Book of Hours (Use of Clermont)

France, Clermont, 15th century, second half

parchment

i, 137, i' leaves

100 × 65–70 mm

Latin

1 (ff. 1r–12v) Calendar

Note:

Notable feasts:

f. 1r: St William of Bourges (10 Jan.);

f. 1v: St Bonitus of Clermont (15 Jan.);

f. 1v: St Venerandus of Clermont (18 Jan.);

f. 1v: St Preiectus of Clermont (26 Jan.);

f. 2r: St Antholianus (6 Feb.);

f. 2r: St Desideratus of Clermont (11 Feb.);

f. 2v: St Trigidius of Clermont (16 Feb.);

f. 4v: St Robert of Auvergne (24 Apr.);

f. 5r: St Serenus of Billom (?) (2 May);

f. 5r: translation of St William of Bourges (7 May);

f. 5v: St Cassius of Clermont (15 May);

f. 5v: St Lupus of Limoges (22 May);

f. 6r: St Florus of Lodève (1 June);

f. 6r: St Genesius of Clermont (3 June);

f. 6r: translation of St Bonitus (6 June);

f. 6v: St Abraham of Clermont (15 June);

f. 7r: St Gallus of Clermont (1 July);

f. 7r: St Cyril (9 July);

f. 9r: St Frodoaldus (‘Fredaldus’; 4 Sep.)

f. 9v: St Rusticus of Clermont (24 Sep.);

f. 10v: St Amabilis of Clermont (19 Oct.);

f. 11r: St Agricola and Vitalis (4 (Nov.);

f. 11r: St Amandinus of Clermont (‘Amandi’; 7 Nov.);

f. 11r: St Austremonius (8 Nov.);

f. 11r: St Quintinianus of Clermont (10 Nov.);

f. 11v: translation of Agricola and Vitalis (27 Nov.);

f. 12r: St Nectarius of Auvergne (‘Necterei’; 9 Dec.).

f. 3r: the ascender of the ‘d’ in ‘Benedicti’ is embellished with a scroll.

St Romanus is placed on August 8 rather than 9, and for the remainder of August, the feasts are early by one day (or two) compared to the common dates.

2 (ff. 13r–37v) Hours of the Virgin (part I, Matins and Lauds)

Incipit: DOmine labia mea aperies [...] Antiphona Aue maria gracia plena

Explicit: a presenti libari (!) tristicia et eterna perfrui leticia Per dominum

Note: f. 13r: miniature; the Virgin Mary surrounded by four angels.

3 (ff. 37v–40v) Suffrages

Rubric: Commemoratio de sancto spiritu antiphona

Incipit: Accipite spiritum sanctum quorum remiseritis peccata

Explicit: ad resurretionis gloriam perducamur

Note:

f. 37v: the Holy Spirit;

f. 37v: St John the Evangelist;

f. 38r: St Anthony;

f. 38v: St Sebastian;

f. 39r: St John the Baptist;

f. 39v: Sts Peter and Paul;

f. 40r: St Blasius;

f. 40r: All saints.

4 (ff. 41r–63r) Hours of the Virgin (part II, Prime to Compline)

Rubric: ad primam

Incipit: DEus in adiutorium [...] Psalmus DEus in nomine tuo saluum me fac

Explicit: Graciam tuam quesumus domine ut supra

Note:  f. 41r : miniature; the Nativity.

5 (ff. 63r–69v) Hours of the Virgin (Advent)

Rubric: Incipit officium beate marie in aduentu domini vt sequitur officium

Incipit: DOmine labia mea aperies [...] Vitatorium Regem uenturum dominum venite adoremus

Explicit: perfecta sunt omnia que data sunt a domino Hodie

6 (ff. 69v–75v) Hours of the Virgin (Christmas)

Rubric: Incipit officium natiuitatis domini sequitur

Incipit: DOmine labia mea aperies [...] Vitatorium Christus natus est nobis

Explicit: ueritatis lumen ostende Qui tecum uiuit et regnat

Note: f. 63v: miniature; the Annunciation.

7 (ff. 76r–105r) Office for the dead

Incipit: REgem cui omnia viuunt Venite adoremus

Explicit: sanctorum tuorum iubeas esse consortes Per dominum

Note:  f. 76r : miniature; Job and his friends.

8 (ff. 105r–108v) Litany

Incipit: Kyrieleison Christeleison

Explicit: pro tui nominis misericorditer liberemur Per dominum nostrum

9 (ff. 109r–111v) Hours of the Cross

Incipit: DOmine labia mea aperies [...] Hymnus PAtris sapiencia ueritas diuina

Explicit: sis mihi solacium in mortis agone Deo gloria

Note: f. 109r: miniarure; the Crucifixion.

10 (ff. 112r–115r) Hours of the Holy Spirit

Incipit: DOmine labia mea aperies [...] NObis sancti spiritus gracia

Explicit: et me eterna illumines inspiracione amen Pater noster

Note:

f. 112r: miniature; Mary, the disciples, and the Holy Spirit.

Following immediately after the last prayer is an addition of 7 lines which appears to pertain to the next item, Hours of the Trinity; it begins, ‘Pater noster Incipit officium de trinitate Ave maria’.

11 (ff. 115r–118v) Hours of the Trinity

Incipit: DOmine labia mea aperies [...] Hymnus Quicumque uult animam firmiter saluare

Explicit: faciat me credere hoc cum firmitate antiphona Te iure ut supra Oracio ut supra

Note:

f. 115v: miniature; the Trinity.

12 (ff. 119r–121v) Common of martyrs

Rubric: Plurimorum martirum

Incipit: QUocienscumque fratres karissimi sanctorum martirum

Explicit: Qui confidunt in Qui Gloria

Note: f. 119r: miniature; the stoning of St Stephen.

13 (ff. 122r–125r) Common of confessors

Rubric: Plurimorum confessorum

Incipit: BEati sunt serui illi

Explicit: Letamini in domino etc Quem ibi defficiencia supra in ~~ntli~~ communi plurimorum martirum

Note: f. 122r: miniature; bishop holding a Bible.

14 (ff. 125v–129v) Common of virgins

Rubric: de virginibus hore

Incipit: SEpe vos fratres karissimi ammoneo

Explicit: Sub tuum presidium confugimus dei genitris uirgo nostras deprecaciones Psalmus Dominus regnauit cum aliis (?)

15 (ff. 130r–131v) Readings for the Annunciation

Rubric: de beata maria

Incipit: BEata dei genitris uirgo maria

Explicit: ad resurrectionis glorias perducamur Per dominus

Note: Seven readings excerpted from Jerome's letter no. IX to Paula and Eustochium followed by a postcommunio for the Annunciation.

Edition: PL, vol. 30, cols. 139C–139D.

16 (ff. 132r–135v) Obsecro te

Incipit: OBsecro te domina sancta maria

Explicit: et exaudi domina dulcissima uirgo maria mater dei et misericordie Amen

Note: f. 132r: miniature; Pietà.

17 (ff. 135v–136r) Prayer

Rubric: oracio

Incipit: OMnipotens sempiterne deus qui gloriose semperque virginis marie corpus

Explicit: a morte subbitanea liberemur Per dominum nostrum ihesum christum filium tuum Qui tecum vivit et

18 (f. 136r) Prayer

Rubric: oracio

Incipit: GRaciam tuam quesumus domine mentibus nostris

Explicit: ad resurectionis gloriam perducamur Per dominum nostrum Deo gracias Bessonis

Note:

f. 136v: blank.

f. 137r: ruled but no text.

f. 137v: blank.

Physical Description

Support

Binding/Endleaves

Support 1

Locus: LCI, RCI

Support: Textile

Leaf dimensions: 100 × 70 mm

Support 2

Locus: ff. SL1, SR1

Support: Paper

Leaf dimensions: 100 × 65 mm

Textblock

Locus: ff. 1r–137v

Support: Parchment

Leaf dimensions: 100 × 65 mm

Foliation

Modern foliation in pencil (in lower left corner on folios with full-page miniatures), 1-137. Some folio numbers appear to have been corrected.

Collation

Formula: 1(8), 2(4), 3-16(8), 17(6, lacks 3 and 4), 18(7)

Note: VisColl collation.

Catchwords: Catchwords on quires 3-17.

Condition

Textblock

Occasional stains throughout the manuscript, e.g. ff. 1r–7r (possibly water damage), f. 54r, ff. 78v–79r. f. 1r: imprint from a circular object. f. 113r: text smudged.

Layout

Locus: ff. 13v–137r

Columns: 1

Ruled lines: 16

Written area: 55 × 35 mm

Note: Guidelines and ruling in ink.

Script

Textblock

Description:

Hand 1

Hybrida.

Additions

Binding/Endleaves

(SL1) Top of page, in black ink by an modern hand: ‘Drottningholms Bibl. Kat. n^o 96’; below, in the same hand, the date ‘8/20 1854’. Centre of page, in black ink by a different modern hand, a tally of the ornamental elements: ‘136 skrifna blad 15 taflor med hela ramar och stora initialer 10 mindre ramstycken och 10 initialer 182 mindre initialer 826 små initialer 62 små rankor’. Bottom of page, in pencil by a modern hand: ‘Tillhör KB’.

Decorations

Textblock

Description:

Main text in brown ink; rubrics in red; capitals touched in red.

Initials:

(f. 13r), (f. 112r): decorated initial over 5 lines alternating, one in red, one in blue, with foliate patterns in gold on a blue or red background outlined in black and floral patterns in gold paint on the background and in the counter space. (f. 41r), (f. 76r), (f. 115v), (f. 122r), (f. 125v), (f. 132r) foliate initial over 4-5 lines in blue and red with patterns in white and outlined in black on a background of gold leaf outlined in black and vine stems with leaves in red, blue and mauve in the counter space. (f. 52v), (f. 63v), (f. 70r), (f. 102r), (f. 109r), (f. 119r), (f. 130r) foliate initial over 4-5 lines in blue and red with patterns in white and outlined in black on a background of gold leaf outlined in black and floral motifs in the style of the border decoration on a yellow background in the counter space. (ff. 1r–136r): dentelle text initials over 2-3 lines on a square background outlined in black and floral patterns in gold paint in the counter space. (ff. 1r–130v): dentelle sentence initials over 1 line on a square background outlined in black and floral patterns in gold paint in the counter space. Line fillers in the same style.

Images:

(f. 13r): the Assumption; (f. 41r): the Nativity; (f. 52v): the Visitation; (f. 63v): the Annunciation; (f. 70r): Joachim and Anna meeting the the Golden Gate; (f. 76r): Job; (f. 102r): a funeral; (f. 109r): the Crucifixion (Calvary); (f. 112r): Pentecost; (f. 115v): the Trinity; (f. 119r): the stoning of St Stephen; (f. 122r): a bishop; (f. 125v): St Katherine piercing a regent (Maxentius?) with her sword; (f. 130r): the Virgin Mary with the Christ Child and two angels; (f. 132r): the Mourning of Christ / Pietà. The miniatures are surrounded by border decoration with floral motifs in blue, green, red, pink, gold paint, some gold leaf, and tendrils in black. The opening of the individual hours are also accompanied by boder decorations in the same style, but mainly restricted to foliage in blue, yellow and green, in panels extending the length of the right margin and half of the upper and lower margin. According to a former librarian, the style of the decoration reveals Flemish influence. For further discussion of the decoration, see Lindqvist Sandgren.

Bookmarks:

(SR1v): Two booksmarks of woven green silk thread.

Binding

Description:

18th-century binding. Red leather over cardboard. 4 double raised bands and endbands. LCO, stamped in gold at the centre: the coat of arms of Queen Lovisa Ulrika of Sweden. Spine, stamped in gold: ‘MANUSCRIPT’; below, ‘A 232’.

Binding dimensions: 115 × 80 × 30 mm

Condition: Leather worn at the edges.

Contemporary: No

History

Origin

France, Clermont, 15th century, second half. The inclusion in the calendar of the feast of the Transfiguration (f. 8r), instituted in 1457, gives a terminus post quem for the date of the manuscript. The inclusion of a large number of bishops, prelates, and martyrs of Clermont (e.g. Austremonius, Antholianus, Trigidius, Bonitus, Genesius, as well as Agricola and Vitalis) points to this as the place of origin. A former librarian notes, however, that the miniatures are of Flemish style.

Provenance

The manuscript belonged to Lovisa Ulrika, Queen of Sweden 1751-1771 (her coat of arms on LCO). No 96 in the library catalogue of Drottningholm Palace.