The Digital Walters is a branch of The Walters Art Museum Manuscripts Department.
This Book of Hours was produced in Northern France in the first quarter of the sixteenth century. The calendar contains numerous saints venerated in the region of Thérouanne (See Origin details), and the Hours of the Virgin is of the Use of Thérouanne. The book is embellished with ten full-page miniatures surrounded by illusionistic panel borders, twelve foliate borders, and twenty smaller miniatures with single-side panel borders accompanying the Gospel Lessons, a prayer for the buried, and the Suffrages. Several pages with miniatures have been removed (see Foliation/Pagination). The miniatures and illusionistic borders are in a regional Northern French style derived from the so-called Bruges-Ghent school of illumination, while the majority of the foliate borders introducing the texts are in a more traditional French style. Several of the miniatures, border details, and inscriptions are derived from images in printed Books of Hours designed by the Master of the Très Petites Heures of Anne of Brittany. The original owner of the book has not been precisely identified, though he is depicted in prayer before an image of the Trinity on fol. 128v, and his unidentified coat-of-arms is reproduced reproduced three times (1 and 4, argent a lion sable armed and langued gules; 2 and 3, or an anchored and belted cross gules party per pale argent three fleurs-de-lys sable; fols. 29r, 51r, and 128v). A motto, "Il n'est que d'estre," is also present on fols. 40r, 51r, and 128v. The calendar and rubrics are in French. The book was in the possession of the Philadelphia collector William Hamilton as early as 1768.
Support: Parchment; Extent: vii+152+vi; 168 x 120 mm bound to 176 x 125 mm; Foliation: Partial modern foliation in pencil, upper-right recto; fols. 19, 56, and 142 excised but included in folio count; additional uncounted folios excised between 67-68 and 149-150; fol. 91 repeated; tipped-in original miniatures at folios 28, 50, 81, 100, 128; Collation: 1 (12), 2 (9, -7 +7), 3 (6), 4 (9, +1), 5 (8), 6 (9, +6), 7 (8, -3), 8 (8, -7), 9 (8), 10 (5, +5), 11-12 (8), 13 (9, +4), 14-15 (8), 16 (9, +7), 17 (8), 18 (8, -4 -7), 19 (8, -4), 20 (3, +1)
One column of seventeen lines, ruled in red ink; written area: 98 x 66 mm
Bâtarde
Ten full-page miniatures with illusionistic panel borders, twenty quarter-page miniatures with vertical border bars, twelve full foliate borders, 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.
Front unnumbered leaves v-vii are original ruled parchment, not included in folio count; folios 154-156 are also original ruled parchment but included in folio count
Calendar and rubrics in French
Quartered coat-of-arms on fols. 29r, 51r, and 128v is 1 and 4, argent a lion sable armed and langued gules (Fiennes); 2 and 3, or an anchored and belted cross gules (possibly Bernieules) party per pale argent three fleurs-de-lys sable
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.
Northern France
Calendar includes numerous saints venerated in Thérouanne, Saint-Omer, and the surrounding region: Saint Sylvin of Thérouanne (16 February, fol. 2v), Saint Humfridus (8 March, fol. 3r), Saint Bertinus of Saint-Omer (5 September, fol. 9r), Saint Omer (9 September, fol. 9r), Saint Wulfran of Abbeville (16 October, fol. 10v), Saint Winnoc of Berghes (6 November, fol. 11r), Saint Maxim of Wismes (13 September, fol. 9r and 4 December, fol. 12r); Hours of the Virgin of the Use of Thérouanne; first quarter 16th century
American, possibly made in Philadelphia, black hard-grained leather, blind ruled, gilt roll on turn-ins, "MISSALE" gilt-lettered on spine, mid-nineteenth century
Latin; Middle French (ca. 1400-1600)
William Hamilton of the Woodlands, Philadelphia, c. 1786 ("W. Hamilton" written on fol. 1r); Mary Hamilton, Woodlands, 1813; Joshua Francis Fisher, Philadelphia, 1827 ("Joshua F. Fisher. Presented by my excellent friend Miss M. Hamilton. Woodlands, Oct. 20th 1827" written on recto of first parchment flyleaf); descended in th Fisher family to Mrs. James Drinker; given by her to the Library Company of Philadelphia in 1970
Northern France
Calendar includes numerous saints venerated in Thérouanne, Saint-Omer, and the surrounding region: Saint Sylvin of Thérouanne (16 February, fol. 2v), Saint Humfridus (8 March, fol. 3r), Saint Bertinus of Saint-Omer (5 September, fol. 9r), Saint Omer (9 September, fol. 9r), Saint Wulfran of Abbeville (16 October, fol. 10v), Saint Winnoc of Berghes (6 November, fol. 11r), Saint Maxim of Wismes (13 September, fol. 9r and 4 December, fol. 12r); Hours of the Virgin of the Use of Thérouanne; first quarter 16th century
Latin; Middle French (ca. 1400-1600)
William Hamilton of the Woodlands, Philadelphia, c. 1786
This Book of Hours was produced in Northern France in the first quarter of the sixteenth century. The calendar contains numerous saints venerated in the region of Thérouanne (See Origin details), and the Hours of the Virgin is of the Use of Thérouanne. The book is embellished with ten full-page miniatures surrounded by illusionistic panel borders, twelve foliate borders, and twenty smaller miniatures with single-side panel borders accompanying the Gospel Lessons, a prayer for the buried, and the Suffrages. Several pages with miniatures have been removed (see Foliation/Pagination). The miniatures and illusionistic borders are in a regional Northern French style derived from the so-called Bruges-Ghent school of illumination, while the majority of the foliate borders introducing the texts are in a more traditional French style. Several of the miniatures, border details, and inscriptions are derived from images in printed Books of Hours designed by the Master of the Très Petites Heures of Anne of Brittany. The original owner of the book has not been precisely identified, though he is depicted in prayer before an image of the Trinity on fol. 128v, and his unidentified coat-of-arms is reproduced reproduced three times (1 and 4, argent a lion sable armed and langued gules; 2 and 3, or an anchored and belted cross gules party per pale argent three fleurs-de-lys sable; fols. 29r, 51r, and 128v). A motto, "Il n'est que d'estre," is also present on fols. 40r, 51r, and 128v. The calendar and rubrics are in French. The book was in the possession of the Philadelphia collector William Hamilton as early as 1768.
Front unnumbered leaves v-vii are original ruled parchment, not included in folio count; folios 154-156 are also original ruled parchment but included in folio count
Calendar and rubrics in French
Quartered coat-of-arms on fols. 29r, 51r, and 128v is 1 and 4, argent a lion sable armed and langued gules (Fiennes); 2 and 3, or an anchored and belted cross gules (possibly Bernieules) party per pale argent three fleurs-de-lys sable
Bâtarde
Ten full-page miniatures with illusionistic panel borders, twenty quarter-page miniatures with vertical border bars, twelve full foliate borders, 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.
Clear All
