Hours of the Virgin, Use of Rome; France (north-east), s. xvex

Title

Hours of the Virgin, Use of Rome; France (north-east), s. xvex

Shelfmark

Christ Church MS. 94

Place of origin

France (north-east)

Date

s. xvex

Language

Latin

Middle French (ca. 1400-1600)

Contents

Form

codex

Support

Parchment (usually HSOS)

Physical extent

Fols ii + 153 (numbered fols 1–152, but an unnumbered leaf follows fol. 52) + i (also numbered fol. 152). Fols 38, 42, 46, and 55 are later replacements for illuminated leaves excised at the openings of Terce, Sext, None, and Compline, respectively, the text supplied in a French hand, s. xvii. All flyleaves parchment, those at front a bifolium, that at rear ruled like and conjoint with the pastedown.

Hands

Written in gothic textura quadrata (perhaps not French but Flemish?).

Punctuation by occasional point..

Decoration

Headings in red. Champes at textual divisions: at the head (and head of each of the canonical hours) four-line blue and magenta with gold leaf infill and vine and bud pattern in green, blue, and red. At lesser divisions, two-line examples, typically alternate gold with blue, or gold with magenta, or gold with both colours. The texts are divided by alternate one-line lombards, gold leaf with navy flourishing and blue with red flourishing, as well as by a good many red-slashed capitals.

Originally, each of the hours was introduced by a full- page miniature, within a full flower and vine border, although many are now cut away and the leaves replaced with supplied modern leaves (fols 38, 42, 46, 55). The survivors are: Fol. 7 (Matins): the Annunication Fol. 24 (Lauds): the Visitation Fol. 34 (Prime): the Nativity Fol. 50 (Vespers): the flight into Egypt Fol. 71 (the Penitential Psalms): Christ in majesty with angels and saints above the dead rising from their graves Fol. 94 (the Office of the Dead): the raising of Lazarus

In addition, each of the suffrages is prefaced with a six-line illustration of the saint, one on each page, fols 144–48v.

See AT no. 815 (81), dating s. xv3/4. Otto Pächt, in 1943, left a more specific provenance in the Library’s copy of Kitchin’s catalogue: ‘NW French, prob. Tournai [sic]’.

Binding

Brown leather over millboards, goldstamped, s. xvi. Floral sprays in each corner and at the centre, stamped pictures within an oval: on the upper board, the Crucifixion with the Virgin and John; on the lower board, the Annunciation with ‘Ave gratia plena’. This design for the boards also to be found on British Library, c41e5, a printed Book of Hours (Paris, 1522), for images of which, and further examples and bibliography, see the British Library Database of Bookbindings [last accessed 14th December 2015]. Sewn on five thongs. Intact metal ‘straps’, clasps, and fittings. Pastedowns old parchment, the rear one a waste leaf in a format similar to, but not identical with, that of the manuscript itself; a ChCh bookplate on the front pastedown. Pages are gilt-edged.

Provenance

This manuscript clearly spent its early life in France, but no specific owner is presently identified for it. It reached ChCh from William Wake, as is noted by a pencil inscription (s. xix) at fol. 1: ‘From Abp. Wake’s Collection Roman Use’ (fol. i, s. xix). It appears in Wake’s autograph schedule (MS 352/8, fol. 1v) under quarto volumes as ‘an antient Ritual, illuminated’. Given Wake’s time in France, from June 1682 to September 1685, the possibility cannot be excluded that he bought the manuscript (and, equally, perhaps, MSS 93 and 100) there. On him and his bequest, see the Introduction (The Age of Catalogues).