Beschreibung:

BOOK OF HOURS, use mainly of Rome, in Latin and Dutch, ILLUMINATED MANUSCRIPT ON VELLUM [Low Countries, ca.1500-1520]160 x 110 mm., 196 leaves (including first 2 blank leaves, one a paste-down) plus 2 medieval flyleaves at end; collation : 1-6 8 7 8 + 1 8-9 8 10 8 (-6, cancelled blank) 11 8 + 1 12 8 + 1 13 8 14 6 15-16 8 17 8 (-6, cancelled blank) 18 8 (-7, cancelled blank) 19-22 8 23 6 24 8 , plus 8 miniatures on single leaves (inserted before 3/1, 4/1, 8/1, 9/7, 15/1, 17/1, 23/5, 24/1), text apparently complete, but lacking one miniature (possibly Coronation of the Virgin, before 19/2), 18 lines, ruled in purple, justification 102 x 68 mm, written in black ink in a gothic textura, rubrics in red, one- and two-line initials in red and blue, three-line initials with fine penwork decoration, 8 FIVE- OR SIX-LINE INITIALS elaborately decorated with extensive penwork flourishes, 8 LARGE FOLIATE INITIALS, mostly inhabited by flowers and insects, WITH FULL BORDERS of Flemish style flowers, foliage and insects, 8 FULL-PAGE MINIATURES, WITH FULL BORDERS, 7 in Flemish style, of naturalistic flowers, insects or scrolled foliage, Contemporary calf over wooden boards, with blocked decorative panels incorporating a double-headed eagle, 17th century red silk chemise, with silver clasps (upper joint of binding broken) PROVENANCE: Probably made in the Southern Netherlands, perhaps Brussels: the calendar has St. Gudula, patron saint of Brussels in red; 16th-century obits of Anna van der Meeren who died in Brussels (6 Jan.) and of Jacqueline van Bloys, widow of William van Borre, pensioner of St. Martensdyck. In 1583, after the death of Madame Jacobmyne de Boloys, widow of Gilles du Borre (probably a corruption of Jacqueline van Bloys above), the books was presented to Gerard Numan. He was the son of Adrian Numan who had died in Mechelen in 1576, and was married to Joanna van Veltwyck; they had seven children, born between 1578 and 1590 in Utrecht and 's-Gravenhage. The volume then remained in possession of the Numan family for most of the 17th century. A note at the end of the calendar written by the son of Jan Philip de Stember and Cornelia van Alckemade announces the death of his parents in 1678 and 1679 TEXT: The Calendar (ff.3-14) is in Dutch and a little sparse, the only unusual saint in red being Gudula (8 Jan.); f.18 Hours of the Cross in Latin ; f.27 Hours of the Virgin [f.34 Lauds, f.42 Prime, f.44 Tierce, f.47 Sext, f.49 None, f.52 Vespers, f.56 Compline], f.61 Seven Pentitential Psalms (S.Hubert and S.Gudela in the Litany); f.76 Office of the Dead; f.79 Commendations of the Dead; All the following texts are in Dutch : f.103 Golden Litany of the Life and Passion of the Lord; f.118 Prayer for Holy Communion; f.125 Prayer for the Seven Wounds of our Lord; f.135 Seven Prayers of St. Gregory; f.149 Devotions for the Rosary of our Lady ( onser liever vrouwen wesenen crans ) and other prayers; f.169 Suffrages of Saints Anne, Michael, Peter, Augustine, Anthony, Jerome, Barbara, Katherine, Agnes, Gudula, Margaret; f.182 Five Joys of St. Anne; f.187 Devotions and Hymns to the Virgin DECORATION The miniatures appear to be by four very different artists, representing styles of illumination not usually found together in a single manuscript. The earliest, illustrating the Annunciation, King David and the Mass of St. Gregory, date to circa 1500 and belong to the Ghent/Bruges School; the latter two of those may be attributed to the circle of the Prayerbook Master [cf. Dogaer, Flemish Miniature Painting , pp.159/60]; another artist using a finer and lighter palette painted the Crucifixion and the Raising of Lazarus and belongs to the circule of the Master of Charles V, active in Brussels ca.1510-30 [Dogaer op.cit. pp.169/70]; finally the Nativity and the Virgin with St.Anne were painted by an artist belonging to a group known as the 'Masters of the Suffrages' active in the Northern Netherlands, primarily in Leiden around 1520, who specialised in