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Breviary Lewis E 236
Free Library of Philadelphia
Manuscript Overview
References
Binding Images

Abstract

This manuscript is a Breviary made in Paris early in the fourteenth century for the Franciscan Use of Rome, and contains lists of the ferial antiphons, feasts, absolutions, and blessings (fols. 1r-11v), a calendar (fols. 13r-24v), a liturgical psalter (fols. 25r-263r), the temporale and sanctorale cycles of feasts (fols. 266r-533v), the Little Office of the Virgin (fols. 534r-552r), the Office of the Dead (fols. 552v-565v), the Common of Saints (fols. 566r-621v), and lessons for the feast of Saint Mary Magdalene (fols. 622r-623v). Together, these comprise all the liturgical texts of the Divine Office for use throughout the year. The text is embellished with fifteen historiated initials showing biblical figures, saints, and scenes from their lives as well as over one thousand illuminated initials and many more smaller decorated initials. Some folios have been excised, including those at the beginning of psalms 1, 38, 97, and 109 (most likely for their historiated initials). The presence of Jean de Navarre's obit and the absence of one for Philip IV gives a potential date range of 1304-1314. The miniatures have been attributed to a follower of famed Parisian illuminator Jean Pucelle, artist of the celebrated Hours of Jeanne d'Evreux in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (acc. no. 54.1.2). Like the Hours of Jeanne d'Evreux, this book's diminutive stature strongly suggests that it was made for the private devotion of a high-ranking layperson. However, with folios measuring just 71 x 46 mm and lines of text just 1 mm high, the present volume is in fact even smaller than the famously small d'Evreux Hours in all respects except length (having 623 folios to the d'Evreux Hours's 209).

Physical Description

Support: Parchment; Extent: iv+623+iv; 71 x 46 mm bound to 76 x 56 mm; Foliation: Inconsistent and inaccurate foliation and pagination; Collation: Uncertain

Layout

One column of seventeen lines; ruled in brown ink; pricking visible; written area: 43 x 30 mm

Script

Gothic--textualis quadrata

Decoration

Fifteen historiated initials; over one thousand illuminated initials, some with marginal flourishes; numerous smaller decorated initials and line-fillers in red, blue, and gold

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.

Notes

No correct system of foliation or pagination present

At least two folios missing, after fols. 23v and 193v

Additional text has been added to a number of folios in a contemporary hand

Corrections to original text in a contemporary hand

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.

Spine

Fore edge

Top edge

Bottom edge

Keywords
Breviary
14th century
French
Missing leaves
France
Devotion
Free Library of Philadelphia

Place of Origin

Paris, France

Date

Early 14th century

Binding

Possibly German, nineteenth-century, red morocco with gilt tooling and gilt clasp

Language

Latin; Middle French (ca. 1400-1600)

Provenance

Sold by Laurence Witten (no. 1946 in the 1962 catalog no. 5); purchased by the Free Library of Philadelphia with the Simon Gratz Fund

return to search Breviary Lewis E 236

Place of Origin

Paris, France

Date

Early 14th century

Language

Latin; Middle French (ca. 1400-1600)

Provenance

Sold by Laurence Witten

Manuscript Overview

Abstract

This manuscript is a Breviary made in Paris early in the fourteenth century for the Franciscan Use of Rome, and contains lists of the ferial antiphons, feasts, absolutions, and blessings (fols. 1r-11v), a calendar (fols. 13r-24v), a liturgical psalter (fols. 25r-263r), the temporale and sanctorale cycles of feasts (fols. 266r-533v), the Little Office of the Virgin (fols. 534r-552r), the Office of the Dead (fols. 552v-565v), the Common of Saints (fols. 566r-621v), and lessons for the feast of Saint Mary Magdalene (fols. 622r-623v). Together, these comprise all the liturgical texts of the Divine Office for use throughout the year. The text is embellished with fifteen historiated initials showing biblical figures, saints, and scenes from their lives as well as over one thousand illuminated initials and many more smaller decorated initials. Some folios have been excised, including those at the beginning of psalms 1, 38, 97, and 109 (most likely for their historiated initials). The presence of Jean de Navarre's obit and the absence of one for Philip IV gives a potential date range of 1304-1314. The miniatures have been attributed to a follower of famed Parisian illuminator Jean Pucelle, artist of the celebrated Hours of Jeanne d'Evreux in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (acc. no. 54.1.2). Like the Hours of Jeanne d'Evreux, this book's diminutive stature strongly suggests that it was made for the private devotion of a high-ranking layperson. However, with folios measuring just 71 x 46 mm and lines of text just 1 mm high, the present volume is in fact even smaller than the famously small d'Evreux Hours in all respects except length (having 623 folios to the d'Evreux Hours's 209).

Notes

No correct system of foliation or pagination present

At least two folios missing, after fols. 23v and 193v

Additional text has been added to a number of folios in a contemporary hand

Corrections to original text in a contemporary hand

Script note

Gothic--textualis quadrata

Decoration Note

Fifteen historiated initials; over one thousand illuminated initials, some with marginal flourishes; numerous smaller decorated initials and line-fillers in red, blue, and gold

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.

References
Binding Images

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.

Spine

Fore edge

Top edge

Bottom edge

Keywords
Breviary
14th century
French
Missing leaves
France
Devotion
Free Library of Philadelphia
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