Beschreibung:

Use of Rome, in Latin, illuminated manuscript on parchment [France (perhaps Paris), last decades of fourteenth century or opening decades of fifteenth century] 145 leaves, perhaps wanting a calendar at front, then a leaf or so after fols.39 and 93, and perhaps also 100, misbound (perhaps intentionally during last binding to place a miniature at the front of the volume), collation (following present order,): i-iv8, v6, vi-xv8, xvi4, xviii8, xix7 (v wanting), xx4, with catchwords, modern pencil foliation following original order (note repeating in one place for fols.110-111; however followed here; thus present order: 102-117, 78-93, 94-100, 118-149, 9-24, 33-39, 110-111, 42-48 [followed by an unmarked blank] 49-63 [followed by an unmarked blank] 64, 69-70, 65-68, 25-32, 71-77, 150-153), single column, 15 lines in a late gothic bookhand, capitals touched in yellow, rubrics in red, small initials in liquid gold on pink and blue grounds, the larger with penwork sprays from corners, line fillers in the same colours enclosing gold v- and t-shapes, 7 initials in pink or blue enclosing ivy leaves on gold grounds with ivy leaf sprays in borders, 2 half-page miniatures (fols.102: funeral service; 78r: David, seated with his harp (both scuffed and with substantial flaking, the second reduced in centre of miniature to just under-drawing) with text borders and ivy leaves in borders, some parts of book where decoration re-touched in gaudy colours (see fols.9r, 95r-98v, 29r-32r), split in edge of fol.11, scuffed, stained and washed out in places, trimmed at edges, overall fair condition, 102 by 70mm., late seventeenth-century binding of leather over pasteboards, gilt-tooled with double fillet and dots on boards, and same on spine with inscription “HENTIQ”, some wear to spine and stains to boards in places, else good condition Andre Joseph de Branc[as] (d. 1709), Marquis de Courbons, Baron de Villeneuve and Comte de Rochefort his printed armorial bookplate inside front and back boards. Text: This is a remarkably early example of a Book of Hours. Originally the extant text comprised: the Hours of the Virgin, followed by hymns, suffrages and variants for major feasts; the Seven Penitential Psalms followed by a Litany; and the Office of the Dead. Later fifteenth-century prayers have been added to originally blank leaves after Hours of the Virgin, the Litany and on last endleaves. While damaged, the miniatures here have stylistic links with those in another Book of Hours, made in Paris in the last two decades of the fourteenth century (now Victoria and Albert, Reid MS. 1: R. Watson Western Illuminated Manuscripts I, 2011, no.25).