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
