Book of Hours

France, Paris, 15th century, middle

parchment

iii, 220, ii' leaves

165 × 115 mm

Latin, French

1 (ff. 1r–3v) Collection of prayers

Incipit: Spiritus sancti gracia illustret et illuminet cor tuum

Explicit: et potens ad vitam presentem et eternam introductio Per dominum nostrum Iesum etc

2 (ff. 4r–15v) Calendar

Note:

In accordance with 15th century Parisian custom, the calendar records one feast (sometimes more) for each day of the year. Some notable feasts are:

f. 4r: St Genevieve (3 Jan.; in gold);

f. 4r: St Frambald (7 Jan.);

f. 4v: St Beatrice (30 Jan.);

f. 4v: St Metrannus (31 Jan.);

f. 5v: St Susanna (19 Feb.);

f. 5v: St Veronica (26 Feb.);

f. 6r: St Potentianus (8 March);

f. 6v: St Blanchart (11 Mar.);

f. 7r: St Timothy (6 Apr.);

f. 7r: St Macarius (7 Apr.);

f. 7r: St Prochorus (as ‘precor’; 9 Apr.);

f. 8r: St Venantius Fortunatus (5 May);

f. 8v: St Ambrose (17 May);

f. 9r: St Landry (10 June);

f. 9r: St Basil (as ‘babille’; 14 June);

f. 9r: St Florus (15 June);

f. 9v: St Marina (18 June);

f. 11r: St Yon (Jonius) of Chartres (5 Aug.);

f. 11v: St Omer (Audomar; 16 Aug.);

f. 11v: St Mederic (as ‘merri’; 29 Aug.; in gold);

f. 12r: St Chrodegang (3 Sep.);

f. 12v: St Leufred (‘lieffroy’; 17 Sep.);

f. 13r: St Charitina (as ‘christine’; 5 Oct.);

f. 13r: St Denis (9 Oct.; in gold);

f. 13r: St Reginbald of Speyer (13 Oct.);

f. 13v: St Cerbonius (17 Oct.);

f. 14r: St Faustus (15 Nov.);

f. 14v: St Genevieve (27 Nov.; in gold).

3 (ff. 16r–22r) Gospel readings

Rubric: Secundum iohannem

Incipit: IN principio erat uerbum

Explicit: sermonem confirmante sequentibus signis Deo gracias

4 (ff. 22r–25v) Obsecro te

Rubric: Deuote oraison a notre dame

Incipit: Obsecro te domina

Explicit: audias et exaudias me miserum dulcissima uirgo maria mater dei et misericordia amen

Note: The bifolium making up f. 25/ f. 30 has been incorrectly placed in the sequence; it should come after the bifolium making up f. 26 / f. 29; consequently, ff. 26r–26v contain text belonging to Obsecro te. An early modern hand has added signes-de-renvoi at the relevant places.

5 (ff. 25v–31r) O intemerata

Rubric: Aultre oraison a la uierge marie

Incipit: O Intemerata et in eternum benedicta

Explicit: ut michi parcat in alia uita concedens michi misericorditer [...] secula seculorum amen

Note:

Listed after the prayer are the incipits ‘Pater noster ’and ‘Aue maria’.

The bifolium making up f. 25/ f. 30 has been incorrectly placed in the sequence; it should come after the bifolium making up f. 26 / f. 29; consequently, ff. 26r–26v contain text belonging to Obsecro te.

f. 31v: full-page miniature: St Katherine with her attributes, a sword and a broken wheel; kneeling in prayer in front of her, the owner of the book, Katherine de Brunfay; below: a banner with her name, ‘KATHERINE DE BRVNFAY’.

6 (ff. 32r–107v) Hours of the Virgin

Incipit: Domine labia mea aperies [...] Inuitatorium Aue maria gracia plena

Explicit: ad dona perueniat sempiterna [...] Benedicamus domino Deo gracias

Note: f. 78v, f. 93v, f. 101v: ruling but no text.

7 (ff. 107v–111v) Suffrages

Rubric: Memoria de sancto iohanne baptista antiphona

Incipit: Inter natos mulierum

Explicit: interuentio sit accepta pro nobis [...] secula seculorum Amen

Note:

f. 107v: John the Baptist;

f. 108v: St Stephen;

f. 109r: St Eustace;

f. 109v: St Lawrence;

f. 110v: St Maurus;

f. 111r: St Germanus.

8 (ff. 112r–126v) The seven penitential psalms

Incipit: Domine ne in furore tuo arguas me

Explicit: ne in eternum irascaris nobis

9 (ff. 126v–131r) Litanies and prayers

Incipit: Kyrieleyson Christeleyson

Explicit: piis supplicacionibus consequantur [...] secula seculorum amen

Note: f. 131v: ruling but no text.

10 (ff. 132r–141r) Hours of the Holy Cross

Incipit: Domine labia mea aperies [...] Patris sapiencia ueritas diuina

Explicit: Sis michi solacium in mortis agone amen

11 (ff. 141v–148v) Hours of the Holy Spirit

Incipit: Domine labia mea aperies [...] Hymnus Nobis sancti spiritus gracia

Explicit: uiuamus iugiter celi regione Amen

12 (ff. 149r–198r) Office for the dead

Incipit: Antiphona Placebo Psalmus Dilexi quoniam exaudiet dominus

Explicit: Requiescant in pace Amen

13 (ff. 198r–204v) The Fifteen Joys of the Virgin

Rubric: Les xv ioies notre dame

Incipit: Doulce dame de misericorde mere de dieu

Explicit: pour tous pecheurs et pecherrelles quil ait mercy de nous Amen Aue maria gracia

Note: f. 198v: ruling but no text.

Edition: Leroquais (1927), pp. 310–311.

14 (ff. 204v–207r) The Seven Requests to Our Lord

Rubric: Les v plaies notre seigeur

Incipit: Doulx dieu doulx pere sancte trinite

Explicit: huy seras auec moy en paradis Sire [...] Pater noster

Note:

The rubric notwithstanding, the text corresponds to the Seven Requests edited by Leroquais (1927), lacking, however, the request relating to the disciples.

The bifolium making up f. 206 / f. 209 has been incorrectly placed in the sequence; it should come after the bifolium making up f. 207 / f. 208; consequently, the text comes in the incorrect order and f. 206v contains text belonging to the rhymed prayer top the Holy Cross. An early modern hand has added signes-de-renvoi at the relevant places.

Edition: Leroquais (1927), pp. 309–310.

15 (ff. 206v–209r) Rhymed prayer to the Holy Cross

Incipit: Saincte uraye croiz aouree

Explicit: Que uray confes puisse mourir Amen

Note: The bifolium making up f. 206/ f. 209 has been incorrectly placed in the sequence; it should come after the bifolium making up f. 207 / f. 208 and thus make up the centre of the quire; consequently, the text is interrupted after f. 206v and continues on f. 209r.

16 (ff. 208r–219v) Suffrages

Incipit: Uox de celis ad anthonium

Explicit: et incolumem me perficias [...] Amen

Note:

f. 208r: St Anthony;

f. 208v: St Sebastian (continues on f. 210r);

f. 209r: St Michael;

f. 210v: St Christopher;

f. 212r: St Dionysius;

f. 213r: St Nicholas;

f. 213v: St Katherine;

f. 214v: St Barbara;

f. 215v: St Margaret;

f. 216v: St Genevieve;

f. 217r: St Avoye (Aurea);

f. 217v: St Apollonia.

The bifolium making up f. 206 / f. 209 has been incorrectly placed in the sequence; it should come after the bifolium making up f. 207 / f. 208; consequently, f. 209r contains text from the rhymed prayer to the Holy Cross and the suffrages come in the incorrect order; they should begin with St Michael (f. 209r), and continue with St Anthony (f. 208r). An early modern hand has added signes-de-renvoi at the relevant places.

Physical Description

Secundo folio

Adesto domine suplicacionibus

Support

Binding/Endleaves

Locus: ff. LCI, SL1–SL3, SR1–SR2, RCI

Support: Paper

Leaf dimensions: 165/165 × 115/115 mm

Watermark 1

SR1,

Motif: The name: WUNNERLICH.

Note: Similar to Piccard online DE3270-jurid387_III-wm1.

Textblock

Locus: ff. 1r–220v

Support: Parchment

Leaf dimensions: 165/165 × 115/115 mm

Foliation

Modern foliation in pencil, 1-220.

Collation

Formula: 1(3), 2(12), 3-16(8), 17(4), 18-28(8), 29(1)

Note: VisColl collation.

Catchwords: Catchword on quire 23.

Condition

Textblock

Edges trimmed with some loss of border decorations and text of the maginal notations.

Layout

Layout 1

Locus: ff. 1r–3v, 16r–220v

Columns: 1

Ruled lines: 15

Written area: 90/90 × 55/55 mm

Note: Guidelines and ruling in red ink.

Layout 2

Locus: ff. 4r–15v

Columns: 6

Ruled lines: 17

Written area: 90/90 × 60/60 mm

Note: Guidelines and ruling in red ink. Outer column for marginal decoration; no text lines ruled.

Script

Textblock

Hand 1

(ff. 1r–3v)Later cursive.

Hand 2

(ff. 4r–219r)Gothic textualis.

Additions

Binding/Endleaves

(LCI) Top left corner, in red ink: ‘D. B. IV. 5’; below, National Library book label with the current signum, ‘A229’; bottom left corner, in ink: ‘50’.

(f. SL2r) Dedication in Polish by Felix Biernacki to the countess von Engeström.

Textblock

(f. 1r) Top of page, in a late medieval or early modern hand: owner's note, ‘Ces putets heures appertiennent a mademoyselle de cheurieres’. Top right corner, in a late medieval or early modern hand: owner's note, ‘Marguerit⟨e⟩ de Bielzuiais’.

(ff. 219r–220v) Genealogy of the de Brunfay family (see Provenance).

Decorations

Textblock

Description:

Rubrics in red.

(ff. 4r–219r): border panels in the outer margin with floral motifs in reds, blues, greens, yellows, purples, and tendrils in black.

Initials:

(ff. 4r–15r): Opening foliate initials ‘KL’ over 2 lines in blue and red (in alternating order) and outlined in black on a gold background outlined in black. Patterns in white inside letter bodies; foliage in red and blue in counterspace. (ff. 16r–218v): foliate initials over 2-3 lines in red or blue and outlined in black on a gold background outlined in black. Patterns in white inside letter bodies; foliage in red and blue in counter space. (ff. 31r–210v): dentelle initials over 1 line in gold with black outline on a red or blue background outlined in black. Counter space in red or blue with patterns in white. (ff. 22r–216v): line fillers: bars outlined in black and coloured in half red, half blue with patterns in white, and a golden disc outlined in black at the middle.

Images:

Miniatures: (f. 16r): St John writing his Gospel; (f. 18r): St Luke writing his Gospel; (f. 19v): St Matthew writing his Gospel; (f. 21r): St Mark writing his Gospel; (f. 22v): the Virgin Mary with the Christ child; (f. 25v): the Virgin Mary with the body of Christ (Pietà); (f. 32r): the Annunciation; (f. 60r): the Visitation; (f. 72r): the Nativity; (f. 79r): the Annunciation to the shepherds; (f. 84r): the Adoration of the Magi; (f. 88v); the Presentation at the Temple; (f. 94r): the Flight into Egypt; (f. 102r): the Coronation of the Virgin Mary; (f. 108r): St John the Baptist; (f. 108v): St Stephen; (f. 109r): St Eustace; (f. 110r): St Lawrence; (f. 110v): St Maur; (f. 111r): St Germain; (f. 112r): King David; (f. 132r): the Crucifixion; (f. 141v): the Pentecost; (f. 149r): funeral mass; (f. 199r): Virgin Mary with the Christ child; (f. 205r): the Trinity; (f. 208r): St Anthony; (f. 208v): St Sebastian; (f. 209r): St Michael; (f. 210v): St Christopher; (f. 212r): St Denis; (f. 213r): St Nicholas; (f. 213v): St Katherine; (f. 214v): St Barbara; (f. 215v): St Margaret; (f. 216v): St Genevieve; (f. 217r): St Avoye; (f. 218r): St Apollonia. (f. 31v): full-page miniature: St Katherine with her attributes, a sword and a broken wheel; kneeling in prayer in front of her, the owner of the book, Katherine de Brunfay; below: a banner with her name, ‘KATHERINE DE BRVNFAY’. For further description of the decoration, see Lindqvist Sandgren.

Binding

Description:

Modern binding. Red leather over cardboard; a border of gilded leaves. 5 bands and endbands. Spine, stamped in gold: ‘Manuscrit du XVme Siècle’; below: the current signum ‘A 229’; below:‘ avez des miniatures’.

Binding dimensions: 170/170 × 135/135 × 50/50 mm

Edges:

Gilded floral pattern.

History

Origin

France, Paris, 15th century, middle. The calendar agrees in large part with the books of hours typical of 15th century Paris as presented by Perdrizet (1933), with one feast (occasionally two) observed for each day of the year (many of them Eastern; important feasts in gold) and with several of the same (mis)spellings, e.g. ‘albaire ’for Balbine on March 31 (f. 6v); ‘profer(t)’ for Gobert (Godobertus of Anger) on April 10 (f. 7r); ‘gobert ’ on April 21, possibly for Soter (f. 7v; see Perdrizet (1933), p. 122), ‘vandrille’ (Wandregisel of Fontenelle) on May 20 mistaken for Austregisilus of Bourges (f. 8v; see Perdrizet (1933), p. 141); the unidentified ‘pant(h)alin’ on June 2 (f. 9r); ‘proces’ on June 7, possibly for Procopius (f. 9r; see Perdrizet (1933), p. 149); the unidentified ‘osonans’ on August 5 (f. 11r; see discussion in Perdrizet (1933), p. 197); ‘presme’ for Privatus on 28 September (f. 12v); ‘christine’ for Charitina (f. 13r), and ‘emille’ for Amon on December 20 (see Perdrizet (1933), p. 278). The style of the decorations and miniatures also place the manuscript in fifteenth-century Paris; Lindqvist Sandgren dates them to 1450 at the latest (Lindqvist Sandgren). She also believes that some of the miniatures may have been painted at a later date, among them, the portrait of Katherine de Brunfay found on f. 31v, which Lindqvist Sandgren identifies as a later addition, Katherine's dress, for example, being of the 16th century fashion.

Provenance

For several decades at least, the manuscript was in the possession of the de Brunfay family, which seems to have had its origins around the area of Vieux-Campagne, just southeast of Paris (see Annales de la Société historique & archéologique du Gatinais: Tome 26, pp. 267–269). On ff. 219r–220v is found a genealogy of the family written by a certain André de Brunfay. The earliest date he records is 1530 (the birth of his (presumably) eldest son), and he signs his notes on July 14, 1560 (f. 220v: ‘escript de ma mayn le dymenche xiiii de Juyllet C^c lx’). At least three later hands have added entries for 1562 (the battle of Dreux; f. 219v), 1565 (the siege of Malta; f. 220r), 1598 (f. 219v), 1609 (f. 220r), and 1616 (f. 220v). Katherine de Brunfay is not mentioned in the genealogy.

An owner's note in a late medieval or early modern hand on f. 1r states that the book belonged to a ‘mademoyselle de cheurieres’, probably Chevrières. Next to it, an owner's note in a different hand gives the name ‘Marguerit⟨e⟩ de Bielzuiais’, probably Beauvais.

The watermark on SR1, added at rebinding, gives the name ‘Wunnerlich’ (first initial(s) not visible); Piccard online identifies a similar watermark belonging to Johann Albrecht Wunnerlich, active in Hof 1746–1822 (see Piccard online). A line of Wunnerlichs appear as papermakers in Bavaria (Hof/Moschendorf) between 1693 and 1856 (see blogus).

A dedication in Polish on SL2 reveals that the manuscript was given to the countess von Engeström (Rosalie, née Drya-Chlapowska), wife of statesman Lars von Engeström (1751–1826), by Felix Biernacki, a friend of the von Engeström family, with gratitude for meetings in Stockholm and Warsaw.

The signa ‘D. B. IV. 5’ and ‘50’ on LCI have not been identified.

Acquisition

The manuscript was part of the donation to the National Library of Lars von Engeström's personal library made in 1864 by von Engeström's grandson (see SBL).