Book of Hours: MS McClean 97

Titles

Book of Hours

Maker(s)

Author: Grote, Geert

Entities

• Book of hours

Categories

• Illuminated manuscript
• Manuscript

Description

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Parchment, 266 fols. (foliated 2 – 267), 160 x 116 (96 x 64) mm, 20 long lines, ruled in black ink (except fols. 246r – 266v, 22 – 23 long lines, ruled in hard point), catchwords.

BINDING: Stamped 1588 on upper cover, brown calf over wooden boards, sewn on five double supports, gold-stamped Crucifix with three nails and IHS on upper cover, Coronation of the Virgin by the Trinity on lower cover, 4 cornerpieces on each cover, chain hasps at lower edges of both covers, two leather straps with clasps on lower cover, one catchplate and trace of another on upper cover, edges painted red.

CONTENTS: fols. 3r – 14v Calendar; fols. 15r – 35r Hours of the Eternal Wisdom; fols. 35r – 54v Hours of the Cross; fols. 55r – 76v Hours of the Holy Spirit; fols. 77r – 108v Hours of the Virgin; fols. 109r – 116v Penitential Psalms
fols. 117r – 126v Litany; fols. 126v – 129v Prayer on the Sacrament
fols. 129v – 130v Prayer at Mass; fols. 131r – 151r Meditations on the Passion
fols. 151v – 158v Verses of St Bernard; fols. 159r – 190v Office of the Dead
fols. 190v – 195v Prayers for the soul, to the Virgin, at graveyard, to All Saints, of Gregory; fols. 196r – 215v Hours of All Saints; fols. 216r – 246r Sequences
fol. 246v Prayer to the Virgin (addition); fols. 247r – 251v Hours of the Cross (addition); fols. 252r – 259v Litany with collects (addition); fols. 259v – 261v Prayer to the Trinity (addition); fols. 261v – 263r Prayer to the Virgin (addition)
fol. 263v Prayer for the sick (addition); fols. 264r –264v Prayer on the Five Wounds (addition); fols. 264v – 265v Prayer on the Name of Jesus (addition)
fols. 265v –266r Prayer to St Anne (addition); fol. 266r-v Prayer to Christ (addition).

DECORATION: Blue and red parted initials with pen-flourished infill, occasionally incorporating motif inspired by text, and full pen-flourished borders with gold leaves and flowers including figures with scrolls inscribed in Middle Dutch or Latin, for major text divisions: fol. 15r Hours of the Eternal Wisdom, Christ blessing and holding orb in border; fol. 35r Hours of the Cross, [H, 8 ll.] Cross and five bleeding wounds, in border Man of Sorrows holding scourge and reed; fol. 55r Hours of the Holy Spirit, blue dove in border; f. 77r Hours of the Virgin, Matins, angel praying in border; fol. 109r Penitential Psalms, [H, 8 ll.] Holy Face, in border David praying with harp beside him; fol. 126v Prayer on the Sacrament, in border monstrance with host; fol. 131r Meditations on the Passion, Pelican in her piety in border; fol. 159r Office of the Dead, in border Hell Mouth with souls praying in flames; fol. 196r Hours of All Saints, Agnus Dei with banner in border.

ORNAMENTATION: Blue penwork initials [3 ll.] with reserved ornament and red pen-flourished infill and extensions with blue and gold motifs; alternate red and blue penwork initials [2 ll.] with pen-flourished infill and extensions; alternate red and blue one-line penwork initials; capitals highlighted in red.

Notes

History note: Cornelia of Delft, nun at the convent of St Agatha (sixteenth-century ownership inscription, fol. 2r); A.J. von Aussem, no. 18 (ownership inscription inside upper cover); Sir J.L. Goldsmid’s sale, Puttick and Simpson’s, London, 11 April 1889, lot 366 (cutting from sale catalogue pasted inside upper cover); purchased by Frank McClean (1837 – 1904); his bequest, 1904.