The Digital Walters is a branch of The Walters Art Museum Manuscripts Department.
This Book of Hours of the use of Noyon, produced at the end of the fifteenth century, contains ten large miniatures, as well as five small inset miniatures and an historiated initial illustrating the Passion of Christ. The style of the illumination suggests that this manuscript was produced in Amiens. The text is for a patron in Picardy, most likely one from Noyon: the Use conforms to those in other books known to be from Noyon, and the Litany includes Saint Médard (fol. 77r), who translated his see to Noyon from Vermand in 531. The book begins with a series of unnumbered flyleaves integral to the book block, which contain an rhyming original ownership inscription in French and a rhyming couplet about health and money, as well as the ownership inscriptions of subsequent seventeenth- and eighteenth-century French owners. The book begins with a calendar, followed by the Gospel Lessons, which are introduced with a miniature of Saint John on Patmos (fol. 16r). The Passion according to Saint John occurs next. It is prefaced with a large miniature of the Agony in the Garden (fol. 21r), and is punctuated by smaller miniatures showing: Christ with Apostles and Soldiers (fol. 20r); the Arrest of Christ (the unique historiated initial, fol. 23r); Christ before Pilate (fol. 24v); the Flagellation (fol. 25r); and the Crucifixion (fol. 25v). The Obsecro te and O intemerata prayers occur next, prior to the Hours of the Virgin, which is illustrated with miniatures of the Annunciation (fol. 35r); Visitation (fol. 42r); Nativity (fol. 49r); Annunciation to the Shepherds (fol. 52v); Adoration of the Magi (fol. 55r); and Flight into Egypt (fol. 60v). Atypically, there are no miniatures for Nones and Compline, and the text of the Hours of the Virgin runs continuously, without page breaks for the beginning of each Hour. The Penitential Psalms are introduced by a miniature of the penitent King David (fol. 68v) and the Office of the Dead is introduced by a miniature depicting the Raising of Lazarus. The final section of the book, which is unillustrated, is comprised of the Seven Prayers of Saint Gregory followed by two Prayers of Pope Leo, the Seven Joys of the Virgin, a prayer to the Five Feasts of the Virgin, the Stabat Mater, and the "O illustrissima et excellentissima..." prayer to the Virgin.
Support: Parchment; Extent: iiii+130+iii; 176 x 117 mm bound to 182 x 127 mm; Foliation: Modern foliation in pencil, upper right recto; Collation: 1-2 (2), 3-4 (6), 5-18 (8), 19 (2); Catchwords: Original downward-facing catchwords in lower right margin at fols.: 69v; 101v; and 109v
One column of twenty lines, ruled in brown ink; written area: 93 x 62 mm
Bâtarde
Ten large miniatures with full borders on brown or liquid gold grounds with foliage, bird and animal motifs; six nine-to-sixteenth-line historiated initials with illumination, depicting the Passion; eleven three-to-seven-line historiated initials with illumination; one- two-, five- and nine-line illuminated initials throughout; miniatures executed by two artists (as per Sotheby's 2006 catalogue entry: "The illumination of this manuscript is by two distinct artists. The first, who painted the miniatures on fols.14v and 19r, is characterized by the rotund, oval shaped faces with pale blue skin tones which he gives his figures, and his method of building texture with numerous single-hair brush strokes. The borders which accompany these are in the same style, and the initials are identical to the 9-line initials in the main text at fols. 15v, 16v, 18r, 116r, 117r, 118r, 119v, 122v. The second artist, who painted the miniatures on fols.33r, 40r, 47r, 50v, 53r, 59v, 66v and 83r, appears to have been more accomplished. He is more skilled in his approach to detail, in particular the faces of his figures, the drapery, and the backgrounds, and used a different technique of building texture, through a few wide brush strokes of grey to pick out shadows. He is probably also the artist of the miniatures for the Passion sequence and the initials of the Prayers for the Virgin and the other texts at end of volume. The initials which accompany his miniatures strongly suggest that he was active in Amiens.")
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.
Three unnumbered parchment leaves following the four upper paper flyleaves are integral to the first quire; four unnumbered folios (the first two ruled but blank) follow fol. 123 and precede the three lower paper flyleaves
Inscription on unnumbered recto i: "Je suis à Jenne fille Jehan Cinot, vous priant nullement m'embler, En me rendant pairay le sot, car sans heures ne puys dieu prier" and "Saincté sans argent, c'est demy maladie; Argent sans saincté, c'est pire la moitié"
Inscription on unnumbered recto i: "Ces heures apartiennent à Madelaine, Camuce lesquellees m'ont esté donnée, par mon père ce sixième jour d'octobre, 1615, 1615"
Inscription on unnumbered recto ii: "Ces heures Appartiennent A, André Scotte. Lesquelles m'ont, Esté Donnez par Damoiselle, magdelaine le camus ma mère, Le jour de tous les saincts, 1657"
Inscription on unnumbered recto iii: "Ce livre apartient, à Jean Marie Paque., M. Jean Haude, Boulogne sur mer; Ce livre apartient, à Jean Marie Paque, à Boulogne"
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.
Amiens?, France
Written in Northern France, possibly Amiens; circa 1480-1500
Nineteenth-century leather binding by Hans Asper with working metal clasp; "LIVRE D"HEURES" stamped in gold on spine; fitted case
Latin; Middle French (ca. 1400-1600)
Contemporary rhyming ownership inscription in French, naming Jeanne, daughter of Jean Cinot, on unnumbered recto i; inscription marking gift of book to Madeleine Camuce (?) by her father on 6 October 1615 on unnumbered recto i; ownership inscription of André Scotte marking gift of book by his mother Madeleine Le Camus on All Saints' Day, 1657 on unnumbered recto ii (Scotte can be identified with canon André Scotte de Velinghen, confessor and superior of the Ursulines of Boulogne, who died in 1703); ownership inscription of Jean Marie Paque of Boulogne in a seventeenth- or eighteenth-century hand on unnumbered recto iii; modern stock code on upper flyleaf 2; twentieth-century ownership inscription naming "Mr. Clancy" on upper flyleaf 2; Swann Galleries, New York, 2 April 1987, No. 1432: Rare books, cat. 112; Sotheby's, London, Western Manuscripts and Miniatures, 5 December 2006, lot 45; Phillip J. Pirages, Catalogue 60, 2011, cat. 444
Amiens?, France
Written in Northern France, possibly Amiens; circa 1480-1500
Latin; Middle French (ca. 1400-1600)
Contemporary rhyming ownership inscription in French, naming Jeanne, daughter of Jean Cinot, on unnumbered recto i; inscription marking gift of book to Madeleine Camuce
This Book of Hours of the use of Noyon, produced at the end of the fifteenth century, contains ten large miniatures, as well as five small inset miniatures and an historiated initial illustrating the Passion of Christ. The style of the illumination suggests that this manuscript was produced in Amiens. The text is for a patron in Picardy, most likely one from Noyon: the Use conforms to those in other books known to be from Noyon, and the Litany includes Saint Médard (fol. 77r), who translated his see to Noyon from Vermand in 531. The book begins with a series of unnumbered flyleaves integral to the book block, which contain an rhyming original ownership inscription in French and a rhyming couplet about health and money, as well as the ownership inscriptions of subsequent seventeenth- and eighteenth-century French owners. The book begins with a calendar, followed by the Gospel Lessons, which are introduced with a miniature of Saint John on Patmos (fol. 16r). The Passion according to Saint John occurs next. It is prefaced with a large miniature of the Agony in the Garden (fol. 21r), and is punctuated by smaller miniatures showing: Christ with Apostles and Soldiers (fol. 20r); the Arrest of Christ (the unique historiated initial, fol. 23r); Christ before Pilate (fol. 24v); the Flagellation (fol. 25r); and the Crucifixion (fol. 25v). The Obsecro te and O intemerata prayers occur next, prior to the Hours of the Virgin, which is illustrated with miniatures of the Annunciation (fol. 35r); Visitation (fol. 42r); Nativity (fol. 49r); Annunciation to the Shepherds (fol. 52v); Adoration of the Magi (fol. 55r); and Flight into Egypt (fol. 60v). Atypically, there are no miniatures for Nones and Compline, and the text of the Hours of the Virgin runs continuously, without page breaks for the beginning of each Hour. The Penitential Psalms are introduced by a miniature of the penitent King David (fol. 68v) and the Office of the Dead is introduced by a miniature depicting the Raising of Lazarus. The final section of the book, which is unillustrated, is comprised of the Seven Prayers of Saint Gregory followed by two Prayers of Pope Leo, the Seven Joys of the Virgin, a prayer to the Five Feasts of the Virgin, the Stabat Mater, and the "O illustrissima et excellentissima..." prayer to the Virgin.
Three unnumbered parchment leaves following the four upper paper flyleaves are integral to the first quire; four unnumbered folios (the first two ruled but blank) follow fol. 123 and precede the three lower paper flyleaves
Inscription on unnumbered recto i: "Je suis à Jenne fille Jehan Cinot, vous priant nullement m'embler, En me rendant pairay le sot, car sans heures ne puys dieu prier" and "Saincté sans argent, c'est demy maladie; Argent sans saincté, c'est pire la moitié"
Inscription on unnumbered recto i: "Ces heures apartiennent à Madelaine, Camuce lesquellees m'ont esté donnée, par mon père ce sixième jour d'octobre, 1615, 1615"
Inscription on unnumbered recto ii: "Ces heures Appartiennent A, André Scotte. Lesquelles m'ont, Esté Donnez par Damoiselle, magdelaine le camus ma mère, Le jour de tous les saincts, 1657"
Inscription on unnumbered recto iii: "Ce livre apartient, à Jean Marie Paque., M. Jean Haude, Boulogne sur mer; Ce livre apartient, à Jean Marie Paque, à Boulogne"
Bâtarde
Ten large miniatures with full borders on brown or liquid gold grounds with foliage, bird and animal motifs; six nine-to-sixteenth-line historiated initials with illumination, depicting the Passion; eleven three-to-seven-line historiated initials with illumination; one- two-, five- and nine-line illuminated initials throughout; miniatures executed by two artists (as per Sotheby's 2006 catalogue entry: "The illumination of this manuscript is by two distinct artists. The first, who painted the miniatures on fols.14v and 19r, is characterized by the rotund, oval shaped faces with pale blue skin tones which he gives his figures, and his method of building texture with numerous single-hair brush strokes. The borders which accompany these are in the same style, and the initials are identical to the 9-line initials in the main text at fols. 15v, 16v, 18r, 116r, 117r, 118r, 119v, 122v. The second artist, who painted the miniatures on fols.33r, 40r, 47r, 50v, 53r, 59v, 66v and 83r, appears to have been more accomplished. He is more skilled in his approach to detail, in particular the faces of his figures, the drapery, and the backgrounds, and used a different technique of building texture, through a few wide brush strokes of grey to pick out shadows. He is probably also the artist of the miniatures for the Passion sequence and the initials of the Prayers for the Virgin and the other texts at end of volume. The initials which accompany his miniatures strongly suggest that he was active in Amiens.")
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
