The Digital Walters is a branch of The Walters Art Museum Manuscripts Department.
This manuscript is a Book of Hours made in northern France for the Use of Rome in the late-fifteenth century. It contains a Suffrage to Saint Sebastian added in a later hand prior to the beginning of the manuscript proper, a calendar in French (fols. 1r-12v), Gospel Lessons with large miniatures of the Evangelists (fols. 13r-20v), the Obsecro te (fols. 21r-25r), the O intemerata (fols. 25v-28v), the Hours of the Virgin (fols. 29r-97v), the Hours of the Cross (fols. 98r-101v), the Hours of the Holy Spirit (fols. 102r-105v), an Accessory prayer in Italian in a later humanist hand (fols. 106r-106v), the Penitential Psalms, Litany, and Prayers (fols. 107r-122v), the Office of the Dead (fols. 123r-171v), and the Mass of the Virgin added in a nearly contemporary rotunda script (fols. 172r-177v). Seventeen large miniatures plus an historiated initial for Lauds (fol. 50r), surrounded by foliate borders containing animal and human drolleries mark the divisions between these texts. The subjects depicted are Saint John (fol. 13r), Saint Luke (fol. 15r), Saint Matthew (fol. 17r) and Saint Mark (fol. 19r), along with the Virgin and Child (fol. 21r), the Lamentation (fol. 25v), the Annunciation (fol. 29r), the Nativity (fol. 63r), the Annunciation to the Shepherds (fol. 69r), the Adoration of the Magi (fol. 74r), the Presentation in the Temple (fol. 79r), the Flight into Egypt (fol. 85r), the Coronation of the Virgin (fol. 93r), the Crucifixion (fol. 98r), Pentecost (fol. 102r), David and Bathsheba (fol. 107r), and the Three Living and The Three Dead (fol. 123r). The miniatures, though damaged by moisture and abrasion, show a sensitive palette and an eye for anecdotal details. Various features point to an earlier Italian ownership of this Book of Hours.
Support: Parchment; Extent: v+182+iii; 180 x 130 mm bound to 184 x 136 mm; Foliation: Modern foliation in pencil, upper right recto; Collation: 1-2 (6), 3-18 (8), 19-20 (4), 21-23 (8), 24-25 (4)
One column of fifteen lines, ruled in purple ink; written area: 104 x 69 mm
Gothic--textualis semi-quadrata
Seventeen large miniatures and one historiated initial; full foliate borders surrounding each miniature, some with drolleries; single foliate margin on remaining rectos; illuminated initials and line-fillers throughout
For a full list of Decorations in this manuscript please see the Content and Decorations section by clicking on the [i] button in the top left corner of the image viewer above.
Original folios mistakenly unnumbered between 62 and 63, and 73 and 74
Gilded rubrics in the Hours of the Virgin
Antiphon in Latin in a humanist hand added to unnumbered folio following fol. 73
Previously stated date of 1503 is perhaps based on a reading of inscription on fol. 178r
These are pages that we pulled aside that disrupted the flow of the manuscript reader. These may be bindings, inserts, bookmarks, and various other oddities.
France
Late 15th century
Red morocco with gilt stamping and tooling, circa 1580-1600, Italian(?); Crucifixion on front cover and Virgin and Child on back cover; bee motif repeated on cover and center of spine
Latin; Middle French (ca. 1400-1600); Italian
Early evidence of ownership in Italy (Mass of the Virgin in Rotunda Script, fols. 172r-178r, prayer added in a humanist hand on fol. 106, and Italian-style binding; Samuel Tolfrey, 1869 (possibly Samuel Tolfrey Christie, inscription on first lower flyleaf); possible German owner (list of miniatures in German on second to last flyleaf); Samuel Stockton White III and Vera White; bequeathed to the PMA in 1967
France
Late 15th century
Latin; Middle French (ca. 1400-1600); Italian
Early evidence of ownership in Italy
This manuscript is a Book of Hours made in northern France for the Use of Rome in the late-fifteenth century. It contains a Suffrage to Saint Sebastian added in a later hand prior to the beginning of the manuscript proper, a calendar in French (fols. 1r-12v), Gospel Lessons with large miniatures of the Evangelists (fols. 13r-20v), the Obsecro te (fols. 21r-25r), the O intemerata (fols. 25v-28v), the Hours of the Virgin (fols. 29r-97v), the Hours of the Cross (fols. 98r-101v), the Hours of the Holy Spirit (fols. 102r-105v), an Accessory prayer in Italian in a later humanist hand (fols. 106r-106v), the Penitential Psalms, Litany, and Prayers (fols. 107r-122v), the Office of the Dead (fols. 123r-171v), and the Mass of the Virgin added in a nearly contemporary rotunda script (fols. 172r-177v). Seventeen large miniatures plus an historiated initial for Lauds (fol. 50r), surrounded by foliate borders containing animal and human drolleries mark the divisions between these texts. The subjects depicted are Saint John (fol. 13r), Saint Luke (fol. 15r), Saint Matthew (fol. 17r) and Saint Mark (fol. 19r), along with the Virgin and Child (fol. 21r), the Lamentation (fol. 25v), the Annunciation (fol. 29r), the Nativity (fol. 63r), the Annunciation to the Shepherds (fol. 69r), the Adoration of the Magi (fol. 74r), the Presentation in the Temple (fol. 79r), the Flight into Egypt (fol. 85r), the Coronation of the Virgin (fol. 93r), the Crucifixion (fol. 98r), Pentecost (fol. 102r), David and Bathsheba (fol. 107r), and the Three Living and The Three Dead (fol. 123r). The miniatures, though damaged by moisture and abrasion, show a sensitive palette and an eye for anecdotal details. Various features point to an earlier Italian ownership of this Book of Hours.
Original folios mistakenly unnumbered between 62 and 63, and 73 and 74
Gilded rubrics in the Hours of the Virgin
Antiphon in Latin in a humanist hand added to unnumbered folio following fol. 73
Previously stated date of 1503 is perhaps based on a reading of inscription on fol. 178r
Gothic--textualis semi-quadrata
Seventeen large miniatures and one historiated initial; full foliate borders surrounding each miniature, some with drolleries; single foliate margin on remaining rectos; illuminated initials and line-fillers throughout
For a full list of Decorations in this manuscript please see the Content and Decorations section by clicking on the [i] button in the top left corner of the image viewer above.
These are pages that we pulled aside that disrupted the flow of the manuscript reader. These may be bindings, inserts, bookmarks, and various other oddities.
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