National Library of Sweden, A 227
Book of Hours
Flanders, 16th century, first quarter
parchment
i, 164, i' leaves
220 × 160 mm
Latin
The manuscript is missing up to 70 leaves. 23 leaves are today found in the manuscript, Kassel, Universitätsbibliothek Kassel, Ms. math. 50. One leaf is found in Stockholm, Nationalmuseum, NBM 2409. One more leaf was sold by Dr. Jörn Günther Rare Books to a private collector in 1995. The content of the manuscript has been placed in the wrong order (most likely when the manuscript was rebound in the 18th or 19th century). The table of content at the end (ff. 164r–165r) may indicate the origianal order of the texts. It is primarily the texts found on ff. 26r–49v and ff. 55r–58v that have been placed in the wrong place in the manuscript.
Secundo folio
Incipiunt hore de sancta trinitateFoliation
Collation
Condition
Textblock
Occasional stains on the parchment, does not affect the text. Several leaves missing, see Collation and Contents.Layout
Script
Textblock
Hand 1
Gothic textualis formata.Additions
Binding/Endleaves
Decorations
Textblock
Main text in black ink, rubrics in red, some capitals touched in yellow/gold.
The manuscript originally contained numerous full- or half-page miniatures, of which only four are left in the manuscript.
The remaining miniatures are portraits of the four Evangelists: (f. 59r): John; (f. 60v): Luke; (f. 62v): Matthew; (f. 63v): Mark. The miniatures are composed as a frame in a frame, with an outer decorative border not related to the story in the illustration and an inner frame usually shaped as a window or portal. The borders are also used for pages with large intitials, e.g. (f. 7r). The majority of the borders feature realistically painted flowers, birds, and insects usually placed on a yellow background, e.g. (f. 60v). The other dominating motif for the borders is architectural elements, e.g. (f. 11r) and (f. 62r). All other leaves feature a quarter-border in the outer margin. These are usually similar in style to the full borders, but with variation, e.g.(f. 119v) and (f. 40v). There are also borders containing panels with text, which often appear to be heavily abbreviated, e.g. (f. 79r). There are three instances of borders with historiated motifs in monochrome:
(f. 2r): Christ carrying the cross; (f. 3r): man kneeling infront of three angels; (f. 22r): scenes from the life of Christ;
(f. 140r): a burial.
(ff. 2r–139r): Chapters are usually opened by foliate initials over 6 lines. The letters are normally painted in blue with white highlights and the counterspace filled with red with gold highlights. The letters are placed on a gold background outlined in black. On (f. 3r), (f. 35r), (f. 49r), and (f. 129r) the initials are over 5 lines with letters painted in yellowish brown with details in gold/yellow; background in purplish blue or red, both with gold highlights. (ff. 2r–165r): Paragraphs are opened by decorated initials over 2 lines. The letters are painted in blue with white details and placed on background in red with gold details. Sentences are opened by similar intials over 1 line. The minor offices on (ff. 36r–46v) feature historiated initials over 4-6 lines. The intials are painted in purple or yellow, both with gold highlights and are placed on a background of yellow and gold, or purple and gold. The motifs are painted in shades of yellowish brown against a blue background. Motifs: (f. 36r): Nativity; (f. 39r): Trinity; (f. 41r): Coronation of the Virign; (f. 43r): priest with monstrance; (f. 45r): Crucifixion; (f. 46v): burial.
Undeciphered text in panels:
(f. 21v): SNROEMSNVA
(f. 30v): NEMCSVHEKNE
(f. 31r): HSOANRMAVNSK
(f. 34v): SEVSNASOHSEI
(f. 42v): NESNCHOVMEF
(f. 43r): EISIVNOHSOVEF
(f. 48v): VSNAEHSMSRNAEI
(f. 58v): NASRMSNOIS
(f. 68v): NSERMASIRNSI
(f. 79v) : SNRSVMAOSNRI
(f. 80r): NASMVESMQRVS
(f. 100v): SMOVASNEISIO
(f. 101r): NRVAEOSMRIR
(f. 102r): SOAIONSITORN
(f. 105v): BNSRIDMASNOS
(f. 106r): SNRMSAVSNEBISI
(f. 127v): NCSRVMSIAVEHS
(f. 141v): IAVENESMRINSAEH
(f. 142r): ORINSHNOAMRN
(f. 155v): SVNEISRVEMSI
(f. 156r): AVENOSMAVICSI
Gilt edges with a x or diamond pattern pressed into the edges (most clearly visible on the (Head)).
Binding
Modern binding. The manuscript was rebound in 1983. Green velvet over wooden boards. 6 pairs of raised bands and endbands. Spine, ink on a paperlabel: ‘A 227’.
Origin
Flanders, 16th century, first quarter. The decoration is Flemmish and has been ascribed to the workshop of Simon Beningand dated to around 1520 by Pächt (1983). Testa (1992), p. 58, via Biermann, argues that the original owner was Melchior Pfinczing, provost of the St Sebald Church in Nuremberg. Although missing most of its suffrages, the manuscript still contains a suffrage to St Sebald (ff. 49r–49v).
The masculine inflexions used in the prayers also indicate that the manuscript was comissioned for a male user (‘ego sum facturus’ on f. 134r, ‘mihi miserrimo peccatori’ on f. 136r).
Provenance
Early provenance unknown. Most likely acquired by Queen Lovisa Ulrika(1720-1782) or Gustaf III(1746-1792) in the mid to late 18th century.
Listed as ‘No 72’ in the catalogue from the Drottningholm Palace library.
Acquisition
Transferred from the library at Drottningholm Palace to the Royal Library in 1854.
- Wieselgren (1925).
- Gyllene böcker (1952), p. 80, no. 160.
- Willers (1958), p. 15, 28.
- Illuminated manuscripts (1963), p. 14.
- Wolf (1981), pp. 34–39.
- Pächt (1983).
- Testa (1992).
