Book of Hours in Middle Dutch; Delft, mid-15th century

Title

Book of Hours in Middle Dutch; Delft, mid-15th century

Shelfmark

MS. Douce 248

Date

15th century, middle

Language

Latin

Middle Dutch (ca. 1050-1350)

Contents

Form

codex

Support

parchment

Physical extent

ii + 257 + ii leaves

Hands

Formal textualis; one hand.

Decoration

Calendar: KL monograms with penwork extending into partial borders.

Miniatures on inserted sheets for the Hours of the Virgin, grisaille (more stricly semi-grisaille) with highlighting in yellow wash, haloes in gold, backgrounds painted in blue and gold; in the style of the so-called 'Masters of the Delft Grisailles'. M. Osterstrom-Renger, 'The Netherlandish Grisaille Miniatures: Some Unexplored Espects,” Wallraf-Richartz-Jahrbuch 44 (1983), 145–73. 152 fig. 4 illustrates fol. 74v. fol. 74v, Annunciation (marginal scroll 'Non venit ad veniam qui nescit amare Mariam')fol. 94v, Visitationfol. 100v, Nativityfol. 104v, Circumcisionfol. 109v, Adoration of the Magifol. 114v, Presentation in the Templefol. 121v, Massacre of the Innocentsfol. 127v, Flight into Egypt

Borders: full and partial penwork borders in blue and red in the Delft 'scallop' or 'schulp' style (The Golden Age of Dutch Manuscript Painting (1990), p. 186; Kriezels, Aubergines En Takkenbossen : Randversiering in Noordnederlandse Handschriften Uit De Vijftiende Eeuw, ed. A. S. Korteweg (1992), pp. 57-8); frequently with drolleries, animals, birds, scrolls carrying text, and historiated decoration. Miniatures with borders in different style.

Major divisions marked by historiated initials, with full penwork borders (partially painted): fol. 66r (Short Hours of the Cross), 8 lines, in gold and blue, Christ's wounds on a crucifix, with the instruments of the passion; outer margin, phoenix, with scroll 'Ignis ardore comburet prolis amore fenix' (the last word in red); in lower margin, Agnus Dei. fol. 75r (Hours of the Virgin), 9 lines, Virgin and Child; angel in outer margin fol. 163v (Prayers and suffrages), 6 lines, monstrance; angel in margin

Other major divisions marked by large decorated initials, with full penwork borders (partially painted): fol. 12r (Hours of the Eternal Wisdom): 8 lines, in gold and blue; border with dragons and figure with scroll 'quotquot agas prudenter agas et respice finem'fol. 38r (Die hundert Betrachtungen), 8 lines, in gold, red and blue; marginal figures include pelican in its piety. fol. 142r (Penitential Psalms), 8 line, in gold, red and blue; King David in outer margin fol. 218r (Office of the Dead), 8 lines; nun with rosary in margin

Smaller initials with partial penwork borders: (a) usually 4-line initials often with marginal animals, hybrids or scrolls: fols. 13r (rabbit and hybrid), 21r (hybrid), 24r (hybrid), 26r, 28r, 29v, 31v, 34v (owl), 40r, 71r, 84v (mermaid), 95r, 101r, 105r (unicorn; bird with scroll with Dutch text), 110r (bird with scroll with Dutch text), 115r (5 lines), 122r, 128r (7 lines, virgin and unicorn in lower margin, birds and vase (?) in outer margin), 167v, pelican, scroll with Dutch text, 184v, peacock; 186r, bird, scroll with Dutch text. (b) usually 3-line initials in red and blue, sometimes gold, with penwork in both colours, sometimes with marginal birds or animals, fols. 43r, 46r, 49r, 52r, 55r, 59v, 67r, 68r, 69r, 70r, 72r, 130r, 131v, 133v, 135r, 137r, 139r, 141r (gold), 151v (gold, stag in margin) 165v (gold; bird in margin with scroll with Dutch text), 169r, 170v (blue and gold, grotesque in margin) , 172r (blue and gold), 177v (blue and gold), 180r, 180v (marginal scroll with text in Dutch), 187v (blue and gold, cormorant (?) killing snake in margin), 188v (blue and gold, lily with birds in margin), 189r, 198v (St Lawrence in margin), 205r (heart with arrow in margin, scroll with Dutch text), 206r (St Margaret in margin), 206v (nun with book in margin, women or man and woman dressed in leaves, spinning, in lower margins of 206v-207r); 213r, 215r, 217r, 244v

Usually 2-line initials in blue alternating with red (sometimes blue alternating with gold, especially in fols. 172r-176v, 189v-212r), with penwork in red or light blue, occasionally with marginal figures: at fol. 201v, a chained ape in margin, fol. 202v, bird's head; fol. 208v, scroll with Dutch text; fol. 210r, cat and mouse; fol. 212r, jester .

Coloured 1-line initials in blue or red.

Binding

Red velvet, 18th or 19th century.

Acquisition

Bequeathed to the Bodleian in 1834

Provenance

Inscriptions, mostly effaced, on fol. 256v.

Francis Douce, 1757–1834: probably acquired Oct. 1833 ( Douce Legacy, no. 253).

Title

Dutch Book of Hours

Shelfmark

MS. Douce 248

Summary

'Die Ghetiden van onser lieuer Vrouwen' (fol. 75), preceded by:

(fol. 1) calendar

(fol. 12) 'Ghetiden van der Ewigher Wijsheit'

(fol. 38) 'Die hondert articulen of gedenckenissen van den liden ons lieues Heren'

(fol. 66) 'Corte Ghetiden van den heilighen Cruce'

Followed by

(fol. 128) 'Corte Ghetiden van onser lieuer Vrouwen'

(fol. 142) 'Die seuen Psalmen van penitencien' with 'letanien'

(fol. 163v) prayers and short pieces

(fol. 188v) suffrages

(fol. 218) 'die langhe Vigelie van neghen lessen'

There are several fine miniatures, the figures being chiefly in grisaille, and many illuminated borders and capitals with grotesques and ornament.

Date

written in the first half of the 15th cent. in the Netherlands

Language

Dutch

Physical facet

On parchment, illuminated, binding: red velvet

Physical extent

259 Leaves