Manuscript on parchment of a book of hours in the Premonstratensian use
Description:
In Latin., Script: Written by a single copyist in two sizes of liturgical gothic script., One miniature, f. v verso: Saul on the Road to Damascus, an addition (between 1500 and 1510) of fair quality, in an arched frame, brown and gold; a scatter border of flowers and insects on a beige ground, brown edging. Large initials, one (f. 4r) 8-line (45 x 45 mm.) on burnished gold with tooling, the others either on burnished gold with tooling (ff. 1r, 38r, 72v, 127v) or on pink and blue grounds (ff. 154r, 161r, 193v), set in full scatter borders of acanthus twigs (either gold with pink and brown or red, blue, and/or pink), flowers and, in some cases, birds, over compartmentalized (blue/gold, pink/beige, blue/dark blue, beige/brown), beige and parchment (with and without a background of black pen flecks) grounds; some borders without bounding lines. On f. 1r, an unidentified coat of arms in each corner of the border. Upper left and lower right, sable, in chief 2 wreaths vert with dots gules and or, in base a rose per pale gules and argent, barbed vert, seeded or. Upper right, or, a bear (?) rampant argent, langued gules. Lower left, ermine, a fess gules with 4 plates, cottised sable. Small initials, 3-line, gold, either filled with pink with gold filigree on a blue ground decorated with acanthus and black flecks, or filled with blue on a pink ground decorated with black filigree; some with additional flowers or pink and blue acanthus; all associated with short border strips, as above. Numerous 3- and 4-line initials, blue, filled with red curling acanthus drawn in pen, surrounded by red or crimson penwork. 2- and 1-line initials in red or blue. Rubrics throughout., Pieces of the illuminated borders have been cut from ff. 4, 38, 127, 154, and 193. Ink has run or been rubbed in several places, including ff. v verso and 1r., and Binding: Sixteenth century. Sewn on three double vegetable fiber cords laced into wooden boards. The book is so tightly bound that it is impossible to determine whether or not the sewing is original. No endband grooves. Edges gilt. Covered in dark brown calf with a panel stamp of the Virgin and Child on a crescent, within a flambent aureole in the center of each board, hearts pierced with an arrow and a dagger (?) in a diamond, stars in circles above and below the central stamp, all within a vine scroll border. Traces of one fastening, two later fastenings added. Rebacked, very possibly by the binder who rebacked MS 7 as there is a similar, unusual, endcap treatment.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Catholic Church and Premonstratensians.
Subject (Topic):
Books of hours, Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, and Manuscripts, Medieval
Manuscript on paper of a collection of prayers and hymns, compiled in 1518 by the humanistic-minded Benedictine monk Vitalis of Rothenthal (Rubrevallensis) (fols. 1-110).
Description:
In Latin., Script: copied by one hand in Gothica Semihybrida Libraria with Bastarda/Fractura features. Art. 1 is written in s. XVI2 Gothica Semihybrida Currens. Art. 74 is printed in black and red in Gothic Textura., Decoration: Headings and stroking of the majuscules in red. Each prayer opens with a 3-6 line calligraphic initial (cadel) in red; more rarely with a plain initial in the same colour. Guide letters. In Book of Hours, f. 126v (facing f. 1r of the printed foliation), full-page woodcut, hand coloured in green, blue, yellow and red, of the Virgin and Child in the Sun, standing on the Moon., Binding: original blind-tooled brown pigskin over wooden boards; spine with two double raised bands. The covers decorated with a frame of foliage enclosing a central rectangular panel containing three rosettes; the rosettes are repeated in the three compartments of the spine. Two engraved brass clasps attached to the rear cover, with engraved brass catches on the front cover; the corner pieces are missing., Watermark of the manuscript part: perhaps var. Briquet 2172., and Bound with a printed Book of Hours (Vienna, Hieronymus Vietor and Iohannes Singrenius for Leonardus and Lucius Alantse, 1513 September 14).
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Benedictines. and Catholic Church
Subject (Topic):
Books of hours, Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Manuscripts, Medieval, and Prayer books
