8th Feb, 2024 11:00
The Oxford Library Sale
569
Illuminated medieval manuscript. Hours of the Virgin (Cistercian Use?). France, fifteenth century.
241 vellum leaves (approx. 180 x 130 mms). Ruled in red and lilac, writing area approx. 100 x 65 mms, written in Gothic textura, generally with 17 lines to the page. Text in Latin and French.
COLLATION: The manuscript is misbound. It appears to be missing 9 folios, around 5 of which would have had miniatures. We provisionally suggest: 1-2(6) 3-4(8) 5(8-1) [quire 5 within quire 4, as described below] 6-7(8) 8(8-1) 9(8-2) 10-12(8) 13(8-1) 14(8) 15(8-2) 16-29(8) 30(8-1) 31(8) 32(6-1). Quires 1 and 2 bound in wrong order. Single paper leaf bound (with the intention of offering protection?) before the Annunciation miniature in quire 4 (N.B. the above formula describes the vellum leaves only). Quire 5 lacks one leaf (had a miniature for the Hours of the Holy Spirit?); the surviving cognate leaf is bound between the central bifolium in quire 4. The remaining three bifolia of quire 5 are bound later in quire 4 (between fols. 28 and 35). Quire 5 seems to belong between quires 19 and 20. Quire 8 lacking one folio after fol. 56 (had a miniature for Terce). Quire 13 lacking one folio after fol. 92 (had a miniature for Vespers). Quire 9 lacking one folio before 59 (had a miniature for Sext) and one folio between 61-62 (had a miniature for Matins). Quire 13 lacking one folio after fol. 92. Quire 15 lacking two folios (catchword corrected; matches the current opening of quire 16). Quire 30 lacking one folio after fol. 225 (probably had a decorative border). Final folio of quire 32 wanting but probably blank. Catchwords mostly present; sometimes trimmed. Very occasional (incorrect) foliation in pencil.
CONTENTS: The following should be considered a provisional list. It reflects the misbound order. Fols. 1r-12v: a calendar [July-Dec misbound before Jan-Jun]. Fols. 13r-16v: Gospel Lessons. Fols. 17r-19v: Obsecro Te. Fol. 20rv: Ruled but blank. Fols. 21r-24r: Ora devota ad mariam virginem [= Lay fait par Achilles Caulier a l'onneur de la Vierge Marie in Arsenal, 3521, f. 259v-261r; see Arthur Piaget, ‘La Belle dame sans merci et ses imitations [IV]’, Romania 31 (1902), 318-21)]. Fol. 24v: French verse, incipit ‘O charboncle reluisant’ [continues at fol. 26r]. Fol. 25rv: Hours of the Holy Spirit [Quire 5, which contains this text, lacks one folio and has also been split up and misbound as described in the collation above. The singleton here at fol. 25 covers Prime and None]. Fols. 26r-27v: remainder of ‘O charboncle reluisant’, followed by two hymns. Fol. 28rv: Unidentified. Fols. 29r-31v: Hours of the Cross [misbound here]. Fols. 32r-32v: Hours of the Holy Spirit [misbound here]. Fols. 33r-34v: ruled but blank. Fols. 35r-61v: Unidentified [lacking two folios]. Fols. 62r-103v: Hours of the Virgin - Matins [lacking opening folio] (fols. 62r-67v); Lauds (fols. 68r-76v); Prime (fols. 77r-81r); Terce (fols. 81r-85r); Sext (fols. 85v-89r); None (fols. 89r-92v); Vespers [lacking opening folio] (fols. 93r-97v); Compline (fols. 98r-103v). Fols. 104r-141r: Unidentified [lacking two folios]. Fol. 141v: ruled but blank. Fols. 142r-151v: Penitential Psalms. Fols. 151v-157r: Litany. Fol. 157v: Ruled but blank. Fols. 158r-191r: Office of the Dead. Fol. 191v: ruled but blank. Fols. 192r-239v: Prayers, mostly in Latin but some in French [one leaf wanting]. Fols. 240r-241v: ruled but blank.
DECORATION: 8 miniatures in gold arched frames, with borders filled with acanthus, flowers, insects, animals, and sometimes drolleries (one with the upper body of a nun reading). The miniatures depict the Crucifixion (fol. 29r), the Annunciation (fol. 35r), the Presentation in the Temple (fol. 60r), the Visitation (fol. 68r), the Nativity (fol. 77r), the Coronation of the Virgin (fol. 101r), King David in Prayer (fol. 142r), and a Funeral Service (fol. 158r). 10 additional pages with 3- or 4-sided borders. Two historiated initials: a 6-line initial depicting the Virgin of Mercy, with a nun in prayer immediately adjacent in the border (fol. 21r); a 4-line initial depicting the arma Christi (fol. 29r). Further decorative initials of 1 to 5 lines in height in gold, red, and blue. Rubrics in red and (occasionally) blue. Some chrysography in calendar. Decorative line fillers.
BINDING: Later binding of green patterned silk(?) over pasteboard, all edges painted with floral pattern in red, green, and blue. With a blind-stamped brown leather case (painted internally purple, green, and blue).
USE: The typewritten notes loosely enclosed in the book (by former owner J. P. Love?) offer Use of Nantes as a suggestion (with a question mark). This inference is probably based on Madan tests as the Hours of the Virgin has Prime antiphon ‘Quando Natus’, Prime capitulum ‘Ab initio et ante’, None antiphon ‘Ecce maria genuit’, and None capitulum ‘Et radicavi’. However, we note the newer CHD tests, where this combination seems to point towards Cistercian Use. The Calendar has contents that might also suggest Cistercian use, including Anianus (13 June and 17 November) and Remigius (1 October) (cf. online catalogue description for Walters Art Museum MS W.44). We note also that Psalm 118 is divided across Prime-None in the Hours of the Virgin, which is associated with monastic uses according to CHD.
PROVENANCE: Intended for a female reader? We note ‘intercedere pro me peccatrice’ (with the feminine form) in the Sancta Dei Genitrix (fol. 199v). Perhaps the intended reader is the nun praying beside the historiated initial on fol. 21r. Some parts of the text crossed out by an early(?) hand (text still legible). Border decoration for the Annunciation includes two coats of arms held by angels: ‘sable, nine roundels argent, on a canton azure, a lion or, and azure, a saltire or, a label of tree points gules’ (quoted after the aforementioned typewritten notes).
CONDITION: Some fraying to textile covering material, quires loosening. Some foxing and staining, small tear to inner margin of folio with Annunciation miniature (not intersecting the miniature itself), minor worming in blank upper margin of about 6 folios (not affecting text).
BIBLIOGRAPHY: ‘New Tests for Localization of the Hore Beate Marie Virginis’, CHD Institute for Studies of Illuminated Manuscripts in Denmark, http://manuscripts.org.uk/chd.dk/use/hv_chdtest.html (last accessed by us 10/1/2024).
Provenance: John. P. Love Collection
Sold for £32,000
Estimated at £20,000 - £30,000
Illuminated medieval manuscript. Hours of the Virgin (Cistercian Use?). France, fifteenth century.
241 vellum leaves (approx. 180 x 130 mms). Ruled in red and lilac, writing area approx. 100 x 65 mms, written in Gothic textura, generally with 17 lines to the page. Text in Latin and French.
COLLATION: The manuscript is misbound. It appears to be missing 9 folios, around 5 of which would have had miniatures. We provisionally suggest: 1-2(6) 3-4(8) 5(8-1) [quire 5 within quire 4, as described below] 6-7(8) 8(8-1) 9(8-2) 10-12(8) 13(8-1) 14(8) 15(8-2) 16-29(8) 30(8-1) 31(8) 32(6-1). Quires 1 and 2 bound in wrong order. Single paper leaf bound (with the intention of offering protection?) before the Annunciation miniature in quire 4 (N.B. the above formula describes the vellum leaves only). Quire 5 lacks one leaf (had a miniature for the Hours of the Holy Spirit?); the surviving cognate leaf is bound between the central bifolium in quire 4. The remaining three bifolia of quire 5 are bound later in quire 4 (between fols. 28 and 35). Quire 5 seems to belong between quires 19 and 20. Quire 8 lacking one folio after fol. 56 (had a miniature for Terce). Quire 13 lacking one folio after fol. 92 (had a miniature for Vespers). Quire 9 lacking one folio before 59 (had a miniature for Sext) and one folio between 61-62 (had a miniature for Matins). Quire 13 lacking one folio after fol. 92. Quire 15 lacking two folios (catchword corrected; matches the current opening of quire 16). Quire 30 lacking one folio after fol. 225 (probably had a decorative border). Final folio of quire 32 wanting but probably blank. Catchwords mostly present; sometimes trimmed. Very occasional (incorrect) foliation in pencil.
CONTENTS: The following should be considered a provisional list. It reflects the misbound order. Fols. 1r-12v: a calendar [July-Dec misbound before Jan-Jun]. Fols. 13r-16v: Gospel Lessons. Fols. 17r-19v: Obsecro Te. Fol. 20rv: Ruled but blank. Fols. 21r-24r: Ora devota ad mariam virginem [= Lay fait par Achilles Caulier a l'onneur de la Vierge Marie in Arsenal, 3521, f. 259v-261r; see Arthur Piaget, ‘La Belle dame sans merci et ses imitations [IV]’, Romania 31 (1902), 318-21)]. Fol. 24v: French verse, incipit ‘O charboncle reluisant’ [continues at fol. 26r]. Fol. 25rv: Hours of the Holy Spirit [Quire 5, which contains this text, lacks one folio and has also been split up and misbound as described in the collation above. The singleton here at fol. 25 covers Prime and None]. Fols. 26r-27v: remainder of ‘O charboncle reluisant’, followed by two hymns. Fol. 28rv: Unidentified. Fols. 29r-31v: Hours of the Cross [misbound here]. Fols. 32r-32v: Hours of the Holy Spirit [misbound here]. Fols. 33r-34v: ruled but blank. Fols. 35r-61v: Unidentified [lacking two folios]. Fols. 62r-103v: Hours of the Virgin - Matins [lacking opening folio] (fols. 62r-67v); Lauds (fols. 68r-76v); Prime (fols. 77r-81r); Terce (fols. 81r-85r); Sext (fols. 85v-89r); None (fols. 89r-92v); Vespers [lacking opening folio] (fols. 93r-97v); Compline (fols. 98r-103v). Fols. 104r-141r: Unidentified [lacking two folios]. Fol. 141v: ruled but blank. Fols. 142r-151v: Penitential Psalms. Fols. 151v-157r: Litany. Fol. 157v: Ruled but blank. Fols. 158r-191r: Office of the Dead. Fol. 191v: ruled but blank. Fols. 192r-239v: Prayers, mostly in Latin but some in French [one leaf wanting]. Fols. 240r-241v: ruled but blank.
DECORATION: 8 miniatures in gold arched frames, with borders filled with acanthus, flowers, insects, animals, and sometimes drolleries (one with the upper body of a nun reading). The miniatures depict the Crucifixion (fol. 29r), the Annunciation (fol. 35r), the Presentation in the Temple (fol. 60r), the Visitation (fol. 68r), the Nativity (fol. 77r), the Coronation of the Virgin (fol. 101r), King David in Prayer (fol. 142r), and a Funeral Service (fol. 158r). 10 additional pages with 3- or 4-sided borders. Two historiated initials: a 6-line initial depicting the Virgin of Mercy, with a nun in prayer immediately adjacent in the border (fol. 21r); a 4-line initial depicting the arma Christi (fol. 29r). Further decorative initials of 1 to 5 lines in height in gold, red, and blue. Rubrics in red and (occasionally) blue. Some chrysography in calendar. Decorative line fillers.
BINDING: Later binding of green patterned silk(?) over pasteboard, all edges painted with floral pattern in red, green, and blue. With a blind-stamped brown leather case (painted internally purple, green, and blue).
USE: The typewritten notes loosely enclosed in the book (by former owner J. P. Love?) offer Use of Nantes as a suggestion (with a question mark). This inference is probably based on Madan tests as the Hours of the Virgin has Prime antiphon ‘Quando Natus’, Prime capitulum ‘Ab initio et ante’, None antiphon ‘Ecce maria genuit’, and None capitulum ‘Et radicavi’. However, we note the newer CHD tests, where this combination seems to point towards Cistercian Use. The Calendar has contents that might also suggest Cistercian use, including Anianus (13 June and 17 November) and Remigius (1 October) (cf. online catalogue description for Walters Art Museum MS W.44). We note also that Psalm 118 is divided across Prime-None in the Hours of the Virgin, which is associated with monastic uses according to CHD.
PROVENANCE: Intended for a female reader? We note ‘intercedere pro me peccatrice’ (with the feminine form) in the Sancta Dei Genitrix (fol. 199v). Perhaps the intended reader is the nun praying beside the historiated initial on fol. 21r. Some parts of the text crossed out by an early(?) hand (text still legible). Border decoration for the Annunciation includes two coats of arms held by angels: ‘sable, nine roundels argent, on a canton azure, a lion or, and azure, a saltire or, a label of tree points gules’ (quoted after the aforementioned typewritten notes).
CONDITION: Some fraying to textile covering material, quires loosening. Some foxing and staining, small tear to inner margin of folio with Annunciation miniature (not intersecting the miniature itself), minor worming in blank upper margin of about 6 folios (not affecting text).
BIBLIOGRAPHY: ‘New Tests for Localization of the Hore Beate Marie Virginis’, CHD Institute for Studies of Illuminated Manuscripts in Denmark, http://manuscripts.org.uk/chd.dk/use/hv_chdtest.html (last accessed by us 10/1/2024).
Provenance: John. P. Love Collection
CONDITION: Some fraying to textile covering material, quires loosening. Some foxing and staining, small tear to inner margin of folio with Annunciation miniature (not intersecting the miniature itself), minor worming in blank upper margin of about 6 folios (not affecting text).
Disclaimer: whilst we seek to describe lots accurately, it may be impractical for us to carry out exhaustive due diligence on each lot. Prospective buyers are given ample opportunities to view and inspect before any sale and they (and any independent experts on their behalf) must satisfy themselves as to the accuracy of any description applied to a lot. Prospective buyers also bid on the understanding that, inevitably, representations or statements by us as to authorship, origin, date, age, provenance, condition or estimated selling price involve matters of opinion.
Auction: The Oxford Library Sale, 8th Feb, 2024
Day One
Clocks, Furniture, Works of Art and Collectable - Lots 1 - 406
Day Two
Fine Bindings and Incunables from the collection of the late John P. Love - Lots 501- 575 (Click here to read about J. P. Love)
Antiquarian and Modern Books from multiple vendors - Lots 576 - 598
Books from the Library of the late Malcom Deas - Lots 601 - 702 (Click here to read about M. Deas)
Antiquarian and Modern Books from multiple vendors - Lots 703 - 783
Viewing
Saturday 3 February 9am - 1pm
Monday 5 February 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 6 February 9am - 5pm
