Hours of the Virgin, Use of Rome and prayers; France (?north), s. xv ex.

Title

Hours of the Virgin, Use of Rome and prayers; France (?north), s. xv ex.

Shelfmark

Christ Church MS. 100

Place of origin

France (?north)

Date

s. xv ex

Language

Latin

Middle French (ca. 1400-1600)

Contents

Form

codex

Support

Parchment (both FSOS and HSOS)

Physical extent

Fols: 259 (numbered fols 1–258, but the rear pastedown, unnumbered, is part of the production)

Hands

Written in French bastard secretary (lettre bâtarde).

Punctuation by occasional point.

Decoration

Headings often in red, but also in text ink, a small cursive, crammed into inadequate spaces left in the copying. All leaves have full borders, with vine and flower designs (some animals and birds) in a variety of colours. At the major divisions, in association with large illuminations, four-line light blue lombards with red and gold grounds, with gold leaf centres and painted flowers. (In the second production unit, many six-line examples introduce individual prayers.) The prayers are divided by two-line champes in gold leaf with red and blue. At versals, one-line gold lombards with alternate red and blue grounds. Simple line-fillers in red, blue, and gold leaf.

At the openings of sections, seven-line illuminations: fol. 40: Jesus and the implements of the Crucifixion; fol. 212: John the evangelist with the poisoned cup; fol. 220v: Stephen holding an open book and palm branch; fol. 221: Laurence with a book and griddle; fol. 222: Anne teaching the Virgin to read.

In addition, at the openings of the Hours, illuminations of about half the page area: Fol. 21: (the Passion narrative): Jesus in Gethsemane Fol. 79v (Matins): the Annunciation Fol. 88 (Lauds): the Visitation (in background, an impressionistic depiction of a classical rotunda) Fol. 97 (Prime): the Nativity Fol. 101v (Tierce): the angel appears to the shepherds Fol. 105v (Sext): the Adoration of the Magi (Balthasar black) Fol. 109v (Nones): the Presentation at the Temple Fol. 113v (Vespers): the flight into Egypt Fol. 120v (Compline): the Coronation of the Virgin Fol. 140v (Matins of the Hours of the Holy Spirit): Pentecost, with the kneeling Virgin in the foreground Fol. 148 (Lauds): Anne and Joachim embracing outside the Golden Gate Fol. 156v (the Penitential Psalms): David kneeling bareheaded before an altar lit by beams coming through a window Fol. 171v (the Office of the Dead): the raising of Lazarus

See AT no. 794 (78) and plate xlix (fol. 120v); they date the illumination s. xvi in. Otto Pächt’s note in the Library’s copy of Kitchin’s catalogue was more definite, identifying the artist as ‘School of Bourdichon’ and the calendar with Paris. He thus identifies the style with the circle around Jean Bourdichon of Tours (?1457-?1521), illuminator at the French royal court, on whom see most recently Thomas Kren and Mark Evans ed., A Masterpiece Reconstructed. The Hours of Louis XII(Los Angeles, 2005), focussing on Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum, MS 79.

Binding

Purple velvet with an embroidered leaf design in gold and silver thread over millboards, s. xvii. Sewn on three thongs. Pastedowns old parchment, a ChCh bookplate on the front pastedown. No flyleaves. All leaves gilt-edged, now very worn. The remains of a tab glued to the spine ‘Arch. W. ...’.

Provenance

There is no indication of the volume’s whereabouts before its receipt by Christ Church: from Abp Wake’s Collection (in pencil on the bookplate). The manuscript appears in Wake’s autograph schedule (MS 352/8, fol. 2) under octavo and smaller volumes: ‘An antient Rituall in 12º: Illuminated’. As with MSS 93 and 94, the possibility cannot be excluded that Wake came by this manuscript while he was in France, in 1682–85.