G, 6 ll.] Christ among the Doctors, Marriage at Cana in border; fol. 35v None, [G, 5 ll.] Baptism of Christ, three Temptations of Christ in border; fol. 38r Vespers, [G, 7 ll.] Transfiguration, in border Christ and Samaritan woman, Mary Magdalene washing Christ’s feet; fol. 42v Compline, [B, 6 ll.] Raising of Lazarus, in border Entry into Jerusalem, Christ chasing Pharisees from Temple; fol. 53r Prayers of St Gregory, [O, 8 ll.] bust of Christ crowned with thorns, angels with Instruments of the Passion in border; fol. 54r St Lawrence as deacon holding book and gridiron in border; fol. 55r Hours of the Cross, Matins, [W, 13 ll.] Christ blindfolded and beaten, in border Christ before Caiaphas, Christ taken from one judge to the next, Christ before Annas; fol. 60v Lauds, in border Judas returning money bag, Suicide of Judas; fol. 63v Prime, in border Christ before Pilate, Christ before Herod, Christ stripped by tormentors; fol. 65r Terce, in border Pilate washing his hands, soldiers bringing Cross to Christ; fol. 74v Prayer on the Name of Jesus, [O, 6 ll.] Christ Child with orb and two angels, Evangelists’ symbols in border; fol. 76r Penitential Psalms, [H, 13 ll.] David enthroned with harp, in border young David fighting lion, young David being dressed in adult armour before Saul; fol. 77r in border David slinging at Goliath; fol. 78r in border David beheading Goliath, David with Goliath’s head welcomed by women playing music before gates of Jerusalem; fol. 79r in border David let down from
window by Michal; fol. 80v in border Coronation of David, David watching Bathsheba bathing; fol. 82v in border David giving letter to Uriah, David penitent; fol. 94r Prayer to the Virgin, in border Virgin and Child with angels; fol. 99r Prayer to the Guardian Angel, [O, 6 ll.] Angel; fol. 100r Prayer to St Martin, [H, 6 ll.] St Martin dividing cloak; fol. 100v in border St Mary Magdalene with ointment jar; fol. 101r in border St John the Baptist blessing lamb on book; fol. 103r Hours of the Holy Spirit, Matins [H, 13 ll.] Instruments of the Passion, cup on rock, Three Women and St John; fol. 111r Lauds, in border Annunciation of the Virgin’s Death; fol. 114r Prime, in border Virgin on deathbed; fol. 116v Terce, [G, 6 ll.] St Peter blessing Virgin and other apostles; fol. 118v Sext, [G, 5 ll.] Apostles at Virgin’s deathbed; fol. 120r None, [G, 5 ll.] Death of the Virgin; fol. 122r Vespers, in border Miracle of the Jew’s hands stuck to Virgin’s coffin; fol. 124v Compline, [B, 5 ll.] Burial of the Virgin; fol. 128r Office of the Dead, [I, 12 ll.] Souls engulfed in flames; fol. 160v Suffrages, [C, 6 ll.] group of saints; fol. 162r in border St Catherine reading, sword and wheel on ground; fol. 162v [O, 5 ll.] St Barbara with tower; fol. 163r in border St Agnes reading, with lamb.

ORNAMENTATION: Gold initials [6 – 9 ll.] filled with floral designs or liquid gold and white tendrils on gold, red and blue grounds, with full borders combining strewn-flower and ornamental panels; gold or orange acanthus initials [4 – 6 ll.] on pink or green grounds with full borders combining strewn-flower and ornamental panels; blue or red initials [4 – 6 ll.] on gold or blue grounds or gold initials on blue and red grounds; gold initials [1 – 3 ll.] on red and blue grounds or blue and red initials on gold grounds; red, blue and gold linefillers with geometric designs; capitals highlighted in red.

Notes

History note: 18th century Dutch-speaking owner (titles in Dutch on spine); Richard, seventh viscount Fitzwilliam of Merrion (1745 – 1816), acquired in 1807; his bequest, 1816.