Book of Hours (‘Siebenhirter’s Breviary’)

Austria, Vienna, 1469, ca

Parchment

202, ii' leaves

235 × 145 mm

Latin

1 (ff. 1v–13r) Calendar

Note:

Besides the customary Golden Numbers and dominical letters in the columns on the left the calendar also has a table for sunrise and sunset with the times listed by the hour and minute.

Notable feasts:

f. 3r: St Walpurga (25 Feb.);

f. 4r: St Rupert (27 Mar.)

f. 6v: St Deocarus (7 June); St Eligius (25 June, translatio);

f. 8v: St Radegund (11 Aug.);

f. 10r: St Rupert (24 Sep., translatio); St Virgilius (26 Sep.);

f. 10v: St Maximilian (12 Oct.); St Coloman (13 Oct.). f. 1r: blank.

2 (f. 13v) Bloodletting table

3 (ff. 14r–15v) Treatise on bloodletting

Incipit: Ad habendum autem bonum tempus seu malum pro fleubothomia

Explicit: Et ideo tales nec signum nec horas expectare oportet

4 (ff. 16r–16v) Hymn

Rubric: ymnus

Incipit: UEni creator spiritus

Explicit: nobisque mittat filium karisma sancti spiritus Amen

5 (ff. 16v–22v) Seven penitential psalms

Rubric: psalmus dauid Sequitur

Incipit: DOmine ne in furore tuo arguas

Explicit: neque vindictam summas (!) de peccatis meis

6 (ff. 22v–27v) Litany

Rubric: letania

Incipit: Kyrieleyson Cristeleyson

Explicit: et pacem tuam nostris concede temporibus per eundem cristum dominum nostrum amen

7 (ff. 28r–29v) Miscellaneous liturgical items

Incipit: PAter noster qui es in celis

Explicit: nos defendant et ad uitam eternam perducant amen

Note:

f. 28r: The Lord's prayer; Apostles' Creed;

f. 28v: Canticle of Mary;

f. 29r: Canticle of Simeon; Veni sancte spiritus;

f. 29v: Salve Regina; prayer to the Virgin Mary.

8 (ff. 30r–54v) Office for the dead

Rubric: Vigilia sequitur

Incipit: ORemus pro omnibus fidelibus defunctis

Explicit: per dei magnam misericordiam requiescant in sancta pace amen

Note: f. 55r: blank.

9 (ff. 55v–96v) Hours of the Virgin

Rubric: Cursus beate marie uirginis

Incipit: DOMine labia mea aperies [...] Inuitatorium IN honore beatissime marie uirginis iubilemus domino

Explicit: et mortis tue gladius doloris pertransiuit Qui es benedictus in secula seculorum Amen

Note: f. 55v: full-page miniature. f. 78r, 82r, 86r, 97r: blank.

10 (ff. 97v–105v) Prayers and sequences

Incipit: BEnedicat me imperialis maiestas

Explicit: laudes sempiternas decantare iubente et adiuuante deo saluatore nostro Qui est benedictus in secula seculorum Amen

Note:

f. 97v: Benedicat me imperialis maiestas;

f. 98r: blank;

ff. 98v–99r: prayer to the Holy Shroud;

f. 100r: Obsecro te;

ff. 100v–103r: prayers for before and after communion;

f. 103v: blank;

f. 104r: Veni sancte spiritus;

f. 104v: blank;

f. 105r: O precordialissime angele dei;

11 (ff. 105v–122v) Suffrages

Rubric: de sancto Georio milite et martire oracio

Incipit: GAude miles martir Geori

Explicit: et redempcionis sue gloriose consequi mereamur atque uitam eternam possidere Amen

Note:

A sequence and a prayer to the Virgin are also included among the prayers to the saints.

f. 106r: blank;

f. 106v: St George;

f. 107v: St Christopher;

f. 109r: St Leonhard;

f. 110v: St Sigismund;

f. 112r: Stabat mater;

f. 112v: Sanctissima et piissima dei genitrix;

f. 114r: Mary Magdalen;

f. 115v: St Barbara;

f. 117v: St Peter;

f. 118v: St Bartholomew;

f. 119v: Matthew;

f. 120v: St Florian;

f. 121v: St Sebastian;

f. 122v: St Helena.

12 (ff. 123r–153r) Hours of the Passion

Rubric: Incipit cursus de passione domini

Incipit: DOmine labia mea aperies [...] Inuitatorium CRistum captum et illusum flagellatum crucifixum venite adoremus

Explicit: dominus custodiat me famulum suum Amen Pater noster Aue maria Credo in deum patrem et cetera

13 (ff. 153v–194r) Office of the Eucharist

Rubric: Incipit Cursus de corpore christi ad uesperas

Incipit: DEus in adiutorium [...] antiphona Sacerdos in eternum cristus dominus secundum ordinem

Explicit: Dulce nomen domini et nomen gloriosissime virginis marie et omnium sanctorum sint benedicta in secula seculorum Amen

Note:

From vesper to vesper. f. 153v: full-page miniature.

f. 194v: blank.

14 (ff. 195r–200v) Instructions for confession

Rubric: Modus et forma confitendi

Incipit: COnfiteor et cetera Vsque mea culpa IN primis de multis bonis que facere potui

Explicit: et intercessionem omnium sanctorum assequi merear

Note: f. 201: blank.

15 (f. S202r) Full-page portrait of the Habsburg family

Note:

See Decorations.

f. S202v blank.

Physical Description

Support

Binding/Endleaves

Locus: LCI, RCI

Support: Parchment

Locus: ff. SR1–SR2

Support: Paper

Leaf dimensions: 235 × 145 mm

Textblock

Locus: ff. 1–S202

Support: Parchment

Leaf dimensions: 235 × 145 mm

Foliation

Modern foliation in pencil in bottom outer corner, f. 1-202. Pagination of uncertain date in red crayon, dark ink and possibly pencil in top outer corner, p. I-XXV followed by p. 1-374.

Collation

Note: The manuscript is too fragile to collate, but based on the quire signatures the manuscript seems to consist mainly of quinternions.

Signatures: Quire signatures in Roman numerals at the end of each quire.

Condition

Textblock

Parchment cockled and stained at the top of most leaves, probably due to water damage, more damage on ff. 1–2. On some leaves, e.g. f. 102r, the ink appears faded and somewhat difficult to read. Fire damage visible on Head.

Layout

Columns: 1

Ruled lines: 21

Written area: 145 × 100 mm

Note: Guidelines and ruling in brown ink.

Script

Textblock

Hand 1

Gothic semitextualis.

Additions

Binding/Endleaves

(LCI) Upper part of page in ink by a modern hand: ‘Inköptes till Kongl. Bibliotheket den 1^a December 1825 från guldsmeden N. Hedenskoug för 166 Rd 32 sk bco. omnämns i Kometen Nov. 1825’; added after the year in pencil: ‘25/11’; below in pencil: ‘A 225’.

(f. SR1r) Entire page covered in notes in ink and pencil in Swedish. The notes identifies the Habsburg family members in the portrait on f. 202r.

(RCI) Upper part of page in ink by an early modern hand: ‘35 Gemeide sein in diesem Buch ohne das letzte Kunststuck dar die 5 Angesicht auf gewesen sein’.

Textblock

(f. 200v) Additions by a medieval hand in the outer margin, partially illegible due to trimming. The additions consist of parts of two psalms (Ps. 29:12, 30:17) and some sort of list, which includes items in German.

(f. 201v) Additions in pencil by a modern hand identifying the portraits on f. 202r.

Decorations

Textblock

Description:

Main text in black ink, rubrics in red.

The decoration consists of 36 almost full-page polychrome miniatures (and one later addition). The miniatures in the first part of the manuscript are framed by a thin red, blue or violet ink decoration around the edges. The others are enclosed by frames in simple trompe l’oeuil.

The figures are rather broad and short, dressed in clothing of the late 15th century. The artist makes use of aerial perspective in the landscapes and makes an effort to create depth in the interior scenes. Some miniatures are framed by decorated arches and some by purely decorative patterns, e.g. on f. 111v.

The painting is executed in bright and clear colours with a dominance of bright green and blue, and a frequent use of gold. Yellow is used occasionally and shell gold is used for smaller details. Gold leaf in initials, frames and halos, sometimes with sgraffito. Highlights are modelled with different hues of the main colour.

Most miniatures are furnished with protective silk curtains, sewn on the top of the folio with large stiches. Some folios have wholes along the upper edges of the parchment, indicating the loss of still more curtains. The silk cloths are in bright red, dark red, violet and green and all but one (f. 99r) cover the full page/miniature.

Most texts have conventional pictorial programs but the Office of the Eucharist has some rare miniatures portraying the sacredness of the Eucharist. On f. 92v the conventional Coronation of the Virgin is replaced by the Dormition of the Virgin. The Man of Sorrows opens the Marian prayer Obsecro te domina, which also is unusual. The blank leaves on f. 103v,f. 104v, and possibly on f. 106r may indicate plans for two further miniatures.

J F Hamburger has identified the artist as the Viennese Master of the Schoolbooks, active ca 1465-80. It is a skilled artist, well rooted in the Austrian stylistically traditions, depicting conventional pictorial programs at the same time as a series of miniatures of rare content, probably on special commission for the patron, see Hamburger (1984), pp. 12–13.

Miniature:

Iconography:

Hours of the Virgin:

f. 55v: the Annunciation; f. 70v: Visitation; f. 74v: Nativity; f. 78v: Adoration of the Magi; f. 82v: Presentation in the Temple; f. 86v: Christ and the Doctors in the Temple; f. 92v: Dormition of the Virgin;

Prayers/Suffrages: f. 99r: The Shroud/Face of Christ; f. 99v: Man of Sorrows with Arma Christi; f. 107r: St Christopher carrying a child; f. 108v: St Leonhard; f. 109v: St Eustach; f. 111v: Crucifixion; f. 113v: Mary Magdalen; f. 115r: St Barbara; f. 117r: St George; f. 118r: St Peter; f. 119r: St Bartholomew; f. 120r: St Matthew; f. 121r: St Florian; f. 122r: St Sebastian;

Hours of the Passion: f. 131v: Christ Before Pilate; f. 135r: Christ Carrying the Cross; f. 138v: Calvary scene with the two thieves; f. 141v: The Deposition; f. 145r: The Entombment; f. 149r: The Resurrection;

Hours of Corpus Christi: f. 153v: The Last Supper; f. 158v: On receiving the Hostia in true faith, a true believe, a doubter, and a heretic; f. 160v: Desecration of the Holy Mass by impure Interruption; f. 173r: Miracle of the Host transforming to a bleeding finger (Vita Gregorius 20) ; f. 178v: Miracle of drops from heaven during consecration; f. 182v: Desecration by destruction of the Hostia; f. 186r: Desecration of the Last communion/Viaticus; f. 189v: Two kneeling angels holding a monstrance;

Portrait: f. 202r: later portrait of the Habsburg family. In the center Philip I of Castille, and from the left top corner clockwise: Frederick III, Maximilian I, Ferdinand I, and Carl V.

Initials:

ff. 16r–186v: chapters (the hours, or other major sections) are introduced by an acanthus initial over 8-10 lines.

The initials are accompanied by marginal decorations consisting of elongated acanthus leaves in blue, green, yellow, rose and gold. Occasionally flowers are interspersed (most aquileia and roses). On f. 87r there is a crane in the foliage.

f. 190r: historiated initial. Same style as the others but the counter space is filled with an image of a hooded man in profile and the coat of arms of Johann Siebenhirter. The same coat of arms is also present in the margin on f. 139r, and f. 149v, where it is hanging from foliage. On f. 136r, f. 142v, and f. 173v the coat of arms of the Order of St George are hanging from foliage; on f. 145v it is held by a flower-man. ff. 98v–122v: a smaller version over 4 lines of the acanthus initials are used for the individual prayers.

ff. 14r–200v: paragraphs are introduced by plain initials over 2-3 lines in alternating blue and red, while capitals in the same style are used for sentences.

Edges:

Gilt edges.

Binding

Description:

Medieval binding. Red velvet over wooden boards. 4 double raised bands and endbands.

Binding dimensions: 240 × 170 mm

Condition: Velvet extremely worn, completely worn off in many places exposing the boards. Fire damage visible on upper part of LCO, RCO and Head. Top double raised band missing. Indentations for plates and buckles on LCO and RCO.

Contemporary: Unknown

History

Origin

Austria, Vienna, 1469, ca. The origin and dating is based mainly on the two coats of arms present in the manuscript (see Decorations). One of the coats of arms belongs to Johann Siebenhirter, first grandmaster of the Order of St George, to which the second coat of arms belongs. For further discussion see Wieselgren (1918). Pfändtner (2011) argues for a date before 1469 based on heraldic changes to the Siebenhirter coat of arms, but the manuscript cannot have been composed long before since the Order of St George was established in 1469.

Provenance

The manuscript is believed to have been the property of the Khevenhüller family in Carinthia during the 16th century. During the 17th century Paul Khevenhüller emigrated to Sweden where he formed close ties to the royal family. Wieselgren suggests that the manuscript was given to Queen Christina as a gift. It is believed that the manuscript was at the Royal Palace when it burned in 1697. Its fate after the fire is unknown, but at some point at the end of the 18th/beginning of the 19th century the manuscript was owned by the goldsmith Nils Hedenskoug (1776-1839).