Johanne Nielsdatter’s Book of Hours

Denmark, 15th century, last quarter

parchment

139 leaves

145 × 105 mm

Latin, Old Danish

1 (f. 2v) Blood-letting table

Note: f. 2r: Blank.

2 (ff. 3r–12v) Calendar

Note:

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.

Edition: Middelalderens danske bønnebøger, vol. 1, pp. 3–14.

3 (ff. 13r–35r) Hours of the Virgin

Incipit: Ave maria Dignare me laudare te virgo sacrata [...] Domine labia mea aperies [...] In honore beatissime Marie virginis Iubilemus domino

Explicit: Graciam tuam quesumus domine mentibus nostris infunde vt qui angelo anunciante christi filii tui incarnacionem cognouimus per passionem eius et crucem ad resurreccionis gloriam perducamur per eum Domine ex Benedicamus

Edition: Middelalderens danske bønnebøger, vol. 1, pp. 15–45.

4 (ff. 35r–39v) Hours of the Holy Spirit

Incipit: In vnitate sancti spiritus benedicat nos pater et filius [...] Domine labia [...] Beatus vir [...] Ueni creator spiritus

Explicit: ut tibi casto corpore serviamus et mundo corde placeamus per Benedicamus

Edition: Middelalderens danske bønnebøger, vol. 1, pp. 46–58.

5 (ff. 39v–41v) Hours of the Cross

Incipit: Tuam sanctam crucem adoramus domine [...] Patris sapiencia veritas diuina

Explicit: Iugi sic memorie mors est mihi cure Deo gracias Has horas O crux aue Te summa

Edition: Middelalderens danske bønnebøger, vol. 1, pp. 59–62.

6 (ff. 41v–51r) Seven Penitential Psalms

Incipit: Domine ne in furore tuo arguas me neque in ira tua corripias me

Explicit: et hostium sublata formidine tempora sint tua proteccione tranquilla

Edition: Middelalderens danske bønnebøger, vol. 1, pp. 63–74.

7 (ff. 51v–137r) Prayers in Old Danish

Note: ff. 137v–138vBlank.

Edition: Middelalderens danske bønnebøger, vol. 1, pp. 75–151.

7.1 (ff. 51v–95v) Prayers to Christ

Incipit: Wors herrae ihesu christi kors vaer meth mik ihesu christi kors är thet tegen som iec til bedaer

Explicit: oc aen doo at iaec aer thet v verdugh at fonge aff myn verdskyld tha vnd mik thet for thin velsignet moders och alle thine helligene bøne amen

7.2 (ff. 95v–117r) Prayers to the Virgin Mary

Rubric: Huo som thissae aeffter skreffne bøner laeser i xxx dage meth gudaelighet for iomfru maria billet oc meth ieth brinendae lyus tha vordaer then menniske hørdh e huat drøffwilsae then menniske pa kallar iomfru maria vden alle thyffwel och thet hauer manghe menniske prøuet meth thisse bøner oc hauer fonghet hielp aff iomfru maria oc ther skulle laeses x aue maria standindae opp i melle huer bøn oc sa bønen

Incipit: Maria iech bedaer thic oc paa myner thik for then store frygd och vaerdughet

Explicit: och kom os alle til hielp och trøst i alle vor nodh och bedh for os til thin signet søn thet vi aldrig taeue then ewinneligh døt Amen

7.3 (ff. 117r–127r) Prayers to St Anne

Rubric: Huo som thisse xw sancta anna gleder laeser huerdagh i sancta anna hellaer hinner dotter iomfru maria heder gudaeligh then dag skal dieffuelen icki skade hanum och han skal icki fonge bradh døt han skal ey falle i von hob pa sin vderste thime han skal fonge større nadae aen han noger tid førre haude oc skal see sancta anna oc iomfru maria

Incipit: Loff hedaer och aere vaere thik oc gledis aere fuld frue sancta ana

Explicit: vite sortem pacem presta celebrantibus tua festa Amen

7.4 (ff. 127r–137r) Prayers to Saints

Rubric: Haere aeffter skriffues ien myghet god bøn aff thin hellige aengel

Incipit: O helligae gusz aengel huilken som mik aer giuen til ien god bewarilsae aff then helligand

Explicit: Iec beder vnd mik for hinnes bøn skyld at iech ma ower winne alle vnde ting oc at hwn matte väre ien salligh bederske for mik i allae the ting som mik nøttaelig aerae amen

Physical Description

Support

Binding/Endleaves

Locus: LCI, RCI

Support: Parchment

Textblock

Locus: ff. 1r–139v

Support: Parchment

Leaf dimensions: 145 × 105 mm

Foliation

Modern foliation in pencil.

Collation

Note: VisColl collation

Formula: 1(12), 2-17 (8)

Note: Parchment guards visible in a few quires.

Condition

Textblock

f. 7r, f. 19v, f. 32r, f. 48r, f. 67r, f. 106r, ff. 108r–109v, f. 121r, f. 137r: Holes.

Layout

Layout 1

Locus: f. 2v

Columns: 1

Ruled lines: 28

Written area: 120 × 100 mm

Layout 2

Locus: ff. 3r–12v

Columns: 1

Written lines: 16–21

Written area: 100 × 80 mm

Layout 3

Locus: ff. 13r–137r

Columns: 1

Written lines: 17–20

Written area: 100 × 70 mm

Script

Textblock

Hand 1

Hybrida.

Additions

Binding/Endleaves

(LCI) Top of page in brown ink by an early modern hand: ‘Ottho Kragh’. To the right, in brown ink by a medieval hand: illegible notes. Middle of page: National Library modern exlibris with handwritten signum: ‘A 42’. Middle of page in black ink by a medieval hand: ‘beder goth ffor niels oluff son. beder goth ffor ffolmer oll[u]ffson. bedher goth for iøren ollofsson. bedher goth for maren olofs da[tter]. beder got for iakop [?]’. Bottom of page in black ink by a modern hand: ‘Tillhör Kungliga Bibliotheket i Stockholm. Innehåller 138 blad.’

(RCI) Top of page in brown ink by a medieval hand: three circles with signs, Roman numerals and text. Underneath in dark brown ink, by a medieval hand, possibly a mnemonic verse: ‘Sancte deus bonitas nobis qui semina rerum nasciturum electa qum morbida curia lete accepit rebus iam mensis morte tenebit’. Under this, in dark brown ink by a medieval hand: a text in Danish concerning golden numbers.

Textblock

(f. Note_1r) In black ink by a modern hand: notes on the contents and proper title of the volume.

(f. Note_1v) Notes in black ink by a modern hand: ‘Tidebok på Latin och Danska skrifven af Johanna Nilsdotter torde vara bästa titeln’.

(f. Note_2r) In dark brown ink by a modern hand: ‘Johanne Nielsdatters (jfr. Bl. 78.v.) Tidebog (jf. Christiern Pedersens danska Skrifter utg. af CJBrandt, BTh. Fenger II s. 497.)’

(f. 1r) Top of page in brown ink by a modern hand: ‘Ottho Kragh’. Below in black ink: ‘33’. Middle of page in black ink in a modern hand: ‘Cursus Beatae Mariae (Vor Frue Psaltare). Dansk hdskr. fr. slutet af 1400-talet. början af 1500. Innehåller latinska texter till Danska "Vor frue tijder", jemte åtskilliga böner.’

(f. 1v) In brown ink in a later medieval hand (cursive): ‘Psal. lxvi: Deus misereatur nostri’ (in total 12 lines).

(f. 4r) In black ink by a medieval hand, for 8 February: ‘Helena drongne’, for 9 February: ‘Appolonia’

(f. 4v) Top left margin, in black ink by a modern hand: question-mark. Top of page, to the right, in brown ink in a medieval hand: ‘obitus sanctis walburgis virginis’. Left margin, in pencil: Roman numerals continuing over (ff. 5r–6r).

(f. 6v) Left margin, in black ink by a modern hand: two question-marks. In brown ink by a medieval hand: ‘Obiit dominus Iohannes Episcopus Arusiensis Anno Domini mdlxxxii’, possibly referring to Jens Pederssøn Skielderup, bishop of Bergen, d. 1582. Nielsen (1956), p. 224 suggests Jens Iversen Lange, bishop of Aarhus, d. 1482; ‘halnardi martiris’ referring to St Hallvard, May 15.

(f. 8v) In light brown ink by a medieval hand, for 23 July: ‘birgite’

(f. 9r) In light brown ink in a contemporary hand, for 1 August: ‘sancti petri’

(f. 10v) In light brown ink in a contemporary hand, for 7 October: ‘brigite’

(f. 11r) In light brown ink in a contemporary hand, for 5 November: ‘mallacheus’

(f. 18v) Left margin in pencil by a modern hand: ‘Ad Laudes’

(ff. 139r–139v) In brown ink in a late medieval hand: notes on Dominical letters in Old Danish.

Decorations

Textblock

Description:

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) .

Initials:

(f. 13r) ‘D’ (f. 19r) ‘I’ (f. 51v) ‘W’ (f. 63r) ‘I’ (f. 66r) (f. 71r) ‘O’ (f. 73r) ‘O’ (f. 83v) ‘O’ (f. 96r) ‘M’ (f. 113v) ‘G’: Plain, penwork initials in red ink over 6-11 lines, extended along the margin. (f. 81v): Penwork initial ‘H’ in red and blue over 8 lines.  (f. 14r)   (f. 17v)   (f. 18v)  (f. 35v)   (f. 39v)   (f. 61v)  (f. 78v)  (f. 120v) : Plain, penwork initials in red ink, over 3-5 lines, some extended along the margin. Plain initials in red ink over 2-3 lines throughout the codex.

Binding

Description:

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’.

Binding dimensions: 160 × 110 × 60 mm

Tooling:

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.

Condition: Leather worn. Leather straps and clasps missing. Spine very worn with significant loss of leather at the top, endbands, the uppermost band and bookblock exposed.

History

Origin

Denmark 15th century, last quarter

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. It was later owned by the Danish nobleman Otto Kragh, whose signature is found on LCI and f. 1r. Kragh's library was taken in the First Northern War (1655–1660), and some of his books given to the Royal Library; see Walde (1916–1920), vol. 2, pp. 405–406. Current signum, ‘A 42’, was first established in Helin’s catalogue from the 1720s (U 91:2:2). Also mentioned in Gustaf Peringer Lillieblad's printed catalogue (1706), p. 90: ‘35. Breviarium Romanum’ (signum found on the Spine).