National Library of Sweden, A 42
Johanne Nielsdatter’s Book of Hours
Denmark, 15th century, last quarter
Parchment
139 leaves
145 × 105 mm
Latin, Old Danish
Notable feasts:
f. 3r: St Canute (7 Jan.)
f. 6v: St Hallvard (15 May, later addition)
f. 7v: St William of Æbelholt (16 June); St Botolph (17 June)
f. 8v: St Birgitta (23 July, later addition); St Olaf (29 July)
f. 10v: St Birgitta (7 October, later addition)
According to Nielsen, p. 224, the calendar follows the Aarhus rite.
Foliation
Condition
Layout
Script
Textblock
Hand 1
Hybrida.Additions
Binding/Endleaves
Textblock
Decorations
Textblock
Main text in brown ink, rubrics and introductions to prayers in red, capitals in red. Crosses in brown ink in the margin starting on (f. 52v).
Penwork initials in red ink over 8-11 lines, some exented along the margin, with interior reserved shapes, and pen-flourishes:
(f. 13r): ‘D’;
(f. 19r): ‘I’;
(f. 51v): ‘W’;
(f. 63r): ‘I’;
(f. 73r): ‘O’;
(f. 83v)‘: O’;
(f. 96r): ‘M’.
Penwork initial ‘H’ in red over 6 lines, extended along the margin, with interior reserved shapes, and pen-flourishes in blue ink: (f. 81v).
Penwork initials in red ink over 3-6 lines, some extended along the margin, with interior reserved shapes, and pen-flourishes: (f. 14r); (f. 17v); (f. 18v); (f. 35v); (f. 39v); (f. 61v); (f. 66r); (f. 71r); (f. 78v); (f. 113v); (f. 120v).
Plain initials in red ink over 2-3 lines throughout the codex.
Binding
Late medieval binding. Brown leather over wooden boards; 4 pairs of raised bands, 2 hook-clasp fastenings. Spine: traces of a label with text in brown ink: ‘35’; stamped in gold: ‘A 42’; label with text in brown ink: ‘A 42’.
Blind tooling. Double frames; rectangles with motifs inside: flowers along the sides, lozenges at top and bottom. In the centre a medallion with flowers and leaves.
Provenance
The book originally belonged to one Johanne Nielsdatter, mentioned on f. 78v, possibly the daughter of the councillor Niels Christiernsen Munk, see Nielsen (1956), pp. 223–224.
The Danish nobleman Otto Kragh, whose signature is found on LCI and f. 1r.
Kragh's library was seized in the First Northern War (1655–1660), and some of his books were transferred to the Royal Library; see Walde (1916–1920), vol. 2, pp. 405–406. The current signum, ‘A 42’, was first established in Helin’s catalogue from the 1720s (U 91:2:2). The volume is also mentioned in Gustaf Peringer Lillieblad's printed catalogue (1706), p. 90: ‘35. Breviarium Romanum’ (signum found on the Spine).
Acquisition
From the Antiquities Archive to the National Library in 1780.
- Nielsen (1956), pp. 223–228.
- Middelalderens danske bønnebøger, vol. 5, p. 21.
- Walde (1916–1920), vol. 2, pp. 405–406.
